Vikram looked at Yuvaan and Kiara with eyes that carried both authority and sorrow.
"I know you don't want to part," he said gently, almost pleading for them to understand.
"But sometimes… to save the people we love most… we must make the hardest sacrifices."
Kiara's breath hitched.
Yuvaan clenched his fists, fighting the urge to reject the idea again.
Vinod stepped forward, his expression somber.
"Vikram is right. Mohana has returned stronger. If she wants the child… she will come again."
Chandrika nodded, worry lines carving deeper into her face.
"We cannot risk you or the baby, Kiara. You need to go somewhere she can't reach."
Bhoomi swallowed, her voice trembling as she added,
"Daughter… sometimes protecting family means stepping away for a while. We will handle things here."
Every word felt like a blade being pushed deeper into Yuvaan's chest.
Finally, Kiara whispered,
"Can… can Yuvaan and I talk alone?"
The family stepped away in silence.
---
In Their Room…
The soft night breeze curled around them as they stepped out onto the balcony.
The sky above was dark, restless, swollen with clouds—like even the heavens mourned with them.
They stood side by side, not touching at first…
just breathing…
just existing in the same hurt.
Kiara finally broke the silence.
"Why does peace never stay with us?"
Her voice cracked, the words trembling as they escaped.
"It's always one trial after another… every time we think we can breathe… life tests us again."
Yuvaan lowered his gaze.
"I wanted these nine months," he whispered.
"I wanted to argue over baby names… to fight over what you should or shouldn't eat… to hold your hair when you get nausea… to feel our baby kick…"
His voice shook so visibly that Kiara's heart splintered.
"I wanted to be there for everything."
Kiara turned to him, tears pooling in her lashes.
"I dreamed of you placing your hand on my bump… of you talking to the baby every night… of us choosing clothes and building the nursery together…"
Her breath faltered.
"I wanted to complain about cravings at 2 a.m. and watch you panic as you run downstairs to get them…"
She let out a broken laugh, then covered her mouth as tears spilled down.
Yuvaan stepped closer, unable to watch her cry.
"And I wanted to be the one massaging your back when it hurts… carrying you when you feel tired… kissing your forehead when fear keeps you awake…"
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"I wanted us to do all the things couples do… to enjoy every moment before the baby arrives."
Kiara's hand found his, their fingers trembling as they intertwined.
"But instead…" she whispered, voice thinning,
"we're talking about separation."
Yuvaan's lips quivered.
"I don't want you to go."
"I don't want to go either."
Their breaths broke.
And then—finally—
they collapsed into each other's arms.
The hug was desperate.
Tight.
Painful.
The kind of embrace two souls share when they know time is slipping out of their hands.
Kiara buried her face in his chest, sobbing softly.
Yuvaan held her so fiercely it felt like he was willing to break himself if it meant keeping her safe.
"I love you," he whispered into her hair, his words drowning in emotion.
"And I will endure this pain… because you and our baby matter more than my heart ever could."
Kiara lifted her face, wet with tears.
"I love you too… and I will come back to you. No matter what. This distance… won't break us."
For a moment, they just held each other, rocking slightly, as if clinging to the last bit of warmth before the cold of separation swallowed them.
Neither wanted to let go.
Neither wanted the night to end.
Neither wanted this fate.
But sometimes…
love demands sacrifice.
And this one… was breaking them.
Morning sunlight filtered weakly through the curtains, but the mansion felt colder than the night before. Quiet. Heavy. As if the walls themselves knew what was about to be said.
Yuvaan and Kiara descended the staircase slowly—hands clasped tightly, breaths uneven, eyes already glazed with unshed emotion. The family, gathered in the hall, looked up the moment they appeared. No one spoke. No one needed to. Everyone could feel the shift in the air.
Yuvaan cleared his throat, but his voice still trembled when he finally spoke.
"We've… made a decision."
Kiara nodded gently, though her eyes dropped to the floor as if saying it aloud would make it real.
"We will part… for a while," she whispered.
Chandrika's hand flew to her mouth. Bhoomi wiped her eyes. Even Vikram, who had proposed the idea, looked away, jaw tightening.
Vinod's voice shook. "Beta… this is not easy for any of us."
Angad stepped forward, panic flickering across his face.
"But… where will sister-in-law go? Where can she be safe from Mohana?"
Everyone turned to Vikram.
He inhaled deeply before answering.
"There is a place… an island. The Forgotten Island."
A ripple of unease moved through the family.