The sun dipped below the horizon casting long shadows across the cluttered streets of Kolkata. Kanishk sat on the edge of his bed staring blankly at the wall adorned with faded posters of his childhood dreams. Days had slipped into months. Each one more suffocating than the last. The air in his room felt heavy and thick with unspoken words and unresolved conflicts. "Kanishk!" His father's voice boomed from downstairs snapping him out of his stupor. "Get down here! We need to talk." He sighed glancing at the clock. It was the same routine every day. Romesh would summon him like a soldier to battle and ready to wage war over his future. Kanishk dragged himself to the living room where his father's imposing figure loomed over the coffee table flanked by family photographs that seemed to mock him. "What is it now?" Kanishk asked, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice. Romesh's eyes narrowed. "We need to discuss your future. I've spoken to Samaira's family. You ought to consider marrying her." "Samaira? The daughter of your friend's widow?" Kanishk laughed bitterly. "You can't be serious. I have no interest in her." Romesh slammed his fist on the table making the photographs tremble. "You need to think about your life, Kanishk! Look at what happened to that boy in 2007. A multimedia faculty. He was a young boy just like you. He had an affair with a wealthy businessman's daughter and ended up dead. He was murdered and left on the railway tracks to look like a suicide!" Kanishk clenched his jaw. His heart racing. "I'm not that boy, Dad. I'm not going to end up like him because of some ridiculous warning."
Romesh leaned closer. His tone low and menacing. "You need to stay away from girls like Kashvi. Milk Maries like her lead to nothing but trouble. I won't let you make the same mistakes." "What do you know about Kashvi?" Kanishk shot back. Anger boiling inside him. "She's not some villain in your twisted narrative!" "Enough!" Romesh's voice echoed through the house. His voice was filled with venom. "You think your friends understand? Asmee and Tushant? They're not your allies. They're the ones who'll drag you down." Kanishk felt a familiar ache in his chest. A mix of frustration and despair. "Why can't you see I'm not a child anymore? I don't want to live according to your fears!" Just then Manisha entered the room sensing the tension. "Please, both of you, calm down. This isn't helping anyone." But Kanishk wasn't finished. "You always take his side, don't you? You never stand up for me! It's like I'm invisible in this house!" Manisha's eyes softened but Romesh's rage only intensified. "This is for your own good Kanishk. You're too young to understand the dangers out there." Kanishk felt the walls closing in on him. "Dangers? Or your insecurities?" A sudden wave of dizziness washed over him and he stumbled back clutching the edge of the table. The room spun violently as he fought to keep his balance. "Dad… I can't breathe…" "Kanishk!" Manisha rushed to his side. Panic etched on her face. "What's happening?" "I'm fine," he gasped. Though he knew he wasn't. The hypoglycaemic seizures were becoming more frequent triggered by stress and the suffocating weight of expectations that bore down on him. "You need to eat something," she insisted. Her voice trembling. "I don't want to eat!" Kanishk shouted. The rage bubbling to the surface once again. "I want to be free! I want to make my own choices!"
Romesh's expression shifted from anger to concern but the stubbornness remained. "You need guidance Kanishk. Friends can't help you navigate this. They'll lead you astray." Disheartened and fuming Kanishk turned away from them feeling utterly alone. He reached for his phone scrolling through messages from Asmee and Tushant hoping for some semblance of solace. "What are you doing?" Romesh barked. "Talking to people who actually care about me !" Kanishk snapped back. "Maybe they can show me a way out of this prison you've built around me!" Manisha stepped between them. Her voice firm. "Enough! This isn't how we solve problems. Kanishk please, just listen to your father for once." "No! I'm done listening." Kanishk's voice cracked, the weight of his emotions spilling over. "I can't keep living under your shadow. I need to find my own path even if it means breaking away from everything you want for me." As he stormed out of the room Kanishk felt a mixture of relief and dread. The world outside beckoned him but he knew the battle was far from over. His father's words echoed in his mind like a constant reminder of the dark history that loomed over him threatening to engulf him like it had so many before. In the distance the train horn blared like a haunting reminder of the past. Kanishk clenched his fists. His determination igniting within him. He would uncover the truth behind the shadows that haunted his family and perhaps in doing so he would finally find a way to reclaim his life.