Secrets

New Delhi

Rathore Palace

They both turned at the sound of sharp footsteps

And there she was.

Reema.

Standing still, rage burning in her eyes as she glared at them like they'd crossed an unspoken line.

Uma's face went pale. She immediately stepped forward, voice laced with worry.

"Badi Malikain, you're here? You should've called me... I would've come. There was no need for you to walk all the way here."

But Reema's eyes didn't move from Kiara. Her stare was cutting. Cold. Calculated.

"And why exactly shouldn't I come?" she asked, voice sharp, dangerous.

"You've been speaking too freely these days, Uma. What were you two talking about just now?"

Uma's heart skipped a beat.

But Reema hadn't heard anything that much she was sure of.

So she quickly softened her tone and replied with measured calm,

"Nothing important... I was just showing her how to sign the papers. Is there something you needed?"

Reema didn't answer right away.

Instead, she tossed a dress toward Kiara. It landed at her feet with the same coldness in her voice.

"Make her wear this. I'll be back in a while. By the time I return, she should be dressed and ready."

She paused, her voice growing sharper.

"Oh, and one more thing. We're not going to court. I've called the lawyer here. All she has to do is sign neatly. Make sure she practices again. I don't want her messing up a single letter."

Uma quickly bent to pick up the dress as Reema gave Kiara one last withering glance and walked out.

The moment she left, Kiara dropped to her knees and gently unfolded the fabric, eyes wide with wonder like she was touching something forbidden.

She had only ever owned four pairs of clothes in her life faded, worn thin by time. They stayed on her body until they were too dirty to breathe in, and only then were they taken, washed, and handed back.

But this...

This was different.

For the first time in years, she saw something beautiful.

A white gown soft, flowing, with a voluminous skirt that puffed out like a dream.

Sleeveless. Elegant. Barely worn.

It wasn't new. Kiara could feel that.

It had once belonged to Raiyma, Reema's daughter. Because Reema would never spend a single rupee on Kiara not even for today.

So she handed her a used gown.

A borrowed fantasy.

There were sandals too. A few pieces of jewelry.

It was all part of Reema's plan to dress Kiara up, to make her look like she'd been taken care of.

As if all this had been her idea of kindness.

Uma gently placed a hand on Kiara's head, brushing back a loose strand of hair.

Her voice trembled as she guided her toward the washroom.

"Kiya beta... from today, you'll have to take care of yourself. We don't know if we'll ever see you again..."

Today, maybe... I'm seeing my daughter for the last time.

Just like a mother dresses her child one final time before she's sent off into a new world, I'll send her off from this hell today

Uma whispered this to herself, only in her heart.

A while later, Kiara stood ready.

And for the first time in her life, she looked like herself not the shadow she had been forced to become.

Usually, her appearance was unkempt her hair a tangled mess, her face left unwashed for days. But today... her fair skin glowed like polished ivory, the delicate white gown draped around her like it belonged in a dream.

She looked ethereal.

The gown, once Raiyma's, fit her perfectly. It was sleeveless, full, and flowed around her like air.

Her avocado-green eyes held a softness so rare, so pure, it almost hurt to look at them.

Her lips, naturally pink, stood out beautifully against her pale face.

And her hair rich brown, long enough to touch her waist was now gently parted and tied back on both sides with simple scrunchies.

She wore no makeup.

She didn't need any.

She looked breathtaking so much so that Uma herself was stunned.

More beautiful than any girl in this palace.

And that beauty... terrified her.

Because the world outside didn't understand beauty like this.

It didn't treasure it.

It ruined it.

Uma's thoughts raced. She couldn't let Kiara walk out like this, exposed and glowing like a flame in the dark.

Without warning, she pulled a large shawl from the cupboard and wrapped it around Kiara's shoulders.

Kiara looked at her, confused.

Uma pulled it tighter and whispered urgently,

"You trust your Maapi, don't you? Just listen to me, beta. Please."

Kiara nodded quickly, silently.

Uma handed her a plain mask and held her hand gently.

"Don't take this off until you reach where you need to go. Not for anything. Do you understand?"

Kiara nodded again, obedient and innocent.

Uma's throat tightened. Her hands trembled as she tucked Kiara's hair behind her ears.

This child... this child who had never seen the world... was about to step into it.

And Uma didn't know if she would ever get to hold her again.

But there was no time left.

Reema would be back any minute.

And in those few remaining minutes, Uma had to do what no one else dared to

save her.

She had planned everything.

Working in the palace for years had taught her where the walls whispered and which steps echoed hollow.

There was a passage.

A secret one.

Even Reema and Rajeev didn't know it existed.

She had unlocked it earlier that morning.

Taking Kiara's hand tightly, she led her through a narrow hallway, behind the prayer room, past an old bookshelf until the air turned cooler and the floor beneath them sloped downward.

Kiara's eyes widened, full of awe, like a child seeing the world for the first time.

She clutched Uma's arm and whispered, voice shaking,

"Maapi... this is the world? The real world is this big?"

Uma's heart nearly broke.

A girl who had never stepped beyond those palace walls... was asking what the world looked like.

And today just today she was getting her first glimpse of it.

