As Gauri walked down the hallway with her suitcase, her eyes blurred from endless tears, the dupatta draped over her head suddenly began to pulse with a faint black smoke.
She stopped, startled, her steps faltering. The air grew thick, cold, and heavy. Then, from the tall mirror at the end of the hallway, a voice whispered her name—"Gauriii…"
Her heart pounded. Slowly, she turned her gaze toward the mirror. The same shadowy figure, the haunting female form, was waiting inside its reflection.
Before Gauri could scream or run, the shadow reached out of the glass with clawed fingers and grabbed her by the neck. Her suitcase clattered to the ground as she gasped for breath.
"Come to me, child…" the voice hissed.
In a violent pull, the shadow dragged her forward. Gauri struggled, scratching at the invisible grip, but the dark force was stronger. With one final, muffled cry, she was pulled straight into the mirror—her body vanishing into the swirling portal of the shadow realm.
The hallway fell silent. Only the suitcase remained, toppled on the floor, while the mirror shimmered once and returned to stillness.
Gauri's eyes fluttered open. Her breath came out in shaky gasps as she looked around.
She was lying on the cold marble floor… but something was wrong. The hall looked like the Kothari mansion, yet everything was different—ruined. The walls were cracked and weeping with black ooze, the chandeliers broken and swinging, and a suffocating darkness hung in the air.
Her heartbeat quickened. "V…Vihaan!" she cried, her voice echoing unnaturally through the hollow space.
No response.
Panic filled her chest as she got to her feet, clutching her dupatta tightly around her shoulders. "Dadi!… Aunty! Uncle!… Yug! Raani! Please… somebody answer me!"
Her desperate calls echoed back at her, warped and mocking, as though the mansion itself was laughing at her fear.
Her tears welled up. "Where am I?" she whispered, trembling, before calling once more, "Vihaan!"
But only silence answered.
Gauri's hands fumbled desperately at the heavy front doors, yanking at the handles with all her strength. They wouldn't budge. She slammed her palms against them, again and again.
"No… no… please open!" she cried, her voice breaking.
She turned to the grand mirror in the hallway—the very same one she had been pulled into. With trembling hands, she pressed against it, as though she could push her way back. Nothing. Not a single ripple.
"No! Let me out!" she screamed, pounding her fists against the glass until her knuckles ached. She grabbed a fallen vase and hurled it at the mirror, but it only bounced off with a dull clang, leaving not even a scratch.
Breathless and sobbing, Gauri spun around and raced up the staircase, her dupatta trailing behind her like a torn flame. "Dadi! Aunty! Uncle! Vihaan!"
Her cries echoed emptily. She darted from room to room, pushing open doors only to find them barren, ruined, and swallowed by shadows.
Finally, at the top of the landing, she collapsed to her knees, her chest heaving with sobs. Tears blurred her vision as she whispered to herself, "Where… where am I? Why is no one here?"
The silence answered her like a cruel taunt, heavy and suffocating.
Gauri stumbled into Vihaan's ruined room in the shadow realm, her breath shaky. The curtains were shredded, the bed splintered, the air heavy with dampness and ash.
Her eyes froze on the cracked mirror—through it, she saw the real Vihaan.
He sat on the edge of his bed, dressed in a simple white kurta, his hair unkempt, his face buried in his hands.
"Vihaan…" Gauri whispered, reaching helplessly toward the glass, her tears streaking.
In the real world, Yug entered, stopping short at the sight of his brother breaking down.
"Bhai…" Yug's tone was cautious.
But Vihaan lifted his face, red-eyed, his voice breaking. "She left me, Yug! She left because of me!" He struck himself across the face with his palm.
"No, bhai!" Yug rushed forward, gripping his arms to stop him.
Vihaan shook his head violently. "It's my fault! Always my fault! I never valued her. I insulted her. Pushed her away whenever she tried to come closer. And now…" his voice cracked, "…now she's gone."
On the other side of the mirror, Gauri pressed her hands against the glass, sobbing. "No, Vihaan… don't say that… I'm here…"
Vihaan's chest heaved as he whispered, "Do you know why I kept misunderstanding her, Yug? Why I called her cheap… why I refused to believe in her?"
Yug's expression grew grim but he stayed silent.
Vihaan's lips trembled. "Because in my heart… I always believed she was like my real mother."
Gauri stiffened, her heartbeat roaring in her ears.
Vihaan shut his eyes, pain spilling from him. "Kamini. She's my real mother. She was a dancer. She ruined this family. Left her filth on me. And I… I punished Gauri for it. I thought she was the same. But she never was. She was pure. She was brave. And I… I destroyed her."
Gauri gasped, her whole body trembling. So mother-in-law Veena isn't his real mother… Kamini is… Kamini the dancer?
Vihaan's voice dropped to a choked whisper. "I never admitted it… not even to myself… but Gauri… she's the most important part of my life."
On the other side, Gauri collapsed onto the ruined bed, clutching her chest, sobbing uncontrollably. Her tears soaked into the dust as she cried, "Vihaan…"