"Maa, have you seen Ishita?" I ask when I don't see my wife for a long time.

"She hasn't come downstairs yet." Maa replies while going back to attend to the guests.

I have been noticing that Ishita is not looking good. Actually, if I say the truth then I would say she looks very scared. So scared that she doesn't even want to be around anywhere and maybe that's why she has gone upstairs. But what or who can make her scared? Because everyone is here to celebrate the festival of lights. Still I think that something is definitely bothering her but the question is what it is.

Suddenly, a neighboring kid runs inside the living room while tears run down his face.

"Vishal, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" I ask because a few minutes ago he was happily playing with other kids in the backyard of our house.

"Ishita Aunty..." That's all he says and burst into loud cries making me panic.

"What about her? Buddy, please tell me." I let out while wiping his tears.

"Uncle, I just saw her falling from the roof." I feel like someone has poured cold water on me as I am unable to move from my place. But then I remember what the boy said and dash out of there to the backyard where the incident has happened.

I stop dead in my track when my eyes fall on my Ishita who has blood around her head and her mouth. For the first time in my life, I am feeling this much scared that I don't know what to do.

"Ishu!" Gautam screams before rushing towards his sister along with others.

"What happened to you? Please open your eyes." Gautam says while holding Ishita's head on his lap.

"How all this happened we will talk about it later, now let's take Ishita to the hospital." Dad says trying to touch Ishita but Gautam doesn't let that happen.

"No one will touch my sister. I am capable of helping her." I am shocked by his outburst but don't say anything. Instead, I pick up my wife in my arms despite his protest and make my way out of the house.

I sit on the passenger side with Ishita on my lap while Lakshya drives the car. I have already put my handkerchief on the back of her head to stop the bleeding but the cut is too deep to work with a single handkerchief. I feel a tear roll down my face but I don't bother to wipe it because right now I don't care who is seeing me crying over my bleeding wife.

Soon enough we reach the hospital and I make my way inside with Ishita in my arms. The doctor is already waiting for us so I think Dad must have informed him about our arrival. They take her inside but don't let me go with them. I want to protest saying that she will be scared without me but I know that I can't break the protocol and also, I have to be the responsible one.

Everyone has reached here but I am only looking at Gautam who is having a fit of his anger. I don't know why he is blaming us but there is definitely something that we don't know. Suddenly he grabs me by the collar and tries to punch me but Aarav holds his hand while I give him a look of confusion.

"Why are you so angry with Rudra? What has he done to make you so angry?" Mom asks worriedly.

"Because your son is the reason why my sister is battling with death." Gautam replies angrily which does not make any sense.

"You are making absolutely no sense, Gautam. Bhai was in the living room when the incident happened then how come he is responsible for the blunder?" Lakshya remarks but much to our surprise Gautam starts laughing like a lunatic.

"Do you even know that your brother has unknowingly brought up Ishita's past in front of her?" Gautam asks looking at me with hatred in his eyes.

"Wh-" I stop Lakshya from saying anything and walk near where Gautam is standing.

"What do you want to say? How have I brought Ishita's past in front of her?" I ask calmly although there is a whirlwind of emotions going through me.

"By bringing that Umang aka Kunal here after so many years." Gautam replies with such coldness in his tone that it sends a shiver down my spine.

"Kunal? But his name is Umang." Lakshya replies with confusion.

"That's where you guys are wrong. His real name is not Umang Pillai, his real name is Kunal Pillai. Before you ask me to elaborate more, let me tell you I won't because Papa will do the rest of explanation." Gautam replies making my blood boil.

No, I am not angry with him. I am angry with myself because knowingly or unknowingly I have hurt Ishita and now she is lying on a hospital bed. Now, that Gautam has said I also think that Umang has something to do with the incident. Actually, everyone was there except him.

I pull Aarav at the side so that no one can hear us talking. I am going to do what I never thought I would be doing.

"I want every single information about Umang Pillai or should I say, Kunal Pillai. I don't know what he has done to Ishita but hearing Gautam's words, I am damn sure that it's not anything good." I tell Aarav who nods his head in response.

"You don't worry. I will start working on it right away." Aarav replies and get out of there.

I know that my best friend can get the tiniest details about anyone in a very short span of today and that's why he is such a successful lawyer in our country. Now I just need to wait for the doctor to tell me about Ishita's condition.

Finally, after a long wait the doctor comes out of the examination room and lets us know that they have to perform an urgent surgery to save Ishita's life. Because apparently, her head has a pretty bad split due to being hit something hard while falling.

My hands are shaking while signing the papers for surgery because the doctor has said that it will be a critical surgery. I don't want anything bad to happen to her but for her well-being, I have to take this hard decision. So, without further delay, I sign the papers and hand them over to the nurse.

