Chapter 45: Chapter 42

The room was quiet except for the faint hum of the ceiling fan. Raghav sat on the edge of the bed, holding a crumpled piece of paper in his hand—the note Samar had left behind. It was short, scribbled in haste, yet heavy with implication.

“Don’t come home. He’s here. Stay away”

Raghav stared at the note, his jaw tightening. The words gnawed at him, refusing to leave his mind. Siya had been distant ever since the party was announced, her smiles forced, her laughter hollow. He couldn’t ignore it any longer.

Siya sat in bed, flipping through a book she wasn’t reading. Raghav walked over and stood in front of her, the note clenched in his hand.

“Siya”, he said, his voice low but firm.

She looked up, startled by his tone. “What is it?”

He held out the note. “I found this. Samar left it, didn't he?”

Siya froze, her face draining of color. “Where did you find it?”

Raghav watched her carefully. “Is there something I need to know about your uncle?"

Her hands trembled as she placed the book aside. “Raghav, I don’t want to talk about this.”

“You don’t have a choice”, he said, sitting across from her. His voice softened, but his resolve didn’t waver. “Siya, I need you to trust me. Whatever it is, I promise you, I’ll handle it”.

She looked away, her eyes filling with tears. “You don’t understand. This isn’t something I can just—”

“Siya,” he interrupted gently, leaning closer. “I’ve seen how you’ve been since this party was announced. I see the fear in your eyes every time Vikram’s name comes up. I can’t protect you if I don’t know what’s going on”.

Her shoulders slumped, and a tear slid down her cheek. “You can’t protect me from the past, Raghav”.

“Maybe not”, he admitted, “but I can protect you from letting it destroy your present. Please, Siya. Tell me”.

She looked at him, her lips trembling. For a moment, she seemed ready to shut him out, but something in his eyes—his unwavering determination, the promise of safety—broke through her walls.

Siya exhaled shakily and wiped her face. “It happened three years ago”.

Raghav’s heart tightened, but he said nothing, waiting for her to continue.

“My uncle… Vikram”, she began, her voice barely above a whisper. “He would come over to visit my parents often. Everyone thought he was this charming, respectable man. My parents adored him. They never suspected anything”.

Her hands twisted in her lap, and Raghav reached out, placing his hand over hers. “I’m here," he said softly. “Take your time”.

She nodded, closing her eyes as if summoning the strength to continue. “One evening, my parents were out, and Samar was supposed to be watching me. But he left to hang out with his friends. I was alone when Vikram showed up, claiming he was just dropping something off”.

Her voice broke, and Raghav’s grip on her hand tightened.

“I didn’t think anything of it”, she said, tears streaming down her face. “He was family. I trusted him. But that night…” She paused, swallowing hard. “That night, he—he touched me, Raghav. He didn’t stop, no matter how much I begged him to”.

Raghav’s chest tightened with fury, but he forced himself to stay calm for her sake.

“When my parents came home, I told them”, Siya continued, her voice trembling with the weight of the memory. “I told them everything. But they didn’t believe me. They said I must have misunderstood, that Vikram would never do something like that. They even scolded me for making up lies about him”

She let out a bitter laugh. “And Samar? He came home halfway through it. He saw Vikram leaving the house. I thought he’d believe me, but when I told him what happened, he just said I was imagining things”.

Raghav felt a surge of guilt for all the times he’d been indifferent to Siya’s guarded nature. “Siya”, he said, his voice breaking. “I’m so sorry”.

She shook her head, wiping at her tears. “I stopped trying to tell anyone after that. What was the point? My own family didn’t believe me. They kept inviting Vikram over, treating him like nothing had happened. And every time he came, he’d look at me with this… smirk, like he knew he’d won”.

Raghav couldn’t hold back anymore. He moved to sit beside her and pulled her into his arms. Siya stiffened at first, but then she melted into the embrace, sobbing against his chest.

“You didn’t deserve any of that”, he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. “None of it was your fault, Siya. You were just a kid, and they failed you”.

She clung to him, her tears soaking his shirt. “I tried so hard to forget, Raghav. But every time I see him, it all comes back. I can’t breathe knowing he’ll be there, acting like the perfect uncle while I have to pretend everything’s fine”.

Raghav gently pulled back, cupping her face in his hands. “Listen to me, Siya. You don’t have to pretend anymore. Not with me. I believe you, and I swear to you, I’ll never let him hurt you again”.

“But how?” she whispered, her voice filled with despair. “He’s so powerful, Raghav. He always gets away with everything”.

“Not this time”, Raghav said, his jaw tightening. “I don’t care how powerful he thinks he is. He won’t touch you or come near you again. I’ll make sure of it”.

Siya looked at him, her eyes searching for any hint of doubt. But all she found was unwavering determination.

“You’re not alone in this anymore”, he said softly. “I’ll stand by you, no matter what. And if he even thinks about coming near you, he’ll regret it.”

For the first time in years, Siya felt a glimmer of hope. She leaned into him, letting the warmth of his embrace chase away the cold grip of her memories.

“Thank you”, she whispered.

“You don’t have to thank me”, Raghav replied, his voice steady. “This is what it means to protect someone you care about. And I care about you, Siya”.

More than I realized.

Siya closed her eyes, the weight of her secret finally lifting. For the first time since that terrible night, she felt safe, in his arms.