Today, the atmosphere in a family court in Bhopal was somewhat different than usual in the afternoon. No arguments were happening. No witness was speaking. Everyone’s gaze was fixed. On the Honorable Judge seated on that high chair, who was about to pronounce his verdict. He gently closed the file. Removed his glasses and said in a grave voice. Shekhar Singh will now pay his divorced wife, Nandini, a monthly maintenance of ₹80,000 and will also bear the responsibility for the education and essential expenses of their 5-year-old daughter, Pihu. With the decision, silence fell in the courtroom. But on the bench where Shekhar sat, his world had already shattered. He sat with his head bowed. Face hidden in his palms, and tears were streaming from his eyes without any sound. Just as if a relationship had died quietly inside. Slowly, he turned his trembling shoulder towards his mother, Sarala Devi, and burying his face in her shoulder, he began to sob uncontrollably. Sarala Devi stroked her son’s head with trembling hands. But her own tears were also now refusing to stop. She knew her son wasn’t just losing a case. He had just watched the dearest thing in his life, his daughter, go away into someone else’s shadow. Meanwhile, standing in another corner of the court was Nandini. There was no remorse on her face. Nor any sorrow, but rather a stern, tired yet satisfied smile. As if a long battle had been won. She held the hand of her 5-year-old daughter, Pihu, and turned to leave the courtroom. But just then, Pihu pulled her hand away and ran straight to her Papa. “Papa!” her innocent voice seemed to echo through the entire court. She ran and climbed into Shekhar’s lap and, crying, said, “Papa, why are you crying? I didn’t do anything. Please don’t cry, Papa.” Shekhar held her close to his chest and began to cry loudly. Pihu wiped Shekhar’s tears from his cheeks with her tiny hands. Then she said softly, “Papa, I won’t be mischievous anymore. I’ll do my homework on time. Please just come home, Papa.” But just then, Nandini came and angrily pulled Pihu’s hand. “Pihu, come with me.” Pihu looked at her mother. Then she clung tighter to her father’s lap. “Mummy, please take Papa along too.” But Nandini didn’t listen to her. She picked up Pihu and walked towards the long corridor of the court. Pihu was in her mother’s arms. But her eyes were still looking back at her Papa. And in her innocent eyes, just one question was floating: “Papa, why aren’t you coming with me?” And when Pihu disappeared around the corner of that corridor, Shekhar’s lap felt empty. But his eyes were still fixed there where he had caught the last glimpse of Pihu. And sitting right there, Shekhar… slowly drifted back to that time. Where this relationship had begun. Where he had started weaving dreams. Where the hope of becoming a father had first sparked.
There was a time when Shekhar’s eyes didn’t have the moisture they did today, but rather a sparkle. A small rented flat in Bhopal’s MP Nagar area, an ordinary job in a private company, and the blessings of his mother, Sarala Devi. That was his entire world. But his heart was big. He wanted another relationship to enter this home now. A life partner. With that very hope, Nandini entered his life. It was an arranged marriage. But Shekhar was determined to make it work wholeheartedly. Nandini was extremely beautiful in appearance, modern-thinking, sharp, independent, and confident. Shekhar felt he was very fortunate. To have found such an educated, smart girl. The initial days of marriage were somewhat different. A bit formal, but Shekhar was still happy. He would do small things for Nandini. From the right amount of sugar in tea to bringing her favorite pastry on his way back from the office. But gradually, that initial smile started fading from Nandini’s face. Now she began mocking Shekhar’s simplicity in every matter. Sometimes she would say, “You don’t understand parties.” Sometimes, “Your friends’ conversations are boring.” Shekhar would listen, never answering back. Perhaps one has to adjust a little in marriage, he thought, enduring everything. He knew Nandini liked freedom. So he never interfered. But this freedom was slowly turning into distance. Nandini would talk on the phone with her college friend late into the night. She would go to parties every week and often return home by morning. Shekhar would wait. Open the door, heat the food, and then quietly try to sleep. He was breaking but didn’t show it.
Then one day, a new light entered his life. Pihu. When the doctor gave the news of a daughter, Shekhar’s eyes welled up. Maybe now everything will change. He rested his head on his mother’s shoulder and said. Initially, it seemed so too. Nandini held Pihu in her arms for two-three days, took pictures. Posted some cute Instagram stories. But then everything became like before. The sound of Pihu’s crying gave her a headache. She would say, “I’ve become a mother, not a nanny.” And then the responsibility fell on Sarala Devi. An old mother who now had to become a mother all over again. For her granddaughter. And Shekhar was now managing the office during the day and every corner of the house at night. Nandini was still at parties. Active on WhatsApp groups and busy outings with friends. Pihu gradually didn’t bond with her mother’s lap, but with her grandmother’s stories and her father’s lap. Shekhar was still hopeful. Maybe with time, everything will be fine. But who knew that the storm coming would not only shatter trust but break Shekhar’s entire existence.
