Hey mayawiyans!!!!

Welcome❤️

I truly hope you will love this novel as much as you've loved my previous ones. Your support means the world to me, and I promise to pour my heart into every chapter to give you a story worth your time.

But if at any point you feel like it's not connecting with you or not living up to your expectations, it's okay to leave it — no hard feelings.

Still, I'll keep striving to make it better, hoping you'll stay with me till the end. 💫

The most difficult part of this story is her.

She's incredibly naïve — not because she's foolish, but because she was caged for 18 years. So no, we can't expect her to understand the world the way others do. Everything is new to her... overwhelming, terrifying, and painfully unfamiliar.

But that's where the beauty lies — in watching her grow through this journey, step by fragile step.

I chose to write this story from a different perspective. It might not be easy to digest. It might hurt your feelings or challenge your emotions — but I couldn't help it. This is how it came to me.

And yes, the hero? He literally slept and woke up as a husband. No warning. No choice.

It's not easy for him either.

Especially not when he learns that the girl he's now tied to... was sold by her own father.

This isn't your typical fairytale.

But maybe... it's the kind of story that stays with you long after it ends.

— maya 🥀

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I was doing some work in the kitchen when suddenly the lights went out. Panic hit me instantly as I rushed to find a candle. My hands began to tremble. Darkness—I've always hated the darkness. Since childhood, it has haunted me... yet my father kept me in it my entire life.

There's no one at home. Babu and Bhaiyya went to another village for a wedding. He said it was my cousin's wedding, but I've never seen her. In fact, I've never seen any of my family—except my father and brother.

"Gaon mein bohot baar light jaati hai."

(In villages, power cuts happen often.)

But when Babu was home, I at least felt a little brave. Now... there's no one.

I ran, stumbling through the familiar dark, until I finally found the candle and lit it. A flicker of flame. A flicker of relief. My breath steadied—jaan mein jaan aayi.

I made a cup of tea for myself. Since the power was out, the world felt quiet—too quiet. But the one good thing about these outages is that the sky becomes more visible. The stars shine a little brighter when the rest of the world fades away.

Cradling the warm cup in my hands, I walked slowly to that little space behind the washroom—the only corner from where the sky is visible in this house. Strange, isn't it? Such a big world out there, and I get to see only a piece of it through a crack in the wall.

"Kaash hum bhi bahar ja pate... aam si ladkiyon jaisa."

(I wish I could go outside too... like normal girls.)

I sighed, staring up at the stars. Do they look the same from outside? From far away places where girls laugh, live, and love freely? I wouldn't know. I've never stepped out beyond these walls.

Sometimes, I wonder—do the stars ever look back at me?

Suddenly, the lights flickered back on.

I gasped and rushed inside in panic—if anyone saw me outside, Babu would surely kill me. He had warned me so many times, "Ghar ke andar rehna. Bahar jhaankna bhi mat." (Stay inside the house. Don't even peek outside.)

There was still so much work left to do... but today, Babu wasn't here. Bhaiyya wasn't either.

My hands clutched the cup tighter as a wild thought crossed my mind.

What if... I stepped outside the house?

My heart began to race.

No one in the village would even recognize me. No one knew I was Babu's daughter. I've never been seen by anyone—not since I was born.

Babu won't return tonight.

Can I really... go?

The thought alone made my legs tremble, my chest rise and fall rapidly. It felt like a sin, like breaking every rule that was stitched into my skin since childhood. But the urge—the longing to breathe the same air as the free girls outside—burned stronger than my fear.

What would it feel like?

To walk on the road?

To see people?

To feel sunlight on my skin, not just through the cracks?

Exploring the outside... felt like touching a forbidden dream.

I stood frozen near the doorway, fingers gripping the edge of my dupatta like it was the only thing holding me back from doing something sinful.

"No, Devyani... don't even think about it."

My own voice whispered in my mind.

