As the new day dawned, Tara woke up feeling tired from the events of the previous night. She looked down and saw Manik sleeping peacefully in her embrace, with Prithvi nestled behind him.

It seemed as if both father and son sought comfort from her, finding solace in her presence.

Despite her exhaustion, Tara felt a warm sense of contentment as she looked at her precious family, all nestled together in her arms.

Quietly, Tara carefully extricated herself from the embrace of Prithvi and Manik, making sure not to disturb their peaceful slumber.

She gently covered them with the duvet, ensuring they remained warm and comfortable. Before heading off to take a bath, Tara leaned down and placed a soft kiss on Manik's forehead, a tender gesture of love and affection for her son.

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"NOOO..... NAHAAA... BAABAA"

Manik's cries echoed through the big halls, his small imature hand clinging tightly to Tara as he desperately tried to prevent Prithvi from leaving for work.

The vivid nightmare he had experienced left him unwilling to leave the safety of his parents' embrace.

Despite everyone's attempts to comfort him, Manik remained adamant, refusing to let go of his parents.

As the morning progressed, Manik's reluctance to be apart from his parents only grew stronger.

After breakfast, as the men readied themselves for the day's work, Manik's distress escalated.

He adamantly refused to let his Baba leave, creating a scene in his desperation.

Despite Prithvi's attempts to calm him, the importance of his work in town compelled him to depart.

Reluctantly, Prithvi gently pried Manik away from himself, his heart heavy with the pain of leaving his son behind, even for a short while.

With a heavy heart, he departed in his car, glancing back at Manik's tearful form as he drove away.

"Please, don't cry anymore," Tara pleaded softly, her own eyes welling up with tears at the sight of Manik's distress. It was heart-wrenching for a mother to see her child in such pain.

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As winters were approaching, Padma instructed Tara to prepare winter sweets snacks like sesame laddu, coconut laddu, and peanut chikki using jaggery.

In the kitchen, freshly extracted date palm juice awaited Tara's use in making the jaggery. Manik, reluctant to leave Tara's side, after making him slept on a khatiya, with Manvi sitting beside him.

Just as Tara was about to begin her work after lighting the large mud stove, Padma stormed into the kitchen, shouting.

"Aaye ladki, dur haat " ( Hey girl! Keep your hands off).

Tara was momentarily shaken by Padma's sudden shouting.

"Didn't you hear me? I said, get out of the kitchen right now!" shouted Padma, prompting Kusum and Manvi to enter the kitchen.

"What's wrong, Maaji?" asked Kusum.

"What's wrong? How can this impure girl be in our kitchen? Just see the stain on the back of her saree" retorted Padma, glaring at Tara.

Once again addressing Tara, she said, "What are you staring at? I told you to leave."

Following her instructions, Tara exited the kitchen, but Padma's disdainful remarks didn't end there.

"Stay away, you dirty girl," Padma continued, gesturing for Tara to go into another room, treating her as if she were something vile.

Once Tara entered the room, Padma instructed,

"Someone, come clean this kitchen again and sprinkle some gangajal here. And yes, throw away this date juice. This girl's touch has made the juice impure."

She glared at Tara once again and said, "Don't even dare to step out of this room until your monthly cycle is complete, and don't dare to touch anyone here with your dirty hands." With that, she left, leaving Tara feeling isolated and humiliated.

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After Tara get locked in the room, when Manik woke up and didn't find his mother, he cried out in distress, longing for her comforting presence. Tara, unable to console her son, felt helpless as she listened to his cries from the confines of her room.

In the silence of the night, a plate of food slid under the door.

The plate contained only one roti and a bowl of dal, barely enough to satiate her hunger after making her starve for the whole day. Her room was sparse, with only a mat, a thin blanket, and a pot of water for sustenance.

Looking at the plate of food, something stirred within Tara, triggering a flood of memories.

As Tara grew older and began experiencing her monthly cycles, she faced harsh treatment in her maternal uncle's house. Forced to sleep outside the house, she endured unbearable abdominal pain and chilly winter nights. With only a thin blanket for warmth, Tara curled up tightly to fend off the cold.

Despite the neglect from her aunt, Sushela, Tara's mother, Aruna, remained steadfast in her love and care. Aruna made numerous attempts to obtain food for Tara from Sushela, but her pleas were consistently denied.

Yet, in the quiet of the night, when everyone was asleep, Aruna would stealthily enter the kitchen. She collected leftover scraps of food and brought them to Tara, along with her own meager blanket. In the solitude of the winter darkness, Aruna fed and comforted her daughter, staying by her side until dawn.

