•AUTHOR'S POV•

"The bitch is back."

Saanvi halted near the reception, her heels clicking sharply against the marble floor. She turned slightly, just enough to see Navya leaning casually on the desk, arms folded and lips curled into a smug little smile.

Saanvi's jaw clenched. Her fingers curled into tight fists by her side.

It's only the second day, she reminded herself.

Don't give them a reason to kick you out. She pivoted, just as Abhiraj strode toward her down the hallway. His gaze flicked past her shoulder, catching Navya's presence. His eyes darkened.

She gave him a smile and walked over.

"I could've come home on my own, OG," she said lightly.

Behind them, Navya's voice rang out, loud enough for the hallway to hear.

"Abandoned by your family and now crawling around looking for shelter? Aren't you, Saanvi?"

A few heads turned. The hallway buzzed with the tension.

Saanvi's eyes fluttered shut for a brief second. Her chest rose and fell with forced calm. Abhiraj's tongue clicked in irritation.

"Let's go," she said, stepping forward.

But his voice stopped her. "Walking away?"

She looked at him. "Let's not waste energy."

Abhiraj's lips curved into a slow smile. "I've fought for you, Saanvi. Not because you needed me, because I know the woman you are. because I know you're more than capable of destroying anyone who dares to cross you. And when someone pushes you, you burn them to the ground. So don't stand here and pretend you need saving."

Abhiraj stepped in closer and placed his hand gently on her head, not in comfort, but in blessing, the kind that says go on, it's your war now.

"Don't insult my trust either. Not now. Not when I'm right here, standing behind you, watching your back. Because let me be clear, I won't always be there to throw the first punch for you. Sometimes, you'll have to fight on your own. You have to own that fury in your chest and remind the world who the fuck you are." Abhiraj's hand briefly brushed her shoulder, like a father guiding his child through the storm.

"Fight back, Saanvi. Not just for pride. For yourself. And I promise, if you ever fall, even for a second, I'll be the one catching you before you hit the ground. But only after you rise."

He smirked, "Now go. Remind her she just messed with the daughter of Abhiraj Singhania."

Saanvi held his gaze for a moment then she chuckled under her breath and looked down. "You're such a narcissist."

She unbuttoned her blazer with unbothered elegance and handed it to him. He took it with a wicked grin, already sensing the chaos she was about to unleash.

Then Saanvi turned around.

Navya had her back to her now, still lounging by the reception, sipping from a juice box. Saanvi's strides were steady, as she rolled up the sleeves of her shirt to her elbows.

She stopped behind her and tapped her nails on the wooden counter. Navya turned, raising an eyebrow with feigned innocence then tipped her drink, deliberately spilling the sticky liquid onto Saanvi's expensive heels.

Navya smirked. "Oops. Sorry, Saanvi."

Saanvi glanced down. Then slowly back up. A thin, sarcastic smile played on her lips.

"You're right, Navya," she said, voice eerily calm. "The bitch is back."

"As if-"

Before Navya could finish that sentence, Saanvi grabbed the nearest glass vase and smashed it over her head.

A collective gasp rippled through the hospital. Blood streamed down Navya's forehead as she screamed, staggering backward.

Abhiraj leaned back in a chair, one leg crossed over the other, smirking like he was watching his favorite action movie.

Saanvi surged forward, gripped Navya by the hair, and yanked her head back with a snap. Her other hand flew forward-slap. Then another. And another. Navya stumbled, crying out, but Saanvi held her like a puppet and kept slapping.

"You manipulative fucking bitch," Saanvi spat, slapping her again. "I thought you were family. That's the only reason I kept my mouth shut."

Smack.

Navya hit the ground.

"I'm your sister! I'll tell Dad! I'll tell Bade Papa-!"

"Fuck you!" Saanvi's boot connected with Navya's stomach. She curled in pain, coughing.

"Dr. Saanvi! Stop! She'll die-!" someone shouted, stepping forward.

"One more step and I'll make sure you're unemployed in the entire country," Abhiraj said coolly without even turning. The man froze.

"But, sir-"

"Where were you when she insulted Saanvi?" Abhiraj's stare sliced through him. "Exactly. So shut the hell up and stay rooted."

Saanvi crouched next to Navya, grabbing her by the hair again, face inches from hers.

"Go cry to your pathetic father and Bade Papa. I don't give a single fuck about your messed up little family drama."

Navya blinked in fear.

"I stayed quiet because I thought of you as my sister... and the rest of them as family. But guess what? They're dead to me now. All of them."

She tilted her head mockingly. "So why the hell do you think I'll stay silent now.

She yanked Navya up again. Navya gasped, trying to fight back, but Saanvi twisted her wrist. Crack. She screamed.

She kneed her straight in the stomach, hard enough to make her fold over.