Maa is a crying mess while Dad is trying his best to not show weakness in front of us. But deep down I can see that his condition is not so well. Ishita is the daughter he always wanted to have and now seeing that daughter in a terrible situation, no father will be able to hold himself strong.

Speaking of father, Papa has boarded a flight to Mumbai and will reach here soon. I can't imagine what he will do when she sees his princess in a hospital bed. But I am most concerned about his behavior towards me. What if he thinks the same as Gautam? What if he also blames me for Ishita's condition? But what is my fault? I didn't even know that Umang Pillai was actually someone else, not only that he has something to do with Ishita's past.

I have never tried to know about Ishita's past because I was giving her time to open up at her own pace. But now the situation is completely different because I have to know exactly what happened in the past.

"Vinod Ji..." I hear Mom say so I look behind to see that Papa is rushing towards us along with Kuhu.

"What happened to my princess, Rudra?" That's the first thing Papa asks upon reaching me.

"Ishita has fallen from the roof and has suffered a severe head injury due to which the doctor has to perform a surgery." I reply making him shake his head as he tries hard to hold his tears but still they flow non-stop.

"Why does my daughter has to suffer all the time? Hasn't she suffered a lot already that now she has to fight for her life too?" Papa says while everyone cries silently except me. Because I have to know exactly what happened between Ishia and Umang or whatever his real name is.

"Papa, I may sound selfish but I think I should know about my wife's past. So, please don't hide anything and tell me everything." I plead in which he stares at me for a long time before heaving a sigh.

"Gautam has already told me about Kunal being here in Mumbai and how he came to your house as Umang Pillai. So, I guess it's time I tell you everything that happened nine years ago." Papa replies while Gautam stands beside him.

"Kunal is the son of my elder sister Janki and they used to live with us. We then lived in our ancestral house in Gujarat. At first, everything was running smoothly as we were a happy family. But everything started to change when my wife dies leaving Ishita and Gautam motherless. That's when Janki started to look after Ishita like a mother do but Kunal never liked it. Yet he never showed his jealousy towards Ishita, instead he used to play with her more than before. Ishita also considered Kunal as a friend more than a cousin. One day, there was Ganesh puja in our house and everyone was downstairs except Ishita as she was getting ready. I sent Kunal to get Ishita as she was taking much time but when the two didn't come downstairs after a long time, I went there and found..." Papa nearly falls to his knees but both Gautam and I hold him. He is crying so badly that I don't want to hear anymore, as if I am unknowingly hurting him.

"You don't have to say anymore, Papa." I let out.

"No, son. If I don't say everything today, I don't know when I can say anything." Papa says wiping his fallen tears.

"Kunal was raping my twelve years old daughter while she was crying hysterically. But there was a cloth stuffed in her mouth due to that her voice was muffled. Although I shoved him away from her but the damage was already done." This time it's me who lost my balance and fall to my knees while countless tears make their way out of my eyes.

My Ishita was raped! Also, that was when she was just a kid.

"Kunal's father was very wealthy, so he saved him from the police and law. But here my daughter's smile and happiness had all been snatched away. Kunal left the country with his father but Janaki did not go with them. She has raised Ishita as her own daughter because she knew that her husband and son were wrong. We left our ancestors's house and came to Delhi because everyone was blaming my daughter as if she had done the crime. Everything has left a deep impact on Ishita's mind and that's the reason why she used to get nightmares every single night." Papa explains further.

I quickly get up from the floor and merch outside the hospital not caring that Dad or Lakshya are calling out to me. I get inside the car and drive at full speed till I reach my destination. I stop the car in front of the hotel where Umang aka Kunal is staying and decide to go inside. But then I realize that my one bad move can make things worse. Although I want to kill him bad, I can't do anything reckless because I have to think about Ishita.

How can someone be so cruel to do such a disgusting thing to a 12 year old girl? At such young age, hardly anyone has any understanding of right and wrong. So how would she have faced everyone's nasty comments without committing anything wrong? I am crying just thinking of it and she had to bear it all.

I never dreamed that the girl who always smiles, so much pain is hidden behind her smile. But no more, if because of me her past has come in front of her then it is because of me that the culprit of her past will be punished. I will not rest till I destroy Kunal. He shouldn't have hurt my Ishita because now what will happen to him, he must not have thought at all.

I pull out my phone and call the commissioner of the Mumbai Police to let him know about Kunal Pillai. So, that he won't be able to leave the country so easily. I am sure that he is already planning to leave the country to avoid getting punished for what he has done. Not only that, I can feel that whatever has happened to Ishita today is also because of him.

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