That evening, Shekhar had returned home a little early from the office. In his hand was Pihu’s favorite pink balloon and a rose for Nandini. He wanted this evening to be a little different. A little closer. But when he opened the door, he found Sarala Devi in front of him. There was a faint smile on her face. “Nandini has left. Going on a three-day trip. With her college friends.” Shekhar nodded. This wasn’t the first time. He knew Nandini liked to travel. He had never stopped her. Never doubted. But this time, something was quietly pricking in a corner of his heart. Three days passed, then four, then five. Nandini didn’t return, didn’t call. When called, she would just give a curt reply. “The trip got extended. I’m busy.” Then one day, a colleague showed him something. A photo on Instagram with the location tagged Indore, and in that photo, Nandini was not alone. With her was a guy, Rohit, and the caption below read: “Now I finally feel what it truly means to be happy in life.” Shekhar’s fingers trembled. It felt as if a dagger had been plunged into his heart. That night, Shekhar sat on the terrace. There were no tears in his eyes. Just one question: “What did I do wrong?” Yet, when Nandini returned, he said nothing. Just stood in front of her and said, “What’s done is done. But can we try once more, just for Pihu?” Nandini laughed. A sharp, dishonest laugh. “Try again with the man whose company suffocates me? Start life over with him?” Then she delivered another blow. “I love Rohit, and I can’t live with you anymore. I want a divorce.” Shekhar’s tongue went dry. His breath stopped. But he said nothing because he knew. Before fighting for something, there must be love inside. And here, nothing was left.
Mother Sarala Devi saw that her son was now truly broken from inside for the first time. And as every mother does, she patted his back but couldn’t say anything. Then one day, Nandini filed for divorce. Shekhar didn’t fight in court because he didn’t want Pihu’s innocence to get entangled in the bitterness of these court proceedings. But when the decision came that Pihu’s custody would be given to the mother, and Shekhar would only be allowed to meet once a month, Shekhar’s world seemed to end right there. He accepted that too. He even gave the house to Nandini. Where Pihu’s first laugh had once echoed. Now he started living in a small rented house in TT Nagar with his mother Sarala Devi. Only hoping that the one day of the month would come when he could meet his daughter. And on that one day, he could give her all the love that suffocated inside him for the remaining 29 days.
After the divorce, Nandini had started a new life. She now had a job, but in the name of life, she only had freedom, not responsibility. Pihu had now just become a routine for her. She would leave early in the morning, leaving Pihu with a nanny, and return home late at night. Often with the smell of alcohol. Now another name had entered Nandini’s life. Vicky. Unemployed, irresponsible, and addicted to alcohol. But Nandini felt that same thrill in his company that she missed with Shekhar. Vicky now started coming to her house openly. Then staying the nights too.
Pihu was seeing all this. She couldn’t understand who this uncle was. But she didn’t like it. The nanny had noticed many times. Vicky’s gaze would linger on Pihu a little too much. She couldn’t say anything. But she became vigilant. Then one day when Nandini wasn’t home, Vicky came. The nanny sent the nanny to get some tea, and he himself went and sat next to Pihu. He took Pihu on his lap and started touching her innocent body as if she were not a human but a toy. Pihu got scared. She tried to move away. Then Vicky whispered in her ear, “If you tell anyone, I’ll kill you. And your mom too.” Pihu fell silent. A fear settled in her mind that now woke up with her every day and broke her sleep every night. This wasn’t a one-day thing. Now whenever Vicky came, Pihu would flinch. One day, he even burned Pihu’s thigh with a lit cigarette. Pihu screamed. The nanny came running. Vicky said, “The cigarette fell from my hand. It was a mistake.” But the nanny was now convinced. Enough is enough.
And then the nanny did something that gave this story a new turn. Meanwhile, Shekhar got the day to meet Pihu that month. He brought ice cream for Pihu. Brought a small teddy bear and arrived with thousands of emotions suppressed in his heart. But as soon as he saw Pihu, she didn’t run and hug his neck. She clung to the nanny and, trembling, said, “Papa, I get scared.” Shekhar couldn’t understand. He reached out his hand, but Pihu stepped back. She just repeated one sentence over and over: “I get scared, Papa. Very scared.” Shekhar’s heart stopped. He took the nanny aside and asked, “What is happening with my daughter?” After staying quiet for a while, the nanny said softly, “Sir, enough is enough now. You must know everything.”
