Xavier's pov:

Both Maya and her father signed the termination papers.

"It was a pleasure working with you Mr. Adams." Her father said, handing over the file back to me. "Now that the contract is officially terminated, you can leave Maya here." He said and looked at Maya. "You can go back to your room, Maya."

Her hold over my hand tightened and I could see her taking deep breaths. I give her palm a gentle squeeze and blinked my eyes to assure her that everything will be alright. She give me a light smile and turned towards her father who had a confused look on his face seeing us.

"I'm not staying here Dad." That's it! Maya dropped the bomb.

"What do you mean by you are not staying here?" Her mother, who I didn't know was standing near the end of the living room, yelled.

Author's pov:

Maya let out a slow controlled breath and attempted to loosen her body movements. She was walking like a clockwork soldier and that was no way to be in this house. She gave her shoulders a wiggle and let her stride slacken to a more closer distance to her father. It was a decent effort, enough to fool the casual observer, that she is fine. But, deep down only she knew how much freaked out she is. Her eyes moved with the alertness that comes from heavy stress and her hands remained clenched by subconscious situation.

"What I mean by I'm not staying here , is I AM NOT STAYING HERE." She said stressing each word. Silence of her parents her explain it more.

"I won't beat around the bush. I love Xavier and I'm going to marry him soon. This time because I want. Not because of any deal." She said, clear enough for her parents to understand.

"Come again?" Her father, though didn't shout or raise his voice but, everyone in there knew that this isn't going to end well.

The air in the room became so brittle that it could snap, and if it didn't, Xavier might. The tension in the room was so intense that it could be cut by a knife.

"I said that I love..." Before Maya could complete her sentence, her father angrily stood up from the chair and held Maya by her elbows.

"How dare you? How dare you take any decision? You aren't allowed to do that girl. Did you forget that?" Maya whinced in pain and that was the trigger for Xavier.

"Leave her Mr. Jones." Xavier gritted his teeth.

"Don't interrupt in our personal matters Mr. Adams. This is my family and I'm allowed to do whatever I want." He said, looking straight into the devil's eyes.

"As long as Maya is concerned, EVERYTHING IS MY PERSONAL." Xavier copied his tone.

Shock of Xavier's words brought a quietness within Mr. Jones.

It took a moment for Maya to feel her emotions change their gear and girder her soul for what is to come.

Seeing that the thunderous staring between her father and Xavier is getting worse, Maya stepped ahead.

"I know that according to you, I have no right to take my decisions. But, I'm an adult Dad. I can and I will decide for myself. And, I have decided that Xavier is what I need and what I want. I want to...." Before she could complete her sentence, her hand automatically went to her cheek, feeling the burning sensation of her mother's slap.

Xavier quickly rushed to her and held her firmly.

"Mind me Mrs. Jones, I don't raise my hands over a lady. Otherwise you'd have been begging me to leave you be alive by now." Xavier used his most venomous tone that made Mrs. Jones flinch.

"Maya, baby are you alright?" He asked, looking at a stilled Maya.

"Maya, say something." Xavier ushered her to speak.

"Why?" She wisphered enough for everyone to hear in the room, as a tear slipped her eye.

"Why do you hate me so much? Why do you not feel happy when I am happy?" Her pleading tone made Xavier hold his tight into her arms.

"Because you don't deserve to be happy." Her father shouted. The room was a pin drop silence when he tore her heart into pieces.

"You know what, now I feel pathetic of myself when I decided to raise you with my name behind yours. You don't deserve that. Infact you deserve to die. I should have myself killed you when you came home, nearly raped by your so called boyfriend." He yelled at her face.

Xavier knew when it started, it would break her. He knew that there was too much below deck not to shatter her.

Emotional pain is hard, but using in a way that helps others, feels like stabbing the devil in the heart.

This was the exact thing happening to Maya. Her heart and her soul felt distant to her body. She went numb. Her sill face and crumpled trust was making her lose herself.

Not able to see her like this anymore, Xavier brought her back to reality. "Let's go home Maya. Enough of taking this shit." He said, shooting draggers at her parents.

