Our patience were wearing down each of the passing minute. It was an awkward silence between us, with Priya lying down on the bed, deep in thoughts and we all surrounding her waiting for Dev to come.

Finally, the door to the private room opened and Dev came in. He went straight to Vikram bhai and did a bro-hug, which Vikram bhai returned.

"I've filed several charges against Sanjeev. For kidnapping, assaulting and using drugs. But, I need Priya's testimony to make it stronger against him," Dev explained and we all nodded.

"So, Priya, do you think you are ready to talk?" Dev asked and this time, only Priya nodded. She was about to start when I interrupted her.

"You sure you want to talk in front of everybody?" I blurted out, earning a glare from my so-called father. She doesn't know that I didn't let them hear the voice call recording. If she knew, she probably wouldn't want anyone to know.

"Yes, Ananya. I want to tell. I don't want to hide this anymore," Priya said and took a deep breath. "The first time I met Sanjeev was at a party. I fell in love with him," Priya said and I heard Vikram bhai and my father taking a deep breath.

"When I started talking to him, I found out he was in love with another girl. After a while, I found out the girl he was in love was Ananya. I've always hated her because I thought she took all of Vikram bhai and Riddhant bhai's attention. When I got to know that she was in between my love life also, I lost it. I decided to get close to him by telling him that I am her sister. He asked me to help him and I agreed. One day, he called me saying that Ananya is a cheater and that she is having affairs with many boys. I am sorry Ananya, but I believed it. That day at the business party, he gave me a drug saying that it was to make Ananya tell the truth, but it was not. The drug was the reason Ananya became pregnant," Priya said, with tears in her eyes. Siddharth wrapped an arm around my shoulder, comforting me.

"Then again, he called me and asked me to expose Ananya in front of our family. When I refused, he threatened me with the recording of me agreeing to drug her. He said he will tell our family. His plan was to get Ananya out of our house and help her stay with him. But, it didn't work. I begged him to delete it, but he didn't. At last, he asked me to come to the cabin in the woods telling me that he will delete the recording if I came. But, he started becoming violence telling that the reason Siddharth and Ananya got married was my fault. I am sorry pa, ma and bhai. I know what I did was wrong and I can't possibly expect forgiveness from you," she finished.

"Is this how I raised you Priya? Huh?" my step-mother cried.

"Why are you so calm about this?" I heard Riddhant asked me.

"I knew it," I said, trying to keep my calm. Even though I said I've forgiven her, I still can't get over the fact of what she did. It still hurts me and makes me mad. It is not as easy as I thought it will be. Hearing everything all over again, hurts. I AM trying to be the big person here, but it's not easy.

"Then, why you didn't tell m-me?" Vikram bhai asked, his voice cracking at the end. When I was about to reply, Priya cut me off.

"Because I begged her not to tell you guys. I didn't want you to hate me. The reason I am telling you now is because, I don't want you to hate her forever. You all deserve to know the truth and she deserve love. I didn't realize it before Ananya, but now I want to tell sorry for everything I did. Pa, you will always tell that I am the perfect daughter right? But, you know what? Your daughter was never perfect. All the time, I picked on her because I was jealous. If any one of us is perfect, then it is Ananya. Now I understand why Vikram bhai and Riddhant bhai loves her so much. Only a fool blinded by jealousy like me can hate someone like Ananya," Priya said tears rolling down her eyes.

"Urmm, Priya, can I ask you some more question?" Dev asked, trying to dissolve the awkwardness between us. Priya nodded at him.

"What happened there after you went there? Don't leave out any details," Dev asked and Priya started explaining what happened. But, my focus was on Vikram bhai who looked conflicted due to this new revelation. After a while, Vikram bhai left storming out of the room. I followed him outside with Siddharth and Riddhant. When we went outside, Vikram bhai was sitting on the chair, with his head on his hands, looking broken.

"Bhai...." I called out to him slowly, taking a seat next to him.

"Why? Why do you have to keep me in dark all this time?" he asked, his voice hoarse. I know he is trying to hold his tears.

"Bhai, it's okay," I said, tears blurring my eyes.

"No Ananya, its not okay. I should've believed my sister. I should've known better than anyone that you won't do something like that. I am not a good brother to you Ananya. I will n-never be a good brother to you," he said, his voice cracking.

"Bhai, you are the best brother I could ask for. You've done so much for me and it was fair for you to be angry with me. Even I didn't know it wasn't my fault before, then how is it possible you can know. Stop blaming yourself bhai," I said. His eyes met mine and I jumped on his arms hugging him as tight as possible.

"I am really sorry for not standing up from you. But, I will make it up with you. I am really really sorry," he said, hugging me back. After a while, I pulled away from the hug only to be tackled into another hug by Riddhant.

"Siddharth, I don't know how to thank you. Only if you didn't support my sister...." Vikram bhai dragged unable to finish the sentence.

