Next Day

Amaira regained full consciousness in the afternoon due to the heavy sedatives. Her group loitered around the hospital, praying for her well-being. When she opened her eyes, she saw her friends, their faces beaming with happiness. She managed a small smile, but it vanished the moment her eyes fell on the mirror of Tanya's clutch.

Her eyes welled up as she touched her face. Kritika came over, pecked her cheek, and boosted her self-confidence. "You are strong and beautiful."

"Amen," the whole group recited. For them, her health was more important than her appearance. Their feelings wouldn't change, but for her, it would be a big deal if the doctor hadn't removed the color from her face.

"Thank you," she chirped in her soft voice.

Amaira's mental state was stable, but she became frightened whenever anyone mentioned the college. No one in the group knew about her family issues except Kaustuki, who was aware that she had an uncle who always supported her. She didn't know anything about her parents. The warden tried to contact her uncle, but his phone was unreachable.

"How's her health, Parth?"

Two days had passed. Rudra hadn't gone to the hospital but had sent Parth and Jiya alternately twice a day to check on her. He feared that she might freak out in his presence. He didn't want to hear about her from others, but the doctor told him that she would take time to recover. The incident had left a bad impression on her mind.

"She is better now, Rudra," Parth replied.

Parth came to the office after performing his duty to keep an eye on Amaira's health without drawing attention. He noticed Rudra's fallen expression but didn't ask him. It wasn't the right time to comment on "Rudra's interest in Amaira."

Her friends gave Parth perplexed looks, not understanding why he would come twice a day to check on her. As usual, Parth replied in his stern voice, "We have a partnership in the college ownership, and bullying is a very serious issue. If this case attracts media attention, it will defame the corporation and the college's prestige. We also don't want to compromise Amaira's health."

She was healing physically and mentally due to the doctor's medicines and her friends' support. In the evenings, they spent time with her at the hospital, while in the mornings and at night, they switched places among themselves to ensure that one of them was always with her. They didn't want her to think about the incident, so they kept her occupied with jokes or silly antics.

"Kritika, do you believe you're an intelligent girl?" Sahil asked Kritika, who was feeding soup to Amaira, trying to break the unwanted silence in the room.

"I am," she replied after feeding her the last spoon.

"Then tell me, how do you know if a kid wants to nap?"

He smirked, enjoying her confused expression.

"Don't know."

"Kidnap, duffer!"

Kritika shot him a deadly glare, making him scared of his own joke, while the others laughed at their antics. Amaira chuckled at their bickering. Tanya and Kritika applied for a room change for Amaira in the hostel; they didn't want her to stay in that room.

"Did you get everything about her?"

"Yes, Sir, this is her file."

Dev handed Rudra a file labeled 'Amaira Aggarwal,' which contained her personal details. Rudra had instructed Dev to gather information about Amaira the day after the bullying incident—who her parents were and where she lived before joining the college. He had given Dev the day off but warned him not to discuss it with Parth, or else he would start his lecture about how they were "not right for each other."

A painful smile formed on Rudra's lips as he learned about her past. His soul loathed her parents and cursed them for being cruel to their own child. He had suffered similar experiences in his life, but his heart ached as if someone had poked it with sharp needles, knowing that Amaira had endured the same.

Dev had hired a detective to expedite the investigation.

"Abused and tortured by her parents"

A nine-year-old boy cried as he told his father that he hadn't stolen money from his wallet. The boy had been starving for three days and hadn't eaten a single morsel of food. He asked his father if he could bring home a loaf of bread for them. His father was tipsy and allowed him to go. Later, when he returned from the bar, he slapped his son for taking the money.

"I didn't, Dad! I bought a bread packet for us after asking your permission!"

"Don't you dare touch my money!" his father shouted and hit, leaving the room after satisfying himself with the punishment.

"I hate everyone," the boy mumbled in a pained voice.

"Sir?"

Rudra came out of his thoughts when Dev called him loudly.

"You can leave, Dev."

He wanted to be alone while reading her file, so he sent Dev out of his study. He continued reading and discovered that her Uncle Kabir had saved her and helped her gain admission to Excel College.

That name sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. He dialed Jiya's number and told her that he wanted to see Amaira the next day, asking her to ensure that not a single person from her group was present.

He didn't call Parth intentionally because he knew his friend would do the opposite and ruin his meeting with Amaira to prove his self-assumed theory.

"I am coming, Amaira. No, my Amaira," he whispered, caressing her photo in the file