Reborn: The truth behind the love

The cafeteria had four tables, with chairs on either side. A kitchen counter stood in the center, where a long line of women waited for tea. Ishaani, Granny Madhu, Esha, and Emma joined the queue, standing patiently.

Then—chaos.

The door banged open, and seven women swaggered in. Their arms were covered in tattoos, their scowls sharp enough to cut glass. Trouble rolled off them like smoke. Without hesitation, they shoved their way to the front of the line.

Ishaani's jaw tightened, but she stayed quiet. *Not worth it.*

The bullies didn't stop there. They shoved the women at the front hard—so hard that the whole line stumbled like dominoes. Granny, Esha, and Emma were knocked forward. Ishaani lunged, grabbing Granny just before she hit the ground.

The tattooed women burst into laughter.

Granny Madhu's temper exploded. **"You brainless rats!"** she snarled. **"Can't you see where you're going? I nearly cracked my bones!"**

The leader of the pack—a muscled woman with a scar across her eyebrow—turned slowly. Her grin was poison. **"What was that, old hag?"** She stepped closer, her gang spreading out behind her. **"You wanna live? Then shut your mouth."**

**"Or what?"** Granny shot back, not backing down.

The leader's smirk vanished. **"Or this."** She shoved Granny hard—too hard.

Esha and Emma moved like lightning, blocking her path. **"Touch her again,"** Esha said, voice icy, **"and you'll lose that hand."**

The cafeteria went dead silent.

The leader's eyes flicked between them, then to Ishaani—who was now standing straight, fists clenched.

A slow, nasty smile curled on the bully's lips. "Ohhh. Got yourself some backup, grandma?" She cracked her knuckles.

"Let's see how long that lasts."

Esha smiled, chewing on a matchstick. "Can't face us, huh? So now you're picking on old folks and kids?"

The leader, hearing this, puffed up like an angry cat. "Who says I can't face you? You're just an old lady now. Stay out of our way, or I'll break your old bones!" She pointed her finger right at Emma and Esha.

Emma grabbed the leader's finger and twisted it hard. A loud CRACK echoed, and the leader, screaming, fell to the floor, clutching her broken finger. "You! You! You!" she yelled. "Sisters, let's show these old hags not to mess with us!" Seeing their leader hurt, the other women charged forward. Emma and Esha just smiled at each other. Then, without waiting, they jumped into the fight.

Emma was strong from years of wrestling. Her family were wrestlers, and she'd learned from her dad and brother since she was little. She'd been in many street fights and even won big wrestling contests. But her dream of being a champion was crushed when her dad got caught smuggling. After that, she stopped wrestling and started working in a restaurant. So, these women were no match for her. She stepped forward and told Esha to stand back.

With a powerful kick, Emma sent the first woman flying into a table. Then came a flurry of punches and kicks. In just a few minutes, everyone was on the floor, groaning in pain.

Anjali watched all this with a cold smirk. Her eyes were hard; her innocent look was just an act. But when Ishaani turned around, the innocent look returned to Anjali's face.

The leader, who had been lying on the side, suddenly pulled a knife from her shirt.

Ishaani, who had been watching the fight calmly, went rigid.

The day her family died flashed before her eyes like a terrifying movie. Her nails dug into her palms. She heard her mother screaming for help, her brother's cries of pain as the killer plunged a knife into her father's stomach.

Without a second thought, Ishaani sprinted towards the woman with the knife, desperate to stop her from hurting anyone. Ishaani knew nothing about fighting. She simply grabbed the woman around the waist, hoping to stop her.

Seeing everyone's eyes on her, the leader's mood turned even nastier. In a fit of rage, she decided to stab the knife into Ishaani's back. But her hand froze, as if held in an invisible grip.

Esha, seeing the danger, yanked Ishaani away by her collar and delivered a hard kick to the woman's stomach. The woman groaned, and the knife clattered to the floor.

Anjali, who was holding the woman's hand, lost her grip as the woman's body went limp and fell to the ground. Without thinking, Anjali slumped onto Ishaani's back and closed her eyes. Ishaani felt the weight on her but couldn't do anything—she couldn't even stand up straight.

Meanwhile, the police constables saw the fight and quickly moved in, taking control of the situation. They began sending all the prisoners back to their cells. Seeing Ishaani struggling to breathe, Esha told her to go back to her room. Then, Esha, along with Emma and Granny, went with the police to report what had happened.