He turned to move with her but, she stood still. He didn't understand why she won't move.

"Maya, let's go." He said and that's when she spoke.

"No! I'm not going out of here without my answers." She slowly slid his hand off her shoulder and went forward to her father.

"What have I ever done to you? What makes you hate me so much?" She asked her questions. But, she didn't know that asking these questions will be her loss, emotionally.

"You want to know. Then listen. We both always wanted a boy child. One who will take the Jones family and the business ahead. But, you were born first. Not that we weren't happy to have you. We always loved you. But, soon your mother was pregnant with a child and this time, it was a boy. We were very much excited to welcome him into the family.

But, you couldn't digest that we both were happy. When your mother was in her third trimester, you did your job. She was pushed by you near the centre table in the living room while you were playing and she got hit by the table. Pretty hard. It was too late when we reached the hospital. We lost our baby and as well her ability to conceive anymore. Because of you, we lost our baby, our boy."

She went numb listening to her father's words.

After a minute or two of recollecting herself and her broken pieces, she spoke.

"You hate me for a thing that I didn't even know I did. I was just a child back then." She wept over her fate.

Her tear stricken face and broken tone was making it difficult for Xavier to see her like that.

"What did you ever do for us? What makes you worthy of our love? You don't deserve it." Her mother used words, she should never have.

"I don't deserve it!" She let out a bitter chuckle and wiped her tears.

"You say that I don't deserve it. No! No! No! You are wrong mother. I deserve everything. I deserve every fucking thing." She yelled at the top of her voice and took deep breaths.

"You say that I never did anything for you. You are wrong. I did every thing that I wanted or not wanted for you guys' love. I am more worthy than anything you can imagine." Maya shouted again.

There was something in that shout, a pain behind it. Xavier watched. He looked at Maya's eyes. Then he knew. The anger was nothing but a shield for pain, like a cornered soldier randomly throwing out grenades, scared for his life, lonely, desperate.

But, somewhere he knew that this has to come out. This has to explode. To let her free, let her live.

"I did everything you asked me and you expected me to do. I sacrificed my dream, my writing for you. You said you wanted me to become engineer. I agreed. Just with a little hope that this will change your behaviour towards me.

I agreed to you when you decided my school, my college, my friends, even the clothes I wear. I fucking agreed to everything. I even left a six figure job just because you wanted me to.

Each of my mate moved out if their homes and lived lives on their own. But, I stayed back just because you wanted. I made no guy friends because you wanted so. I did every fucking thing that you wanted. I even married a random stranger JUST BECAUSE YOU WANTED.

And you say that what did I ever do for you! I sacrificed myself for you. I made myself a person I never knew existed in me. Just Because You Wanted.

You know what, you guys don't deserve a daughter like me. You don't deserve someone who acted as per your wish. I so wish that I would have been someone so rebellious, that I could have answered you back every time, you questioned. I so wish that I could have been a child, who would have brought so much disgrace to you and your family that you never can imagine." Maya spoke every single word that she never thought she would.

She smoldered with resentment and rage flew through her like burning lava.

Maya's pov:

There is a scream from deep within that forces its way from my mouth, it is as if my terrified soul has unleashed a demon. All I feel is anger, all I feel is that I don't want to be with anyone at all because then I don't have to trust anyone, it'll be safer, easier to choose not to stay. And I know I'm hiding a truth from myself, of how much this is really to do with sadness and the scars that just won't heal. Yet my fists clenched and my teeth locked up, once the sound is out.

I couldn't believe that these are the people, I addressed as Mom and Dad since childhood.

Not able to bear their faces infront of me anymore, I turned to leave. As soon as I faced Xavier, I remembered everything he did for me. A glimpse of his every effort to make me stronger emerged infront of my eyes in a second. I cannot disrespect him by walking away like a coward.

I faced my parents again and stood with pride.

"Well, you may have stopped me by reaching heights. But, I still managed to climb up.

You made me reject the job and sit at home. But, I worked as a Freelance Engineer from the start. You married me off just for a investment of few thousand dollars, right? But, sorry to burst your bubble. I had 4 millions of my hard earned money with me at that time. I could have given them to you if you just would've given me a choice to choose.