That night, Shekhar had no sleep. Pihu’s trembling voice, her frightened face, and the nanny’s incomplete words shook him to the core. He now didn’t just need belief. He needed proof. And that very night, he made a decision. “I won’t stay quiet now. This fight is no longer about custody; it’s about my daughter’s life.” The next day, Shekhar and the nanny made a plan together. The nanny told Nandini she was going to get some vegetables. But her phone was in her pocket. Recording was on, and she wasn’t outside the house. She was hiding right behind the door. As soon as Vicky got a chance alone, he again went to Pihu and started repeating the same vulgar actions. But this time, every word, every action was being recorded. The nanny opened the door. Vicky panicked. The nanny picked up Pihu in her arms and said, “Now you won’t escape.” She took that recording and went straight to Shekhar. Shekhar broke down crying. “My doll, how did she endure all this?” But wiping his tears, he went straight to the police station and filed a report with the evidence. Vicky was arrested that very night. The case went to court, and this time, the court had not only the law but also justice. The Honorable Judge said, “The custody of the child, Pihu, is hereby granted to the father, Shekhar, with immediate effect. The mother, Nandini, will be allowed conditional meetings with the child only after mental counseling and court evaluation.”
Shekhar picked up Pihu in his arms. Wiped his tears with her little palm and said, “Now no one will scare you, my child. Your Papa is with you now, always.” Pihu asked softly, “I won’t have to go there anymore, right, Papa? That uncle won’t come anymore, right?” Shekhar kissed her forehead. “Now only stories will come, my child. No fear.” Shekhar had started living again. And Sarala Devi had become a grandmother again. Pihu’s smile was returning. But the corner for a mother was still empty in her heart.
And meanwhile, Nandini, who had once left everything, was now alone. When she learned the truth about Vicky. When the court’s decision came, she broke down. She cried day and night, and then one day, she reached Shekhar’s doorstep. Sarala Devi opened the door, and in front was the woman who once didn’t consider this house a home. “Shekhar, I want to meet Pihu.” Shekhar, standing at the door, said, “You broke your daughter’s trust, Nandini. She is still scared of you. If you are truly a mother, first eliminate her fear. Then talk about love.” Nandini broke down crying. “I have lost a lot, Shekhar. But I want to get my daughter back. In any form – as her mother, as her friend, or just as a human being.” Shekhar quietly went inside.
A few weeks later, permission for a meeting under court supervision was granted. Nandini came. Pihu saw her and immediately hid in Shekhar’s lap. But Nandini didn’t give up. In every meeting, she brought chocolates. Brought books. And most of all, brought genuine love. Gradually, Pihu started looking towards her. Then sitting nearby. Then one day, while swinging in the park, she asked, “Mommy, sing that song you used to sing to me in childhood.” Nandini’s eyes filled up. She hummed the same song, and for the first time, Pihu didn’t push her hand away. She still slept in Shekhar’s lap. But sometimes she also talked with Nandini. Perhaps the healing had begun. Because some wounds heal not with ointment but with love, patience, and true intentions.
Pihu was now slowly starting to smile. She didn’t have to wake up scared at night anymore. Now her pillow didn’t have tears but sweet memories of stories. And Shekhar, he was now not just a father. He was a shield. He was a world. And Nandini, she was now not just trying to be a mother. She was on the path to winning back her daughter’s trust. And one day, Pihu herself held Shekhar and Nandini’s hands. Smiled softly and said, “I don’t get scared anymore, Papa. Now I have become your little fairy again.” That day, the tears in Shekhar’s eyes were not of sorrow. They were of peace. The tears of a father’s greatest victory.

Now, Shekhar was living his life with Nandini. But that love like before was no longer there. That connection was gone. Where each other’s eyes would say everything. Where even silence felt like love. Now the two lived together. But only because their daughter, Pihu, needed a complete family. Shekhar didn’t hate but forgave, letting go of everything. But forgiving doesn’t mean the heart becomes the same as before. He was now a responsible father. Who knew that to give his daughter peace, he had to live by hiding his pain within. Nandini also now understood that Shekhar would never look at her the way he used to before. But she was now trying to be a good mother for her daughter.

But now, you tell us, can every broken relationship be mended with forgiveness and understanding, or do some cracks remain forever? Please do share your opinion in the comments, and if this story touched your heart, then please like it, and definitely share it. Perhaps listening to this story will teach someone a lesson, and they might avoid making such a mistake. And before you go, don’t forget to subscribe to our channel, Story By BK. We’ll meet again with another touching, inspiring true story. Jai Hind, Jai Bharat!