The school holidays had finally come. For most kids, it meant laughter, adventure, and carefree days in the sun.
But for Raeya...
It was hell.
Not the loud, flaming kind. No. It was the kind that crept silently—suffocating, cold, and hopeless. A cage of memories turned toxic. A home that once echoed with her mother's voice now felt like a grave.
Every breath felt like betrayal.
Every second, a reminder: she was trapped.
And then… she broke.
---
In Arvind's study
"I want to move into the apartment."
Raeya's voice was calm. Too calm.
Like the silence before a thunderstorm.
"I'm going into middle school. I want independence. I want space. I… I need to get away from this house."
Arvind didn't look up immediately.
He closed his file, set it aside, and met her eyes.
"No."
One word.
Sharp.
Final.
Raeya clenched her fists.
"Why not?" she asked, her voice tightening. "I'm serious, Dad."
"You're still a child. You're not going anywhere. End of discussion."
"I CAN'T STAY HERE ANY LONGER!"
Her voice cracked.
Her walls crumbled.
"Living with Celene is unbearable! She treats me like I'm nothing—like I'm some intruder in my own home! And you—you just let it happen! You take her side every time! I'm your daughter, Dad!"
"You don't understand anything!"
"You've changed!" she screamed, her voice shaking with rage. "You used to love me… and Mom. Now? Now it's all about her. You brought the woman who ruined our family into this house and expect me to smile?!"
"Watch your mouth, Raeya!"
"WHY?! Are you afraid of the truth?!"
Tears began to fall—hot, angry tears.
"I HATE this place! I hate what it's become! I hate HER! And most of all—"
She choked, her voice turning raw,
"—I hate you, Dad!"
SLAP.
The sound cracked through the room like thunder.
Her head jerked sideways.
Silence.
Arvind stood frozen, hand still raised.
Raeya touched her cheek, slowly turning back to him.
Then… she laughed.
A bitter, broken laugh that chilled the room.
"A slap? Again?" she whispered. "Go on. Hit me every day if you want. It won't change how I feel."
Arvind's eyes flickered. Something in them trembled. But pride held him still.
Raeya stared him down, her eyes burning red.
"You want me to bow? To obey?
Then break me.
But I swear, you'll never see me kneel."
"RAEYA, ENOUGH!"
"NO! YOU'RE the one who needs to stop! Stop pretending! Stop treating me like a problem you can silence with rules and slaps!"
Her voice cracked again.
"I am not a doll. I'm not some thing you can throw in a corner and forget. I'm your daughter!
But you… you're not my father anymore."
Her fury surged. She grabbed the nearest objects—books, a vase—and threw them. They shattered against the floor.
A family photo crashed to the ground.
Glass splintered.
So did her heart.
And then, her eyes locked onto the mirror across the room.
CRASH!
Her fist went through the glass.
Shards rained like ice, and blood dripped down her hand.
"RAEYA!!" Arvind shouted, rushing forward. "My God—You're bleeding!"
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" she screamed, stumbling back, hand shaking. "You only care now because I'm bleeding?! Where were you when I was crying every night?! When I was begging the stars to bring my mother back?!"
He froze.
Helpless.
"I don't want your guilt," she sobbed. "I wanted your love. I wanted you. But you're gone. The man I called Dad… died the day you stopped fighting for me."
And she ran.
Straight out of the room—straight into Celene.
"Raeya! Oh my god, your hand—"
Raeya shoved past her without a word.
---
In the kitchen downstairs
"Auntie… Auntie…"
Her voice cracked like glass.
Aunt Lily turned, her face pale. "Raeya?! Oh no—what happened?!"
She rushed to her, cradling the bleeding hand, dragging her gently to the small medical room.
Raeya couldn't stop crying. Her shoulders trembled with the kind of pain no child should ever carry.
"I can't do this anymore, Auntie… I can't…"
"You're safe now, sweetheart. You're with me. Just tell me what happened."
And she did.
All of it.
The screaming. The slap. The broken glass.
The broken heart.
Aunt Lily held her close, stroking her hair.
"No matter what happens… no matter who fails you… I won't. You hear me? You are not alone."
Raeya clung to her.
Like a child lost in the storm.
"I miss my real dad, Auntie… the one who loved us…"
"Maybe, one day, he'll come back to you," she whispered.
"But until then… you have me."
And that night, for the first time in what felt like forever…
Raeya fell asleep.
In arms that never let go.
.・✫・゜・..
Days had passed since the explosion of rage—that night when Raeya shattered Arvind's study with bloodied hands and a heart torn apart. But nothing had truly healed since then.
Raeya kept her distance.
She no longer joined the family for meals. If Arvind entered the dining room, she would rise and leave before even taking her first bite. If his footsteps echoed in the hallway, Raeya would vanish behind a closed door. And if their eyes ever came close to meeting—Raeya would look away, bow her head, or stare blankly at anything else.
It was as if she had erased Arvind from her life.
That evening, Raeya sat still on her sofa. The sky outside was fading into dusk, and the soft orange light spilled gently through the window, painting her walls in gold. But there was no warmth in her eyes. Only emptiness. Silence hung heavy, broken only by the ticking clock keeping her company.
Her thoughts wandered, circling back to every suffocating moment that had led her here.
Inside her heart, a voice whispered again—honest, sharp, and achingly small.
"I wish Father could go back to the way he used to be… I'm tired of who he is now. I hate him. But… the saddest part is… I still need him."
Raeya bit her lip, tears threatening to spill but she held them back. Her gaze dropped to the floor, filled with hatred—not just for her father… but for herself, too.
"If I run away from this house now… I'll be lost. No money, no direction, I might end up starving on the street. I hate… I absolutely hate… that I still need my own father."
"That's why I want to be independent. To live in an apartment. To study, to build my own life, to walk my own path… until one day, I succeed. When I can earn my own money, I won't need anyone anymore. Not Father. Not anyone's pity."
"I don't ever want to see him again."
Suddenly—click.
The door creaked open slowly.
Raeya turned slightly, expecting Aunt Lily. But the footsteps she heard—steady, heavy, commanding yet weary—she recognized them instantly.
It wasn't Aunt Lily.
It was her father.
Arvind stepped quietly into the room. Raeya remained seated on the sofa. Still. Unmoving. She didn't even look his way, but she knew exactly who stood in the doorway. She didn't need to see him.
Father and daughter sat in a silence that froze the air between them.
Finally, Arvind's voice broke through—hoarse, low, but steady.
"Raeya… You can live in the apartment."
Silence.
"But… I will still keep an eye on you. It will be my apartment."
Raeya turned to him sharply, her expression cold.
Her voice was filled with disappointment. "I don't want to live in your apartment. I want a different one. One that isn't yours."
Arvind let out a long breath. "Raeya…"
"If you're watching me, that means I'm still under your control. I want to break free! I want a life that's mine!"
Arvind's patience nearly snapped, but he forced himself to stay composed. His voice hardened. "Fine. I'll find another one for you."
"There's no need. Aunt Lily and I can find one ourselves."
"Don't argue with me, Raeya. I can handle it."
Without waiting for another word, Arvind turned and quietly stepped out of the room, closing the door gently behind him.