Note : This chapter isn't about Mishti. This is about her family's reaction to her wounds and the revelations of the previous chapter. I believe it was a huge shock for most of them and everyone needed due time to react to what they saw. Especially Abir. So I wrote this from all of their perspectives - including Kuhu.

Happy Reading.

The nights had always been his favorite - his escape from the world he would never feel home in. The  starry sky smiling down on him, would always comfort him amidst the constant dull ache in his chest otherwise. But today, as hew walked down the familiar route to Rajvansh Sadan, he could feel the noose around his neck tightening with every step he took and for the first time in years, the same night sky that had always acted like a balm to his aching heart, felt like a dagger through him instead.

Probably it was one such night Mishti had ran that blade through her nimble skin?

Abir physically winced at the thought, his chest feeling heavier by each passing second. Only if he could cry out loud, or just scream maybe, he might be able to bear that thought but not a word escaped his clogged throat, neither tears escaped his red eyes. It was almost like he had been captivated in a trance - a limbo even.

Walking inside the mighty Rajvansh Sadan felt like walking on coals to him. It burnt him in his entirety, and he could feel the physical pain as he walked up the stairs. The house was otherwise silent, and dark.

Dark, he chuckled at the thought.

When had this place been anything except dark?

People lived here out of fear and obligations it seemed, the love between the family members just a curtain to hide the jealousy, the fear and the borderline “respect”.

Abir's smile grew bitter at the thought. How could people sleep in peace in this house after ruining an innocent life just like that, he would never know. He hadn't slept one night properly post that wretched day.

Abir felt his heart physically ache at that. He had a mother, always have had but he would never know what it feels like lying in her lap and cry out his pain, his guilt and his sheer hopelessness. He could keep finding a mother in Badi Maa and a home in Mishti, but that would never wipe the stain of being a homeless orphan from him.

He pushed open his door and dragged his tired body to the bed, but sat down on the floor instead. Pulling his knees to his chest, his hands made a mesh over them and he rested his head over that - hoping and wanting to cry, but the tears never came.

Footsteps did.

Meenakshi, Parul and a visibly stressed Kunal, the three people awake in the dead of the night, for their own reasons, waiting for Abir's return, made their way to his room, and stood by the door, but Abir didn't move. Didn't react. Didn't acknowledge anyone.

He kept sitting like a corpse, his eyes unfocused in the space, like everything inside him had died. And it had - in every literal meaning of the word.

Meenakshi took hastened steps, and sat down on the bed, just beside him.

"Abir?", she called out softly, wanting to probably say something but before she could speak Abir raised his head to look at her, and smiled.

"Congratulations Maa, Aap jeet gye", he managed to croak out, and finally the tears he had been so painstakingly wanting to bless him rolled out of his eyes.

Kunal sucked in a sharp breath at Abir's words, and Parul almost gasped. But Meenakshi Rajvansh continued to look at him, without speaking another word.

"All these years, I have felt loneliness like a second skin.  Maybe that was why I was so over enthusiastically involved with everyone - to belong, to be wanted. Also, I thought if I keep running away, keep ghosting you, one day you will miss me - more than the heir Abir, more than the ideal son Abir - maybe you would miss me, just Abir and come for me. You never did. But she did. She came for me Maa, she fought for me. Not once but thrice", Abir could feel the pain in his chest increasing as he forced out the words, but he continued, nevertheless.

Parul and Kunal frowned as Meenakshi face went pale.

"She jumped into fire for me Maa - for a painting she knew was important for me. Who else have ever given such gigantic importance to things I hold close?", Abir chuckled, shaking his head, "and then she found me before I could die in that accident too. She found me and somehow managed to get me to a hospital. My angry, voilent chorni, did it all", he smiled again, not looking at anyone in particular, "and then once again, she fought Mehul Kapadia alone - in a jungle, surrounded by goons. She could have died, she could have had it so much gone wrong - but she bore it all because she wanted to save me from his clutches. She even trusted you with me for me", Abir's smile dropped as Meenakshi tore her eyes away, but Abir didn't complain.

"And guess what I did to her? I called her 'Parayi' - the one person who has been my own more than anybody, I tagged her Parayi, a home breaker. I told the one person I trust with my life that she isn't worth my trust. I -", his voice broke as he dragged himself to stand up, “I drove the one person who saved me again and again to take her own life. I killed Mishti Maa, I killed her", Abir's words dropped down to a whisper as Parul screamed a loud "Abir" at his words and Kunal stumbled a few steps.

"And you know what? All these years, all this while your actions have broken my heart a multiple times, but never my spirit. But today when I watched that scar running through her arm, you know Maa what was the first thought that crossed my mind?", Abir's face was drenched with tears as he looked at his mother who looked like she had seen a ghost.

"I wished Mishti had failed to save me that day. I wished that accident could have killed me because maybe then, Mishti would have been spared the horror of falling in love with someone like me".

His voice resonated in the air for quite sometime while Abir chuckled again at the three faces staring at him aghast before he walked inside the washroom and shut the door on their faces.

-------

Naira couldn't fall asleep no matter how hard she tried. Every time she closed her eyes all she could see was a thirteen year old Mishti crying, begging to not be taken away. She finally gave up on sleeping and walked out of her room, extremely anxious.

