Alia heard everything from the entrance and left from there to her room. She sat in a shock. "Did bhai really blackmail dad? He didn't tell mom anything, because... Because he wanted money, that too around one lac... Wait a second, Nalini didi... Her medicines also costed this much only, I will call Pragati didi," she said to herself and grabbed her phone and dialed her number. She picked it on third ring. "Hallo Alia," she said.

"Pragati didi, once you told me that Dev bhaiya arranged medicines for Nalini didi, right? How much it cost? Can you tell again?" Alia asked. "Around one lac, but why? What happened?" Pragati asked looking at Nalini who was lost as usual. "No, nothing, I will talk later," she said and the call disconnected. Alia placed her phone aside. "Strange, Nalini didi's medicine also cost one lac, I know bhai blackmailed dad and didn't tell mom anything, he did bad, but his intention for taking money was good, it was to help Nalini didi. Dad got blackmailed, but... Wait a second, I remember one more thing, what about that? What I saw in childhood was also suspicious which I forgot while growing up and never got a chance to ask, but now I remember," she said to herself and got thinking.

Flashback:
Alia was passing by Dev's room while she was little, she was ready for school. She saw Karan  with Dev, he had made him ready that day and was tying his shoe laces. "Dev beta, you won't tell anyone anything, right? Look if you do, then no treats for you, one week without any treats, okay?" he asked.

Dev smiled and shook his head. "I won't tell anyone, the secret is safe with me," Dev said, Karan  smiled at him. "Good boy," he said, Dev hugged him, he hugged him back. "What will you not tell Dev bhaiya?" Alia asked entering the room, they broke the hug and looked at her then at each other. "Nothing Alia," Karan  said. "Tell me as well, I am also your child," Alia said and pouted. "Okay okay, it's just that... Your Dev bhaiya didn't take a bath today before getting ready," he said, Dev gasped, Alia raised her eyebrows.

"What kind of a secret is that? Is it even a secret? Bhai always takes a bath after he comes from school and not before school," she said, Dev laughed and stood up and went to her. "Aray chhoti, he was joking, the secret was that we are planning a surprise party for mom, her birthday is coming, but you don't have to tell mom about it, done?" he asked and she turned away from him. "No, this is not the secret you were talking about, cutty," she said and ran away. "Aray chhoti!" Dev called after her but to no avail and looked at Karan  who blinked his eyes in assurance.

Fb end.

"What was the actual secret? What else did bhai and dad hid? It's useless to ask dad I think, he won't tell like before, bhai isn't there, what kind of torture is this God?" she asked looking up fed up of her life and once again she got thinking. "That wasn't the only time, it happened again as well," she said recalling all of it.

Flashback :

"Baby, Dev, what happen? Why are you sad?" Karan  asked Dev hugging him, Dev was a little sad. Alia passed by and stopped in her tracks and watched the duo. Karan  saw her and smiled at her to cover up. "Alia, baby I need to talk to your brother in loneliness, I am taking him inside, okay, I will talk later," he said, Dev got away from him and looked at Alia who came up to him. She held his face with her tiny hands. "What happen? Why are you sad?" she asked, he was about to tell. "Alia, baby go play, I am talking to him baby, go I will come to you later," Karan  said, Alia left his face and placed her hands on her hips.

"I know what will make bhai happy, bhai, come play with me?" she asked and he nodded happily. Karan  looked on. She held his hand and took him away.

Fb end.

"Why was bhai sad? For what exactly? This is too complicated, I have seen so much yet I didn't get the answer to anything. One day bhai was crying as well," she said to herself and again got thinking.

Flashback:
One night, Dev was sitting with Karan  as he couldn't sleep, he was crying for some reason and had his head in Karan 's lap. Alia couldn't sleep as well and came to that room but stopped in her tracks seeing them like that, it was the first time ever she had seen them like that. It was very uncommon for her. But it was very usual for her to see Dev with Ishwari daily, he used to go to her if he couldn't sleep and here he was with Karan .

