By the time Siya reached Class 2, the world had moved on from her pain.
And surprisingly, so had she.
She had buried the trauma so deep, it started to feel like someone else's story.
She focused on school, friends, games-and her very first crush.
A boy from her coaching class.
He was smart. Funny. Sat beside her every day.
She never told him, though. Never even gave a hint.
Because it wasn't love-it was just the kind of tiny, soft dream you fold and keep inside your school diary.
And then... she left coaching after Class 6.
Just like that, the dream was over.
Siya didn't even cry about it.
Life had taught her early-nothing really stays.
So she smiled, waved goodbye, and walked into the best days of her life.
Class 7 passed, and then came... the lockdown.
The only escape Siya had ever known-school-was gone.
Trapped inside four walls, surrounded by silence, chores, and boredom.
But then... came her hero.
The phone.
She told her parents she was doing online classes.
Which was technically true.
Except... classes started at 9 AM, and her Instagram opened at 9:02.
She'd turn on her camera, mute the mic, and dive straight into reels.
Dance, comedy, edits, cat videos, emotional girl quotes-she consumed it all like it was oxygen.
And for a while?
Life felt chill.
No more coaching, no more uniforms, no more forced smiles.
Just the internet, her phone, and a quiet little world she created for herself.
Behind her house, there were rental rooms-her father's side business.
One of the tenants there was a boy.
Let's call him... Sagar.
A walking cringe compilation.
Sagar had no job, no vibe, and absolutely no concept of personal space.
But he had one thing-a full-blown crush on Siya.
One day, out of nowhere, he popped up like a jump scare.
"Siya... I love you. Be mine."
She blinked. Thought it was a prank.
Laughed. Walked away.
But Sagar was built different.
He came back the next day. And the next. And the next.
And then one day... he pulled the most legendary move in the Desperate Lovers Handbook-
He cut his hand.
Yes. You read that right.
Cut his hand. Showed it to her dramatically like he was auditioning for a sad serial on Colors TV.
"Say yes or I'll die!"
Siya stared in horror. Not because of the blood.
Because of the audacity.
She rolled her eyes so hard she saw last week.
But for the sake of her own peace-and maybe because she didn't want a murder case on her hands-she said:
"Fine. Okay. Yes. I love you. Whatever."
Cue the dramatic violin music in his head.
From that day, he acted like he had won a trophy, and Siya became an accidental girlfriend.
She tried to act happy.
"You're my life, Sagar!"
"Oh my God, I missed you so much!"
"I love you tooooo 💞"
(Sent with the same enthusiasm she uses when cleaning her room.)
But every time he tried to hold her hand, she'd mentally scream.
And the day he kissed her cheek?
EWW.
Her soul left her body.
She smiled, sure. Even kissed him back.
But deep down, she was just:
"Jaldi jao yaha se... sanitizer do koi ðŸ˜"
It was funny. Annoying. Messy.
And finally, over.
They left the rental room one day without a word.
And Siya didn't miss them for even a second.
But just when life seemed normal again...
something snapped.
That same day Sagar and his family moved out,
Siya's father came home drunk. Very drunk.
Angrier than she had ever seen him.
He had heard a rumor-someone told him Siya had abused someone from the neighborhood.
She didn't.
It was her brother.
Her sweet, manipulative little brother who had said something ugly and blamed it on her.
Before Siya could defend herself,
her father picked up a wooden stick.
And without a second thought,
he beat her.
Not once. Not twice.
But again and again.
On her arms. Her back. Her legs.
Until her voice broke from screaming.
Until her mother finally pulled him away.
She didn't cry because of the pain.
She cried because this wasn't about punishment.
It was about not being seen. Not being heard. Not being believed. Again.
Her body burned.
But her heart?
It shattered.
No one asked her side.
No one checked the truth.
She was guilty just because she was the daughter.
And her brother?
He stood behind the door. Watching. Smirking.
Untouched. Innocent.
That night, Siya didn't sleep.
She stared at the ceiling, replaying everything.
From Sagar's "proposal" to the stick in her father's hand.
This is what life felt like for her-
a joke one day and a nightmare the next.
But she wasn't done.
She would never be done.
Because even broken glass can cut.
And Siya?
She was learning to bleed quietly...
but she was also learning to fight.