The arrangements were in place. Vansh Ahuja would be out tonight, driving with his girlfriend. The timing was perfect, the circumstances lined up just right. No one would suspect a thing.

It would appear as a tragic accident—swift, unexpected, and final. All that was left was for the plan to unfold.

Timeskip

"Vansh and Sakshi were driving to the theater for a movie date when suddenly, Vansh's car lost its balance.

'Vansh, kya hua?' (Vansh, what happened?) Sakshi asked worriedly, seeing the car swerve out of control.

'Pata nahi... tum seat belt—' (I don’t know... your seat belt—) Vansh was about to finish his sentence when, in a split second, a truck in full speed came barreling toward them. Sakshi immediately opened the car door, pushed Vansh out, and jumped herself.

That’s the only thing she remembers. That’s the only thing Vansh remembers.

Adwait, who was in a nearby area, witnessed Vansh and Sakshi narrowly escaping death. Without wasting a moment, he called his team, rescued Sakshi from the wreckage, and ensured she received the best medical treatment possible.

But he left Vansh there to die."

Vansh wasn't injured enough to die, but the pain and confusion were overwhelming. The public, witnessing the wreckage, had called his family, who rushed to the hospital.

Vansh was admitted and treated for two days. Slowly, his condition improved, and he recovered, though the emotional toll lingered. He couldn’t shake the thoughts of Sakshi, desperately trying to find her, but the people around him only whispered that maybe she had died when the car exploded.

When Vansh finally returned home, a chilling message from an unknown number flashed on his phone: "You should not have come in my way."

His blood ran cold. Who would send such a cryptic message? Without hesitation, Vansh sent the number to his team to track it down. The results were devastating.

It was Adwait.

Vansh decided not to tell his family about Sakshi. He couldn’t bear the thought of adding more worry to their already heavy hearts, especially with his own condition still unstable. He kept the truth to himself, burying his grief deep within.

Years passed, and the pain of losing Sakshi never fully left him. He grieved in silence, day after day, consumed by the haunting memories of that night. But when Devisha returned to India after two years, he forced a smile, donning a mask of happiness for the world, pretending as though everything was fine.

What he didn’t realize was that the misunderstanding between him and Adwait—the very root of their hatred—had been seeded long ago. Adwait, in a fragile state of mind, had made reckless decisions without truly understanding the consequences. And Vansh? He was nothing more than a pawn in the twisted game orchestrated by Akriti.

___________________________________________

Akriti entered the slum today, a proud smile playing on her lips. Her plan had been set into motion, and she was now only a few steps away from achieving her revenge.

But revenge on whom? Her own son. Yes, that's what happens when hatred blinds you—when you can’t see that you are the very cause of the pain around you. You become consumed by your own vengeance, and in the process, you only think of yourself, your anger, and the suffering it will bring to others. A revenge that would destroy countless lives, all for the sake of your own bitterness.

As for Akriti's revenge, it was meaningless. What had Adwait ever done to deserve everything he had endured since childhood?

Akriti entered her house, a triumphant smile on her face.

"Aaj tum itni zyada khush kaise ho?" (Why are you so happy today?) Aayush asked, noticing the satisfaction in her expression.

"Kaam ho gaya. Adwait ki zindagi ab apne aap barbad hoti jayegi, jab uski girlfriend, jis se woh itna pyaar karta hai, woh yeh jaanegi ki Adwait ne uske pyaare bhai ke saath kya kiya hai," (The job is done. Adwait's life will now destroy itself when his girlfriend, whom he loves so much, finds out what he did to her beloved brother.) Akriti replied, smirking.

"Par in sab se hume kya mila? Aur yeh sab chhodo, tumhe itne paise kaun de raha hai yeh sab kaam karne ke liye?" (But what do we get out of all this? And forget this—who's paying you so much money for all this?) Aayush asked.

"Tumhe kya lagta hai, main aisi airi-gairi hoon?" (Do you think I’m some random nobody?) Akriti said, her smirk widening.

"Matlab?" (What do you mean?) Aayush asked, confused.

"D&T Finance itni chhoti company nahi hai. Aur jitni badi company, utne zyada rivals. Maine un companies ke baare mein information nikali, Aur mujhe laga ki kuch log kitne gir sakte hain D&T ko girane ke liye. Toh maine bas jaake unko mera plan bataya, aur baaki saare kaam un logon ne mere kehne par kar diye. Aur upar se yeh jhopde ka barha bhi de diya, kyunki tum toh yahan ghar baithke daaru peene ke alawa kuch karoge nahi," (D&T Finance isn’t a small company. The bigger the company, the more rivals it has. I gathered information about those companies. There, I realized how low people could stoop to bring D&T down. So, I pitched my plan to them, and they did all the work on my instructions. And on top of that, they gave me this slum property because all you do is sit at home and drink.)

"Ab raha sawal, in sab se hume kya mila? Toh Adwait ab weak hai, toh uska competitor, jisne hume madad ki, D&T ko khatam kar dega. Aur us company ke 5% ke hum hisedar hain, kyunki humara plan successful ho gaya," (Now, about what we got—Adwait is weak now, and his competitor, who helped us, will destroy D&T. And we now own 5% shares in that company because our plan was successful.) Akriti said, grinning.

But little did Akriti know, her plan was far from successful. Adwait had changed—he wouldn't be lenient anymore. The sunshine boy everyone once adored had transformed into someone cold, calculating, and relentless. A man who would not hesitate to destroy anyone standing in his way.

As Akriti and Aayush reveled in what they thought was their victory, a soft knock echoed through their door.

Akriti opened it to find a man who handed her a small box before walking away without a word.

Curious, Akriti opened the box. Inside was a letter, along with some money. She unfolded the letter, her fingers trembling slightly as she read:

---

Dear Mom,
Or should I say birth giver? Because that's the only value you hold in my life.

This letter is a warning. If you try to come near me or my family, know this: I am your blood, and the cruelty that runs through my veins is no less than yours.

So here’s a simple piece of advice: Stay away.

Your hater,
Adwait.

---

Akriti’s eyes widened for a brief moment before she quickly masked her shock. But Aayush, watching her, snatched the letter from her hand, his face draining of color as he read the unmistakable threat.

They hadn’t expected Adwait to recover after being left for dead, let alone come back with the strength to send such a chilling message. The weight of the letter sank in—it was clear. They may have caused irreparable damage to Adwait’s life, but in the process, they had gained nothing. They had achieved no real victory. No sense of purpose.

Flashback ends.

Adwait’s mind was a whirlwind of chaos. His breath quickened as the memories flooded him, all the pain, all the years of torment, crashing over him in relentless waves. He screamed in frustration, smashing everything within reach with a raw, uncontrollable force.

Suddenly, his knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down his face as he pulled at his hair, choking on his sobs.

"Why? Why did all this happen to me? What did I do to deserve such a childhood? When my life was finally perfect, why did that woman come back into it? Now, when I thought I could live a normal life with the one I love, I realize it's impossible because of everything I did to Vansh."

His body trembled with the weight of the realization. He didn’t know when he passed out, but in that moment, all that remained was the suffocating ache of regret.