ADHI'S POV

Maya was having a panic attack. Her breaths started coming in pants as she gripped her neck and struggled to breath. I rushed to her side as I tried to hold her tight and asked her to breath. But she just pushed me away and started throwing things all over the room, She was screaming with agony as the reality set in.

the video was the undoing for both of us. But at least that time, my face was blurred , but now it was on full display. I understand I really do. But for a girl like maya, whose father is the number 1 asshole in the world. I cant imagine what's going on in her head. I held her hands tight within mine as I made her breath.

"Maya, Maya please listen. baby breathe with me" I said as she did.

ONE inhale exhale

TWO inhale exhale

THREE inhale exhale

She looked a little calmed down but the panic attack was nowhere near gone I could tell. But I just held her tight and buried her in my chest. As she cried and struggled to breath. I spoke soothing word in her ears as her breathing slowly came back to normal.

"Its not jeeth" Maya croaked

"I know"

"Then who?"

"I dont know. Whoever it is, how did they get the video if not from Jeeth?" I asked.

"Jeeth wouldn't do that to us. Not anymore. He is with Manny now. He wont do it" Maya protests.

The sudden knocks on the door makes us jump apart. Maya moves behind me, scared and broken. My heart squeezed for her. But I held her hand tight and waited. Vivek's voice pierced through the door.

"Maya its us. Open up." He said.

I slowly let go off her hand and make sit down on the bed. I move towards and open it. The second I open it and they see its me A massive punch lands on my face. I expect it to be vivek because he's the impulsive one. But its not, its varun and he wasn't stopping. Punches came from all direction as vivek joined with him. I didnt defend myself, I welcomed it. I deserve it.

"NO!!!!" I hear maya's scream from behind me. "No! stop! dont hurt him!" She cries as she desperately tries to pull her brothers off from me.

"You stay out of this Maya. I told you there was something wrong about this guy" Vivek roared. Varun doesn't utter a word as he pound his fist on my face. Pain unlike anything spreads through as I realise my nose is broken. A cry leaves my mouth as I push him away. Varun was thrown away from me but vivek was still left, a kick to his gut left him on the ground. And before either of them could get back up Maya sprinted and hugged me so tight that I was afraid she might crack my already injured ribs.

"Stop it!" Her face still in my chest, but her voice was stern as ever. "I SAID STOP IT!"

Both brothers paused. Vivek looked torn, but varun stepped forward "Maya, he-"

"He didnt do anything! I know it. He was with me all this time. He.Didnt.Do.It!" Maya's voice reverberated across the room. "If anyone, ANYONE touches him again I swear to god"

"Maya he posted that video, didnt you see what he did?"

"How do know its him? Do you have proof? Because I do. And I know exactly who did this. Its his crazy Ex. We've been through this before." It creeps out before she can stop it. I saw the regret in her eyes.

"Before?" Vivek ask. I could literally see the pain behind his eyes. Maya had said vivek and her had no secrets between them. The only secret she kept from him was this. And that too because she know it will hurt him more than it would hurt her.

"In college. That's why I had to drop out" Maya said. And then she said everything. But not once did she mention Jeeth or my betrayal. Because he was a pawn in this game and he has suffered enough. And me, she defeated me with her kindness again. Covering for me, protecting me. She said everything from how we met to what Taniya did and ended with what her dad did.

I had known what her dad did that day. But that was Tara's version but this. When I hear it from Maya herself, her despair was clear from the crack of her voice and the tremble of her chin. My heart shattered into a million pieces. The things that man did to her, to his own daughter. Because of me. I wiped my bleeding nose with my palm.

"And she's at it again. I dont know how, I dont know why. But its Khushi." maya finished, and vivek looked like he will break down any minute,

"Who would do stuff like this? and why?" Varun started pacing the room. Vivek was silent as he stared at the floor not moving an inch.

"Wait a minute" It was pooja varun's wife "All of us were tagged in that video, every family member, ours and Arjun's, everyone with Instagram was tagged. How would a girl from college whom you both have no contact in 6 years would know all of us? Rather our Instagram id?"

That was correct. How would Khushi know all of my distant relatives? Lets say she is that obsessed with me. But maya? how would Khushi know her family? That was a little fishy. This was an inside job and Khushi is no where near her. That I was 100% sure of. But then who?

