~ Prologue ~

EVER THOUGHT THAT A LIFE THAT SOUNDS LIKE THIS…..

"Chaliye phir! Jaldi!" she urged, trying to pull him toward the door despite barely having enough strength to move him an inch.

He laughed wholeheartedly this time, allowing himself to be dragged along by the overexcited eleven-year-old. "Arre, itni bhi kya jaldi hai? Ice cream truck bhaag thodi na jaayega."

"Par vanilla khatam ho gaya toh?" she replied dramatically, widening her eyes as though it were the greatest tragedy imaginable. 

"Haan haan, meri madam. Chalo." Still chuckling to himself, he locked the front door behind them before letting her tug him down the quiet street. 

The evening had begun settling in, painting the sky in soft shades of orange and pink as the last rays of sunlight filtered through the rows of trees lining the road. A cool breeze drifted past, carrying with it the familiar scent of wet grass and blooming flowers from the nearby park. 

Isha, however, seemed completely oblivious to the beauty around her. 

She skipped ahead, still holding onto her father's hand, talking about every random thing that crossed her mind. One moment she was complaining about her maths homework, the next she was telling him how her best friend had secretly eaten someone else's lunch during recess. He didn't interrupt her once. He simply listened, smiling to himself, answering every now and then with an amused nod or a playful comment. 

Soon, the cheerful melody of the ice cream truck reached their ears. Isha's eyes lit up immediately.

"Papa!" she exclaimed, pointing excitedly across the street. "Waha hai! Jaldi chaliye!"

He followed her finger before laughing under his breath. "Theek hai, theek hai. Batao madam, aaj kaunsi flavour?" 

She didn't even need a second to think. "Vanilla!" she answered proudly, as though there had never been any other possible option. 

He shook his head with an affectionate smile.

"Bilkul apni mummy pe gayi ho." He glanced at her teasingly. "Har baar vanilla hi. Kabhi kuch naya bhi try kar liya karo."

Isha scrunched up her nose in protest. "Kyuu? Vanilla best hoti hai. Sabko pasand aani chahiye."

"Accha ji?" he laughed. "Aur jo log chocolate pasand karte hain?"

"Unki choice kharab hai." she declared matter-of-factly, folding her arms across her chest. 

That earned another hearty laugh from him. "Bas, bas... samajh gaya. Chalo, ek vanilla hi sahi." 

Walking up to the brightly coloured truck, he smiled politely at the vendor. "Bhaiya, ek vanilla ice cream dena." 

COULD TURN INTO THIS IN A BLINK OF AN EYE…..

"Papa!"

She dropped to her knees beside him so quickly they scraped against the rough concrete, but she didn't seem to feel the pain.

Her small hands frantically searched for somewhere, anywhere, to stop the blood pouring from the wound in his chest.

"Papa... utho na..." she cried, pressing both hands against his shirt with all the strength she had. "Please... dekho na... itna saara blood aa raha hai..."

Her hands were too small. The blood kept flowing through her fingers.

"Papa..." she sobbed helplessly. "Please..." 

Every tear that fell onto his shirt felt heavier than the bullet lodged in his chest. He forced himself to lift one shaking hand though it felt impossibly heavy.

His fingers disappeared into the inner pocket of his jacket before slowly pulling out a small object wrapped tightly in cloth.

For a second, he simply looked at it. Then he gently unfolded Isha's trembling hand and placed it in her palm before curling her tiny fingers around it. 

"Isha..." he whispered, struggling to catch his breath."Isse..."

A violent cough interrupted him. Dark red blood stained the corner of his lips. He swallowed painfully before trying again. 

"Kabhi..." Another cough. "Mat khona..." 

Isha shook her head frantically, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face. "Nahi... pehle hospital chalte hain!" she cried. "Main kisi ko bulaati hoon... ambulance... Mumma ko phone karte hain... sab theek ho jayega..."

She tried to stand. His hand shot forward unexpectedly, wrapping around her wrist. "Nahi." 

His voice was barely audible. She immediately looked back at him. "Papa?" 

He struggled to breathe, every word costing him more strength than the last.

"Dhyaan..." He looked down at the object still clutched tightly in her hand. "Iska..." Another painful breath. "Aur..." His eyes met hers once again. 

"Ghar..Bhagna...Abhi..."

She stared at him, unable to understand. "Nahi..." she whispered through her sobs. "Main aapko chhod ke nahi jaaungi."

He closed his eyes for the briefest moment. When they opened again, the warmth had disappeared. For the first time in her life, his voice carried authority instead of affection.

"Isha." She flinched. "RUN." The single word echoed through the empty street. 

She couldn't move, her legs refused to listen. Tears blurred her vision until she could barely see him anymore. "Papa..."

"RUN!" he shouted with every bit of strength he had left. The sudden force in his voice startled her.

Without thinking... She ran. Her tiny legs carried her as fast as they could, tears streaming down her cheeks so heavily she could barely see the road ahead.

Every few steps, she looked back. He was still there, watching her. Even while bleeding out onto the cold pavement, his eyes never left her. As though the only thing keeping him alive was making sure she got farther away. 

The last time she looked back... she saw him she turned the corner. And he disappeared from sight. 

A/N ~ HELLOO GUYYSSS!!! Kesa lga prologue???? First time writer hu koi judge mt krna but yes I am always open for feedback and tips!!!! Hopefully this was interesting enough to make you read the whole book tho..........SEE YOU GUYS IN THE NEXT CHAPTERR💗💗

BYEEEE

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