PROLOGUE : (Not edit)

There is a proverb in Indian culture that says: A daughter leaves their Mayeka (parents' house) when she gets married and never returns.

The odd and bizarre tradition had been followed for thousands of years, but nobody asked why.

Karishma, a 29-year-old woman who was standing on the 20-floor balcony, with emptiness in her eyes.

She looked down while monitoring the height of the building. It was perfect!

So perfect for jumping at the building without feeling much pain.

The woman had lost every hope to live; she only wanted silence.

Love, friendship, and family were illusions, as one day they hurt you most. After facing all this anguish, she knew it was the right decision.

The cold wind passed through her chubby face, realising how much effort she had put in to please others. But ended up losing herself in the process.

Dead one didn't gratify others!

Why was she bothered to gain other attention? Her endeavours to make others happy and she had forgotten her own smile in the process.

Her round, brown eyes looked back to her hotel room, where her favourite chocolate cake had been put on the table. A few slices were missing as Karishma ate it with no guilt.

Since she was 17 years old, she has been on a strict diet, so Karishma couldn't gain a single pound. After eating the cake, she felt rebellious, and relaxed.

Wiping the finger-licking frosting on her cold lips, lickings that reminisced about those bittersweet memories

The memory of being starved for days so she could look thinner. The memory of being scolded because she had eaten ice cream behind their parents backs

The memory when someone called her fatty, ugly, and so on.

Karishma coldly laughed at it as all those events were recalled. She agitated her childhood a lot.

These things wouldn't bother her anymore, as this life was meaningless.

Sometimes, giving up is the best solution. At least her parents would stop worrying about her marriage.

The devil's whisper crept through her mind, tempting her to jump. Although she would hold her death for a few minutes.

"Karishma, you can do it." She said it to herself, clenching her phone tightly.

She processed to call someone she couldn't live without.

Her mother!

The one and only person she loved the most in the entire world.

If her mother had abandoned her with adoration and care, perhaps she would have lost faith in humanity much earlier.

The phone rang once... twice. Then her mother answered it.

"Kittu, why are you calling me late?" Her mother's soft voice echoed in her ear, which pierced through her heart.

Her mother might realise something if voice felt unusual. Maybe mothers have super power to sense their child's pain. However, Karishma knew how to hide her emotions very well.

"Maa, I just called you to know how you are." Her voice was normal, as if nothing was bothering her.

"I am fine, child."

Tears started spilling down her cheeks, but she bit her lips harder to control them.

If she burst up now, then Karishma had to face those torments again.

She couldn't afford it. Those questions would be haunted forever. No!

"Good! Tell your beloved husband to take his medicine on time. Also, I put something in the kitchen drawer, so check it out later."

" I will, Kittu." Her mother called her nickname tenderly, like when she sang a lullaby for her.

" Don't worry about what happened with Vicky. I promise we will find someone better than him."

"Mom, Vicky is an arsehole, and he will regret his decision later for sure! "

Vicky was her ex-fiancé. The one whom she was madly in love with and about to marry. But the bastard broke her marriage because he found a prettier and thinner girl than her. That was his excuse to break up.

Karishma was a fool when she believed he loved her personality rather than her body. It was a big fat lie.

Because of that, her family suffered a lot. Their expectations for her seeing her as a bride shattered.

Why could men easily hurt someone and get away with it? Perhaps it was not her destiny to marry him.

Karishma said it with affection. "Take care of yourself."

"I will. Why are you so low? Something happened in the seminar."

"Nothing. And you should not worry about my marriage anymore," she said calmly.

Before her mother could console her, she hung up. She didn't have the courage to bear this much longer.

She climbed the railing with a heavy heart and gazed at the full moon for the last time.

"Finally, I am going to be free."

The world was silent for a moment, or she was going faster. Whatever it was, she was ready to face the solid ground.

As Karishma was falling down, she didn't blink or close for a second because she wanted to feel alive.

The heartbeat was getting faster and faster as she took the last breath of her life. The next moment, she hit the concrete floor which was followed by a pool of blood.

Her eyes were closed with no regrets.

...…

Meanwhile in Karishma house:

Karishma's mother found something in her drawer.

She opened it, and there was a letter for her as well as a check for Rs. 20 lakh (sixteen thousand dollars).

She sat down on her bed and read the letter with a glint in her eyes. Her daughter had a habit of writing a letter when she was unable to convey her words through her mouth.

A handwritten note always touched Karishma's mother's heart. Her baby didn't change much.

"Dear Maa,

The love you have showered, your kindness, and your fondness have let me fight this world. Because of you, I have become an independent girl.

As a grown adult, I am still afraid of cockroaches. You wonder why I am talking about this sh*t. I just wanna say I love you.

Karishma's mother said it back. "I love you too, Kittu!"

Then she continued reading.

"I came to the point that I never wanted to marry anyone who let me lose my identity. You have taught me that your dignity and your pride are bigger than any man.

Vicky wasn't the man whom I love, or there will be a man who loves me unconditionally. So I gave up the idea of finding a prince charming.

After getting broken up, I came to the conclusion that a woman is always incomplete without a man.

So I don't want to live in this cruel world, Maa, where I am judged everywhere because I am single.

But I can't see disgrace and humiliation anymore because of me.

I am sorry for being a failure, Mom.

I am sorry!

Tell dad, he doesn't have to burden do my KANYADAN¹.

Be happy, as your daughter is joyful in heaven.

Thank you for being the best mother.

Your Kittu."

P.S. This check can help you travel to Europe with Papa.

As she completed reading it, her face turned ashen like a soul left to her body.

"It couldn't be possible. Kittu is just joking with me." She repeated those words multiple times and reread the letter over and over.

She turned mute while tears rolled down her cheeks. Her child, whom she loved dearly, couldn't do this.

Karishma is a strong and smart girl who is raised by her hands. Sadly, this was the reality. Her precious daughter had already taken a big step.

A few years passed; Karishma's parents went to Europe and completed her last wish. They hoped her daughter was watching her in heaven.

Although this wasn't the end, it was the beginning of a new chapter. The journey of an Indian princess who would be remembered throughout the world.

Princess Anala who never burned by fire.

1 In an Indian wedding where the father of the bride gives her precious daughter to the groom. This ritual is called Kanyadan.