Shades of Bonds - ✔ [Completed] #Book2

28. Both are Same!

Aaryaveer's Pov

Regret and pain.

That's what I felt when I heard what horrers my sister had to go through. She had to face those things at the age when kids don't aren't even aware of who is right and who is wrong.

Part of me yearns to cry alongside her, to share in her sorrow, but another part fears that displaying vulnerability might make her feel weaker. She has endured so much already; she doesn't deserve any more pain.

I couldn't shield my baby sister from harm. I failed every time. Why did God have to burden her with all this pain? Why not me?

Now, all I can think of is setting fire to that man, watching him suffer every agony imaginable. How can someone be so monstrous?

I remember the way she pleaded, and I stood there, utterly helpless. I wish I could erase her pain, but I'm helpless.

Please Veer, get him out of here, please

He t-touched me Veer, he touched me. 

I will fucking kill that bastard. He will scream for every instance of pain she endured, for every year of her unshed tears. He will suffer the most agonizing death.

Before anything else, I need to check on her. She hasn't come out of her room in a while, nor has she spoken to anyone. I know it's difficult for her to open up, but she needs to clear her mind.

Leaving Aarav to work on the system, I stood up from the study and made my way to her room. She had kept the lights off, but at least the door wasn't locked.

"Aashu?" I knocked softly before slowly pushing the door open. Her sobs echoed in the dimly lit room. Another figure caught my eye, and I realized Akshara was with her. It's good, she shouldn't be alone at this time.

Her sobs intensified, and as I moved to turn on the lights, Akshara stopped me with a gentle gesture. I quietly took a seat in the corner of her bed, while she remained curled up on her knees, resting her head on Akshara's shoulder.

Perhaps she hadn't noticed my presence in the darkness, so I stayed silent, allowing her to grieve in her own way.

"Bhabhi, log aise kyu hote hai?" she asked between sobs. "Aap log bolte ho bhagwanji har jagah hote hai to uss din kyu nhi the?"
("Bhabhi, why do people like that exist?" she asked between sobs. "You say that God is everywhere, so why wasn't He there that day?")

"Aisa nhi hai baccha, har koi accha nhi ho sakta na.."

("It's not like that, dear. Not everyone can be good...")

Y-you know, he was playing a game with me, blindfolding me," she whispered, her voice quivering. "N-no one was at h-home. I couldn't see him, but I knew it wasn't r-right..."

"Ssh... you're strong, aren't you?" Akshara asked, gently caressing her back.

"No, I'm not," came the tearful response.

"Why? You are a strong girl, the strongest I have ever seen," Akshara reassured her.

"No," came her blunt reply. "No one is strong until they overcome their fears and defeat them."

"Since that incident, I shut myself down," she continued, her voice heavy with pain. "They started calling me strange in school, and I vented out all my frustration on my classmates and seniors. That led to me being expelled from all the big schools, and he sent me to a hostel, where I gave up once again. I would have drowned and died in that world of alcohol, but I met a few men. They weren't good, and they didn't want me to be either. I chose darkness. Leonardo and his men taught me to fight and kill, with a deal to kill a man for him. Y-you know, I might sound unreasonable, but somehow I was comforted by killing him. I t-thought I had gained power, that I was s-strong now. I joined a fighting arena with a fake name to convince myself I was s-strong, to fool my brain into thinking I wasn't the same girl. But in reality, I never became strong. H-he won each and e-every time. He c-can still pull me with strings. Do you misunderstand a porcelain toy like me to be strong? Because I am anything but strong."