The Soul's Unfinished Story
PROLOGUE
[Scene: A grand wedding hall, marigolds, incense, and golden chandeliers bathing everything in surreal light.]
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
The scent of marigolds and incense was suffocating. The chatter of hundreds faded into a blur as I sat beneath a chandelier that sparkled like shattered stars.
Gold and red drapes fell around me like prison bars. My lehenga felt heavier than fate itself.
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
(Whispers to yourself) This isn't how I imagined it… Not like this…
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
The embroidery etched against my skin like iron chains. My henna—supposed to mean love and joy—felt like a warning etched in ink.
Nirvaan Gupta (husband)
[Enters, poised, flawless—his face unreadable.]
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
Nivaan… My first crush. My silent prayer for years… The man I thought I’d spend my life with.
Nirvaan Gupta (husband)
“Keep smiling.”(low voice, no eye contact)
Nirvaan Gupta (husband)
“Everyone’s watching. You wanted this, didn’t you?”
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
He doesn't even look at me.
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
“Of course…” (forcing a smile, voice trembling)
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
His fingers brush against mine, cold as marble. He pulls them back subtly, like I burn him.
My smile falters, but I hold it—because that’s what brides do, right? Smile through the wreckage.
Nirvaan Gupta (husband)
“This performance better be worth the headlines your family wants.” (through clenched teeth)
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
“I thought you loved me…”(whispering)
Nirvaan Gupta (husband)
(finally looking , but with sharpness in his eyes):
“I love ambition. Yours just made this easier.”
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
I see it now—how his gaze never stays. How his touch recoils. How he’s here not for me…
But for the name, the status, the empire my family owns.
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
He never wanted me.
Just my wealth. My name. My future.
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
(turning to him, voice like a whisper)
“You never even tried to pretend, did you?”
Nirvaan Gupta (husband)
(shrugs, eyes still on the crowd)
“You were too busy dreaming to notice.”
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
The fire dances in his eyes—once a fantasy, now a reflection of everything I feared.
He’s no longer the boy I loved. He’s a stranger… cloaked in silk and lies.
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
(gaze steady now)
“Then let this be your show, Nivaan. But I’m no longer your audience.”
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
As I sit there, my hands tremble but my heart slowly hardens…
I know one thing for sure—this is just the beginning.
Prologue 2
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
Weeks passed, and the illusion crumbled like shattered glass.
Each piece—sharp. Quiet. Deadly.
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
“Nivaan, where were you all night?”
Nirvaan Gupta (husband)
[He pauses at the door, his jaw clenched.]
Nirvaan Gupta (husband)
(with a cold glare)
“Don’t question me.”
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
That look—his eyes burning like acid—was the beginning.
[Flashback 2 – Another day. The dining table. Cold food. Silence.]
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
(softly)
“Will you be home tomorrow? It's… our first month anniversary.”
Nirvaan Gupta (husband)
(mocking laugh)
“God, you’re pathetic.”
Nirvaan Gupta (husband)
“You think this is some fairy tale? Grow up.”
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
His words were daggers. But I swallowed each one.
[Flashback 3 – The slap.]
Sound: A sharp crack. inara gasp. A glass falling.]
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
The third time… was a hand.
Sudden. Brutal. My vision blurred. My mouth filled with copper.
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
He hit me.
He actually hit me.
[Scene: Bathroom mirror. face is bruised, hands trembling.]
[Sound: The quiet click of a compact opening.]
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
(applying makeup, whispering)
“Just a little concealer. Just smile. Don’t let them see.”
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
The bruises were easy to hide. The pain? Not so much.
It soaked into my bones—turning me into a stranger in my own skin.
[Late night. You at the window. City lights flickering.]
[Sound: Soft wind, distant sirens.]
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
(to myself)
“How much longer will you survive like this?”
[Silence. No answer. Just your reflection, ghost-like in the glass.]
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
That question wrapped around me like a storm.
For the first time, I realized…
I didn’t have an answer.
Prologue 3
The room is filled with mourners. The air is thick with incense and sorrow. A large, framed portrait of Inara’s father sits at the center, adorned with flowers. INARA (mid-20s) stands motionless, dressed in white. Her eyes are hollow. Everything around her is a blur.
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
Then my father died.
Just like that.
No warning. No goodbye.
Just silence.
People come and go, offering condolences she doesn’t register. Her eldest brother places a firm hand on her shoulder.
Akira Shekhawat (FL 1 elder brother)
(softly)
You built this company with him. It was always yours, Inara.
INARA doesn’t respond. Her lips twitch slightly, but no words come out. She just stares at her father's portrait.
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
I was his only daughter.
His partner. His pride.
Now, I was an orphan with an empire.
The room is dimly lit. Papers and files are spread out across the desk. INARA sits, disheveled, flipping through company reports. Her fingers tremble slightly as she reads. The sound of the door creaking breaks the silence. NIVAAN (30s), handsome, poised, enters slowly.
Nirvaan Gupta (husband)
"Still working?"
He walks over, placing a neat stack of documents in front of her. He leans in slightly, his fingers brushing her wrist.
Nirvaan Gupta (husband)
"Sign these. Just formalities. You're the CEO now—these will make everything easier."
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
(tired)
What is this?
Nirvaan Gupta (husband)
(smoothly)
"Legal adjustments. I handled the details. Just trust me, love."
INARA looks at the papers. The words blur. Her eyes close for a brief second. Her hand reaches for the pen.
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
"My head… it was fog.
My chest still hurt from crying.
And Nivaan—he was my husband.
He wouldn't lie to me... would he?"
She signs the documents slowly. He kisses her forehead and walks out.
A TV flashes news headlines. INARA is seated on the couch with her phone in hand. Her eyes widen. The phone slips from her grasp.
TV ANCHOR
Breaking news— Shekhawat Corp, the billion-dollar empire, has filed for bankruptcy.
The papers fall to the floor. Her breathing quickens.
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
No.
No.
This can’t be happening.
INARA storms in, eyes wild with betrayal. NIVAAN sits casually behind his desk, sipping whiskey. His demeanor is calm, almost amused.
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
(voice shaking)
"What did you do?"
Nirvaan Gupta (husband)
(chuckling)
"Did you really think I married you for love?"
Nirvaan Gupta (husband)
He leans back, unbothered. Sets the glass down.
Nirvaan Gupta (husband)
"That company was worth billions. Now, it’s mine."
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
You—!
Nirvaan Gupta (husband)
(smirking)
"Relax, sweetheart.
It’s just business."
Beat. Silence. INARA stares at him, eyes burning.
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
Business.
He turned my father’s dream into a deal.
He used my grief. My trust.
But what he doesn’t know…
(She straightens, spine stiffening.)
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
Is that I may have lost everything—
But I’m my father’s daughter.
And I will rise.
Even if it means burning him to the ground.
(She walks out, leaving NIVAAN behind, unaware that the war has just begun.)
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