The day began with a collective excitement as the Sehgal clan prepared for their trek to the nearby hills. This time, Shivay, Kabir, Mahi, Devansh, kavya, and Divya had successfully dragged both Mahir and Siara along with the younger group.
The hills were lush with greenery, the fresh mountain air rejuvenating everyone. Siara was wearing a tracksuit. This was the second time mahir saw her wearing something casual other than a saree. Siara maintained her usual stoic demeanor, walking at her usual speed ahead of the group while Mahir stayed close, silently observing her.
Shivay panting as he climbed "Bhabhi! You're like a mountain goat! Do you ever get tired?"
Siara without looking back replied "No."
"She's a machine, Shivay. No heart, no fatigue, no emotion." Avya said
Kabir smirked "Don't say that. Bhai is here. He might say she has one soft spot-his heart."
Mahir raised an eyebrow but didn't respond. Siara kept walking, unaffected.
"How are you not even sweating, Bhabhi? Look at us-we're dying here!" Kavya huffed
"Utha lu kya jaan," devansh flirted with her. (Should I pick you up, jaan) Devansh flirted.
"Ohh my my, the air is getting hotter here," myra teased them.
"Is pahad par uthaoge to khud uth jaoge" avya said which caused the whole group to laugh except two. Siara and Mahir.
(If you try to lift her on this mountain, you'll end up getting lifted yourself)
The trek led them to a picturesque waterfall, where the youngsters immediately kicked off their shoes and ran toward the water.
Shivay splashing water at Kabir "Come on, Bhai! Join us!"
"No way. I value my life-and my clothes." Kabir dodged
Mahir leaned against a tree, his eyes occasionally drifting toward Siara, who stood away from the group, calmly taking in the view.
Myra whispered to Divya "Look at Bhai. He keeps staring at her. I think he's in love but doesn't know it yet."
"Guys Let's help him realize it. Plan B tonight?" Divya asked
All of them agreed.
-------
After the trek, the group returned to the haveli exhausted but in high spirits. Siara had managed to remain unruffled the entire time, and Mahir looked as composed as ever.
"Alright, everyone. Rest up. Tonight's going to be legendary!" Shivay grinned
-----
Hours later, the younger Sehgals returned, refreshed from their trek but determined to rekindle their prankster streak.
"Okay, hear me out. Last night's ghost prank was too subtle. This time, we go all out. Horror movies are overrated anyway-let's try something romantic." Shivay was scheming
Mahi rolled her eyes "Romantic? With Bhabhi? Good luck thawing the glacier. It's like trying to melt a glacier with a hairdryer."
"I love it! Let's turn their room into a romantic suite-flowers, fairy lights, and maybe some accidental proximity!" Myra excitedly said
Later that evening, the group executed their plan with military precision. They sneaked into their room. Siara was in the kitchen and mahir was discussing something with his father.
They draped fairy lights over the canopy bed, scattered rose petals everywhere, and strategically placed a small fan to make the curtains billow dramatically.
"This is genius. They'll walk in, and boom-love in the air!" Divya grinned
Kabir mock-swooning "Mahir Bhai will say, 'Siara, you look like a moonlit rose,' and she'll melt into his arms."
"Or she'll just tell him to move so she can read her medical journals." Myra said
After dinner, Mahir and Siara returned to their room. Siara opened the door and froze.
The sight of rose petals on the floor and fairy lights glowing softly made her blink, but her expression didn't change. Mahir, standing behind her, raised an eyebrow.
Mahir dryly said "Looks like someone raided a wedding décor shop."
They stepped inside, and the youngsters, hiding behind a nearby door, peeked in anticipation.
Mahir walked over to the bed, picking up a rose petal. He looked at Siara, smirking slightly. "What do you think?"
Siara was uninterested "About what? The mess?"
The younger clan silently face-palmed behind the door.
Shivay whispered "This is worse than I thought."
Siara gave an unimpressed look in the room and walked over to her closet.
Seeing the prank failing, Shivay whispered, "Plan B. Time to trigger some drama."
He pressed a button on the remote, and a hidden speaker began playing a romantic song. Unfortunately, the system glitched, and instead of a soft melody, a loud horror soundtrack blasted through the room.
Siara froze mid-step.
She turned to Mahir and blankly said "Nice choice of music"
Mahir tilted his head toward the slightly ajar door, where muffled laughter could be heard.
Before mahir could respond, Shivay tripped over the wires, bursting into the room along with Myra and Divya.
Shivay grinned sheepishly "Surprise?"
The three froze as their plan backfired.
"Shivay, you're studying event management right? Trust me one day you'll come to me when your company will bankrupt if this is how you'll manage," Mahir said
The three ran away without creating further chaos.
______________________________________
Next day
The next day, the entire group decided to venture out to explore more of the village's scenic beauty and nearby destinations. The younger ones were enthusiastic, armed with pranks and plans to "finally" melt the infamous Ice Queen, Siara.
Mahir was his usual quiet self, mostly indifferent to the antics, though it was clear he wasn't fully immune to the charm of his wife.
Siara, on the other hand, remained as cold and composed as ever, uninterested in their playful banter. But the younger ones, especially Shivay, Kabir, and Divya, were undeterred.
----
First, they stopped at a beautiful vineyard on the outskirts of the village. The lush rows of grapes stretched for miles, the sun casting golden rays over the landscape. Everyone was excited to take a tour of the vineyard and learn about the winemaking process, but Siara had no interest in indulging. Instead, she stood silently off to the side, watching the group as if they were nothing more than a collection of distant figures.
