Chapter 1 – The Woman Who Won Everything

In Greenwood International School, there was a legend.

Not a ghost legend.

Not a horror legend.

An academic, sports, dance, music, everything legend.

Her name was Ananya Verma.

Even after twenty years, teachers still used her example to scare… sorry, motivate students.

“If Ananya Verma could do it, why can’t you?”

“She was topper, sports captain, dancer, pianist — everything!”

“She slept only 5 hours and still came first!”

Students used to whisper,

“Ma’am, woh human thi ya robot? (Ma’am, was she human or robot?)”

Because Ananya Verma was the only student in school history who won:

First in Academics

First in Sports

First in Cultural Activities

Best Student Award

All in the same year.

And after her, no one ever managed to do that again.

Her photos were hanging in the school hall — four big frames. Every student who passed by looked at them at least once and thought:

“Yeh ladki thakti nahi thi kya? (Did this girl never get tired?)”

But Ananya was not just hardworking. She was confident, fearless, and a little bit stubborn.

Actually… very stubborn.

Ananya came from a very rich business family. Big house, big cars, big business, big ego family.

Her father had already decided her future:

Finish college

Marry rich businessman’s son

Join family business

Perfect rich life

But life had another plan.

Ananya fell in love.

Not with a businessman.

Not with a rich boy.

But with a simple employee in her father’s company.

Rajiv Malhotra.

He was hardworking, honest, ambitious, and very charming. The kind of man who talks nicely and makes you believe he will protect you forever.

And Ananya believed him.

When her father found out, the house became a battlefield.

“You can have money, power, business, everything… but you cannot marry that man,” her father shouted.

Ananya crossed her arms and replied calmly:

“Dad, I have won every competition in my life.

This is the first thing I am choosing for myself.

Main Rajiv se hi shaadi karungi. (I will only marry Rajiv.)”

Her father gave her one final choice:

“If you marry him, you are no longer my daughter.”

The whole house went silent.

Ananya looked at Rajiv, then at her father, and then said slowly:

“Then today I choose to be his wife instead of your daughter.”

And just like that, she walked out of her rich house with one suitcase and a lot of love.

At that time, she thought love was enough.

Life was about to teach her otherwise.

For the first few years, life was beautiful.

Small house. Small car. Small kitchen. But big happiness.

Then her son was born.

She thought,

“Ab life perfect hai. (Now life is perfect.)”

A few years later, her daughter was born.

She thought,

“Ab toh bilkul perfect hai. (Now it is absolutely perfect.)”

But perfect life never stays perfect for long.

Rajiv’s company started growing. More money, more meetings, more parties, more office time.

Then one day, a new secretary joined the office.

Meera.

Beautiful. Smart. Ambitious. And very dangerous.

Slowly Rajiv started coming home late.

Then he stopped eating dinner with family.

Then he stopped talking.

Then he started comparing.

“Meera handles office better.”

“Meera understands business.”

“Meera supports me.”

One day Ananya finally asked:

“Do you want a wife or a secretary?”

Rajiv didn’t answer.

And that silence gave her the answer.

One evening she went to his office to surprise him.

But surprise toh usko mil gaya. (But she got the surprise.)

She saw Rajiv and Meera together.

Not talking.

Not working.

Too close to be just colleagues.

Her heart didn’t break loudly.

It broke silently.

She asked only one question:

“How long?”

Rajiv didn’t even look guilty.

He said something that hurt more than betrayal:

“You are always perfect, Ananya.

With you I feel small.

With her I feel important.”

That day Ananya Verma, the girl who had never lost in her life, lost her marriage.

She filed for divorce the next day.

She didn’t cry in front of him.

Legends don’t cry in front of people who don’t deserve their tears.

But the biggest pain was not divorce.

The biggest pain was her son.

Rajiv used money, influence, and lies to keep the son with him. He told the boy:

“Your mother left us for another man. She didn’t want us.”

The boy started hating his own mother.

Ananya lost her husband.

Then she lost her son.

Then she lost her family.

She left the city with only her daughter.

No one knew that she still secretly owned properties, shares, and money — all in her children’s names. She never told anyone.

She just said one thing to her daughter again and again:

“Never depend on anyone.

Not father, not brother, not husband.

Only depend on yourself.”

Years later, when she was very sick and lying on bed, her daughter held her hand and cried.

Ananya smiled weakly and said:

“I won every competition in school…

but I lost in life.”

“Tum meri tarah mat jeena. (Don’t live like me.)

Live for yourself.

Win for yourself.

And never let anyone steal your life.”

Those were her last words.

The legend of Greenwood School closed her eyes forever.

But legends don’t really disappear.

Sometimes…

they are reborn through their children.

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