Nurture And Love (BOOK #3) ✍️

Prologue

Prologue

As he stepped out of the green minivan and took a step forward, hauling his bulky suitcase along the pavement, a blast of chilly air blew across his face. In the month of January, the chill was still in the air, and Rehaan slid his left hand into the pocket of his golden-brown pants.

After nearly a decade, he finally arrived at his once-upon-a-time house's enormous iron gate, but he saw no cause to be excited or delighted. Except for the old fading memories, there was no nostalgic sensation. He was initially afraid to touch the corroded and cold metal of the closed gate. The rustic chair on his left, which had formerly been used by the gatekeeper, had similarly been left bare, allowing dust to settle on it.

He felt the filthy, rusted lock with nervous palms. Except for the small gap through the gate of the Bundela mansion that he used to stare through while waiting for his parents to return from work, there was a period he hardly remembers now.

He rummaged through his pockets for the keys that his uncle Shaurya had given him before they left their London apartment. After some difficulty, he was finally able to unlock the door and shove his way into the barren land that had once been a lovely garden.

Dead leaves littered the sidewalk, crunching beneath his feet as he went forward, and the trees he used to admire were no longer bearing fruits or flowers. Some branches had unpruned leaves on top, and many more had fallen down due to the severe winter.

"I used to believe that time healed all wounds, but that was before I saw my own dilapidated house." Rehaan pondered as he approached the massive wooden entrance, which was filthy and greasy. "I'm reasonably convinced my house is the first in the world to decay over time. The lively family members no longer reside here, and it scares me to think of what had occurred in the past."

It was tough for a twenty-year-old to behold a house that had lost its life, a place where he had spent so much of his childhood. Furthermore, it was the same unfortunate house that was bound to bring back memories of his deceased parents—some vivid recollections that he had been unable to erase.

Everything was coated with cobwebs and grime, from the hallway to the kitchen, the east-facing balcony, and the adjoining bedrooms. The mutilated house had several fractured window panes, filthy utensils in the pantry, and creaky doors.

"After our parents passed away, the family members left the house. While I never compelled Shay uncle to reveal the harsh truth about our stay in London, Pihu always did. She had a strong desire to come home to her family, but uncle continually refused with various justifications." Rehaan came to a halt in front of the playroom where they used to play as children. "I was the one who always stood by uncle and helped him in dealing with Pihu's questions in a more efficient manner. In the long run, her indifference towards me grew with the passage of time."

On the tarnished floor, there were several fragmented pieces of remote control cars and trucks, as well as a couple of ragged dolls. He also spotted so many other toys and books covered in powdery dirt as he spun his eyes around the darkroom, which was illuminated by the direct sunlight coming in through the broken window pane.

He grabbed a broken small piano from the corner's first rack and glanced at it with a troubled heart. His eyes welled up with tears as he reminisced about the past. "It was the day before our Shimla trip, and we were preparing our baggage. Grandpa had given Pihu this piano as a birthday present, and she told me she would begin learning it once we got home. That, however, never occurred."

He replaced the piano and left the room before he became overly emotional as a result of everything that had unfolded. His thoughts were muddled by vivid memories of his and Prachi, their parents, and grandparents as he marched down the corridor. As he stood in the doorway of their parent's room, a wave of turmoil swept over him, and he gulped down the lump of saliva that had formed in his throat.