Six years later.

"Miss, will you marry my dad and become my mother?"

Judy's question had caught me off guard. And as much as I wanted to strangle her father, I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation. "Marry that creep, huh? Only if he transforms into a prince charming overnight," I thought, but kept that to myself.

Nope. Never in my nightmares.

"No, Judy, you already have a mother," I told her, lightly flicking her nose and watching her scrunch it up cutely. And I shot her father a dirty look. Pervert. He has been married three times and divorced twice; his third wife is waiting for her—a good for nothing husband.

Summar is such a stunning woman, and I can't believe she is even with this man. She is an extremely considerate woman to be living with this man. He is constantly making advances on other women, giving them dirty looks and thinking he is a stud. But in reality, he looks like a deformed creature.

He rolled his eyes at me and turned his back to me, already leaving the studio. Thank heavens. However, just as he was about to exit, he turned around and winked at me.

Oh, I will definitely kill him today!

But before I could lunge at him, someone grabbed my arm and dragged me back.

I jerked my arm free from her grip and turned to face her. "Why did you stop me? Today was the day I could finally put that fucker in his proper place."

Suzaine rolled her eyes at me and lightly shook her head as I continued to complain about her interruption. I finally had the opportunity to beat someone up and release all of my frustration from the previous few days.

Judy is a student of mine. I teach pottery to both children and adults, as well as sell some of my own work. I am now living in Havenwood, a small town in America. When I was on the run and looking for a place to start my new life, I came across a pamphlet about this town.

It is a small town in the Pacific Northwest with peaceful surroundings, beautiful mountains, and the ocean. I had to come here after reading about it on the internet. The people here are extremely friendly and good-spirited. The population of this place is not large, which is great for me. And almost everyone knows one another; they are always willing to assist one another without hesitation.

They accepted me just the same.

Suzaine is the first person who helped me and provided me shelter in her home. She is deaf. And ever since I stepped foot in her home, I made it my goal to not let her struggle. Her only son left her here alone to fend for herself; she provided him with everything. This is how he decided to repay her mother.

And, with her assistance, I soon established "Ocean Clay Creations" as well as classes and began selling some pieces for extra money. We get along well with each other, and most importantly, we are happy.

"Miss Taara, are you okay?" Judy asked, her innocent eyes blinking up at me.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Judy," I said, ruffling her hair. "Just thinking about how silly your dad can be sometimes."

Suzaine tapped me on the shoulder and gestured with a smirk, "Should I get the popcorn for your showdown?"

I chuckled, signing back, "Next time. Today, let's keep the drama for the pottery wheel."

As I guided Judy back to her clay project, I couldn't help but think about how unexpectedly my life had changed. From running for my life to finding a small slice of peace in this charming town. Suzaine and I had become like family, and the studio had become our haven.

"Taara, are you sure you don't want me to call the police on that creep?" Suzaine signed.

"He's not worth the trouble," I signed back with a sigh. "Besides, we've got more important things to focus on—like making sure Judy doesn't put too much glaze on her pot again."

Life in Havenwood wasn't perfect, but it was my new normal. And as long as I had Suzaine, my pottery, and the laughter of children like Judy, I knew I'd be okay. Even if I had to deal with the occasional creep along the way.

After the class was over and everyone left, I was clearing off the tables and wheels when Suzaine approached me. She extended her arm, and my phone was vibrating in her hand. With a grateful smile, I wiped my hands on my shirt and took the device from her.

I hesitated for a moment, debating whether or not to respond. But I did what I always do and answered her phone call.

"How is my precious little baby doing?"

I cringed and pulled the phone away from my ears. It has been years, but Barkha's habit of shouting on the phone has not changed.

"I am fine. And stop calling me those names; I am a grown woman, not your little baby." I grumbled into the phone, put it on speaker, and continued with my work.

Suzaine shook her head in response to my grumbling. She can read lips, but it is rare that she does so because I have learned sign language and can freely communicate with her.

I sighed as I heard Barkha keep going and going; she never stops speaking once she starts. I am not sure how Bhaiya and I raised this woman.

"Barkha?" I cut off her rambling.

"Taara?" she inquired, and I smiled mischievously.

I asked, chuckling to myself, "Doesn't your jaw hurt?"

After a brief pause during which I held my breath, she answered in a tentative manner. "No, why do you even ask?"