And you know what, today I'm a efficient enough to buy my fiance a birthday gift. His birth was yesterday. Wanna know what I gifted him? I gifted him a land in India worth 12 million dollars. All by myself and my money.

So , the daughter whom you thought as unworthy is really of a good worth Mr. Jones. Have a good life ahead. " With that I took Xavier's hand and dragged him outside.

Thank you for breaking me; isn't that a line from Sinead O'Connor?

I never understood it before. It used to sound like permission, albeit retroactive, to hurt someone. I get it now. Only people close to you can wound so deep, cut to the very core. That level of trauma has to be an inside job. My parents broke me and are watching me bleed from the very beginning.

They saw me fail to eat, fail to sleep, and still they kept on the pressure with their lies and manipulations, increasing the level of cruelty as they want. After all that, what can there be left underneath, but the untouchable part of me, my soul, the girl one can never hurt. I can't be more raw than this, more exposed, more pure.

So thank you, because as Sinead said, "now I have a strong, strong heart, thank you, thank you for breaking my heart."

My chain of thoughts broke when the car halted at a familiar place. We were or I'd say , I was silent the entire ride.

Our home.

Xavier came to my side to open the door but, I sat still.

"Would you mind if I use your car for sometime?" I asked him, unsure and unfocused.

"Uh..you wanna go somewhere?" He said , to which I just nodded.

"I'll take you wherever you want to go." His face reflected a uncertainty, in a manner that he's going to lose something.

"Let me go, please." I could only plead.

"Fine. But, please remember one thing." He knelt down to my level. "Whatever happened back there shouldn't affect the fact that you are my life. And, if you're taking my life with you, remember to bring it back safely."

He kissed my forehead assuring me that no matter what I'll alway find my love beside me. But, now I needed to be alone. With myself.

Xavier's pov:

I watched my car passing through the main gates of the mansion.

I dialled Peter and he picked up within two rings.

"Follow my car from a distance. Maya's going somewhere. Just be distant. She shouldn't know that you're following her." I couldn't take any risk with her safety when she is such vulnerable.

I went to my room, took a shower and went to Mimi. I told her everything that happened today. She was also shaken knowing the truth. But, she is our mother. She deserves to know.

It's been a while, I'm sitting in my room waiting for Maya to come back. But, there are few things that are continuously running in my mind.

I should have myself killed you when you came home, nearly raped by your so called boyfriend.

I sacrificed my dream, my writing for you.

These words kept on torturing my thoughts for more than a while.

I know that only Maya can answer these unasked questions. Only she can explain all this. But, this isn't the time. She needs some time to digest all that happened. She needs sometime for herself.

I was getting tensed now. It had been more than 3 hrs. She hasn't returned yet. I immediately called Peter and asked about her location. I took another car and left for the place.

I reached a place that held a huge place in my heart.

My Parents' Home.

I don't know what made her come here but, I went inside only to see the worst sight I could ever see.

Maya was sitting on a crumpled carpet on the floor. A great tremor overtook her. Tears raced down her cheeks and I could see that she could no longer hold the pain.

She fell to the floor in a disheveled heap as her grief poured out in a flood of uncontrollable tears. A tightening of her throat and a short intake of breath, gut-wrenching sobs that tore through her chest, wracked with an onslaught of sobs and tears.

It was getting terrible for me to see her like this. Her lips trembled as she cried and started chewing on her lower lip as her eyes welled up with tears again. She had now, wiped her eyes so much that her eyes and cheeks were red and swollen. Sounds of wailing and suffering echoed the room. She mumbled incoherent things through her hands and choked on her sobs. That was the moment I lost control over myself and ran to her.

I immediately engulfed her in my arms and she looked up shocked to see me.

I let her cry over my chest untill my shirt soaked up in her tears. After a while her crying stopped, only for me to see that she passed out. I carefully picked her up and took her to a bedroom in the house.

I covered her with duvet and couldn't stop myself from kissing her forehead.

"Sleep tight princess. You've been through a lot today." I wisphered near her ears, as if she could hear.