Heyaa everyone!
Hope you all are doing well.
I want to tell you that the last chapter was from Manhaar's point of view, where she has been staying in Punjab for the past week.
Now, the this chapter will shift to her brother's point of view, starting from the day she arrived there.
So, don't be confused.

🦩

Manbir's pov:

As I walked beside Manhaar down the dimly lit staircase, my mind raced with everything she had just revealed. Her eyes were still shimmering with unshed tears, and I felt an overwhelming urge to protect her from whatever had haunted her these past years.

Her guardians... I couldn't shake the frustration I felt toward them. They had taken her in, but it seemed they had failed her in ways that cut deep. They'd seen her as a scholarship student, a project to be molded into their version of success, yet they couldn't grasp the pain behind her smile. How could they not notice how lost she truly was? It made my blood boil to think of all the expectations they placed on her, pushing her without understanding the toll it took.

What had she really been doing in Nigeria?

I don't know anything now. But I will find out! Right now we have to gain her trust. Make her feel home!

She had been fighting for her life while they believed she was simply away at school. The idea that she had to survive in a place where power and fear ruled was staggering. My sister, just a child, forced to become something she never wanted to be.

I couldn't help but feel a surge of anger for those who had wronged her. They'd stolen her childhood, her innocence. I had only known snippets of her life, but now the full picture was emerging, and it was nothing short of horrifying. Yet, amidst all that darkness, I saw a flicker of strength in her-a resilience that defied everything she had faced.

As we reached the bottom of the stairs, I made a silent vow to be there for her, to help her navigate this tangled web of family and trauma. She needed support, and I was determined to be the brother she deserved. I wouldn't let her face this alone any longer.

VYOM'S POV: 

As we gather for our first dinner with Manhaar back home, there's a quiet heaviness in the air. It feels good to have her with us again, but I can’t help but notice she’s still a bit uncomfortable, still adjusting.

We all know she was in Nigeria, but what she went through there remains a mystery to us. We don't want to press her for answers—not yet. It's too soon, and trust has to be earned.

But in the silence, I can't help but think about how much we missed her, how much we lost without her. We spent so many years without her childhood, without the bond we should've had. Our lives felt incomplete, like a part of us was always missing. We’re all trying to piece together the years we were apart, ready to make up for the time lost.

Third person's Pov:

It's been a whole two days and one night since they met Manhaar, and Akveer just returned today from his work.

Right now, all seven brothers are sitting in Vyom's room after dinner while their sister is in her room.

"But we should at least try once," Reyansh said, still trying to convince everyone to invite Mr. Saini to stay with them.

"You’re not understanding the point," Vyom replied, trying to make his younger brother see that inviting Mr. Saini into the house wasn’t a good idea.

"But he is her father," Reyansh insisted, weighing his argument more heavily.

"He’s also the father of Aviyansh and Aditya," Manbir interjected, pointing out that Mr. Saini hadn’t treated them well either. "Still, he did that."

"Maybe... maybe he will treat her better; she is his daughter after all," Reyansh continued, still not grasping the full picture.

"Yeah, there's a big 'maybe' there," Vyom said, his voice filled with concern for his sister. "What if he doesn't?"

"But what if he does treat her well? We can’t just assume anything." Reyansh was undeterred, continuing to argue, unaware of the intensity of Akveer's glare.

"She’s not even comfortable with us yet. How is she going to manage with him?" Shivyansh finally joined the conversation, his voice calm but firm. Meanwhile, Aditya, Aviyansh, and Akveer remained silent.

"That’s exactly what I’m saying. He is her father, and none of you are understanding my point. I’m not her enemy. I’m just saying it could be good for her." Reyansh, oblivious to the tension around him, kept pushing his point.

"We’re not her enemy either. Just think about it—she just met all of us yesterday, and you expect her to accept all of this in one day? Give her some time," Vyom said, his voice softening as he made a valid point.

"I understand, but I think she’ll feel more comfortable with him," Reyansh stubbornly replied.

"That’s exactly what I’m saying. She’s not even comfortable with us right now. Give her time to trust us. So, if anything happens while Mr. Saini is here, we’ll be the first ones she turns to," Manbir explained, trying to make his younger brother understand.

"Yes, and you all should try bonding with her, spend time with her so she can feel at home," Vyom added, feeling a growing sense of protectiveness for his sister.

"But Manhaar resembles her mother, Maneet Aunty, so much. Maybe Mr. Saini will try to be nice to her for the sake of her mother," Reyansh said, completely lost in his thoughts by now.

"ARE YOU MAD? YOU STILL THINK HE'LL BE NICE TO HIS DAUGHTER JUST FOR THE SAKE OF HIS WIFE?! YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING!" Akveer's fury was so intense that if a child had seen him right now, they would have nightmares for the rest of their life.