To her bewilderment, she found Kuhu sitting on the sofa in drawing room, her head in her hands. Naira walked to her and sat down, keeping her hand on her shoulder, taking Kuhu by surprise.

"Naira Didi?", Kuhu wasn't expecting her at all, so finding Naira beside her was a little surprising - more so when she still hadn't settled with her confession of hating her a few hours ago, so she lowered her eyes and decided to be rather silent.

"My words hit you bad?", Naira smiled and questioned taking Kuhu's right hand in hers. Kuhu refrained herself from speaking, but the tears in her eyes were just the answer Naira needed.

"Have you ever stopped to wonder why exactly do you apparently hate Mishti?", Naira asked, making Kuhu stiffen.

"You say she snatched your grandparents away, she made you share things and blah blah blah - but Kuhu, do you say the same things for Ananya Di too? Aren't siblings supposed to share? Fight? Snatch? Of course in a healthy way. And Mishti is legally adopted daughter of this house. Why this jealousy?", Naira rubbed Kuhu's hand in circular motion as she continued,"Jealousy is a green-eyed monster Kuhu. It really makes us do evil actions - and you have done so in the past. You know that better. I am not saying Mishti haven't ever, but Kuhu, you need to understand that Mishti also has done anything and everything a sister would do for a sister. Nobody turns heaven and earth for her nemesis to get married to the person she loves. Nobody gets ready to leave her family on instructions of a random person for someone she hates. Kunal didn't love you, or he was a pawn in his mother's game - that has nothing to do with Mishti. You know that as well as I do. And after Mishti broke up, you did hold her - tried to atleast. You even warned Abir, your Bro for her sake. You don't hate her Kuhu, you never did. But how to handle this unnecessary jealousy you harbour is on you. I understand where you are coming from, your need to be loved and appreciated by people who took you in despite the history, but if you go wrong, become evil in your jealousy - it's on you. How to rectify that, is on you. If you want to rectify or not, that's also on you. And please for God's sake Kuhu, open your eyes and ears. The world isn't how Jasmeet Chachi tells you it is, far from it", Naira spoke at length, trying to drill some sense into Kuhu. If or not she listened or understood, was about Kuhu.

When Kuhu didn't speak yet, Naira stood up and was about to leave, when she felt a grip on her right hand.

"I didn't want her to die didi, I didn't -" Kuhu broke down and Naira immediately hugged her, letting her cry, her own eyes misty.

A scene filled Kuhu's mind immediately - of her pushing someone for Mishti to fall down the human pyramid on Janmashtami. Kuhu felt ashamed of herself at the memory. She couldn't say what exactly what she thought would happen from her action, but it did fill her with guilt and embarrassment. Naira was right, jealousy made monsters and Kuhu realized with wide eyes she too had become one.

-------

Rajshree wouldn't stop crying, and Visambhar sat holding his wife to his chest as she cried into his chest and he in her hairs.

They were this close to losing their daughter again, and unlike Akshara, this would have been their fault, or so they believed.

"I failed as a mother", Rajshree sobbed, "I failed to make her realize this was her home. Not a charity house. I failed to stop Jasmeet's tortures. I failed to guide Varsha enough to make Kuhu a better human. I failed Akshara because if she was here, Mishti would have been most treasured", Rajshree's words cut Visambhar deep but he could not disagree.

"We both failed, Shaurya ki Maa. We both failed. Previously also, we needed Abir to tell us how our daughter felt about us, about herself. We should have told her, emphasized on how we aren't her parents just for the sake of it, she is a daughter of this house as much as Kuhu or Ananya or Nishant. But this isn't the time to cry. We have to step up, we have to be the parents Mishti needs", he wiped his wife's tears who nodded at him, and accepting the situation.

The reminder of their night went in as they talked about Mishti and her childhood, trying to remind themselves of her smile and happy memories.

Sometimes that's what you need to pull yourself through sadness.

--------

Shaurya, Varsha or even Jasmeet had a troubled night too, for a variety of feelings clawing their minds.

But what was better and new, was Varsha woke up several times throughout the night to go check on Mishti.

One time she ran into Naira, who was sitting by Mishti's head, running her fingers through her hairs. Mishti seemed to be in deep sleep, if it was the relief of finally having let go of her secret burdening her chest, or just the happiness of having Abir with her, she could not say, but it felt good to watch her sleep like the little girl she was.

Another time she saw Rajshree and Visambhar standing by Mishti's door, watching over Naira and Mishti sleeping soundly, their hands entwined.

At some point, Kartik joined the girls too, sitting by Mishti's foot end and ending up sleeping sitting on the ground with his head on the bed.

Kuhu came in the wee hours of morning too, and found Nishant leaving Mishti's room, satisfied that Kartik Naira were already there. Their eyes met, but instead of accusations, Kuhu was welcomed into her brother's arms, and the duo spend the remainder of the dawn talking on the terrace. Kuhu was finally starting to see a world without Jasmeet's glasses, and it didn't seem so bad either.

Inside, at 5:45 am, Mishti's alarm began to ring, jerking Kartik up before the girls and he turned it off, half dazed and went back to sleep.

The sun finally rose, and the sky became its canvas yet again. But who was going to be colored in which shade, only time would tell.