"You're nothing but a broken condom consequence," Saanvi hissed.

"I'm sorry! Please-please stop-!"

Saanvi wasn't done. She dragged her by her hair and slammed her head against the wall. Navya screamed again, tears streaming down her bloodied face.

Saanvi gripped her by the throat, pinning her there, eyes blazing.

"Shocked, Navya?" she whispered. "I told you once, if you disrespected me again, I'd shed my class and beat a bitch like a bitch. Today was that day."

Then she let go. Navya collapsed.

Saanvi stepped back. Her gaze flicked to her heels, still damp from the juice. She looked at Navya again, writhing and whimpering.

"That's Saint Laurent Opyum 110 pumps, Navya," she said with icy calm. "You're a woman. You should understand how it feels when your favorite and expensive heels get ruined."

She pointed. "Clean it."

Navya's hands shook as she scrambled to wipe the heels with her bare hands.

"No," Saanvi said flatly. "Use your scarf. Or do you want me to choke you with it?"

Terrified, Navya ripped the scarf off and began wiping her shoes clean.

Once satisfied, Saanvi stepped back. She walked away, but stopped halfway. Turned.

And kicked her again, hard in the ribs.

Navya screamed.

"Fucking Ratchet." Saanvi gritted breathing heavily.

A loud clap echoed.

She turned.

Naina stood there, grinning ear to ear and clapping like she'd just seen a live performance. Saanvi walked there.

"Damn, ma'am! You nailed it!" Naina hug her. Saanvi gave a breathless laugh and returned the hug lightly.

Abhiraj stood from his chair.

"Enjoyed the show?" she asked, raising a brow and slipping back into her blazer.

Abhiraj shrugged. "Of course. I trained you in half those moves."

Saanvi smirked, brushing imaginary dust off her sleeves.

"Let's go," Abhiraj said.

Saanvi nodded, gave Naina a small wave, and walked off with Abhiraj completely ignoring the stunned silence and wide eyes behind them.

✿✿✿✿✿

"But violence is not an option, Abhi! Stop making her like you, she isn't like this!" Adrika snapped, glaring at Abhiraj, who was lounging on the couch with a smug look, oiling Saanvi's hair. Saanvi sat cross-legged on the floor with her laptop in her lap. At Adrika's voice, she looked up.

"Maa," Saanvi called softly, stretching her hand upward. Adrika exhaled a long breath, took her hand, and settled in front of her on the floor.

"I agree with you, but sometimes... it's necessary."

Adrika's brows pulled together as she checked her daughter's face. "Tumhe chot toh nahi lagi? (Did you get hurt?)" she asked gently.

Saanvi smiled and shook her head.

"She didn't get hurt, but that Navya did, big time," Abhiraj added proudly, finishing the braid. "I was there, watched the whole thing unfold, and damn, Adrika, it was absolute cinema."

Saanvi adjusted a little, twisting to look at him with a chuckle. "Even I enjoyed it."

Abhiraj chuckled back.

Adrika, however, shook her head disapprovingly. "What about the people who were there? What if the media gets involved? Saanvi's image-"

"They would've already shown something," Abhiraj interrupted, nodding at the television. "News is on. Not a word about her."

Saanvi frowned and glanced at the screen before narrowing her eyes at him.

Adrika turned toward him slowly. "You did something... didn't you?"

Abhiraj smirked and tilted his head. "Who else could've done it?"

Saanvi pressed her lips together to suppress a smile, eyes gleaming. Abhiraj grinned wider.

"God. You two are actually the same," Adrika muttered, pointing at Saanvi now. "You've turned into his female version."

Saanvi looked at Abhiraj. He raised an eyebrow, and both of them burst into quiet laughter.

"I'll be back with a cold drink," Saanvi said, standing up and placing her laptop aside. She walked to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Her brows drew together, lips parting in surprise.

Inside were rows of neatly stacked strawberry milk bottles.

She reached out and picked one just as Adrika walked into the kitchen, chuckling.

"You like it?" Adrika asked, leaning casually against the kitchen slab with her arms folded.

"Why are there so many strawberry milk bottles in here?" Saanvi asked, shutting the fridge.

"Abhi heard you say you liked the drink yesterday while sipping it," Adrika explained, laughing. "So today he filled the fridge with them."

Saanvi shook her head with a small, amused smile.

She remembered how once she had craved oranges, ate far too many, and the next day the entire fruit basket had been overflowing with them.

She reopened the fridge and pulled out two more bottles before shutting the door.

"Let's go."

They walked back and settled on the couch. Saanvi passed one bottle to Adrika and another to Abhiraj. He accepted it without saying a word.

She smiled while watching him. He always acted like a strict father, but noticed everything.