"What if someone sees you? What if Babu finds out?"

The fear clawed at me—but so did the desire.

I took one step back. Then one forward.

"You'll ruin everything. He'll beat you. Lock you again. Maybe forever this time."

The warnings rang loud in my ears.

But another voice... softer, hidden deep inside me, whispered something else.

"But what if... this is your only chance?"

I closed my eyes. My breath was shaky.

How unfair is it to dream of something as simple as walking outside?

Is it really a sin to want to feel the wind not through a broken window, but on my face?

To hear the world, not as an echo from behind doors... but with my own ears?

My fingers curled around the doorknob.

What if freedom was just one step away?

What if pain was too?

My heart pounded, faster and louder. I could barely hear my own thoughts.

But the question remained, screaming in my silence—

Will I be brave enough to take that one step?

But just as I touched the doorknob... a memory hit me like a slap across the face.

That day.

I had gathered all my courage—just once—to ask Babu if he could take me outside. Just to the fields. Just for a little while.

He didn't speak.

He didn't yell.

He just took off his belt.

And then... he beat me. Again. And again.

The cold leather, the sharp cracks. My screams echoed in the empty house, but no one came.

He didn't stop for hours.

When I collapsed on the floor, bleeding and shaking, he looked down at me and said coldly,

"Ek aur baar bahar ki baat ki na, toh zinda gaad dunga."

(If you ever mention going outside again, I'll bury you alive.)

I flinched at the memory, my hand jerking away from the door like it burned.

If I step outside now—without his permission—he won't just beat me.

He'll kill me.

And no one would even ask where I went. No one knows I exist.

No school records. No friends. No relatives.

Only a name locked behind a door: Devyani.

It would be so easy for him to make me disappear.

So easy.

Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring the sky I so badly wanted to touch.

Freedom was just one step away.

But so was death.

I wiped my tears with the back of my hand, breathing heavily as I stared at the closed door.

Then... a quiet voice inside me whispered again.

"Just for ten minutes, Devyani...

Ten minutes, and then we'll come back. Back into the cage. Back into silence."

"No one will find out. No one even knows you're here."

My heart raced.

"Common, Devyani. This is the best chance you'll ever get."

I looked around—at the dull walls, the locked cupboards, the floor that had memorized every step I ever took. I knew every crack, every shadow in this house.

But I knew nothing about the world outside.

"It's not forever," I whispered to myself. "Just ten minutes... and then we disappear again. Like we always do."

I stepped closer to the door, placing my trembling hand back on the knob. It felt cold—strange. Like touching something forbidden.

My fingers tightened.

"Just ten minutes."

My pulse thundered in my ears.

"Just ten minutes of breathing like a real person."

And then... I slowly turned the knob.

I turned the knob slowly... but it didn't budge.

Locked.

Of course.

How could I forget?

Babu always locks it from the outside, even if he's just stepping out for a few minutes.

Freedom was never meant to be mine.

My heart sank.

But then another idea sparked in my mind.

"The wall... yes. I can climb it. Just for ten minutes, Devyani. You promised. Just once."

I rushed to the corner of the hall and dragged two old wooden chairs, placing one on top of the other with shaky hands. They creaked under my weight as I climbed, gripping the narrow window ledge for support. My breath came fast, my arms trembling.

I peeked over the boundary wall.

And froze.

There were too many people outside. Men returning from the fields, women chatting near the well, children running barefoot on the mud path.

My throat tightened. My heart dropped.

I can't go out there.

My hands slipped from the ledge, and I clumsily climbed back down, trying to swallow the bitter lump of disappointment stuck in my chest.

I felt stupid. Helpless.

Like a bird who dreamed of flying... but forgot her cage was still locked.

I was just about to step down—back into my prison—when suddenly, everything went dark again.

The lights were gone.

Again.

My breath hitched.

And the world outside... disappeared into shadows.

The lights went out again.