"Jo insaan apne maa-baap na ho saka, uska kya, jo apni biwi ka na ho saka, woh kisi aur ka kya hoga!" Akveer's eyes were locked on Reyansh as his mind seemed to drift elsewhere.

(Translation: "Someone who couldn't be there for his parents, what's the use of him? If he couldn't be there for his wife, how will he be there for anyone else?")

"I agree with Bhai," Aditya finally spoke up.

Reyansh’s eyes were filled with frustration. “You all just don’t get it, do you? I’m not asking for much. Just one chance. What’s the harm in inviting him here for a while? He’s her father! She deserves a chance to be with him.”

Vyom shook his head, his patience starting to wear thin. “Reyansh, we’re not saying it’s a bad thing for her to meet him. But right now, it’s not the right time. She doesn’t trust us fully yet, and you want to bring someone into the house who’s hurt her. How is that fair to her?”

Reyansh’s hands clenched into fists. “It’s her father! Why can’t you see that? Just because you’ve had bad experiences with him doesn’t mean she will.”

“That’s the point, Reyansh,” Manbir interjected, his voice stern but calm. “We don’t know what he’ll do, and she doesn’t need that kind of uncertainty right now. She’s already been through enough.”

“But she’s his daughter!” Reyansh snapped again, “I just don’t want her to feel alone, to feel like we’re shutting her out. She needs him, guys. Don’t you see? Maybe he’ll change for her.”

Shivyansh sighed, running a hand through his hair. “You’re thinking about it all wrong. It’s not about what she needs in the way you’re imagining. She needs time to feel safe, to trust us. Right now, she’s barely getting comfortable with us. You can’t expect her to open up and accept a stranger—no matter who he is—into her life overnight.”

Reyansh’s frustration only grew. “So what? We just wait forever, then? We just sit here and do nothing while she might be longing for him? Are we supposed to just ignore her feelings?”

Vyom’s tone was gentle but firm. “You’re not listening, Reyansh. We’re not ignoring her. We’re trying to protect her. You want to move too fast, and it could make things worse. We have to think about what’s best for her—long-term—not just what feels right in the moment.”

Reyansh glared at Vyom. “And what makes you think you know what’s best for her? You’ve only known her for two days! You don’t know what she wants!”

Manbir stepped forward, his voice harder now. “And neither do you, Reyansh. You’re not seeing the bigger picture. She might need him, but she doesn’t need him now—not in this way. We need to be there for her first, not him.”

Reyansh scoffed. “So you’re saying we just let her suffer? Let her stay confused and uncertain? She’s his daughter!”

Manbir’s patience had reached its limit. “Enough, Reyansh. You keep repeating the same thing over and over, and it’s getting us nowhere. We’re all trying to make you understand. She needs us right now, not him. She needs time, and we need to be her support, not add to the pressure.”

Reyansh looked around at his brothers, his face flushed with anger. “You all have made up your minds already, haven’t you? You don’t care about her feelings. You just want her to fit into your little idea of what’s best.”

Akveer had been silent until now, his eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched. His rage was building. “Stop, Reyansh. Just stop.” His voice was low, menacing. “You’re not seeing anything clearly. You’re too caught up in your own head, thinking you know what’s right for her, but you don’t.”

Reyansh stared at Akveer, defiant. “Oh, and what do you know, huh? You’ve been glaring at me this whole time like I’m the villain, but you’re all just as bad. You all just want to control everything—especially her.”

“That’s it!” Akveer’s voice rose, booming with anger. “Enough! I’ve been patient with you, but this is too much.” He took a step forward, his face inches from Reyansh’s. “You’re being reckless and selfish. You think you’re helping her, but you’re only making it harder for her to trust us. If you don’t understand that, then you can leave this room.”

Reyansh opened his mouth to argue, but Akveer didn’t give him the chance.

“Get out, Reyansh,” Akveer commanded, his eyes cold with fury. “I don’t want to hear another word from you until you can think clearly. Get. Out.”

The room went silent, the tension thick in the air. Reyansh stood there for a moment, glaring at his brothers, his fists still clenched at his sides. But the weight of Akveer’s gaze was too much. With one last glare, he turned and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

The others stayed silent for a moment, each of them processing the argument in their own way. Akveer's anger hadn't subsided, but the others could see the hurt in his eyes—he was just trying to protect their sister.

Shivyansh, breaking the silence, muttered, “He’ll come around... eventually.”

Vyom nodded, his voice quieter now. “I hope so. We can’t afford to let this divide us.”

Manbir just stared at the door. “I just... I just want what’s best for her. I’m not going to let anyone put her in danger. Not even if they’re family.”

The room was quiet after Reyansh's departure, but the weight of the conversation still hung in the air. Akveer, his anger still simmering, crossed his arms tightly over his chest. Vyom leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping against the armrest in a rhythmic pattern, as though trying to ground himself.

