Abhaya looked at Mahira as she came running to her and sat behind her.

“Kya hua?” Abhaya asked as she felt Mahira almost clutching her shoulders. “Tu theek hain?”

“Take me to Advit, now!” Mahira shouted as she felt her vision darkening. She knew she will not remember much when she will wake up but just this time, just once all she wanted were some answers. She knows he has them; Advit knows everything about her! He must!

“Mahi…” Abhaya looked at Mahira’s face with pain written all over it.

“Please, Abhaya, I need to meet him before I faint.” Abhaya started her driving and without caring about anything reached their mansion in fifteen minutes with Mahira almost falling on her when they spotted the guards who were left by Advit fallowing right after them but without worrying over anything, Abhaya held Mahira and shouted for Advit.

Before she could even shout for her brother’s name again, Mahira was snatched from her hands, and she turned to see Advit carefully holding Mahira in his arms with his palm on her face patting her to awake to keep her senses.

“What happened?” He whispered to Mahira as he saw her lips moving, he leaned closer to her lips to hear what she was saying.

“I know you…” Her voice waned and soon her eyes lost their focus and fainted with only one word falling out of her mouth. “Adit.”

“What happened?” Advit whispered as he cradled Mahira close to her, his will wavering looking at her closed eyes. His arms tightened.

“I don’t know… she just wanted to meet you.” Abhaya looked at Mahira questioning herself whether what she did was correct or not. Was her help in making her remember everything really a right choice?

Abhaya suddenly wasn’t so sure of herself anymore.

Advit picked Mahira in his arms as he looked at her sweat soaked face. He suddenly regretted allowing her out of his sight but then, how can he stop her? He will give her whatever she wanted, except letting her go away from himself.

Mahi, wake up and look at me before I go mad. Pagal ho jaunga main ek din.

Advit looked at the gate before moving forward with her in his arms giving his mother who just came down to sit in the hall a shock.

Her face looked worried with a tear leaking from her eyes as she closed them tightly. Finally, Advit helped Mahira lay down and in all lf this, his mother not for once looked at Mahira again.

“What happened to Mahi?” Milani asked and when she did not receive an answer, she turned towards Abhaya who was looking down and asked again. “Abhaya, kya hua hain meri beti ko?”

“Mom,” Abhaya looked at Milani and then looked down and said, “I don’t know.”

“Really?” Milani looked at Abhaya and finally turned to look at Advit.

“Your dad isn’t here and you can’t even protect his best friend’s daughter? Is this how your people work, Advit? My daughter is unconscious because my son and daughter couldn’t protect her!” Milani shouted at Advit and Abhaya while the guards supposed to protect them lowered their heads in shame.

“Listen to me, Advit. She is my daughter, she became my daughter when she came battered and feared women yet allowed me close to her just because I was the one who held her close when she was close to dying...”

“...she became my daughter when she trusted me with herself! And the people who I trusted to take care of her brought her back unconscious, how wonderful!”

Milani felt furious at the thought of her daughter lying there unconscious just like when she first came…

Her heart ached and finally, her face hardened.

“Abhaya, if I found that Mahi is ill because of your antiques, I’ll make sure you will never even think of doing any of it again.”

“yes, mom.” Abhaya nodded and her eyes stared at Advit who was also looking at their mother.

“I am with Mahi, and Advit, come with me, I want to talk to you about something.” Milani turned to go back inside Mahira’s room but stopped short of it.

“Abhaya, go to your room and till Mahi doesn’t wake up, you are grounded.” Before Abhaya even said anything, Milani looked at the guard standing there and the guard helped Abhaya to her room.

-

“What are you doing Advit?” Milani questioned as her hand pushed any hair that was on Mahira’s face.
Her hands were caressing her forehead while her worried eyes traced for any sign of consciousness.

“What do you mean, Mom?” Advit asked as she stood right beside his mother who looked tensed, too tensed than one would be for a friend’s daughter.

“I told you, I will give you time, enough time to get what you want.” Milani said and Advit looked at her with interest but his features hardened when he heard her next words.

“you are in love with Mahi? I won’t allow it, she doesn’t deserve people like us, she deserves better, better than sinners.” Milani said as she felt the temperature in the room fall to a chilling ratio.

“Did I allow you to make decision for me, mom?” Advit said as he took a seat right next to Mahi and held her hand in his.

He looked at his mother and continued, “And about getting what I want, I never asked for anyone’s permission, I don’t need it. She is the one and except for her, I don’t need anyone’s input on my decision.”

His mother stared head at him and said, “Why? She is innocent, Advit, she doesn’t deserve all we came from. She has already suffered enough!”

“So what?!” His shout startled Milani who looked at him in anger.

“I won’t push her in hell!” Milani glared as she carved her words one by one.

“You don’t have to, mom, believe me. I will be her haven. Mom, if it’s about her, I won’t let anyone come in between. Not even you or even her.” Advit looked dead in her eyes.

“Advit, she doesn’t deserve this madness. Manish would never agree to you being with her.” Milani said as a tear fell from her eyes.

“I don’t care and nobody can stop me from coming close to her. Mom, you didn’t even know her when I held her, protected her. Nobody was there when I was, all she had was me and all I had was her. Yeh sirf zidd nahin hain, meri zaroorat hain aur main iski zaroorat hoon.” He looked at Mahira’s pale face that was slowly regaining color and looked at his mother who was looking at him with tear.

He wiped her tear with his right hand and said, “I will be the best for her, please Mom, trust me on this.”

His plea pulled more tears out of Milani’s eyes and she pulled herself together.

“Fine, but it will be her call.” Advit nodded at her words and looked at Mahira before leaning in to kiss her hand.