𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 21

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The room was drenched in an eerie silence as the last rays of the evening sun bathed the space in a dim, orange glow

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The room was drenched in an eerie silence as the last rays of the evening sun bathed the space in a dim, orange glow.

The weight of Aisha's past, now laid bare, hung heavily in the air. It was almost suffocating, like the stillness before a storm.

Aditya sat on the cold floor, an ice pack pressed against his bruised face—his punishment delivered by Divyansh and Vikram, who had lost control the moment they learned of his betrayal towards Aisha.

Everyone else was frozen, their minds reeling. The once-shining, confident Aisha was nothing more than a shattered girl, hiding her scars behind a mask none of them had ever seen through. She had lived in silence, carrying the weight of her pain alone.

Breaking the silence, Gaurav, his voice was steady, but the grief etched in his eyes was unmistakable.

"Now that everyone knows," he began, his gaze landing on each person in the room before settling on Anaya with a cold, hard look, "I want to make one thing clear—so there's no misunderstanding about Aisha."

He scoffed, glaring at Anaya, who shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "Some might still blame her, but Aisha isn't a murderer." His voice wavered, but his conviction remained firm. "She didn't kill my brother."

"It was an accident," Gaurav continued, his voice breaking. "When Aisha was in the ninth grade. She was almost hit by a truck, but Sohail...he was in sixth grade. He...saved her." Gaurav's breath hitched as he spoke, the pain of the memory overwhelming him. "He sacrificed himself for her. He saved his big sissy."

His shoulders trembled, and Manvi quickly pulled him into her arms as he sobbed quietly, the weight of his brother's death pressing down on him.

The others in the room stared in shock, unable to fully grasp what they had just heard.

Ayush wiped away the tears that had gathered in his eyes. His voice trembled as he spoke, "Buddy always wanted to be Aisha's hero...and that day, he became one for real."

The revelation settled like a heavy stone in the pit of their stomachs. They had known Aisha was broken, but now they understood just how deep her wounds went.

Veer, standing by the window, his fists clenched tightly at his sides, asked through gritted teeth, "I hope that truck driver is rotting in jail."

Radhika nodded. "Yes, he—"

"No," Gaurav interrupted, shaking his head, bitterness coating his words. "He's not."

Everyone turned to Gaurav, confusion spreading across their faces.

Aditya blinked, "What do you mean?"

Gaurav's expression darkened, anger simmering beneath the surface. "I did some digging in secret. The driver was bailed out within a year. Someone powerful pulled strings to get him out." He paused, taking a deep breath. "And this...this wasn't an accident. That truck was meant to kill Aisha."

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