[10 : 36 PM ]
Outside, the estate gardens stretched beneath the night sky.
The moon hung low enough to bathe everything in silver light .
Flowers swayed gently in the breeze.
The fountains murmured in the distance.
Birdsong drifted through the trees.
A peaceful scene.
Yet she walked through it as though she barely noticed.
Her steps carried her along a stone path winding through the gardens.
Past trimmed hedges.
Past flowerbeds.
Past a small pond reflecting the sky.
Eventually she reached an old wooden bench beneath a large tree.
The branches spread overhead like a shelter.
Here, the sounds of the mansion felt distant.
Muted.
Far away.
She sat on the bench.
The bench creaked softly beneath her weight.
The breeze lifted a few strands of her hair.
She didn't brush them away.
Minutes passed.
Leaves rustled overhead.
Water trickled from the fountain.
A bird landed briefly on a nearby branch before flying away again.
The pencil moved.
The pencil touched the paper.
Scratch...
As if the world inside those pages made more sense than the one she had just walked away from.
And above her—
Butterflies began to appear.
At first there were only two, drifting lazily between the flowers.
Then three.
Then five.
Their wings caught the moonlight, flashes of silver moving through the night air.
The first to find her was Farhan.
He had not meant to.
His feet simply carried him there.
When he stepped into the garden and saw her beneath the tree, he stopped.
For a moment, he merely watched.
The girl who had pulled him from his darkest days.
The girl who had sat beside him when everyone else's words had failed.
She didn't notice him.
Or perhaps she did and simply chose not to react.
Then he quietly sat on the grass several feet away.
A silent acknowledgment.
A silent thank you.
The butterflies drifted between them.
Neither spoke.
A few minutes later, Fahish appeared.
The artist had noticed Farhan's absence.
Naturally, he had followed.
His eyes immediately found Maya beneath the tree.
Then Farhan.
Then the silence between them.
Without a word, he lowered himself onto the grass.
A sketchbook appeared from somewhere inside his jacket.
Soon another pencil joined her .
Scratch... scratch...
Scratch... scratch...
Two artists.
Two separate pages.
One shared silence.
Faha came next.
Unlike the others, he did not sit immediately.
He stood beneath the tree for a while.
Watching.
The night breeze stirred the leaves above him.
Eventually he took a seat nearby.
The next arrival was impossible to miss.
Fahan.
The moment he stepped into the garden, the peaceful atmosphere visibly braced itself.
He spotted everyone gathered beneath the tree.
His eyebrows rose.
"Seriously?
You're all doing the mysterious silent thing?"
Nobody answered.
Fahan looked personally offended.
Then, surprisingly, he approached slowly.
The usual energy seemed absent.
When he finally sat down on the grass, he didn't make a joke.
Didn't tease anyone.
Didn't complain.
He simply leaned back against the tree trunk and stared at the sky.
A short while later, Fahim arrived.
He found the scene almost absurd.
Five people.
No conversation.
No movement.
No apparent purpose.
Just existing together.
The scientist studied the gathering.
Then the butterflies circling lazily overhead.
Something softened in his expression.
Without a word, he took a seat nearby and opened a book.
The garden path crunched softly once more.
Fahad.
The eldest and the busiest.
He stood at the edge of the gathering for several moments.
His gray eyes swept across the scene.
The younger brothers.
Something almost nostalgic crossed his face.
Then he exhaled.
Slowly and sat down.
Not on the grass.
He lowered himself onto the far edge of the bench.
Maintaining his usual dignity.
The family noticed immediately.
No one commented.
Farhan sitting quietly with his thoughts.
Fahish sketching.
Faha watching the night sky .
Fahan pretending not to care.
Fahim holding an unread book.
Fahad sitting with folded arms on a nearby bench.
None of them were speaking.
Above them, dozens of butterflies drifted through the moonlight.
She turned a new page in her diary.
The paper whispered beneath her fingertips.
Then the pencil moved.
Scratch...
Scratch...
Slowly, a face began to emerge beneath the graphite.
Not Farhan.
Not Anik.
Not anyone present.
A boy who existed somewhere between memory and imagination.
The night breeze stirred the page.
A butterfly landed briefly on the corner of the sketchbook before fluttering away .