Manbir broke the silence first. His voice was quiet, measured, but the pain in it was unmistakable. "You all know the story," he said, his eyes not quite meeting anyone else's. "About how Dad was... how he was with us."

Shivyansh, sitting on the floor, shifted slightly, casting a glance at the others. "It’s hard to forget," he muttered. "But... how do we explain it to her? Manhaar doesn’t even know half of it."

Vyom sighed heavily. "We don’t need to burden her with all of it right now. She just met us." He glanced at Akveer, whose jaw was still clenched tightly. "But we can’t ignore it either. Not when we’re talking about someone like him. She needs to understand that... maybe not all at once, but she will need to know."

Akveer’s voice was low, his tone thick with barely controlled rage. "I don't know if she can ever understand what he did. How could she?" His words were sharp, and there was a dark bitterness there. "We were just kids when things started falling apart. Our whole family, torn apart because of him."

Manbir nodded, his gaze distant. "You remember, Vyom, how it started getting worse after our grandparents passed? They were the only reason he kept his shit together. But after they were gone... there was nothing to stop him."

Vyom’s eyes narrowed at the memory. "He became even worse. That’s when everything changed." He let out a short breath. "It wasn’t just the way he treated us, though. It was how he treated everyone. He stopped pretending. Stopped being the father, the husband. Stopped being a human being, really."

Akveer’s voice broke through the silence again. "I think that’s when we really realized he never cared for any of us. Not even for his own children." His words cut through the tension like a knife. "We were just... things to him. Things that could be tossed aside when he didn’t want them anymore."

Manbir gave a small, bitter chuckle. "When he was done with his wife, he tried to make us take the place of their... whoever they were. We were supposed to be his family now, but he made it clear he didn’t give a damn about any of us."

Aditya, who had been quiet until now, spoke up. "And when the wife died? What happened then?" His voice was quiet, but the pain in it was evident.

"After they died, it was like he gave up on trying to hide his true nature," Vyom said, his voice tight with anger. "Everything just got worse. He was cruel. To all of us. And that's when Akveer, Manbir, and I moved out.
And you four have to left for boarding school"

Shivyansh nodded slowly. "I remember. He was relentless. Especially when we were younger, Aditya and us... we thought we'd just have to take whatever he gave us, no questions asked."

Akveer clenched his fists at his sides, his words cold. "We were too young to fight back. And he used that. Used us." His voice dropped slightly, thick with the bitterness of long years of pain. "But once we were older, we couldn’t stay there anymore. We couldn’t stay in that house with him, not after everything he did to us, to everyone."

Manbir rubbed a hand over his face, exhausted. "It took years to finally get out of there. And even when we did, he still tried to control us, tried to make us feel like we were never enough. Never good enough for him, for anyone."

Vyom sat forward, his face lined with frustration. "But we left. We made sure to protect ourselves. And we will protect Manhaar too. She doesn’t know what she's walking into with him. She’s been through so much already."

"She doesn’t need him right now," Shivyansh said quietly, his voice serious. "Not after all the damage he’s caused, not after what we’ve all been through."

Manbir's eyes were sharp, but there was a deep sadness in them now. "And she won’t get it. Not yet. But when the time comes... she’ll need to know that we’re here. That we’re not him."

Aditya looked down, his thoughts dark. "If she knew... everything... she’d never trust him. Not after what he did to us. Not after what he did to them... our mothers. But she has to make her own choices. We can't force her to hate him. But we can be her support. We can make sure she knows she’s not alone."

Vyom nodded slowly. "We’ll help her. We just need time. She has to trust us first."

Akveer’s gaze softened, and he leaned back against the wall, his anger slowly dissipating. "We can’t give him another chance to hurt her. Not like he did to us."

Shivyansh looked up at the brothers. "She deserves to be happy. She deserves to heal. And we have to be the ones to help her do that."

The room fell silent again, each brother lost in their own thoughts. They all knew that protecting Manhaar would be more complicated than just shielding her from their father. But they also knew that they would do whatever it took to keep her safe—no matter the cost.

Manbir broke the silence once more, his voice heavy with the weight of the years they'd spent trying to move on from their father’s cruelty. "We can’t keep her from the truth forever. But we can make sure she knows we’re not him. That we're her family now."

The silence that followed their conversation was thick with unspoken words and emotions. While the others were lost in their own thoughts, Aviyansh remained quietly in his corner, observing everything with a calmness that bordered on indifference. No one had asked him what was on his mind, nor did they expect him to speak up. His nature was such that he kept his emotions locked away, only revealing bits when absolutely necessary. But tonight, even his usual quietness seemed to carry the weight of a thousand thoughts.

After a long moment, Vyom pushed himself off the chair and glanced at Aditya. "We should check on Manhaar," he said quietly, breaking the stillness. "She hasn’t said much tonight. Maybe we can talk to her... make sure she’s okay."

