As Snigdha packed her last bundle of clothes and took a step to leave the room, Prabhasha, losing all composure, collapsed at her sister's feet. She clung to Snigdha's legs with both hands and burst into a heart-wrenching sob.
Prabhasha wailed, "Didi! Are you truly going to leave me and go? Why are you so angry, Didi? You know I didn't want to cause you any harm. Why did you try to prove me a liar in front of Brother?"
Snigdha had reached the peak of her irritation. Trying to wrench her legs free, she spoke in a mocking tone, "Oh, please! You've proven yourself to be quite the saint, haven't you? You stood there in the courtroom with your chest puffed out like a beacon of truth, while all the blame fell on my shoulders. And now, aren't you ashamed to be doing this drama at my feet?"
Breaking down in tears, Prabhasha said, "Didi, the fault is yours! You went out without telling me, and now to save yourself, you're framing me as a liar? Are you showing all this anger just because you got caught? I didn't tell any lies, Didi!"
Snigdha could not bear these blunt words spoken to her face. Gritting her teeth, she hissed, "It's because of this sharp tongue of yours that I can't stand you anymore! Please shut up and get out of my sight!" Saying this, Snigdha delivered a violent kick to Prabhasha's chest.
The force of the kick sent Prabhasha flying to a corner of the room. Her back struck the hard stone floor. For a moment, her breath seemed to hitch in her chest from the pain. Groaning, she looked at her sister with eyes full of disbelief. This was her sister, on whose lap she had grown up, and that same sister had kicked her like an animal?
Prabhasha struggled to sit up and whispered in a faint voice, "Didi... you tortured me like this? You kicked me? I never imagined in my wildest dreams that you could be so cruel! You are my sister, my own sister..."
Snigdha didn't feel a shred of shame for even a second. She screamed in a harsh voice, "Yes! I'm not your 'own' sister, and that's why I kicked you! Would an 'own' sister ever do such a thing? You are the daughter of my mother's rival—why do you keep forgetting that? Why must I keep reminding you of your place?"
Stepping closer and pointing a finger, Snigdha continued, "Could you not have managed that situation for a moment? When Brother asked you, could you not have said just once—'Yes, Didi told me she was going out'? Could you not have said that Didi had informed you of everything? But no! You pretended as if you knew nothing and made me look like the guilty one!"
Cowering in pain, Prabhasha said, "Didi, I had already told Brother before that I didn't know where you were. If I had suddenly changed my stance and said you told me, what would Brother have thought? I would have looked bad in his eyes!"
Snigdha let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "Yes! You would have looked a little bad, so what? You're the younger sister; Brother Prafulla would have forgiven you. How long could he have stayed angry at you? But to save your own ego, you trapped me! This is why I have grown to hate you, Prabhasha. From today, get out of my sight—I can't stand the sight of you! From today, you are a stranger to me, a total stranger!"
With that, Snigdha walked out of the room with her belongings. Prabhasha remained on the floor, staring at the direction where her sister had just vanished. She felt as if her entire world had been turned upside down today. The label of being a "rival's daughter" burned like a raw wound on her forehead. That massive room in the palace suddenly felt like a dark, lonely prison to Prabhasha.