Still, she continued drawing. The face gained depth. Character.
Nearby, Farhan noticed the change in her posture.
The increased focus.
The way she seemed to forget the world whenever she drew the boy .
He glanced toward the page but was too far away to see the details.
Fahish noticed as well.
An artist recognized concentration when he saw it.
Neither interrupted.
From the drawing room window, Mahi saw the gathering beneath the old tree.
The moon light painted the garden in shades of silver and blue.
The sight stirred something deep within Mahi.
Beside her, Mahim stood quietly.
For a while, neither spoke.
"She's lonely."
The words barely rose above a whisper.
Mahim's gaze remained on the garden.
"I know."
"Not physically."
"Something inside her is lonely."
"I've noticed."
Mahi lowered her gaze.
"When she said she didn't deserve love...
She believed it."
The pain in those words was unmistakable.
Mahim's expression hardened slightly.
"Yes."
"I've heard people say things like that before."
Mahi folded her arms.
"In court. In interviews. In victims who carried guilt that was never theirs.
But hearing it from Maya..."
Mahim understood anyway.
Mahi laughed quietly,
"Fahad pretends he doesn't worry."
"He worries constantly."
"He gets that from you."
Mahi looked scandalized,
"I do not."
"You absolutely do."
Their attention drifted toward another figure standing near a distant window.
Anik.
Watching the garden . Watching Maya.
His posture was rigid.
His hands clenched tightly.
His jaw tense.
The frustration was visible even from a distance.
Mahi's expression changed,
"He's upset."
Mahim nodded, "Yes."
"More than upset."
Neither spoke for a moment.
Finally, Mahi sighed,
"I think, he likes her."
" I think he's more interested in her than likeing her."
"Clearly."
Mahi's eyes remained fixed on Anik,
"He looks like someone who expected an answer and didn't get the one he wanted."
Through the window, Anik stood motionless.
The garden stretched before him.
The fading blue sky.
The old tree.
The brothers gathered around and Maya herself.
The muscles in his neck grew rigid.
For years, people had listened when he spoke and agreed when he decided.
Followed when he led.
Yet Maya—
She simply looked at him and said no.
No hesitation.
No apology beyond simple courtesy.
His hands clenched at his sides.
Not enough to lose control.
But enough for his knuckles to pale.
The rejection itself wasn't what stung most.
Finally he spoke, controlled.
"She refused before even considering it."
His tone torn between desire and possessiveness,
"How dare she ignore my words! "
The night deepened, clouds rolling heavy above the mansion, their bellies swollen with rain.
And Maya —
Her sketchbook rested open on her lap.
The pencil moved occasionally, then stopped, then moved again.
Around her, her brothers remained scattered beneath the old tree like silent sentinels.
None of them wanted to disturb the fragile peace that had settled over the garden.
It should have been peaceful.
But the sky had begun to change.
The silver light faded behind a veil of gray.
A cool breeze swept through the gardens.
Leaves rustled.
Flower petals trembled.
Overhead, dark clouds had gathered across the horizon.Rolling over one another like waves.
The butterflies vanished.
Driven away by the approaching storm.
Maya's pencil stopped.
For the first time in several minutes, she looked upward.The sight of the sky reflected faintly in her eyes.
Fahim noticed the change immediately.
"The pressure is dropping."
"You're diagnosing the weather now?" Fahan asked.
"It's called observation."
"It's called being a scientist twenty-four hours a day."
Fahim ignored him.
A stronger gust of wind swept through the garden.
Tree branches swayed overhead.
The leaves whispered against one another.
The fountain water rippled.
Farhan's smile faded slightly and glanced toward her .
She had become very still. Her eyes remained fixed on the clouds.
The sketchbook in her lap was forgotten.
Fahad noticed it too.
The sudden stillness.Something in her expression had changed.
Something wasn't right.
The wind grew stronger.
Then—
A flash of lightning split the clouds.
For a brief second, the entire garden turned white.
And immediately afterward—
CRACK.
Thunder exploded across the sky.
The sound shattered the silence.
Birds scattered from the trees.
The branches shook.
The air itself seemed to tremble.
And beneath the old tree—
Every brother's attention snapped toward Maya at once.