Uma didn't stop walking, didn't let go of her hand.

She just whispered, more to herself than to Kiara:

"The world is even bigger than this, beta. And one day... it will be yours."

You always said the world ended at my window... but Maapi, this this is bigger than my whole room. Tell me... is this the world? Is this what people mean when they say the world?"

Kiara's voice was full of wonder, her eyes wide, shining with innocence. She couldn't stop asking, couldn't stop looking everything around her was so new, so vast, so... alive.

But Uma wasn't listening. Her heart was pounding too loudly, her mind locked on one thing getting Kiara out. Safe.

She turned to Anju, who stood silently nearby, her scarf pulled over her head like a shadow. Gently, Uma placed Kiara's hand in Anju's.

"I'm giving you my heart," Uma whispered, her voice unsteady.

"Don't return until she's on that blue ship. She's your responsibility now. I'll owe you my life... just take her far away from this hell."

Anju squeezed her hand tightly.

"Didi, what are you saying? I'd give my life if you asked. You've done so much for me. Don't worry I won't come back without her on that ship."

Uma turned to Kiara, who was watching them both confused, curious, unaware of just how much this moment meant. Her avocado-green eyes sparkled with questions, but Uma didn't have time to answer them.

Her heart couldn't take it.

She pulled Kiara into her arms and held her close, tears finally spilling down her cheeks.

Kiara clung to her. Because Uma wasn't just her caregiver she was her only family, her whole world. And now that world was shaking.

After a moment, Uma stepped back, placed a small wooden box in Kiara's hands and said softly,

"Open this when you reach your destination. Inside... is everything. Who you are. Where you come from. Your truth."

Then, gently, she slipped a delicate chain around Kiara's neck. A pendant hung from it simple, beautiful, mysterious.

Kiara looked at her Maapi, too overwhelmed to speak.

There were only five minutes left.

Uma turned to Anju again, her voice trembling but firm:

"Take her far, Anju. So far that nothing from this place can ever find her again. Let her live a life filled with peace... and light."

And then Uma turned away.

Because if she looked at Kiara again... she wouldn't have the strength to let her go.

Anju said nothing. She understood everything. She took Kiara's hand, led her to the car, and held her tight.

As the vehicle began to move, carrying Kiara toward the docks, toward the ship... toward freedom

Uma stood still, watching the road disappear.

Then she looked up at the sky.

"Malikin," she whispered,

"I've done my part. I've protected what was never mine... but always in my heart. Now, you protect her."

She wiped her tears, took a deep breath, and walked back into the palace.

As if nothing had happened.

Inside the car, Kiara couldn't stop smiling.

The sadness of leaving Maapi hadn't hit her yet not fully because for the first time in her life... she had seen the world.

Not through a window. Not from behind bars.

But real. Big. Wild. Alive.

The world that once ended at her windows... had just begun.

And though her face was hidden behind a mask

Her eyes those soft, avocado-green eyes

They held every ounce of wonder.

And freedom.

Sky Island

Blue Moon Club

The fifth bottle of whiskey lay empty on the table gone, just like the men who drank it.

Ruhel and Raghav sat at the Blue Moon Club, the exclusive haunt of Aaron Warner's crew. They liked to call it home.

Raghav, eyes glazed, stared at a Russian woman standing across the room. He scoffed,

"You know, girls just don't stay innocent anymore. They fall at the first glance."

Ruhel followed his gaze and paused. Something about her her dusky complexion, quiet strength made him curious. He smiled lightly and said,

"Stop. Send them away."

At his command, one by one, the club's women left the area. Soon, only her remained the stranger whom Raghav had only moments ago dismissed.

Raghav shrugged and whispered, "Have fun, buddy. I'm out."

He shot Ruhel a quick glance before drifting into the crowd.

Now Ruhel was alone with her. Soft neon lights danced across her face. He beckoned.

"Come here."

She moved toward him like a puppet, silent and mechanical. He guided her onto his lap, leaning in as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Baby girl... did they force you here?" he whispered, his voice silky and dangerous.

She stiffened and tensed but didn't speak. Ruhel gently brushed her hair aside, running a finger down her pale neck.

"I want my answer, sunshine," he murmured, low and seductive.

Her breathing quickened.

She forced herself to speak, barely a whisper,

"Please... leave my hand, sir."

He grinned, tilting his head. "See what I said? You were forced here, weren't you?"

Her breaths became shallow and rapid. She turned her face away, her voice trembling,

"Please, sir. I didn't choose this. I know you're with the Violet Devil but don't... tell anyone. I'm here against my will. Sent by... the President himself. If they find out, my life ends."

Ruhel's finger traced circles on her waist. He leaned closer, voice low and teasing,

"So... you're a spy?"

Her face paled further, eyes wide and terrified. But Ruhel only smiled calm, curious, and strangely pleased.

He leaned in again, almost too close, his tone soft but dangerous:

"Afraid yet? You thought you could come here... and not get caught?"

As his words spoke, the stranger's fear was undeniable. And the smile on Ruhel's lips said it all: for him, this was only the beginning.

Will Kiara make it to her destination...

or is fate secretly plotting a darker turn?

Find out in — Darling, You're Mine"