Just then, Abhiraj's phone rang. He glanced at the name, inhaled sharply, and picked it up.

He listened silently for a few seconds, then a slow smirk tugged at his lips. "Forward all the details to my secretary," he said and cut the call.

Saanvi, sipping the strawberry milk, frowned at him. "Something happened?"

Abhiraj looked at her and smiled gently, patting the top of her head. "Not now, but soon."

Saanvi blinked, clearly puzzled.

"Adrika," he said suddenly, turning toward her.

"Hm?" she answered, eyes still fixed on the TV.

"Tomorrow, pick Saanvi up from her hospital and come to our office when I call."

Both women exchanged a glance. Adrika gave a small nod.

"Alright, now let's go, it's late. Time to sleep," Abhiraj said, standing up and stretching.

They moved toward their rooms.

Abhiraj stepped into the bedroom and paused at the doorway. Adrika was sitting on the edge of the bed, her head bowed, one hand holding a photo frame. His gaze dropped to it instantly.

The moment she realized he had seen it, she quickly slid the frame into the drawer beside her and stood up, walking to her vanity without meeting his eyes. She sat down and began doing her skincare routine.

"Adrika," he called gently.

"Hmm?" she replied without looking at him, continuing to dab cream on her face.

He walked over and crouched in front of her, placing his hands over hers, stopping her movements. "You miss him, don't you?"

Her eyes snapped up to him. "No! I don't." She looked away instantly, blinking fast.

Abhiraj gave her a knowing look. "You look at his frame every single night, Adrika."

Her eyes welled up before she could stop them. She dropped her gaze to her lap, lips trembling. "I don't even know if he's okay, Abhi. As much as I try to hate him, as much as I tell myself I've cut him off... I can't stop remembering that day, when we saw him, after three days, nine years ago. He was so pale, so broken... and all I could think was, what if something happens again and this time, he doesn't come back?" Her voice cracked at the end, trembling with the weight of held back emotion. "And now, I don't even know if he's..." Her voice cracked. "...aliv-"

She broke into sobs and leaned forward, hugging him tightly. Abhiraj held her firmly, his arms wrapping around her.

"I hate her, Abhiraj!" she choked out. "I've never hated anyone in my life but that woman, she tore everything apart."

"Shhh... Adrika... calm down." He gently stroked her back, letting her cry.

She pulled away after a moment, her face tear-streaked, looking at him with red eyes. "I feel guilty, Abhi. I love my Saanvi... you know I do, she's my daughter. But... I can't stop thinking about Rudra too. I wonder if someone's keeping an eye on his headaches, I don't know if he's eating properly, or just skipping meals like he always does when he's upset. Whether he has a place to rest his head. Whether he has anyone to talk to. You know how he was since childhood... tiniest problem, and he'd come running to me."

Her lips quivered, voice softening into a whisper.

"He'd hold my arm like it was his anchor, and rant about school or the fight he had with Kabir... anything. And even after he grew up, became this tall, stubborn adult he still did it, Abhi." She smiled through her tears. "He'd come exhausted after work, lie down with his head in my lap and say, 'Mom, just play with my hair a bit. I'm tired.' 'Mom, if you keep your hand on my head, nothing bad can touch me.' And I would... I would caress his forehead until he forgot his nightmares and drifted off. That's all he needed to feel safe." A fresh wave of tears spilled from her eyes. "And now... now he's dealing with the worst nightmare of his life, and we... we left him. Just like that. We abandoned him, Abhi."

Abhiraj cupped her cheeks and gently wiped her tears with his thumbs. "Rudra is okay, Adrika. I spoke to Lorenzo. He said Rudra is safe. Avyaan's been with him the whole time, still is."

She looked at him, the desperation in her eyes softening slightly. Her bottom lip quivered. "Did he say anything about us?"

"Lorenzo said..." Abhiraj took a breath, then sighed, "He keeps asking for you. For us, but this time... we're not there for him."

Adrika let out a sob, clutching his arms. "I just... I want to hug him so tightly, Abhi. I want to tell him that I'm here. That he's not alone, that no matter what, I still love him." Her voice cracked as her chest rose and fell with quiet sobs. "My heart feels like it's tearing in two."

Abhiraj held her wrists softly. "Do you want to see him?"

She looked at him for a long moment, then slowly shook her head as she wiped her tears. "I said I want to. Not that I will. There's a difference."

She stood up and walked toward the bed.

"As a mother, it breaks me to stay away from my son. But I can't forget what he did to Saanvi, Abhi... I won't let my love for him cloud the pain he caused her. So, I'll live with this ache. And no... I don't want to meet him."

Abhiraj watched her in silence as she climbed into bed, curling slightly to one side, facing away from him.