Maya's breath came in short, uneven bursts.
The sketchbook slipped from her lap.
Pages scattered across the damp grass.
She rose too quickly.
For a second, it looked as though she might simply walk away.
Instead, her balance faltered.
She dropped to her knees.
The impact against the wet ground made several people flinch.
Her hands pressed into the soil.
To hold on.
As if the earth beneath her was the only solid thing left.
"Maya."
Farhan was on his feet instantly.
The panic in his voice was unmistakable.
But he stopped himself before getting too close.
He remembered the command,
'Don't touch me.'
Her lips moved.
Broken whispers escaped.
Words that seemed to belong to another time.
"I never dared to run away.
Please don't..."
A breath.
"Forgive him. Please.
He will die..... "
The same words.
Again.
And again.
Repeating.
Looping.
As though she were speaking to someone who wasn't there.
Fahad felt his stomach drop.His gray eyes widened.
"What is she talking about?"
Another flash of lightning illuminated the garden.
The rain began . Cold drops striking leaves and stone.
Fahan had gone completely pale.
The joking disappeared from his face.
"She's not looking at us."
He was right.
Her gaze wasn't focused on anything in front of her . Her eyes seemed fixed on something only she could see.
Fahim moved forward carefully.
"Maya."
No response.
"Maya."
Still nothing.
Only the broken whisper.
The repeated phrase.
Faha clenched his fists.
Helplessness settled heavily across his expression . It was a feeling he hated.
Watching someone suffer while being unable to simply fix it.
Nearby, Fahish picked up the fallen sketchbook before the rain could ruin it.
The pages fluttered wildly in the wind.
His face had gone unusually serious.
Another roll of thunder crossed the sky
The sound seemed to make her flinch.
★
A servant, who had been hurrying across the veranda, saw her collapse and bolted inside, shouting breathlessly:
"It's Maya—something's wrong with her !"
The family rushed out in a storm of footsteps.
The calm of the mansion shattered instantly.
Chairs scraped against the floor.
Doors swung open.
The distant sound of thunder rolled through the estate as everyone hurried toward the garden.
Mahim was first.The moment he heard the commotion outside, he was already moving.
His expression had gone hard.
The calm patriarch vanished, replaced by a man who could sense something was terribly wrong.
"Move."
Servants immediately stepped aside.
His long strides carried him through the hallway and out into the garden.
"Maya!"
Mahi was right behind him.
The sight that greeted her stole the breath from her lungs.
Maya was on her knees beneath the tree.
Soaked by the rain.
Trembling.
Her fingers clawed at the grass, pulling fistfuls of damp soil as though she were drowning and the earth was the only thing she could grip.
Whispering broken fragments no one seemed to understand.
Mahi's face immediately lost color.
"Maya..."
Anik followed them outside.
The anger from earlier vanished the instant he saw her.
Every trace of frustration disappeared.
His eyes widened.
For a moment he simply stood there.
Frozen . Watching.The girl who had calmly rejected him less than an hour ago now looked utterly shattered.
His jaw tightened. Not from anger.
From shock.From confusion.
From something painfully close to guilt.
Ohi emerged next.
The confident expression he usually wore disappeared immediately.
"What happened?"
No one answered.
Naya stopped dead the moment she saw Maya.The sight unsettled her instantly.
Rain fell across the garden.
Naya swallowed hard.
"What is she saying?"
Even Nahi fell silent . The usual arrogance vanished . The usual impatience vanished.
All that remained was concern.
His eyes moved from Maya to the brothers surrounding her.
Then back to Maya.
Something was very wrong.
More servants gathered near the doorway.
None dared approach.
None dared speak.
Nearby, Anik stood motionless.
The storm soaked his hair.
Rain slid down his face.
He didn't notice.
For the first time since arriving at the estate, he looked completely lost.
Because the girl before him was nothing like the distant, composed Maya he thought he knew.
This was someone carrying pain far deeper than he had ever imagined.
And suddenly, all the arguments about marriage, rejection, and pride felt small.
Meaningless.
★
But the moment Mahi's hand brushed against Maya's shoulder, the reaction was immediate.
Maya recoiled with startling force.
Pure, instinctive fear.
She stumbled backward across the wet grass, her breathing becoming uneven.