Aditya nodded, standing up with a concerned look. "I agree. But we should be careful not to overwhelm her. She’s still adjusting."

The two brothers made their way toward Manhaar's room, their footsteps soft against the hallway floor. As they approached her door, they noticed the faint glow of light seeping through the crack beneath it. Vyom gently knocked, but when there was no response, he tried the handle, only to find the door slightly ajar. He peered inside, but saw nothing but the soft, dim light from her bedside lamp.

“She’s awake,” Vyom whispered. "But it might not be the right time to disturb her."

Aditya gave a small sigh. "She’s probably just thinking. We’ll let her have some space tonight. Maybe tomorrow she’ll be ready to talk."

Vyom agreed. They both stood there for a moment, silently contemplating what would be best for Manhaar. After a brief exchange of looks, they decided to step back.

“Let’s go to the garden,” Vyom suggested. "I think we both need some fresh air." Aditya nodded, and they quietly turned toward the exit.

The garden was peaceful at this hour. The cool night breeze brushed through the trees, and the soft rustling of the leaves seemed to carry away the tension they felt. The brothers walked slowly, their minds still swirling with the events of the evening. As they turned a corner of the house, they spotted Reyansh sitting on a bench near the garden's edge, staring out into the night.

Vyom paused for a moment, exchanging a glance with Aditya. It seemed Reyansh had been avoiding them, maybe trying to clear his head, or perhaps dealing with the storm of emotions that had been swirling inside him. It wasn’t lost on them that he had been caught between wanting to help Manhaar and still holding on to his own feelings of loyalty toward their father.

Without speaking, the two brothers made their way toward him. Reyansh didn’t acknowledge them right away, his gaze still fixed on the distant horizon. Finally, Vyom sat down next to him, Aditya following suit.

"Reyansh," Vyom said quietly, his voice calm but firm, "we need to talk."

Reyansh’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t pull away. "I don’t have anything to say," he muttered, his voice low. "I already said what I think."

"We know," Aditya replied gently, "but we need to understand why you’re so stuck on the idea of bringing him here. You’re not seeing the bigger picture."

Reyansh’s eyes flashed with frustration. "You’re all acting like I’m the bad guy here. She deserves to have her father, not be stuck with you guys pretending to be a family."

"Reyansh, we understand that you want what’s best for her," Vyom interjected, his voice softening, "but you're not seeing what’s in front of you. What he did to us—what he did to all of us—doesn’t just go away. It doesn’t just vanish because he’s her father."

Aditya added, "She’s been through so much already. Bringing him into the picture now... it could make things worse for her, not better."

Reyansh stood up abruptly, his frustration clearly building. "I know what he did to you all! I’m not blind! But she’s different! She’s his daughter! Maybe... maybe she’ll be the one to change him. She doesn’t have to live like we did. She doesn’t deserve to be shut out."

Vyom’s voice remained steady, but it held an undeniable edge of concern. "That’s where you’re wrong, Reyansh. She doesn’t need him right now. She needs us. She needs time, not him barging back into her life, making everything harder for her. She’s already scared and confused. She doesn’t need him to make her feel like she’s living in a nightmare again."

Reyansh’s hands clenched at his sides, and for a moment, he looked like he might argue again. But then, his shoulders slumped, and he seemed to deflate. His frustration was still there, but it was clear that something in their words had started to sink in.

"I don’t want to make things harder for her," he muttered, more to himself than to anyone else. "But I don’t want her to feel alone, either."

Aditya placed a hand on his shoulder. "You’re not alone, Reyansh,even she is not alone. None of us are. We have each other, and we’ll make sure she knows she has us too. But right now, we need to be her strength. We need to be the ones she turns to. Not him."

Reyansh stood silently for a moment, his gaze focused on the ground. Finally, he sighed deeply, shoulders sagging in resignation. "I... I don’t know. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I didn’t think it through."

Vyom gave him a small nod, his expression softening. "It’s not about being wrong. It’s about understanding what’s best for her. And we’ll make sure she has everything she needs to heal. But it’s going to take time. All of us."

Reyansh finally met his brother’s gaze, a look of resolve in his eyes. "I’ll make it right," he said quietly. "I’ll talk to Manbir and Akveer. I owe them an apology for how I acted."

---

The brothers stood together in the stillness of the night, knowing that there were still many obstacles ahead, but this was the first step. Reyansh, having wrestled with his emotions, was finally beginning to see the bigger picture. With a sigh, he turned back toward the house.

As they made their way inside, the brothers felt a sense of cautious hope. Things weren’t perfect, but they were starting to come together. For Manhaar. For each other. And for the family they had yet to become.

                                °°°°

That's it for today!
love yaa all.
Stay happy and healthy.
🌷🤍🧿