This time... it felt like fate was testing me.

The world outside disappeared into shadows. No more people in sight. Just silence, like the night was holding its breath.

My heart pounded in my chest. My palms were sweating.

"This is it, Devyani. Your chance."

I ran to my room and grabbed my old shawl—the one I always wrapped around myself, as if it could protect me from the eyes of the world. I draped it tightly, covering every inch of my skin, even pulling part of it over my head.

I didn't want anyone to recognize me.

Not that anyone would.

No one even knows I exist.

With trembling hands, I dragged the chairs again, climbing them carefully—more confident this time. The wall still felt high. Still scary. But the darkness was on my side now.

My shawl fluttered slightly in the breeze as I pulled myself up and over. For a moment, my foot slipped and my breath caught—but I didn't stop.

And then—

I was outside.

I stood still. Bare feet on the rough earth. Cool night air brushing against my face.

For the first time in 18 years...

I was out of the house.

Not through the front door.

Not in daylight.

But it didn't matter.

I had escaped.

Even if just for ten minutes.

The moment my feet touched the ground outside the wall, it felt like I had stepped into another world.

A world I had only seen through the flickering screen of the old TV in our living room—when Babu wasn't around.

But this... this was real.

The wind felt different out here. Softer. Wilder. It carried the scent of wet earth, the distant smell of firewood, and something sweet—flowers, maybe? I didn't know the name, but I wanted to remember it forever.

I looked up.

The sky...

It was endless. Not the tiny patch I saw through the washroom corner.

But a vast, velvet canvas filled with stars—sparkling like they were smiling at me.

My eyes widened, drinking in every detail. Mud paths glistening under moonlight. Trees dancing gently with the wind. Houses with dim yellow bulbs glowing like lanterns in the dark. A dog barked somewhere in the distance, and I flinched—but even that sound felt... magical.

This was life.

Real life.

I had only seen it from behind windows.

Now I was in it.

I wanted to cry. Not from fear—but from the beauty of it all.

"So this is what freedom smells like," I whispered to myself, touching the leaves of a bush like it was something holy.

My heart was racing, but for once... not out of fear.

I felt alive.

Even if just for ten minutes.

I took a few hesitant steps forward, my feet touching the cool soil like it was sacred ground. Every tiny stone, every grain of dust felt new beneath my bare soles. I had never walked on open land before—never without a roof over my head, never without fear looming just behind my back.

Now, there was only the night, silent and watching me gently.

I moved slowly at first, scared someone would shout my name, drag me back, or worse—he would appear, belt in hand, ready to punish me for my disobedience. But the village was quiet. Peaceful. And that silence gave me courage.

I walked past the edge of our boundary wall, toward the small alley that curved behind the house. I had never even seen this path before—not in real life. It smelled of damp mud and wood smoke, and somewhere close, someone had been cooking—maybe rice or roti—the faint aroma still lingered.

I touched the walls of other houses as I passed, my fingers brushing rough textures, peeling paint, cold stone. I reached a tree and paused, looking up at its branches. A mango tree. I had seen one on TV once—a little girl was climbing it, laughing. I smiled faintly, wondering what that might feel like.

A few steps ahead, I found a narrow well, its stones old and cracked. I looked into the still water, catching a glimpse of my face. I hardly recognized it. The moonlight touched my skin, soft and silver. My eyes looked wide, filled with wonder—and something else.

Freedom.

I kept walking, passing small homes where faint lanterns flickered. Through a half-open window, I saw a family sitting together—an old man, a woman feeding her child, a boy doing homework under dim light. Laughter spilled into the night air.

It made something inside me ache.

Is that what families are supposed to look like?

I turned away, blinking back the sting in my eyes, and continued toward a little field on the outskirts of the village. My breath hitched at the sight. Rows of crops danced gently in the breeze. Fireflies flickered near the grass, and the moonlight bathed everything in soft silver.