Then she folded in on herself.
Her arms came up around her head.
Her shoulders curled inward.
Making herself smaller.
As though she could disappear if she tried hard enough and hiding might somehow keep something terrible away.
"I am sorry..."
The words broke apart as they left her lips.
"It was all my fault."
Rain soaked her hair.
Her clothes. Her trembling hands.
"I am so sorry.
I will never do that again.
Please , don't hurt him.... "
Again.
And again.
The apology seemed trapped inside her.
Repeating without end.
Mahi froze.
Her hand remained suspended in the air.
The sight before her stole every word she had.
~
What frightened them most was how little emotion showed on her face.
No visible tears . No shouting.
Nothing that matched the panic consuming her.
Her face remained almost eerily still.
Only the slightest tension around her eyes.
The faintest tremor in her jaw.
The smallest cracks in an otherwise unreadable mask.
But her body—
Her body betrayed everything.
Her hands shook uncontrollably.
Her shoulders trembled.
Her breathing came too fast.
Each breath seemed to catch painfully in her chest.
The fingers protecting her head had gone white from how tightly they were clenched.
Farhan felt his stomach twist.
Because he had never seen anyone look so afraid while trying so desperately not to show it.
Fahim's expression had become grave.
The repeated apologies.
The overwhelming fear.
As If she was reacting to something her mind believed was happening right now.
Nearby, Fahad clenched his fists.
Helplessness settled heavily across his face.
Every protective instinct he possessed was screaming at him to do something.
But what?
How did you fight an enemy no one could see?
Mahi's eyes burned.The pain was almost unbearable.
Because for the first time, she realized something heartbreaking:
Maya had learned to hide her feelings so well that most people saw only silence.
And beneath that calm expression lived a fear so powerful that, when it finally surfaced, even Maya could no longer control it.
Mahim stood behind her.
A man who had built companies from nothing. Whose name alone could silence a boardroom.
A man who had faced crises worth millions without blinking.
Yet none of that mattered here.
Not while his daughter knelt in the rain, trembling, her gloved hand clutched at her chest.
For the first time in a very long time, Mahim looked frightened.
Truly frightened.
Maya's eyes blinked slowly.
Her lips parted but no words came.
Only another unsteady breath.
"Ohhhhhh no, no, no." Fahim was already moving.
The cold, analytical doctor disappeared.
What remained was a brother.
A worried brother.
"She's not breathing properly.
She's shutting down."
Mahi went pale,
"Ohhhh no , Maya."
Her voice shook.
"Maya, look at me."
She wanted to reach for her daughter again.
But the memory of Maya recoiling stopped her.
The hesitation broke her heart.
Farhan felt panic seize his chest.
"Maya!"
Fahad gone rigid,
"Do something."
"I'm trying," Fahim snapped back.
Even he was scared.
Fahan looked completely lost.
His eyes darted between Maya and Fahim.
"What the hell ?"
Nearby, Fahish held her fallen sketchbook against his chest.
The pages were protected from the rain.
Naya's eyes widened,
"Oh God..."
Ohi stood frozen. Watching, unable to look away.
Unable to understand how the quiet girl from earlier had become this frightened figure in the rain.
Anik felt his stomach drop.
The anger from before seemed ridiculous now.
He stared at Maya.
And guilt settled heavily in his chest.
Because he suddenly realized how little he understood her.
Then, a flicker of awareness returned.
Just enough for her eyes to focus for a brief moment.
The garden blurred in and out of focus.
Her hand moved.
As though following an old habit she wasn't consciously thinking about.
Her fingers slipped into her hair, parting the dark strands with practiced familiarity.
Then she pulled something free.
A silver pin.
Ordinary-looking.
She held it to her own throat—
The moment the family saw it, a new wave of alarm swept through the garden.
"Maya."
Fahim's voice changed instantly.
"Maya, look at me."
Mahi felt her heart stop.
Farhan's entire body went rigid.The rain soaked through his clothes.
He didn't notice . All he could see was his sister.
"Stop—!"
"Hey, maya—"
Mahi's voice collapsed into itself,
"Please put that down,
sweetheart… please…"
Fahan moved forward more carefully,
his tone lower,
"Hey… hey, listen to me.