Then it hit me. Greeshma. But would she stoop to this level? She's just a kid. Could she become such a vile person. Teenagers scare the shit out of me. Maya's hands enveloped my forearms and made me sit down on the bed. She took a first aid kit from the drawer and started cleaning my wounds. The antiseptic burn felt like my skin was on fire. But I bit down on my tongue and swallowed the cry rising from me.

"Maya" I whispered "I think I know who did this. Its-"

"Greeshma, I know. Dont do anything now. We'll deal with this later" she whispered back as she mercilessly patted at the wounds.

"could you do it a bit gentler? I swallowed my pride and ask

"No. This is for hitting my brother" she presses the cotton pad a little more tightly and almost instantly presses a kiss to my lips. "That's for being there for me"

I smiled as I pulled her in for more but remembered that we have an audience. Maya then moved towards vivek to tend to his wounds. But he just patted her hands away and began to move away.

"Sit down vivek" Maya asserted.

"For what? For you make a clown out of myself again?" Vivek shot back.

"Are you making this about yourself?"

"You know what? think what you want to maya. But I've never ever kept a secret from you. But you... you turned to be the most vicious person. You kept such a big secret from me maya. If you had told me earlier then maybe just maybe we could've avoided this situation. But no, you had to keep it yourself and burn all by yourself. If you had told me, told us that your dad beat you to death, then do you think we would've let you stay in that house?"

"This is exactly why I didnt tell you. Because you will take all the blame to your head. I knew in the end you'll be the one hurting." Maya sobbed.

"You can justify it by whatever you want, but eventually maya you took the decision for me. You decided that I cant protect my sister, And ill never forgive you for that" Vivek stormed off from the room.

Maya slid down the wall sobbing as pooja went to her side to console her. The door closes behind vivek and the next minute he came rushing back and stood infront of maya with his back to her " Your dad's coming"

My entire body locked up at the name of her father. He will not touch her again. Not while im alive. varun and me went to stand on each side of her as Maya's parents and varun's parents burst into the room.

"Where is that worthless slut?" her father entered the room. he angled to pull maya from behind our grasp but I pushed him away from him.

"You dare touch me? Its you isn't it? Youre the boy from that video. Were you shacking with her in college too?" he raised his hand to slap me but vivek took hold of that hand and twisted it behind his back.

"No uncle. Youre not touching him" Vivek said as Maya's dad thrashed against his bonds.

The language he uses about his own daughter. The thought itself repulses me. I turn around to look at maya and see that she has frozen in shock. her eyes dead and emotionless. She has went to that place, that place in her mind which understands neither pain nor sorrow nor emotions. I could see it in her eyes.

"Why do you hate me so much?" I heard maya say "Why? because Im a girl? Because mom died giving birth to me? Or because youre incapable of love?" she spat.

"Because you exist." Maya's dad said. The whole room gasped, myself included. I have a shitty father as well, but compared to this guy my dad is so much better.

"Your face, your attitude. youre entire existence repulses me"

"My face repulses you? My attitude repulses you? Well guess what dad , they are called genes. I inherit them from my father. You" She points to the asshole " Because im your daughter!"

"NO YOURE NOT! YOURE NOT MY DAUGHTER! YOURE NOT! There I said it! YOURE NOT MINE" He screamed.

Maya froze. Her entire body lost its fixture and looked like she was about to melt away. Maya's mom immediately rushed to her side. "Maya dont listen to him. He's drunk and angry, He doesn't mean what he say"

"Im not your daughter?" Maya's voice was nothing more than a whisper.

"NO! I cant have kids. You were made in a test tube with your mother and some stranger's genes. You are in no way related to me. Except that you were born to my wife. And considering how you turned out the man mustve nothing but a rascal." The man's voice dripped voice. "You are a curse. You killed your own mother before you even came to this world. Before your first cry. And you claim that you get your attitude from me you bastard" He grabbed maya by her hair.

An ear splitting scream left maya's mouth. It was filled with agony, of pain and despair. Every single thing she suffered under this man, was worthless. She suffered all that torture because she thought that this man was her father. Her scream stopped, maya's face turned numb as the dead as she slapped the man who she called her father across his face harder than anyone has ever been slapped before.