"Come on Vikram, first of all, she carried my baby inside her. I wouldn't have abandoned her just like that. Some more, I couldn't have found a better life partner even if I've searched on my own. So, I am grateful of whatever have happened in my life," Siddharth said and they both did a bro-hug.

But.... am I missing something? Something should happen right now, but what is it?

What is it?

What is it?

Wha....

The door of the wardroom flung open and my exasperated father came out, followed by my step-mother. He stopped in his tracks seeing all of us outside. His eyes met mine, and I swear I saw tears in it. He took painfully slow steps towards me and I stood rooted to my place. Siddharth quickly moved to my side and wrapped an arm around my shoulders in a way of telling he is always beside me.

"Ananya..." my father dragged not knowing what to tell. I can understand how it must be for him. Thinking that the daughter you loved the most is not as perfect as you imagined, must hurt like hell. But, I can't do anything about it. It was his fault that his daughter grew up to be like that. It was his karma of cheating on his wife with another woman. What he did years ago was coming back to him. He thought hurting a woman was fine, and now his daughter thought the same.

"I am sorry. I know I should've loved you the same way I loved Priya but I always had partiality between you both. I am sorry that I wasn't a good father to you. I hope you can forgive me," he said and I honestly found it humorous. So I did the one thing everyone will do when they heard something funny.

I laughed.

"I didn't wanted to say anything hurtful to you since I know you will be grieving for your daughter's mistake. But, saying this to me, you are forcing me to speak up. You wasn't even acting like a father to me to begin with, let alone a good father. The time when I longed for your attention and love, you didn't even take a look at me. Remember when we both would return from school together and you will only ask her how was her day? Did you know how hurt I felt that time? You don't.... cause you just cared for her. I was a nobody to you. Let it be that way. I don't want your love anymore cause when I wanted it, you neglected me. I don't even want you to a good opinion about me. My brothers are enough for me. I forgive you and your daughter for all the hurtful things you've done for me, but don't expect anything more than that from me," I paused.

"All this while, I had no father and no sister. Let that remain the same. After this, I won't step foot inside that house. My brothers are enough for me," I concluded. By now, he had tears streaming down his cheeks. No matter, how much he hurted me in the past, seeing him broken like this, broke my heart a little. But, I don't care. I can only be good to an extent. And by forgiving them this easily, I think I've reached my limit.

Wounds can heal, but the scars will stay forever.

Shortly after that, my father left whispering a last sorry to me. Vikram bhai forced me to go back and rest because today was an exhausting day. By the time, we left the hospital, it was 8.30 in the night.

"What do you want for dinner?" Siddharth asked getting into the driver seat and I shrugged.

"Anything. I am not really in the mood to eat," I said and he hummed.

"Then we will take away some food from our favorite restaurant, okay?" he said and I nodded.

"Sid," I called out to him.

"Yeahhh..." he trailed off.

"Do you think I was too rude to my father," I asked looking out at the window.

"Baby, no!!! You went through all of it in your life and I think every word represented what you went through. I didn't find it wrong because you didn't accuse him of something he didn't do. It was 100% true and we all know that. So, don't confuse yourself," he said.

"But...." he cut me off by saying, "No more buts. No one can understand what you went through. Even I've been there. Seeing others being happy with their parents made me long for my parents' love and care. I know how much it hurts, so you did nothing wrong," he said and I smiled.

"Come on now, be a good girl and close your eyes. Rest for a while. I will wake you up when we reach home," he said and I nodded laying back in the car seat.

"You know Siddharth, I feel happy because now everything had fallen back in place. I have a loving husband, a healthy baby in my stomach and I have my brothers who I love so much with me. Even though, I hated Priya for doing this to me, in a way she was the reason I got you. At first, I questioned God's plan as to why he is giving me this pain. But now thinking back to it, God gave me a gift that I would never have imagined in my life. And that is being you. I love you so much Sid, more than my own life," I breathed out, making a smile crept up on his face.

"It is all over Ananya. You don't have to go through that kind of pain again. I will do anything in my will to make you the happiest girl in this world. I will never ever stop loving you. I can't wait to grow older with you, but at the same time I dont want time to go so fast. Because I want to enjoy more time with you as my wife beside me. I love you so much too Mrs.Malhotra," he smiled and ny heart fluttered.

"I think I like being called Mrs Malhotra more thab Ms Varma," I smiled at him and he grinned.

"Your wish, my command..... Mrs Malhotra," he said making me blush.

Life will never go the way you want because then it will be too boring. God always have plans for us ans believe me, it is better than the plan we have for ourself. If you are not getting what you want, be calm and just remember God have something bigger and better for you.

Life will have its own ups and downs. What makes it worth fighting is a reason. For me, I've found my reason. It is my brothers before and now its my brothers and Siddharth and not to forget My Blessed Mistake, our baby.

~The end~