"Oh, I was worried about my dear mother. You spoke so quickly that I thought your jaw might hurt from speaking so much. You know how bones weaken with age."

She drew in a sharp breath, and I paused, quickly removing my phone from my ears, knowing what she would say.

Even though I was putting my phone away, I could still hear her scream, "Shut the fu–."

She doesn't like it when people talk about her age, so I can picture her breathing rapidly and her face getting red with annoyance. She is still the prettiest woman to me. Second beautiful and precious.

First place has always been taken by my sister, and it will always be her. Chandini Rudra Kapoor was and is the epitome of beauty and angelic grace in my eyes.

I quickly apologised and offered some comforting words to help her calm down.

"Come back, Taara," she said in a small, hesitant voice.

And here is the moment I was dreading with all my heart. "You know I can not, Barkha."

"You can talk it out with him; running away from something or someone in your case is not the solution. A different approach can always be taken. He has been destructive ever since you left. He was not like this when you were with him."

Oh, he had always been destructive; they just did not notice. He is now revealing his true self to the world, and they feel sorry for him. What a damn joke!

"I got to go, Barkha—Suzaine needs me. Bye, take care, and hug Bhaiya on my behalf. Lots of kisses for Kiaan and Vyaan." I decided to end this conversation right here and now.

She let out a heavy sigh, and we ended the call.

I tiredly looked at the mess in front of me. I was bursting with energy just a moment ago, and I am confident I could have cleaned the entire place, including all of the tools. I smiled as I caught Suzaine's gaze; she gestured towards the exit, which made me happy.

I left the studio immediately and summoned one of my students to assist Suzaine.

I heard a sound coming from the kitchen as I entered the house. My neck hair stood up in alertness, and my heartbeat quickened. I took the baseball from behind the door and slowly began to move inside.

When I got to the kitchen door, I raised the baseball and entered while swinging it, only to realise I had been trashing the baseball in the air.

No one was there.

But I was certain I had heard something. I carefully looked around the area and let out a loud scream when I saw a big, fat rat.

The creature was munching on my favourite banana chip packets!

I groaned and flipped around on my bed. My eyes were drawn to the clock hanging on the wall directly across from me.

3.40 A.M

I was unable to sleep for some reason, which had not happened in a long time. I have been taking it easy and living my life on my own terms. But after speaking with Barkha, something changed in my heart.

He's hurting himself.

I shook my head to clear my mind of his thoughts. I should not be thinking about him. Thinking about him is dangerous for me, and if I continue to do so and worry about him, I may do something I later regret.

When I closed my eyes, a memory of us flashed through my mind.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

I sniffled quietly, not wanting to show anyone my wound. I tripped in the park and hurt my knee while playing. Barkha and my brother were talking to someone. I tried to get up but could not because my knee was hurting so much.

"Oh, my silly Taara. You hurt yourself again." His voice automatically makes me smile, and half of my pain has already vanished.

He was eleven years old, and I was nine.

"Okay, now stop crying."

I nodded, faced him as he kneeled in front of me, and quickly wrapped his handkerchief around my knees.

"Thank you." I smiled as he helped me get up from the ground.

My face warmed up as he took my hand in his and kissed it before we went towards Barkha and my brother.

He tugged on my brother's trousers to get his attention, and my brother looked at him before looking at me. They rushed over to me when they noticed my knee was wrapped in a cloth and had a red spot in the centre.

"I will complain to Bhabhi that my taara was hurt but none of you noticed," he warned them.

My brother apologised to me.

We were walking towards Bhaiya's car when I stopped and he looked back at me.

"When we grow up, we should get married." I said while bouncing on my legs, a giddy smile spreading across my lips. The pain appeared again.

He took my hand and started guiding me towards the car, and I followed him.

"Of course, my sweet Taara, we will marry." Athwa whispered.

As we continued walking, he squeezed my hand gently. "You have to promise to be more careful, though," he added with a smile playing on his lips.

I giggled, the pain in my knee almost forgotten. "Okay, I promise. But if you promise to always take care of me,

He nodded seriously, his young face filled with determination. "I promise, Taara. I'll always be there for you."

We reached the car, and as my brother and Barkha helped me get in, Athwa stayed by my side, his small hand still holding mine. I looked at him and saw a spark in his eyes that made me feel safe and loved.

"One day, we'll have our own adventures," I said, settling into my seat.

He grinned, his eyes shining with excitement. "And I'll always be your hero."

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