Tara often wondered how her mother managed to endure the hardships alongside her. Little did she know that while she lay curled up in the cold, her mother, Aruna, prayed fervently for her well-being. Despite the physical separation, Aruna's love and prayers remained a constant source of strength for Tara, guiding her through the darkest of nights.

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It was the second day of Tara's monthly cycle, and as noon approached, she was aware that the men would soon return from work. In the kitchen, lunch preparations were underway when suddenly, a heart-wrenching cry echoed through the house. Tara rushed to the window and saw Manik lying on the ground, crying out in pain from a fall.

Without hesitation, Tara dashed out of the room to comfort Manik. Before Kusum could reach him, Tara scooped him up into her arms, gently rubbing his legs to alleviate his pain. Manik clung to Tara, tears streaming down his face, seeking solace in her embrace.

Tara held Manik tightly in her arms, her heart aching at the sight of his pain. But something ominous awaited her. Behind her stood Padma, glaring daggers at Tara. With a silent exchange of glances with Kusum, Tara was reluctantly forced to release Manik, who was then handed over to Manvi and taken into the room.

Padma's frustration erupted into anger as she stormed towards Tara, her teeth gritted in fury. Without warning, she delivered a forceful slap across Tara's face.As Tara lay on the floor, Padma's anger grew. She grabbed Tara's hair and pulled her up harshly. Tara felt pain as Padma's grip tightened. Padma dragged Tara to the door, her eyes full of hatred.

Once outside, Padma closed the door loudly. "Don't give this dirty girl any more food," she ordered Kusum and Manvi. "Let her starve until her cycles are over."

Tears ran down Tara's cheeks as she lay on the floor, feeling hurt and alone. Padma's cruelty weighed heavily on her.

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In the dimly lit room, Tara lay on the floor, her body feeble and depleted. The hunger gnawed at her stomach relentlessly, and the pain in her abdomen seemed unbearable. Weakness consumed her, and she struggled to even lift her head.

Outside, the world carried on, oblivious to Tara's suffering. The sounds of daily life filtered through the walls, a stark contrast to the silence that enveloped her room. Hours stretched into days, and Tara's condition continued to deteriorate.

Occasionally, she heard footsteps passing by her door, a painful reminder of her isolation. Each passing moment felt like an eternity as she waited, her only solace the faint hope that someone would come to her aid.

But as the days wore on, that hope dwindled. Tara felt herself slipping further and further away, lost in a haze of hunger and despair. Alone and forgotten, she lay in the darkness, her strength ebbing away with each passing moment.

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It was Tara's fourth day, and her bleeding had finally stopped. As midnight approached, she mustered the strength to lift herself up. Despite feeling weak and depleted, she couldn't bear the thought of staying confined in the room any longer, especially on such a cold night. With slow, deliberate steps, she leaned against the wall for support, navigating her way to Prithvi's room, which she found to be locked. Undeterred, she knocked on the door, her heart pounding with anticipation. After what felt like an eternity.

It was Prithvi who opened the door, his expression stoic upon seeing Tara in such a state. Without a word, Tara stumbled into the room, her legs trembling with exhaustion. Prithvi quickly guided her to sit on a wooden chair.

As Tara settled into the chair, she glanced towards the bed, where Manik lay sleeping peacefully.

Tara stood up with Prithvi's support and made her way to the bathroom. Prithvi helped her sit on a stool before leaving to fetch fresh clothes for her.

Prithvi returned with clean clothes for Tara and helped her to bath and wear new clothes. Despite her weakened state, Tara felt a sense of relief as she freshened up. Afterward, Prithvi guided her back to the room, where she sat quietly, her mind filled with a mixture of exhaustion and gratitude towards Prithvi for his kindness.

She was leaning against the headboard of the bed, drinking water, when Prithvi extended a bowl of dry snacks towards her, containing chakli, puffed rice, and namkeen.

"There's nothing in the kitchen to eat, so have these," he said.

Without a word, she took the bowl and began to eat, curious about where he got them from but remaining silent until Prithvi spoke up, "Manik always likes to eat these, so I kept some snacks in the room for him."

As Tara nibbled on the snacks, a wave of gratitude washed over her. Despite the hardships she faced, Prithvi's simple gesture brought a glimmer of hope.

In that moment, she felt a flicker of warmth amidst the cold darkness of her past. With Prithvi by her side, Tara found solace in the midst of her struggles, knowing that she was not alone in her journey.