"I'm telling you, this place screams romance! The vineyard, the wine, the setting. If this doesn't get the Ice Queen to budge, nothing will!" Divya grinned
Shivay teasingly said "Maybe we should just start pouring wine directly into her veins. That ought to melt her."
After the vineyard, they made their way to a stunning lakeside retreat, where the sparkling waters and gentle breeze invited the group to relax and enjoy nature. The younger ones quickly made themselves at home by the water, eager to jump in and splash around. Mahir and Siara, however, remained distant from the rest of the group. Mahir stood a little apart, taking in the scene, while Siara just walked along the shore with her cold exterior still firmly intact.
Meanwhile, Shivay, ever the troublemaker, had a new plan in mind. He went over to the water's edge, nudged a little pebble, and carefully positioned it where Siara was walking. He turned to the others with a wink.
As Siara continued her walk along the shore, she stepped on the pebble. Without skipping a beat, she slipped, but in an instant, Mahir was there, grabbing her arm to steady her. The others watched in disbelief as Siara, not at all embarrassed, simply nodded her thanks and pulled herself back up.
"That's it? She doesn't even flinch? Where is the Romance!" Myra asked
"There," Avya pointed to where Devansh and Kavya were making out in the corner.
"Eww eww, oh my innocent eyes," Myra mocked horror
------
The younger ones were at their wits' end. Despite their elaborate schemes, pranks, and plans, they had failed to melt the Ice Queen.
The tension in the air was thick with frustration, and it was clear-this was their last shot. Their final, most ridiculous plan to break through Siara's ice-cold walls. They had to make it epic.
It started with Kabir, of course.
"Alright, listen up, guys. This is it. The final plan. We go big or we go home."
"Kabir, I swear, if you say we should throw water balloons at her, I'll personally throw you into the lake." myra rolled her eyes
"No, no, no, this time, we do it right" kabir replied back
The younger ones gathered in a circle, eyes filled with determination. They were going all out, and this time, they weren't going to let Siara off the hook. The plan? A grand, theatrical gesture-something so ridiculously over the top that it would force even the Ice Queen to react.
They decided on a flash mob. Yes, you heard that right. A flash mob.
Shivay confused but willing to follow along "A flash mob? Are we serious right now?"
"Oh, we're serious. The Ice Queen doesn't stand a chance." Kabir winked
The group spent the next hour practicing their moves behind the trees near the bonfire area, in secret. Mahir had no idea what was going on. Siara was off in the distance, reading a medical book with her usual detachment.
-----
The flash mob was set. Kabir stood at the front, his phone ready to play music. Divya, Shivay, and Myra stood at the ready, rehearsing their moves for the fifth time. There was an awkward air to their enthusiasm, and even the trees seemed to shy away from the madness that was about to unfold.
Kabir enthusiastically shouted "Alright, everyone, let's make this epic!"
"Are we really doing this?" Divya nervously murmured
"I have no idea. But when we get Siara bhabhi to react, I will have the greatest laugh of my life." Shivay said
As the first few beats of music blared, the younger ones began their poorly coordinated dance moves. Kabir, in his usual over-the-top fashion, was the first to start the "routine," his moves erratic and full of confidence.
Divya followed suit, her moves almost graceful in comparison. Shivay, however, looked like he was trying to play charades while having a seizure. Myra tried to keep up, but her feet betrayed her every step.
Suddenly, the music reached a crescendo, and the entire group launched into a climactic series of wild, exaggerated dance moves that resembled something you might see on a viral YouTube video-but with far less rhythm.
Siara looked up , expressions blank as a white wall.
At that moment, Mahir appeared from behind the bushes, completely unaware of the chaos unfolding. He stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening slightly in confusion.
"What... are they doing? Looks like a pathetic attempt to embarrass themselves."
The group continued their erratic dancing, fully invested in their ridiculous performance. Kabir started spinning in circles, knocking over a nearby chair in the process.
Divya tried to execute a graceful twirl, but instead, she collided with Myra, sending them both tumbling to the ground. Shivay, not to be outdone, jumped into a random interpretive dance move that could only be described as a cross between a windmill and a worm.
Divya groaned as she got up from the ground "Kabir bhai , I swear, if you break something..."
"This is a disaster. But at least we'll get her reaction, right?" Shivay said while laughing uncontrollably
Siara, still sitting with an unreadable expression looked at them. Kabir's uncoordinated flailing, Myra's failed attempts to pirouette, and Shivay's absurdly exaggerated moves.
As if on cue, Kabir did a ridiculous high kick that nearly knocked him into the bonfire.
They all looked at siara to Decode her expressions. Siara hadn't flinched. She hadn't even cracked a smile. Her expression remained unchanged.
As if to make things even worse, Shivay attempted one final move. He jumped into the air to do a perfectly timed backflip... only to land on his back with a loud *thud*. "Ow... I think I've broken something..."
The entire group burst into uncontrollable laughter, including Mahir, who, despite his usual stoic demeanor, couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of the situation. Siara, however, didn't laugh. She simply looked at them.
As the group gathered around, bruised, defeated, and still trying to catch their breath, they realized that maybe, just maybe, they had finally understood the truth. Siara couldn't be "melted." The Ice Queen wasn't someone who could be easily swayed, not by dance moves, not by pranks, and definitely not by flash mobs.
Siara remained an unshakeable force of stoic calm. She is broken in ways which no one can comprehend. How can the girl smile or act normal who lost her everything, her innocence, her family, her laughter, her passion years ago. How can she come back to her usual self when suicide was the best option she preferred before. How can she forget that she doesn't know who raped her.