Adwait was driving his car at full speed since he left the Ahuja mansion, not knowing where to go or what to do.

Adwait

It was all my fault. I ruined my life, but I was so blind in my hatred towards my parents that I didn't know I would destroy the only happiness left with me.

I parked my car when I realized I had reached my old house. I haven't entered this place in years, and today, I don't know why, but I feel the need to revisit it.

As soon as I open the door to the house, memories of my dark childhood flood back. I can hear everything—my screams, my so-called parents fighting with each other and hitting me. I remember it all. Sometimes I wish I didn't remember them, that I could forget all these memories the way I forgot everything when they hurt me that day, leaving me unconscious. For a while, I didn't remember anything. But then, suddenly, my so-called mom reentered my life, and glimpses of my past came rushing back—images of her hitting me, locking me up in darkness.

Flashback
Author

Adwait is 23 years old, happy with his life. With Devisha by his side, he had everything he could ask for. They were in a long-distance relationship because Devisha had gone to Paris for an internship. She had been there for a year. They talked occasseionally but couldn't speak often due to the time difference.

Adwait had taken over his father's business after completing his MBA. Since then, he had been managing everything perfectly.

Adwait

I was sitting in my cabin, going through some files, when a sudden knock distracted me.

"Come in," I said, not looking up from my file.

The door creaked open, followed by the sound of footsteps. I waited for the person to speak, but when no reply came, I looked up from my file to see a woman in her early 50s who looked very similar to me.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Oh, Adwait beta, kaise ho? (Oh, Adwait son, how are you?)" the woman spoke, her voice dripping with sweetness.

"Excuse me, who are you, ma'am?" I asked, confused by the scene unfolding before me.

"Oh, beta, ab toh tum apni maa ko pehchaan nahi rahe? kaise bete ho tum, huh? (Oh, son, now you don't recognize your own mother? What kind of son are you, huh?)" she said playfully, but I could sense the venom behind her words.

"Excuse me, ma'am. I think you're confused. I am not your son," I said firmly.

"Arre, Adwait—" (Oh, Adwait—) she began, but her words were interrupted when Ma and Papa rushed into the cabin, almost running.

"Dur raho mere bete se! (Stay away from my son!)" Ma warned, glaring at the lady.

"Arre, Devrani ji, aap kaisi hain? Aapne mujhse mera beta cheen liya aur kabhi milne bhi nahi aayi. Aur haan, ye mera beta hai agar aap bhool rahi hain toh. (Oh, sister-in-law, how are you? You took my son away from me and never even visited. And yes, he's my son, in case you've forgotten.)" the lady said, to Ma.

"Tumhara beta nahi hai woh! Tumne usko paida kiya hoga, par tum uski maa kabhi nahi ban paayi. (He's not your son! You might have given birth to him, but you were never his mother!)" Ma shouted.

What? This isn't possible. Suddenly, I started seeing flashes in my mind—scenes of a little me screaming. My head began to hurt a lot.

"Agh!" I groaned in pain.

"Kya hua beta? (What happened, son?)" I heard Ma's worried voice, but the pain in my head intensified, and then everything turned black.

_________________________________________________________

Back to present 

Adwait

I entered the house and saw my photo frame—me smiling at the camera, pretending to be happy when I wasn't happy at all. I had to smile in front of the camera, or else the beatings would increase. I picked up the photo frame and threw it on the floor. My anger at myself intensified. Why did I get those memories back that awful day? My life changed because of it.

If I hadn't remembered anything, none of this would have happened. I wouldn't have hated Vansh for something he never did. I wouldn't have ruined his life. And Devisha wouldn't have left me.

I broke everything in the room, screaming and shouting, hoping to subside my anger. But it only grew stronger with each broken object. I'm alone—all alone in this world. Am I so bad that I deserve this? I don't deserve anyone's love. I only deserve hatred from everyone—especially from the Ahujas. Because of me, their family faced so many problems.

I just want to die, but I can't. My mom and dad are waiting for me, the ones who sacrificed their own lives to protect me. They were the ones who brought me out of the hell that was my childhood. They decided to never have kids of their own just to take care of me.

Flashback

The daily routine of 7-year-old Adwait, who looked cheerful despite being brutally tortured by his parents, was to wake up in the morning, get dressed all by himself, and leave for school before his drunk parents woke up.

When he came back home, he would directly go to his room and hide to avoid being scolded or beaten. His parents hit him whenever their work didn't go as planned. By now, he was used to the beatings and had stopped begging them to stop because he knew crying would only worsen the punishment.

Punishment for being born. Adwait's parents never wanted him; he was their mistake, someone they despised. Because of him, they believed they lost everything. The day Adwait was born, his father lost his job,  he blamed everything on Adwait, saying that ever since he got the news of this baby coming into his life, his life had become a living hell, and everything was going wrong.

When he lost his job on the day Adwait was born, his anger intensified, and he wanted to throw Adwait away. But couldn't he needed money,  Adwait was a good reason for manipulating relatives for it.

Adwait used to cry initially because of this, but over time, he stopped crying. Eventually, he even stopped talking to anyone. He would just wake up, go to school, come back home, and lock himself in his room.

He used to eat whatever he got from the school's mid-day meals and nothing else throughout the day.

Today, again, when he returned home from school, his mom and dad were arguing about something. That's when his mom saw him.

"Dekho, aagaye laad sahab! Har roz school chale jaate hain, ghar pe jaise koi kaam hi nahi hota! (Look, the little lord has arrived! Every day, he just goes to school as if there's no work at home!)" his mom shouted, angry and completely drunk.

"Ma, main kar deta hoon. Kya kaam hai? (Mom, I'll do it. What work needs to be done?)" Adwait asked in his small voice.

"Mar jao, tum sabse bada kaam ho jayega! Tumhare paida hone ki wajah se hi toh aaj yeh haal hai mera. Meri hasti-khelti zindagi tumhari buri kismat ki wajah se khatam ho gayi. (Just die, that would be the biggest help! Because of your birth, my life is in this state. My once-happy life was ruined by your bad luck.)"

Adwait's mom yelled, grabbing him by the arms. She slapped him hard, causing his head to hit the table. Blood dripped from his head, and he lost consciousness.

It was the best day of his life because, he forgot everything that had happened to him.

Adwait's chacha (uncle) and chachi (aunt) entered the house to give them sweets for Diwali and saw Adwait lying there with blood dripping from his head. Seeing his parents not panicking or doing anything made them realize the reality.

"Adwait," his chacha said, rushing towards him.

"Bhabhi, yeh kya hua Adwait ko? Itna khoon beh raha hai uske sir se! Doctor ko toh bula lijiye. Aise toh aap usse mera beta, mera beta karke ghoomti rehti hain. (Sister-in-law, what happened to Adwait? He's bleeding so much from his head! At least call a doctor. You always go around saying my son, my son.)" his chachi said.

"Mar hi jaye toh achha hoga. Meri zindagi ko shanti milegi. (It'll be better if he dies. My life will finally find peace.)" Adwait's mom replied, showing no concern at all.

His chacha and chachi rushed out of the house, carrying Adwait with them to the hospital, not wanting to delay and risk his life further.

After some time, the doctor informed them that Adwait had lost all his memories and didn't remember anything.

His uncle and aunt ensured that his parents received the punishment they deserved and decided to give Adwait the life he truly deserved.