HAZEL ARORA

I heard a distantly familiar voice behind me. I didn't have to turn around to see who it was, for I had known that voice for sixteen years of my life. It was my mother. My fucking mother.

All the tears that had dried up resurfaced in my eyes. She found us. Me.

"So, it was all a trick?" My dad said, his eyes wide in realization. I just wanted to run away. From Le Cinq, from GrewZong, from France, leave it all behind.

"What? No." Ayushmann interrupted. But before I could whisper 'Run' to him, we were suddenly surrounded by my parents' bodyguards.

Fuck.

We were so fucked.

One of the guards went to snatch my dad's money filled suitcase, which was now in Ayushmann's rightful possession.

I slashed anyone across their face, anyone who came too close to me.

Ayushmann was bleeding profusely in the nose when one of the guards had punched him. I kicked his ass off from further hurting Ayushmann. I took his gun from his hand as he kicked others off using the suitcase.

I shot at two guards, before police came in a furious speed. Someone had called police due to our commotion.

I kept shooting at the police car, as we were rushing towards our cab in hurry.

And before I knew it, I had shot Eurika Arora square on her chest.

Fuck.

What the fuck did I do?

She came in between the sight of my targeted bodyguard, and got herself shot.

Luckily, Roald arrived at the right time and Ayushmann pushed me inside the cab.

My hands were trembling violently as the realization slowly dawned upon me.

Streams of tears began pouring down my face, as I found myself covered in Ayushmann's warm embrace.

I couldn't stop crying.

I shot Eurika Arora.

I killed my mother.

Sure, I hated her, but I never intended to kill her.

I couldn't save my tears when I realized Zoey would know about this.

She wouldn't know I had killed our mom, but she would be too disheartened at this fact. She never hated our parents, but she was compelled to have resentment against them because of what they did to her.

"Hey hey, it's okay, you are safe now!" Ayushmann spoke warmly in my ears.

"Okay? Nothing's okay right now. I killed my own god damn mother."

"Shh! She came in between the guards herself. No one but she herself is to be blamed, Hazey. It's not your fault. I know it's a lot to take in, but you will realize you didn't do the wrong thing." Ayushmann said, inhaling sharply with his broken nose.

I didn't even realize we reached to GrewZong. Time seemed to flow away faster than wind during a storm. I stayed sobbing profusely. Ayushmann carried me bridal style inside the building as my body couldn't bother moving a muscle. Numb from everything that happened in the past hour.

He gently placed me in his bed, taking my clothes off to change.

It was him who wore me an oversized shirt and a pair of boxers, when I was too numb for my surrounding.

"Come darling, we need you to freshen up a bit." He said and hooked one of his arms behind me to walk me towards the attached toilet in his room.

I could see my makeup smeared badly all over my face due to the impact of crying, in the mirror.

I couldn't stop crying even when he laid me down his bed. He hugged my tired figure gently and said, "Hazey, darling, I know you are hurting. I am always here for you. You can always count on me. Whatever happened tonight was never your fault. It was in the heat of moment; you didn't intentionally do it."

For the first time, what felt like forever, I spoke, "I murdered my own mother, how heartless could I be?"

"It wasn't your fault, love. I don't want to speak ill of the dead but, she came in between."

Somehow, his words brought me comfort. I sighed, knowing whatever he said was true, but it was done by my hands after all. Whatever it was, I couldn't shake off the feeling that there was one awful woman less on this planet.

"I never wanted to kill her, despite of how much I hated her." I spoke softly, my voice choking between words. I hung my hands around his neck sobbing mercilessly.

"I know darling, trust me, I know. And you are not heartless. You are anything but heartless, despite of the fact that you almost killed me once, but that's okay." He joked a little.

I couldn't help but bring a little smile at his words.

"C'mon, I am really sorry for that, Yush."

"I was just kidding, besides its fine. You are a good person, you know. You would never even hurt a fly unless it's for self-defense or to save someone from being hurt."

Was I really a good person?

"I don't know, but my tears won't stop falling, knowing what happened tonight." I replied with wet eyes.

"It may not be really fine, but we are safe, you are safe, and that's what matter the most to me, get it?" He said, his eyes dark with concern.

We could've almost gotten killed, but we are here, in each other's arm. I felt, I could go through this, with him, by my side. My safety mattered to him. I took a deep breath, as his words gave me a shiver on my spine. Even in the spite of this situation, he managed to give me a shiver.

That's what words could do you, I guess.

"Speaking of kill, how is your nose? Fuck I completely forgot about that." I said in a haste of panic.

"Now that you said it, even I had forgotten about this. It doesn't pain much though. I will be fine." He said, rubbing around his face gently, "and since when did you start caring for me, Hazey?" he said in a playful tone.

I smiled at his words. "C'mon let's get you abandage."