You don't need that. Listen to me , please. "
The twins spoke almost at once, their voices overlapping in quiet panic—
"Put it down, Maya.
Please . Don't hurt yourself —"
Maya's eyes remained closed.
Very faintly—her lips moved. Broken by exhaustion,
"…Yama."
The word echoed inside her.
For a moment, there was only silence.
Then, from somewhere deep within—something stirred.
Yama:
You called me… in front of them.
The voice was not external .
Not heard by anyone else.
Like a second rhythm beneath her thoughts.
Maya's fingers tightened slightly.
"No choice.
If I don't call you… I lose control."
Inside her, the presence shifted, just watching.
Yama:
Control…
You think you are controlling me?
Her jaw tensed,
" I think so. "
"You can't control me. "
"I destroy everything if I have to."
The words sent a chill through the garden.
"Even myself.
I did not allow myself to become a monster like them."
A breath.
"Can you hear me, Yama?"
Silence.
Then Maya's expression tightened,
"I know you can hear me.Calm down."
A pause.
"Please.
If you don't calm down... I will become a monster."
Inside her mind, the storm was louder.
And somewhere beyond it—
A voice laughed.
"Monster?"
Yama's voice echoed through the darkness.
"You always call me that."
"No."
"Then what am I? A wound? A mistake?"
"You're angry."
A soft laugh answered her.
"Angry?
No, Maya.
I am simply the part that refuses to pretend."
Outside, Maya's breathing hitched.
Fahim noticed immediately.
A heavy silence settled over the garden.
The family exchanged uneasy glances.
Because, what unsettled everyone wasn't the storm.
It was the conversation. She was answering.
Pausing.Then speaking again.
As though someone stood before her. Someone only she could see.
"...Did she just answer a question nobody asked?"
A chill ran through Ohi.
"She's speaking as though she's having a conversation."
"With who?" Nahi asked quietly.
Nobody answered.
"Did you hear what she said?" Fahis asked.
"'Calm down.'
'I don't want to become a monster.'"
Ohi swallowed.
"Who was she talking to?"
Faha finally spoke,
"Maybe the question isn't who.
Maybe we should be asking why."
Fahim nodded slowly.
"Something is clearly causing her immense distress."
--
Within the storm of her thoughts, Maya shook her head,
"No."
Yama stepped closer like a shadow growing larger,
"Look at them, They pity you."
"No."
"They fear what they don't understand.
And when they finally see everything?"
The voice softened.
More dangerous than before.
"Will they stay?"
"I don't want you to come out."
Yama laughed,
"You say that every time."
"Because every time you hurt people."
The laughter stopped immediately,
"I protect you . I destroy threats."
"You destroy everything."
For the first time, Yama said nothing.
The darkness seemed to watch her.
"You're trembling."
Yama's voice drifted through the darkness.
Almost amused,
"Look at you. Afraid of a little rain."
"It's not the rain."
"I know."
Maya's eyes squeezed shut.Her body trembled,
"Please."
The word was almost a prayer.
"Just this once, stay back."
Yama laughed softly,
"You repeat those words every time."
"Because every time you try to take over."
"Take over?"
Yama tilted her head,
"Interesting choice of words.
I am you .
How can I take what already belongs to me?"
Maya shook her head.
"No, you are not me."
The darkness seemed to grow quieter.
" And yet,
When you're frightened, who appears?
When you're cornered, who answers?
When you're hurt, who stands up? "
Maya looked away.
Yama stepped closer,
"You know the answer."
"That doesn't make you right."
"It makes me necessary."
"I don't need you."
"Tell me, Who protected you when nobody else did?
Who endured with you ?"
"Stop."
"Why?"
"Because you're twisting everything."
"Am I?
Or am I simply saying what you refuse to hear?"
Then, quietly:
"You're tired."
Maya didn't answer.
"You're scared.
Then why you're still fighting me? "
The voice sounded almost curious now.
"Because I want to choose who I am."
Fahan looked between his siblings.
"Tell me I'm not the only one seeing this."
Farhan felt his stomach twist.On thid rainy night fear crept through him.
Fahish tightened his grip on the sketchbook he was protecting from the rain.
His face had gone pale.
Even he, usually so calm, looked shaken.
