(Riya is still crying in her room in darkness, her knees drawn to her chest and her face hidden in her arms. The room is filled with painful cries as the voices from the past are still disturbing and terrifying her.)

(She hears someone calling her name and lifts her tear-stained face up. She then witnesses Harshad smirking, looking towards an 8-year-old Riya.)

Riya (meekly)- No, please.

(The little Riya keeps crying and objecting, but Harshad doesn't stop, pushes her on the bed, and gets over her. That night was the most unfortunate night for her, as she lost her naivety forever. The present Riya goes numb as the younger one keeps crying and screaming in pain. She wants to go forward and save the little girl but has gone too weak. Unable to see more of it, Riya screams out loudly, breathing laboriously, shaken to the core.)

Riya (screaming cryingly)- No! No, no, no. Just stop it, please. Please stop it.

(She looks around for help, but all she sees is darkness. She cries out more and finds breathing difficult, so she tries taking deeper breaths and clutches her chest and throat as she feels suffocated in the room. She stands up by holding the wall, tries to balance herself while standing, and looks around, scared as she sees the darkness coming towards her from all sides. She has been sweating and panting heavily till now and hears some voices coming from the dark. Her vision gets blurred as she tries to stay focused and awake.)

VOICE 01- No one will come to save you from me.

VOICE 02- Why are you still alive, you curse? Why don't you just die?

VOICE 03- Your parents hate you, bitch. Understood! You are nothing but a bloody burden on us.

(She looks around, all terrified, drenched in sweat, shaking badly in fear, her breathing laboured. She clutches her chest tightly, feels unbearable pressure, and tries to breathe heavily.)

Riya (trying to calm herself)- It's okay. It's going to be okay. Everything's fine. Yes! I'm okay.

(She tries to take more deep breaths, but her condition worsens, and she falls down on her knees and cries out badly, screaming in pain.)

Riya (covering her ears tightly)- Please stop. Please. Save me, please. Stop, please. Please save me. Help me.

(She scratches her arms and hands as the scenes from her childhood replay in her mind, and she imagines them happening again. Because of this, her arms and hands get all red and bruised. The voices from the past keep haunting her.)

Voice- Koyi nahi aayega tumhe bachane Riya. Aur jo bhi aayega I'll make sure vo tumse durr ho jaye. You're a curse to everyone. You are such a disgusting piece of shit. You are a curse, and everyone will hate you. Sab chale jayenge tumhe chod ke. Koyi pyaar nahi karta tumse. You are a curse. A bloody curse.

[Voice- No one will come to save you, Riya. And whosoever comes, I will ensure he goes away from you. You're a curse to everyone. You are such a disgusting piece of shit. You are a curse, and everyone will hate you. Everyone will leave you. No one loves you. You are a curse. A bloody curse.]

Riya (screaming in pain, crying)- Nooo! No, no, no. I am not a curse. I'm not a disgusting piece of shit. I am not a curse. Nooo!

(She falls down on the floor crying, covering her ears with her hands to stop the voices, but they don't stop. She closes her eyes tightly as she sees the darkness approaching her, but nothing works, and she keeps hurting. When everything is quiet, she opens her eyes and stays in the same position for a few moments. She then looks around, scared, and sighs relief as she finds the voices gone. She tries to get up from the floor but keeps losing balance.)

(At last, she finally uses all her strength and gets up. She then takes a few steps toward the right and finds the switchboard with her hand. On seeing it, she switches on all the lights in the room, and it helps her calm down a little as the darkness fades away. She slowly goes towards her bed and sits with a thud, her clothes drenched in sweat and her body still trembling. She decreases the AC temperature and cleans her face, but more tears flow down her eyes.)

Riya (in tears)- I don't want to stay here. Main shaadi ke liye haan bol dungi. Vahan jo bhi hoga par iss sab se to acha hi hoga. Inke jaisa koyi bhi nahi ho sakta. Koyi bhi nahi.

[Riya (cryingly)- I don't want to stay here. I will say yes to the marriage proposal. Whatever will happen there will be at least good compared to this. No one can be like these people. No one.]

(She lays down on the bed and clutches the blanket closer to her chest. She cannot sleep in darkness, so she keeps the light in her room switched on every night, but today she is more scared, so she switches on all the lights and keeps crying. She later falls asleep while crying in the same position, marking the end of another worst day of her life.)

(Manik is standing on the balcony of his room, looking at the stars and the moon; his face is calm and neutral. He is just staring at the sky and pondering about something. Just then, someone knocks on the door of his room, and he turns back to find Cabir standing there.)