He let out a deep sigh and sat on the other side of the bed. For a moment, he just sat there in silence, staring ahead, then slowly, his gaze shifted to the drawer.

His hand moved on its own. He pulled it open and took out the photo frame, the one Adrika had tried to hide. The glass was slightly smudged with fingerprints.

He stared at it, the image blurring slightly as emotion welled up in his eyes.

It was Rudra, sat in the center, eighteen years old, with the kind of smile that reached all the way to his eyes. The round, slightly oversized glasses sat crooked on his nose, and his hair thick and messy fell stubbornly over his forehead the way it always did, no matter how often Adrika tried to push it back. His face was rounder, softer, filled with the kind of untouched innocence.

On his right, Adrika smiled brightly, her cheek pressed against his, her arm draped across his shoulders. On the left, Abhiraj sat with a smaller smile, more reserved, but deeply content. Their heads gently touching Rudra's framing him like a child protected in the warmth of their love.

Abhiraj stared at it for a long moment.

"You're allowed to be angry at me, Dad... just don't stop being my home."

"What if I break something we can't fix? Will you still call me your son?"

"I know I'm not a kid anymore, but sometimes I still need you to tell me everything's going to be okay."

His throat clenched.

Abhiraj's throat tightened. His fingers instinctively brushed over Rudra's face in the photo.

"I don't want to go on school trips. What if you and Mumma forget me?"

He swallowed hard. His lips quivered. And for a split second, his chest burned with a silent ache he couldn't put into words.

"I keep wondering," he whispered, "if we had just held on to him a little tighter... would he still be this boy today?"

He drew in a sharp breath and looked away, trying to keep his composure.

Then, without a word, he placed the frame back into the drawer and shut it with slow, trembling fingers.

✿✿✿✿✿

"But Maa, why are we suddenly here?" Saanvi asked, glancing sideways at Adrika as they walked down the long corridor. Her brows were furrowed.

Adrika's face was tense, too tense to pass off as casual. She glanced at her and forced a weak smile. "There's something you need to face, Saanvi," she said softly, wrapping her fingers around Saanvi's hand.

Saanvi blinked. "Face?" she repeated, confused. But Adrika didn't respond, she just gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

They stopped outside the tall mahogany doors of the conference room. Adrika's heart began pounding against her chest, so loud it echoed in her ears. She turned to look at her again, her grip tightening slightly.

"You okay?" Saanvi asked, noticing the pale strain on her face.

Adrika nodded faintly. "Let's go."

Saanvi offered a small, hesitant smile. Adrika pushed the door open. Saanvi stepped in, then stopped.

Everything froze.

Her smile vanished. The warmth drained from her face. Her breath caught in her throat.

Seated around the conference table were all the familiar faces, Abhiraj, Anubhav, Pranay, Vikram, Navya with a bandage across her temple and him.

Rudra.

Her legs faltered.

She instinctively stepped back, and breathed, beginning to turn away.

Adrika immediately caught her wrist, steadying her before she could retreat. Saanvi looked at her in disbelief, her eyes shimmering with the sting of betrayal. Adrika's eyes pleaded with her. She slowly shook her head.

Then she turned to Abhiraj. His expression was soft. "Saanvi," he said gently, stepping forward. She couldn't look at him, her gaze kept flickering away, afraid of what this all meant.

He cupped her cheeks. "You're not being betrayed, beta," he whispered, brushing the corner of her eye with his thumb. "Trust us, just for a little longer?"

Saanvi swallowed hard, her body trembling slightly. She gave a small nod, fragile, unsure, but she didn't resist when Adrika pulled her forward and guided her to the seat at the far end.

Saanvi sat down, rigid, her eyes fixed on her lap.

Rudra was already seated on the opposite end. His eyes were fixed on her like she was a mirage he didn't believe was real. He hadn't seen her in months, and now she was right there, just across the table, yet it felt like an entire ocean lay between them.

His legs ached to stand, to close the distance, to wrap her in his arms. But he didn't.

He stayed still. Silent. Watching her.

She never once looked up. Her gaze stayed locked on her lap, hands clenched together as if bracing herself.

He inhaled sharply. His throat tightened as his heart pounded against his ribs. Closing his eyes, he finally looked away afraid that if he kept staring, the ache in his chest would split him open.

Anubhav finally spoke, "Mr. Singhania, would you stop wasting time and tell us why we've been summoned here?" His eyes never left Saanvi.

"Of course, Anubhav," he replied smoothly, walking to the front. "I don't want to wait for the pathetic excuses you're all about to offer either. Because once this plays..." he held up the pen drive, "...everything changes."

He walked to the front of the room, plugged in the pen drive, and switched on the projector.

The room dimmed. All eyes turned to the screen. Except Saanvi.

"Kill that fucking Rudra Singhania, Saarth."

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