Naina stood frozen until Maya rushed forward and hugged her tightly. Naina instinctively pushed her away, falling slightly back. A hand steadied her—it was Arjun, who was looking at her with anger. Naina met his gaze with a vacant, emotionless stare.
Maya approached again, but Naina held up a hand. Undeterred, Maya moved closer, pleading, "Please Di, talk to me."
Simran also approached and reached out to touch Naina. Naina flinched and pushed her away, but Simran was instantly caught by Manik and Avinash, who were watching the exchange with varying degrees of anger. Seeing Manik hold Simran in his embrace stirred a feeling Naina couldn't identify, a pang of dislike that Manik was comforting another girl, but she swiftly suppressed the emotion. She remained like a statue.
Arjun moved to stop Maya, declaring, "Why are you going to her? She is not worth it."
"How can you say that about my sister?" Maya shot back.
Arjun was about to retort, but Maya gently touched Naina's arm. "Please forgive me, Di," she begged. "I am sorry that I left you alone that day when our parents and brother died. I know you were angry." She continued, her voice breaking, "Didu, you always forgave me. You always forgave my mistakes."
Naina didn't speak. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, a moment of raw emotion flashed. A loud sound echoed on the terrace—Naina had slapped Maya. Her eyes were red, and tears streamed down her face. Everyone—Manik, Anviash, Simran, and Arjun—was utterly shocked.
Naina finally spoke, her voice shaking. "Yes, I forgave you every time! I forgave you because I thought your mistake was due to you being a little immature!" She raised her hand again to slap her, but Arjun caught her wrist.
She glared at him. Arjun, scared by the intensity in her eyes, snatched his hand back and shouted, "How can you slap Maya?"
Naina pointed her finger at him. "She is my sister!"
As Arjun stepped back, Maya came between them. "Di, please listen to me," she begged. Naina tried to pull away, but Simran moved close to her side.
"I had gone to meet that person I met in an online chat," Maya explained hurriedly. "When I reached the place, Simran was with me. Simran is my best friend—the one you never met because you was studying abroad."
Maya choked up, recounting the horror. "Simran and I were lured to a luxury car. In a few moments, we were in that flat. Four boys were there, and we were struggling. They forced themselves on us." The next morning, they were thrown out, covered in blood. That's when Manik found them.
The Misunderstanding
A heavy silence descended on the terrace. Naina was horrified, her heart aching for the suffering her beloved sister had endured. She failed to protect her.
As Maya and Simran trembled and cried—Simran caught by Anviash and Manik, and Maya by Arjun—Manik looked at Naina with furious eyes.
"You did this!" Manik spat, his voice laced with venom. "You even had your sister raped!"
Naina was stunned, staring at Manik, unable to process his accusation.
"You always ask me why I tortured you," Manik continued, his voice rising in outrage.
Simran, hearing the accusation, pulled away from Avinash and shouted, "Why are you blaming Naina? Manik, why are you protecting her? She's the one who sent those boys to rape you and Maya!"
Simran and Maya were shocked. Naina, however, remained strangely emotionless, a painful realization dawning in her eyes: This is why Manik tortured her. Manik continued to vehemently blame Naina.
Finally, Maya shouted at Manik. "Why are you blaming my sister? Can't you see she doesn't know anything?" Maya revealed that the boys had been sent for Naina herself, who was supposed to meet Simran to collect evidence related to her father's company—evidence that would prove her father's innocence. Maya decided not to involve Naina because she was meeting her online chat friend.
Simran confirmed Maya's account: "Naina did nothing wrong!"
Manik, Avinash, and Arjun were all shocked. Manik was the first to speak, his voice weak. "When I found you hours later, you and Maya were lying on the ground in blood. When I asked who did this, Simran... you just said the name: Naina."
When Manik had heard that name, he had been consumed by blinding rage and a desire for revenge, convinced Naina was the mastermind behind the attack on his beloved Simran.