"Please, just this once.
I know why you're angry . I know why you want to fight."
A flicker crossed Yama's face.
"I know you're trying to protect me."
"Then why are you stopping me?"
"Because I don't need protection right now."
Then Yama sighed.
A sound so rare it almost didn't seem real.
"Only this once.Don't make me regret it."
Yama's voice was quieter now.
Farther away.
"Rest, Maya."
Fahan whispered under his breath,
"What is she doing…?"
Fahim's voice dropped, urgent now,
"Don't move. "
"Don't interrupt her , please. "
Fahim snapped under his breath,
"She's stabilizing something. "
"Fahim, What is happening to her?"
The doctor exhaled slowly,
"I don't know for certain.
She's extremely distressed.
It could be a panic response.
Or she may be experiencing perceptions that feel completely real to her even though no one else can observe them."
Farhan's face lost color,
"Hallucinations?"
"Possible," Fahim corrected immediately.
"Not confirmed."
—
Maya's head bowed.
Her dark hair fell forward like a curtain, hiding her face from view.
For a brief moment, the garden seemed to hold its breath.
Fahad pressed a fist against his mouth.
His entire body had gone rigid.
The eldest brother who rarely showed fear now looked as though the ground had disappeared beneath him.
"Maya..."
And then—
She collapsed, her body gave way.
Falling sideways toward the rain-soaked grass.
Anik moved first.
He surged forward, faster than anyone else, catching her before her head could strike the ground.
His arms slid beneath her, lifting her as though she weighed nothing.
He pressed her close, his heart pounding, the scent of rain and earth clinging to her hair.
"Fahim?"
Mahi's voice shook,
"Fahim, say something."
"We need to get her inside."
"Open the doors, fast," he barked, his voice harsh.
"Now!"
Servants scrambled, flinging the wide oak doors of the mansion open.
Anik carried her inside with long, unrelenting strides, his grip unyielding, his jaw tight.
Her head lolled against his chest, her breath shallow, lips pale.
Each step echoed like a war drum through the marble halls.
Mahi hurried after them,
"Call the doctor— now! Hurry!"
~~
The mansion erupted into motion.
The quiet dignity that usually defined the Sunayana estate vanished completely.
Servants hurried through hallways carrying blankets and towels.
Footsteps echoed across polished floors.
Lights throughout the house blazed to life.
Maya was carried upstairs immediately.
The family followed close behind.
Within minutes, the family doctor arrived.
Dr. Rahman.
The moment his car stopped outside the mansion, a servant was already waiting.
"Doctor, this way!"
Dr. Rahman barely acknowledged the greeting.
His leather medical bag was clutched tightly in one hand.
His spectacles had slipped halfway down his nose from how quickly he had rushed over.
"What happened?"
"No one is completely sure," Fahim answered beside him.
"Found her outside during a severe panic episode."
Dr. Rahman's expression immediately sharpened.
"Loss of consciousness?"
"Yes."
"Head injury?"
"None that we observed."
"Breathing?"
"Rapid at first."
Fahim's voice remained professional.
"Then she became unresponsive."
Dr. Rahman nodded once.
When they reached Maya's room, the atmosphere was heavy.
The entire family seemed gathered outside or just inside the doorway.
Mahim stood near the window.
Everyone could see the tension beneath it.
Mahi sat beside the bed.
One hand gently resting on Maya's blanket.
Farhan occupied a chair nearby.
Looking exhausted.
Frightened.
The others lingered throughout the room.
Fahad.
Fahim.
Fahan.
Faha.
Fahish.
The cousins.
Even Anik remained nearby.
Dr. Rahman entered.
"Everyone give me some space."
The family reluctantly stepped back.
Dr. Rahman moved to Maya's bedside.
He carefully checked her pulse.
Her breathing.
Her responsiveness.
The condition of her pupils.
The tension in her muscles.
The room remained completely silent.
The only sounds were the soft hum of the air conditioner and the occasional distant rumble of thunder outside.
Several minutes passed.
Finally, Dr. Rahman straightened.
Removing his spectacles briefly before replacing them.
His expression was thoughtful.
Mahim spoke first.
"Doctor?"
Nobody moved.
As they waited for Dr. Rahman's assessment.