"Some scars fade in daylight... but return quietly when the world grows dark."

The Brothers' Day celebration had ended with laughter.

The mansion was finally quiet again.

The decorations still hung across the garden.

A few balloons floated lazily in the evening breeze.

Inside...

Everyone was tired after spending the entire day together.

Dinner was light.

There was plenty of teasing about the cake fight.

Especially Aadhya's tiny bandage.

Advik looked at it dramatically.

"Our Munchkin survived a dangerous cake attack."

Aadhya rolled her eyes.

"It was a paper-thin cut."

Vivaan immediately protested.

"It was still bleeding!"

Vihaan nodded seriously.

"We almost lost you to a cake."

Everyone laughed.

Even Veeransh smiled.

For a moment...

Life felt wonderfully normal.

Around 10:30 p.m...

Everyone wished each other goodnight.

"Goodnight, Sunshine."

Aryaveer smiled.

"Goodnight."

"Dove, don't stay up reading."

Rudransh reminded her.

"I won't."

"Munchkin..."

Advik grinned.

"No midnight chocolate stealing."

"I wasn't planning to."

"That's exactly what a chocolate thief would say."

She laughed.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Pumpkin."

Vihaan gently ruffled her hair.

Vivaan hugged her tightly.

"Goodnight, Twinny."

"Goodnight."

Finally...

Veeransh paused outside her room.

He looked at her for a second.

"Sleep well..."

"...Chhoti."

She smiled warmly.

"I will."

Aadhya changed into her nightclothes.

She carefully placed the Brothers' Day scrapbook on her bedside table.

Her eyes lingered on the photographs.

So many happy memories.

So much love.

She gently smiled.

Then switched off the bedside lamp.

Outside...

Dark clouds gathered.

A cool wind began blowing.

A few seconds later...

Boom!

Thunder echoed across the sky.

Rain poured heavily.

The lights flickered once.

Twice.

Then...

The entire mansion went dark.

Power cut.

Inside her room...

Aadhya suddenly sat upright.

The darkness swallowed every corner.

Another loud clap of thunder shook the windows.

Her breathing became uneven.

"No..."

She whispered.

"No... please..."

Darkness...

Closed doors...

Being alone...

They reminded her of another night.

A night she had tried to forget.

Her nightmare began.

She was fourteen again.

Standing outside the orphanage gate.

Rain soaked her clothes.

She held her tiny cloth bag tightly.

Cars passed by.

None stopped.

She looked down the road hopefully.

"Papa?"

No answer.

She waited.

Hours passed.

The gate slowly closed.

She banged on it desperately.

"Please..."

"My Papa promised he'd come back!"

The gate shut with a loud clang.

She was alone.

Completely alone.

The scene suddenly changed.

She was back in the Sharma house.

Sunita pointed toward the door.

"We never wanted you."

Mahesh looked away.

"You're nothing but a burden."

Little Aadhya tried to speak.

"Maa..."

But no words came out.

Only tears.

Then...

Everything changed again.

She stood in Rathore Mansion.

Only...

It wasn't the same.

The house was silent.

Cold.

Empty.

One by one...

Her brothers stood before her.

Their expressions were unreadable.

Aryaveer spoke first.

His voice sounded distant.

"We made a mistake."

She looked at him in disbelief.

"Bhaiya...?"

He stepped back.

"We shouldn't have chosen you."

Her heart dropped.

Rudransh lowered his eyes.

"You don't belong here."

Advik wasn't smiling.

For the first time...

There was no laughter.

"No more Munchkin."

He turned away.

Vihaan looked disappointed.

"I thought having a sister would make us happy."

"I was wrong."

Vivaan...

Her Twinny.

The one who had chosen her first.

He slowly removed the friendship band she had tied around his wrist.

"I don't want a twin anymore."

She shook her head frantically.

"No..."

"No..."

"Please..."

Finally...

Veeransh stood before her.

The same brother who had once cried beside her hospital bed.

Now...

His face was expressionless.

"We should never have adopted you."

He looked straight into her eyes.

"You'll never be our sister."

Behind them...

Vikram appeared.

He gently placed adoption papers onto a table.

"You have to leave."

She stared at him.

"...Papa?"

He didn't answer.

Instead...

He walked away.

One by one...

All seven of them disappeared into the darkness.

Leaving her completely alone.

Again.

"No!"

