🚨 Trigger warning 🚨

(Following chapter contains scenes of sexual assault and strong violence. Please proceed with caution.)

⚠️ Long chapter ahead ⚠️

Yuvaan's POV

10 years ago

As Mom had to leave overseas after establishing her business, she left me in her elder sister's care. She entrusted my responsibility to her sister, who was anything but happy to have me included in her family. But because my mother was paying them for taking care of me, my aunt didn't object and let me live in her home.

Grace Nana had offered to keep me with her, but Mom refused as the old woman had already done a lot for us, and she had her own family to look after too. So, after making sure of my arrangements and getting me enrolled in the 12th grade, Mom left; she made me promise her that I would behave myself and would listen to my aunt.

She was hesitant on leaving without me, but she had no other choice. Being a single mother and handling me along with her job was taking a toll on her — not to forget my troublesome behaviour. Still, she never blamed me for the way I was and always told me to believe in myself.

I did, but I also couldn't ignore all the taunts and glares I received from my fellow humans. And by each passing day, they seemed to be getting worse. First, they called my mother bad names and because of my father's absence, they called me an illegitimate child too, but once Mom left, they started the rumors that she had finally abandoned me.

I was aware that it wasn't true, but the fear I had developed since I was a kid of my mother leaving me, made me call her everyday to make sure that she hadn't forgotten about me. Fortunately, she hadn't. I was proud of my Mom for working hard for me and decided to focus on my studies and nothing else.

After coming to live with my aunt, I got a new family. There were Vihaan and Rohan bhaiyya, who were older than me, and I was really happy to get two brothers, but they didn't share the same emotion. They bullied me, ridiculed me, hit me whenever they liked, and I suffered all of it silently.

If I had told Mom, it would have added to her worries. I deemed it best to keep quiet and be thankful for the roof above my head. Aunt was no different. She only talked to me nicely when it was related to the money Mom used to transfer on my account and never scolded her sons for mistreating me. As for her husband, his existence didn't matter much - he was always silent and minded his own business.

The place was a hell, but it was better than the one I had experienced before. And it was all thanks to Navya Didi and her four year old daughter Mysha. Navya Didi was a divorcee and had returned to her maternal home when Mysha was two years old. Unlike her brothers, my cousin showed me a sister's love and never discriminated against me.

After school, I spent most of my time with them only. I used to make games and repair broken toys for Mysha, take her to the park, play hide and seek with her, and look after her when Navya Didi was working.

In my dark world, my sister and niece were like a ball of sunshine. While playing with Mysha, I used to forget about everything else, and Mom was happy to see the improvement in me. While my brothers left no stone unturned to harass me, Navya Didi always came for my rescue. Her mother didn't like her favouritism towards me, but Navya Didi didn't bother about it.

As days passed by, I become accustomed to their lifestyle and even managed to make a few friends at school. I was still careful around them though. I didn't want to get bullied again, so I always kept a smile on my face and helped anyone who needed it. As I was in highschool, no one much bothered about my background and the questions about my missing father were never brought up.

Father... I didn't even know if he was alive or not.

It was only one time I had seen him, and I was really young at that time. I remembered Mom holding me in her arms, and my father standing in front of her, yelling at her to stop. I was close to him but couldn't get a clear glimpse of him as his face was covered with a scarf. I saw only his eyes and the dark beard on his jawline.

At that moment, I thought he was a kidnapper, but when Mom scolded him that she didn't want him back in our lives and accused him of leaving us, I realised that he was my father. After that incident, I never saw him again. Though I heard Grace Nana ask Mom about him, and every time, Mom would get all sad and blame herself for trusting that man.

I was confused as to why she would cry and I couldn't have my father. I was tired of hearing others say that I was an orphan, or that my father had left my mother only because of me. So one day, I asked Mom about it, and she tried to distract me. I was adamant and refused to leave without hearing about him.

But after knowing about him, I didn't have a good image of him. My parents got married at a really young age, my father promising Mom a bright future, but he didn't keep his words. Even after losing all of his money in gambling and business losses, she supported him and lended him money.

And whenever she was broke, he would ask her to request her parents to give him the money instead. He had already left his home way back and was living with his friends before marrying Mom, so the only people he could extract money from was my mother's family.

Thinking that he would get back on track, Mom helped him, but when he left her after she announced her pregnancy, telling her that he didn't want the responsibility of a child so soon, she refused to even take his name — she was heartbroken. She didn't want to burden her family, so she handled everything herself and raised me alone.

Her parents offered their help, but as she felt guilty because of her husband's deeds, she didn't take their help and continued working alone in order to take care of me. But as it started to become difficult for her to manage me and her job simultaneously, her parents introduced her to Grace Nana.

Mom accepted the help and left me in Grace Nana's care.

But even after hearing her story, I still believed that my father would change and come back — I also wanted to have a dad like other kids. I thought that once he came back, everything would turn alright, and Mom wouldn't have to cry any more. I prayed every night for that miracle to happen, but when that man finally came back, it was nothing but a curse.