Ishwari came out of the washroom and saw them and smiled. "Oh wow, you both father and son are so cute," she said. Karan  smiled, Dev didn't move an inch, his hair were continuously caressed by Karan . Ishwari came forward and saw Alia outside the room.

"Aray, Aloo jaan, baby come inside," she said and Alia walked inside with baby steps. Dev lifted his head and looked at her. "Mom, please make me sleep, I can't sleep," she said. "Okay baby," Ishwari said and picked her and placed her on the bed and lied by her side to make her sleep. "Mom, bhai always comes to you so you make him sleep, but now he is with papa which is very unusual, he never does that," she said. "It was for a change," Ishwari said.

Alia turned her head to Dev. "Is it correct?" she asked, he nodded and smiled at her. She smiled back. "Okay," she said and closed her eyes, Ishwari also slept. Dev looked at Karan , he smiled at him and Dev placed his head in his lap again.

Fb end.

"I was thinking too much or was it really unusual?" she asked herself but then again remembered something.

Flashback:

Since being little, Alia always wanted her brother around and wanted to play with him always so whenever she was in a mood, she would go try to find him and that day also she was finding him here and there in the house. While searching, she stopped at her parents' room and saw Dev crying in front of Karan . She got suspicious and hid herself peeping inside careful to not be seen. "Dev, bacha, look you can't tell your mom about this, not at all, she may suffer trauma, please try to understand," he said and hugged Dev. Alia walked inside, Karan  saw her and broke the hug and quickly wiped Dev's tears and made him sit by his side. "Why was bhai crying? Bhai what happen?" she asked Karan  and then asked Dev.

"Nothing beta," Karan said. Alia ignored him and sat near Dev. "What happen bhai? Why are you sad? Why were you crying?" she asked and he looked at Karan . "Beta Alia, he failed in exams, that's why," Karan  said. "That isn't convincing at all, you both are hiding something from me," she said. "No one is hiding anything beta," he said. "Nooo! You are hiding something, bhai tell," she said. Dev stood up all of a sudden. "Enough of this questioning Alia, enough! I am elder and not you, so stop being fussy and remember this was the thing because of which I was crying, okay!" he said raising his voice.

Alia was shocked at his behavior, he never raised his voice at her before, she stood up slowly and her eyes pooled up with tears. Dev realized what had he done and held her face but she jerked away his hands. Karan  stood up and came to her holding her tiny face. "Baby, don't be sad, please," he said and wiped her tears. "Bhai raised his voice at me," she said and looked down sadly, Karan  looked at Dev who came forward and held his ears.

"I am sorry, I won't do it again, I am guilty, it came out all of a sudden, I know you won't agree like this, so I will do sit ups in front of you," he said and began to do sit ups and she looked on and he fell in between. She got concerned and sat down helping him. "Enough enough, its okay, sorry you fell because of me, sorry sorry," she said apologetically. He smiled and stood up and made her stand as well. "Its okay, and sorry by my side too, this was the first and last time," he said and she smiled and hugged him, he hugged her back. Dev looked at Karan  who came and joined the hug.

Fb end.

"That day also bhai was crying so much and I don't think exams can be a reason for that, and why would mom have trauma by his failure? If he would have failed, she would have simply encouraged him and not scolded him. But that outburst wasn't normal as well, I forgave him but still I think he had some reason to do that, why bhai? I can't get your crying face out of my mind, I just can't, come back to me please, I am on a hunger strike for the second time now. First your disappearance and then this divorce, I can't take it. Neither is bhai here with me nor my father, if I tell mom she will surely get tensed and she's already tensed, God please help me, bhaiya," she said sadly and her vision became blurry by tears, she looked at his photo and cried. His clothes were scattered around her bed for his scent so that she feels near him but he himself wasn't there with her. She cried and cried until she was out of breathe and badly needed water but sadly she was on thirst strike as well, she coughed and fell on the bed and closed her eyes becoming unconscious.