Aadhya screamed.

"Please don't leave me!"

"I'll be good!"

"I'll work harder!"

"I won't trouble anyone!"

"Please..."

"I don't want to be alone again!"

Outside...

Another loud clap of thunder echoed.

Across the hallway...

Six bedroom doors opened almost simultaneously.

Vivaan sat upright.

"That was Twinny!"

Veeransh was already running.

Aryaveer opened Aadhya's door first.

She was still asleep.

Thrashing restlessly.

Tears streamed down her face.

"No..."

"Please..."

"I'm sorry..."

"I'll do better..."

"Don't leave me..."

The brothers froze.

Their hearts shattered.

"Chhoti..."

Veeransh reached her first.

He gently held her shoulders.

"Aadhya."

"Wake up."

Rudransh carefully checked her pulse.

"She's having a nightmare."

Vivaan's eyes filled with tears.

"Twinny..."

"No..."

Aadhya suddenly opened her eyes.

She gasped loudly.

Her breathing was fast.

For a second...

She couldn't understand where she was.

Dark room.

No lights.

Thunder.

Then...

Six familiar faces surrounded her.

Without thinking...

She threw her arms around Vivaan.

He hugged her tightly.

"I'm here."

"I'm here."

"You woke up."

She looked around at everyone.

Her voice trembled.

"You..."

"...you didn't leave?"

Aryaveer immediately sat beside her.

"Leave?"

"We're never leaving."

Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I dreamt..."

"You all..."

"...said you shouldn't have chosen me."

Silence filled the room.

Every brother felt a sharp ache in his chest.

Advik was the first to speak.

He knelt in front of her bed.

"Munchkin..."

"If I could go back in time..."

"I wouldn't change choosing you."

He smiled sadly.

"I'd only choose you sooner."

Vihaan nodded.

"We lost so many years."

"So many birthdays."

"So many festivals."

He looked down.

"I wish we'd found you earlier."

Rudransh gently held her bandaged hand.

"You've never been a burden."

"The people who made you believe that..."

"They were wrong."

"So terribly wrong."

Aryaveer's usually calm voice carried quiet emotion.

"I've negotiated billion-dollar deals."

"I've solved impossible problems."

"But if I had the chance..."

"I'd give anything..."

"...to go back and bring our little sister home the very first day."

Vivaan hugged her even tighter.

"I should've asked Papa a year earlier."

"Then you wouldn't have waited alone every Sunday."

"I'm sorry, Twinny."

Aadhya immediately shook her head.

"It wasn't your fault."

Everyone looked toward Veeransh.

He stood silently for a moment.

Then slowly sat beside her.

He gently brushed a few strands of hair away from her face.

"When Papa first told us about adoption..."

"I said no."

"I thought accepting someone new meant letting go of Mom."

He looked down.

"I was wrong."

His voice cracked slightly.

"I'll always regret those days."

"I was angry at life..."

"When I should've been protecting my little sister."

He smiled sadly.

"If I'd known..."

"...how they treated you..."

"...I would've been the first person to bring you home."

He rested his forehead lightly against hers.

"I'm sorry, Chhoti."

"So... so sorry."

Vikram quietly entered the room.

He had heard everything.

He looked at Aadhya with gentle eyes.

"The people who abandoned you..."

"They lost a daughter."

He smiled lovingly.

"And we found one."

Another flash of lightning lit the room.

This time...

No one was afraid.

Because no one was alone.

Vivaan suddenly climbed onto the bed.

"I'm sleeping here."

Advik nodded.

"Me too."

"No."

Aryaveer sighed.

"The bed won't survive."

Everyone laughed softly.

Finally...

They settled on a compromise.

Vivaan held Aadhya's hand.

Veeransh sat beside the bed.

Aryaveer rested in the armchair.

Rudransh stayed nearby with a book.

Advik and Vihaan spread blankets on the floor, joking that it was a "brothers' night camp."

Vikram smiled from the doorway before switching on the emergency lamp.

Its warm glow filled the room.

Aadhya looked around one last time.

Six brothers.

One father.

Not a single person leaving.

She closed her eyes peacefully.

This time...

When she fell asleep...

There were no nightmares.

Only the comforting sound of her family's quiet voices nearby.

Because she finally knew one truth.

No darkness in the world could ever take her away from the people who had chosen to love her.

To Be Continued...