It was just another usual day for us; Navya Didi was at her workplace, Vihaan and Rohan bhaiyya were at college, while I was at school. When I returned home, my aunt left Mysha in my care and went to another locality to attend a satsang (spiritual gathering) with our neighbours. Uncle was listening to radio, and soon, Navya Didi also arrived from work.

As per our routine, I made some tea when the clock struck 5:30 P.M., and all of us sat down on the floor, playing indoor games and munching on cookies. Navya Di announced that she got a salary bonus, and I suggested on bringing something special to eat in order to celebrate the happy news.

After asking Mysha what she wanted to eat, I left to buy the stuff as Navya Di prepared to make dinner. I hurried my pace, trying to reach our favorite manchurian seller before it got crowded. Our house was located a bit far from the bustling market, so it took me almost twenty minutes to reach the place; I sighed on seeing a dozen of heads already huddled around the small shop.

The sun was already down, and it was still time for my aunt and brothers to return, so after a long wait, I got four plates of Chinese Manchurian and Schezwan rice before hurrying back to the home. My aunt didn't like us wasting money on outside food, so we used to eat the street food whenever she was absent.

I was glad and thought of informing Mom in the night about today. The smell of the snacks in my hands made my mouth water, and I smiled on imagining Mysha's expression. I grinned when I reached my home before my aunt and cousins arrived.

I furrowed my eyebrows when I saw the door open — we never left it open because of the stray dogs. I thought I might have forgotten to lock it, so I dismissed the doubt and entered. I pulled the door behind me and was taking off my slippers when I heard something crash inside the house.

I snapped my head in the direction of the voice and heard a shrill cry.

"Mysha!" I yelled. "Navya Di!"

I hurriedly ran inside, and my eyes widened on seeing Uncle's fallen figure beside his rocking chair. His newspaper lay aside him, crumpled and torn. As my mind shifted gears, I shouted Navya Didi's name but got no response. After a few seconds, I heard Mysha's cry from the other end of our house.

I ran towards Navya Didi's room, praying for her to be safe. But when I registered her naked body, lying unconscious, my face paled. My knees trembled as I saw blood stains around her.

Oh no...

"Maa!"

"Mysha?" I shouted on hearing her voice.

"Mamu! Maa!"

As my heart thumped in fear, my body was set ablaze as I heard my niece's cry. I strode towards my aunt's room and kicked the door loudly. My blood boiled on seeing the scene in front of me. Mysha was hiding behind the huge cupboard, while a man who I was waiting for so long, was trying to get a hold of her.

"Hey, little angel, come out. Look what your Uncle has gotten for you," he said.

I clenched my fists. "Get away from her!"

On hearing me, my father turned his head around, and a huge smile broke out on his face.

"Yuvaan? My boy? You have grown so much!"

"I said get away from her!"

He shook his head and gave me a sly smile. "I am your father, kid, and I am happy to see you again too. But currently, I am a little busy, so can you please wait outside?"

The nerve of this man! Was he really my father?

"You piece of shit!"

I marched at him and punched him across the face. He stumbled backwards, but the hit didn't have much effect on him. I tried to get Mysha out of the place, but my father punched me in the stomach and chuckled on seeing me gasp for breath.

"Didn't your mother teach you to obey your elders?" He sneered. "You shouldn't disrespect your father, you know. I came to meet you, and this is how you behave?"

"You are not my father," I said. "You are a fucking rapist!"

He narrowed his eyes and grabbed my neck. He had a stronger build than me and lifted me up easily. He laughed and told me that he would let me live if I listened to him.

I can't believe he is my mother's husband, and I am his blood.

"Kids should obey their parents, Yuvaan."

"Mamu!"

Mysha came out of the hiding, her face wet with tears. I kicked my legs in the air, trying to get out of his hold. He glanced at my niece and gave her a smirk. I felt disgusted at the way he was looking at her; I clawed my nails in his arm and kicked him in the face when he loosened his grip.

He winced and let go off me. I told Mysha to run, but she was frozen in her spot, her eyes the shape of saucers. I picked her up and made a run for our lives, but my father wrapped a belt around my neck from behind and pulled me back.

"Are you really my son?" he asked aloud. "Why don't you listen to me?"

He whipped me, and I shielded Mysha from the attacks. She clutched my shirt tightly, her face losing color. I never thought that I would face such a situation, but I had to do something. At least, Mysha had to make it out alive.

As my father thrashed me like a maniac, I roamed my eyes around, looking for something to use against him. My eyes registered the makeup pencils on my aunt's dressing table, and I pushed Mysha out of my arms.

"Run and call for help!" I yelled and took the makeup pencils.

My father saw Mysha running out of the room and advanced in her direction, but I swung my right hand in an arc and stabbed the pencil in his left eye. Blood spurt out as he let out a huge cry.

He waved his hands around as he couldn't bear the pain, looking at me with his only eye. He breathed heavily, his hands shaking as he tried to take out the pencil. After seeing him bleed and beg for help, I felt a sudden shift in myself.