Cabir- Agar aapne mana kiya to bhi main jaane to wala nahi hoon to aa hi jaata hoon andar.

[Cabir- Even if you disagree, I will not leave from here, so I guess it's better that I come inside.]

(He comes inside and then shuts the door while Manik chuckles and shakes his head in disbelief. Whatever may have happened in the family, Manik knows that Cabir and Mukti genuinely care for him and love him too. But the thing is that he is scared to show his weaker side to anyone. He thinks people will make fun of his feelings and his choices as they have always done. So he has built up his walls so high that no one can see through them. Meanwhile, Cabir comes to Manik and stands next to him on the balcony.)

Cabir- I want to talk to you about something Bhai.

Manik (looking towards the sky)- Hmm.

Cabir- Dad told us about that marriage contract, Bhai. Are you seriously doing this?

(Manik stays quiet for a minute before answering.)

Manik- I am doing it, Cabir. There's no chance to say no. Your Dad, Mr Raj Malhotra, is ready to transfer 75% of his shares in my name. Why would I say no?

Cabir- Main iss reason ki baat nahi kar raha hoon yaar Bhai. Don't you want to give it a chance?

[Cabir- I am not talking about this reason, Bro. Don't you want to give it a chance?]

Manik- I have given enough chances to everyone Cabir. And you, too, have seen the results.

Cabir- Bhai sab ek jaise nahi hote hain. Aap kab tak jeete rahoge aise? You need happiness in your life. Some source of joy. Some...some love.

[Cabir- Everyone is not the same, Bro. How long will you live like this? You need happiness in your life. Some source of joy. Some...some love.]

Manik (sighing)- Love is all bullshit, Cabir. It makes you weak.

Cabir- According to me, love gives you strength, Bhai. Love gives you hope. Aap apne past ki problems ki vajhe se apne future ki khushiyon ko kyu khatam kar rahe ho? I think you should give it a chance. Maybe she's the one for you?

[Cabir- According to me, love gives you strength, Bhai. Love gives you hope. Why are you destroying the happiness the future has in store for you because of your experiences? I think you should give it a chance. Maybe she's the one for you?]

Manik- Kon si Bollywood picture dekh ke aa raha hai Cabir? Lagta hai saara paisa dialogue writer hi le gaya.

[Manik- Which drama Bollywood picture have you watched Cabir? I guess they invested the entire film money on the dialogue writer only.]

Cabir- Movies ki tarhan real life mein har buri cheez ke baad happy ending ho jaati to baat hi kya thi Bhai. I am just asking you to give it just one chance. Jab bhi aap uss ladki se milo naa, bas ek baar try being the real Manik in front of her. The Manik, who was always smiling. Jo mere aur Mukti ke saath har weekend par long drives par jaata tha. Jisse zindagi jeena pasand tha. Vo Manik, whose passion was...

[Cabir- It would have been so good if real life had a happy ending after every bad thing, just like the movies Bro. I am just asking you to give it just one chance. When you meet that girl, just for once, try being the real Manik in front of her. The Manik, who was always smiling. Who would go on long drives with Mukti and me during the weekend. The one who enjoyed living life. The Manik whose passion was...]

(Cabir is about to say something when Manik stops him in between.)

Manik- Cabir! Enough okay. I can consider everything you said, but Manik, with THAT passion, died years ago when his father conspired against him, so he lost the most significant opportunity of his life. Why? Just for the money. And what did his mother do? Oh, she was always so busy fulfilling all her other responsibilities that she never thought about me. Hmm. So dare you to mention this topic again anywhere? I will meet that girl tomorrow and try giving this marriage a chance. Okay?

(Cabir hugs him happily and Manik stands still, looking at Cabir's actions with a plain face.)

Cabir- Thank you so much Bhai. Main aapko bata nahi sakta main aapke liye kitna khush hoon. Thank you.

[Cabir- Thank you so much, Bro. I can't tell you how happy I am for you. Thank you.]

(Upon listening to Cabir's words, Manik too hugs him back, and Cabir further tightens his grip on Manik after seeing him hugging back. Cabir then breaks the hug and smiles, looking at Manik. And Manik, too, gives him a small smile.)

Cabir- Good night, Bhai.

[Cabir- Good night Bro.]

Manik- Good night Cabir.

(Cabir leaves from there, and Manik lets out a deep sigh and again looks up in the sky and chuckles, remembering Cabir's words and Riya's smiling pictures.)

Manik (to himself)- One last chance. See you soon, Ms Riya Dixit.