Rayaan's pov:

She was crying.

Right there where my cousins are, shoulders shaking, wiping at her face like that would somehow make her invisible.

I saw her. Of course, I did.

And?

What was I supposed to do run to her, say sorry, ask if she's okay? Please. That's not me.

She cried because I said the truth out loud. Because I didn't wrap it in soft words or false sympathy. I'm not here to make her feel better about her place in this world.

She needed to hear it. And if it stung, that's on her not me.

I leaned against the railing for a moment, watching her through the reflection in the glass. People were passing by, glancing her way, my cousins were probably thinking I was the villain in her sob story.

Let them think what they want. I'm not losing sleep over a few tears.

She's the one who came into my house, into my life, uninvited. And now she wants to play victim because I don't treat her like she's something special?

I pushed off the railing and walked away.

I had no interest in babysitting emotions I didn't cause.

She can cry if she wants. It doesn't change a thing.

I sat on my car they came behind me helping her like she was a little kid as they sat i drove off to home.

Arvi's pov:

I couldn't hold it in anymore.

The second I entered the room, I shut the door behind me and collapsed onto the bed. The silence of the mansion only made it worse made his words echo louder in my mind.

I pressed my face into the pillow, but the tears didn't stop. They soaked through. I didn't care anymore. I wasn't angry I was humiliated. He didn't just look at me like I was less... he made sure everyone else saw it too.

A knock at the door.

I didn't answer. But the door creaked open anyway.

"Arvi?" Aleesha's soft voice. I didn't look up.

She stepped in, followed by Arekha and Vanisha. I felt the bed dip beside me as they sat down. I quickly wiped my face, embarrassed to be seen like this, but it was too late. My eyes were swollen, my voice broken.

"We didn't saw what happened," Arekha said gently. "In the Mall. But we know Bhai told you something rude?"

Aleesha placed a hand on my back. "You didn't deserve that."

I sat up slowly, hugging my arms. "He hates me," I whispered. "I didn't even want to stay here... it was your Badi Maa who insisted."

"We know," Vanisha said, kneeling down so she was at eye level. "Bhai's just... he's furious that Mumma brought you here without telling him. And he takes it out on the wrong person."

I gave a hollow laugh. "I'm always the wrong person."

"No, you're not," Arekha said firmly. "He acts cold, but he's not heartless. He just... doesn't like losing control."

Aleesha nodded. "This mansion is his world. When something new enters it someone he doesn't understand he pushes back like that. It's his nature."

Vanisha gave me a soft smile. "It's not you, Arvi di. It's him. He doesn't know how to handle people who don't fall in line with his rules."

I didn't say anything. My throat was still tight, my heart still aching. But their words... they wrapped around me like a fragile kind of comfort.

He didn't care. That much was clear.

But they did.

And in this house of cold silence and harsh words... that meant something.

"Dont worry...I am okay," I assured them and they nodded.

I had finally stopped crying. Mostly. My eyes still burned, and my head felt heavy, but at least the sobs had faded into silence.

Arekha was still sitting beside me, Aleesha had curled up at the foot of the bed, and Vanisha was cross legged on the carpet, twirling a scrunchie between her fingers.

No one said anything for a moment. Then Aleesha suddenly muttered, "You know, this is why I keep telling Badi Maa to stop watching those dramatic soap operas. One emotional scene, and she starts adopting people like she's in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi."

I blinked. "...What?"

Vanisha grinned. "She's not wrong. If you were found on the road next to a temple and it was raining, that would've been peak serial adoption setup."

Arekha raised a brow. "Honestly, I was just waiting for her to hand you a family heirloom and say, 'Tum ab is ghar ki izzat ho, Arvi.'"

Despite myself, I laughed. A real one. It slipped out before I could stop it.

Aleesha gasped. "Did she just did she laugh? Is this the rebirth of Arvi 2.0?"

I shook my head, trying to hide the smile creeping onto my face. "You guys are insane."

Vanisha leaned in dramatically. "And you're stuck with us. That's the tragic twist."

"Tragic for who?" Arekha smirked. "We just adopted you into our chaos. You're welcome."

I bit my lip to keep from laughing again, but it was no use. The heaviness in my chest wasn't gone, but it had lightened just a little.

And somehow, in their weird, wonderful way, these girls were slowly gluing the broken pieces of me back together.

Rayaan's pov:

I stared out at the city lights from the balcony, the quiet hum of the night brushing against my skin. Everyone was asleep or pretending to be.

But my mind? Restless.

I slipped my phone out of my pocket and dialed the number I hadn't used in months.

One ring. Two.

"Mr. Oberoi," a familiar voice answered on the third.

I didn't waste time. "I need a full background check. Fast."

There was a pause. "Name?"

"Arvi," I said, jaw clenched. "I don't know her last name. Mid-twenties. Recently fired from a restaurant job in the city. She's living in my house...temporarily."

"You want family details? Employment history?"

"Everything," I said coldly. "Where she's from, who she's connected to, any criminal record, medical history if possible. I want to know who she is, what she's done, and why she's really here."

Another pause.

"You think she's lying about something?"

"I think she's hiding something," I muttered. "No one ends up on the side of the road with no phone, no wallet, and no explanation unless there's a story they're not telling."

"Understood. Sir Give me 48 hours."

"You have 24."

Click.

I slipped the phone back into my pocket, jaw tight, fingers curling into fists.

She might've fooled everyone else in this house.

But not me.

Not for long.