I stepped into the field, letting my fingers trail across the tips of the tall plants. It tickled my skin. I laughed—quietly, nervously—as though even my happiness might get me caught.

I had never laughed like this before.

Each step I took was a dream unfolding. A world I never knew was mine to touch. My shawl billowed behind me like wings. And in that moment, I wasn't the invisible girl locked in a room. I wasn't the cursed child. I wasn't Devyani—the burden.

I was just... a girl under the stars, breathing freely for the first time.

I closed my eyes and spread my arms.

The breeze wrapped around me like a hug I'd waited my whole life for.

Ten minutes.

That's all I had promised myself.

But how was I supposed to return now?

How do you walk back into a cage... after feeling the sky?

Walking... and walking...

I didn't realize how far I had come. The fields were long behind me, and even the narrow village paths felt unfamiliar now.

I had seen so many beautiful things—things I had only dreamed of. But now, reality returned like a slap.

It was time to go back.

But... which way?

I turned around. Looked left. Right.

Nothing looked the same.

I had been so caught up in wonder... I hadn't paid attention. I forgot the path.

I forgot the walls.

I forgot the turns.

"No, no, no..." I whispered to myself, panic rising in my chest like a fire I couldn't put out.

Fear gripped me, cold and sharp. My hands trembled as I clutched the edges of my shawl tighter, pulling it over my head, wrapping it around my body like armor.

My heartbeat pounded in my ears.

"Devyani... think."

But my mind was a blur. My feet refused to move. My vision blurred with tears.

I had to go back.

I had to go back before Babu came home.

If he found out I wasn't there...

I shivered.

He'll kill me.

He really will this time.

And no one will question it. No one will even look for me.

I took a deep breath and looked around.

Only dark alleys now. Cracked walls. Closed doors. Shadows that looked like monsters in the dim light.

And then—

The electricity returned.

The village lit up all at once. Bulbs flickered on above doorways. Homes glowed again. Shadows disappeared, replaced by sharp corners and visible paths.

I gasped and instinctively covered my face, lowering my head. My shawl hid most of me, but still—if anyone saw me, recognized I wasn't supposed to be here...

My legs shook.

"You can't cry now, Devyani. You have to move."

So I ran.

I picked one direction—any direction—and ran. My heart thundered in my chest, my breath coming out in sharp gasps.

"Please, please, please let this be the way..."

Either I find the house... or he finds out.

There was no other choice.

I kept running. My shawl flapped behind me, my breath growing ragged with every step. My legs hurt, my lungs burned, but I didn't stop.

The houses began to thin out. The village lanes turned wider, and the mud roads slowly became harder, smoother—until suddenly...

I stumbled onto something I had never seen with my own eyes.

A main road.

Broad, black, endless. It stretched in both directions like a giant snake under the sky. Huge poles stood tall along the sides, glowing with white lights. I froze, wide-eyed.

This was the road I'd only ever heard about. The one Babu mentioned when city people came in cars or trucks.

The road that led to "sheher"—the city.

I stepped closer, awe mixing with fear. A car passed by in a flash—so fast, so loud, I gasped and stepped back.

So this is the road that connects us to the outside world...

I looked left and right. Everything was bigger here. The air smelled different—smoke, fuel, dust, and something unfamiliar but exciting. I saw headlights in the distance, heard the low hum of a vehicle approaching.

But I wasn't supposed to be here.

This wasn't the way home.

Panic settled in my stomach again. My eyes scanned the area, trying to recognize anything familiar. But all I saw were long stretches of road, fields on either side, and darkness beyond.

My heart pounded harder.

"Where am I?" I whispered.

The road didn't answer.

I was too far now.

Too far from home.

And too close to a world I wasn't meant to step into.

My fingers clutched my shawl tighter. I couldn't stand here too long. Someone might see me, ask me something, or worse—send word to Babu.

I had to go back.

But which way?

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Is it boring????