"I was also waiting to meet you, father," I said and took out the pencil from his eye. "But today will be our last meeting."

I stabbed the pencil back in his eye, making him fall down.

"You raped my sister!"

I pulled out the curtain rod in fury and smashed it on his head. After turning his face into a pool of blood, I took the bedsheet and wrapped it around his neck. He tried to overpower me but failed miserably. I tied him to the bed and grabbed a knife from the kitchen.

"Yuvaan, what are you doing?" he asked in horror. "I am you father! You can't do this to me, Yuvaan!"

I ignored his words and sat down in front of him. "You will get what you deserve."

I pierced the knife in his chest after closing his mouth with a cloth. Tears mixed with blood dropped from his eyes, and I felt a spark igniting inside me on seeing fear in his eyes — the eyes same as me. I had the same nose and jaw as him, and unfortunately, I was his blood too, but there was no way I was going to let him get away after what he did.

As my sister's naked form flashed in front of my eyes, I stabbed the man in front of me, losing the count ultimately. I didn't know for how long I butchered him — I was dragged away by some policemen, whose faces ashened at the scene.

I dropped the knife and sat back, the realisation sinking in. I killed my father... Yes, I killed my father, and I didn't feel guilty.

"He is dead," one of the policemen said.

Soon, their senior arrived and surveyed what had happened. He ordered his men to take me away, and my eyes were stuck to the dead figure of my father as I was moved out of the room.

After that incident, my life completely changed. I wasn't the same anymore. Fortunately, Navya Didi was alive, but I couldn't forget how much she suffered. I was ashamed to show her my face, though I knew that I wasn't the culprit. My father assaulted her, and I couldn't protect her.

My aunt was horrified and told Mom to get me out of her house as soon as possible. She didn't want to do anything with our family anymore. I understood why she reacted that way, but when she told Mom that I was a murderer and would turn out like my father eventually, I saw my soul shatter.

Like my father? Why did she say that?

Mom got really angry and got into a fight with her, but on seeing that my aunt wasn't convinced, she took me with her. She also felt ashamed that her husband committed a sin and apologized to Navya Didi. But instead of blaming us, my sister thanked me for saving Mysha and made her mother understand the situation.

I cried a lot when Navya Di hugged me and told me that she didn't feel that what I did was wrong. Because of her only, the case was able to close quickly, and I wasn't put in jail for murdering my father.

Still, the rumors erupted like fire, and I was again the centre of the attacks. I was labelled as an 'omen', 'murderer', 'son of a rapist', 'bad blood', and much more.

And after that night, I started having nightmares. I couldn't sleep, nor could I concentrate on my daily activities. Mom and Grace Nana assured me that I wasn't at fault, but I couldn't keep the voices out of my head. I would get visions of that dreaded day, and they would get worse by each passing day.

I started acting aloof, zoning out, and being silent. In my mother's absence, I would sneak out of the house when Grace Nana would be asleep, and would roam on the streets alone. Eventually, I met some people, got into a lot of fights, came home drunk, harmed myself, making Mom worry.

After keeping an eye on me for an year, Mom took me to a therapist, and I was diagonised with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). As my mother's business expanded, she was able to afford my expenses, but I felt like a loser.

How long was I going to make her worry?

My situation was pathetic, but I couldn't control my mind. Sometimes, I didn't even realise where the hell I was as I was totally zoned out. Thanks to the therapy sessions, I managed to get some parts of my life back to normal. Finally, Mom decided to transfer me to Germany when I turned twenty. I was in no mood to study, so she let me work like I wanted.

After working some time as a cashier in a local shop and doing other odd jobs, I got to work in a college's canteen. I was happy with the distraction and as I observed my fellow beings, laughing and discussing about their future plans, I also felt like getting back in studies.

And how can I forget meeting Tamannah? The girl, who I thought was the perfect one for me. But alas, she also abandoned me after hearing my story. She also insulted me, just like those people, and left me.

After that, it was hell all over again. I had a relapse, and if it wasn't for my best friend beside me, I wouldn't have been alive. Shaurya always had my back and didn't treat me like filth on knowing my past. He felt sorry for what his sister did, but unfortunately, I was in the delusion that she would return.

With my family and friends by my side, I stood back on my feet, studied hard, worked extra hard, met my chatterbox aka Heena and Advait. Mom was always there to support me, and I couldn't ask for anything more. I still got nightmares and visited my psychiatrist but didn't give up.

One by one, opportunities lined up, and I managed to secure a spot among one of the youngest billionaires. It was just the start, but I was happy with what I had achieved so far. And it wouldn't have been possible without the connections I made in my earlier jobs and family.

It took me long, really long, to get back on track, facing more enemies in my work field, but I didn't want to turn back again. I wanted to live in the present and enjoy it the most I could.

I didn't know something more exciting was waiting for me in the future. And of course, it was a blessing in disguise.