Chapter 7
My mom had been single for as long as I could remember. She wore her independence like armor, a shield against the world that had thrown so many stones her way. I had never seen her date, never seen her share even a fleeting glance of affection with another man. Imagining her being in love was... weird. Not because I opposed it—far from it—but because it was a reality I had never experienced.So, when I came home from work one evening and spotted an unfamiliar man standing in our living room through the window, every nerve in my body went on high alert.The man stood near the sofa, where Mom was seated, her shoulders hunched and trembling. I froze. She was crying. I'd seen my mom cry before, but never like this—not with someone else in the room. The man paced back and forth, speaking with an urgency that made my stomach churn. Then, to my shock, he leaned down, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her into a tight embrace.The intimacy of that moment hit me like a slap.I wanted to barge in, demand answers, and drag that man out by his collar, but something stopped me. The way he held her wasn't casual, wasn't fleeting—it was protective, almost desperate. For a moment, I considered walking away, giving them the privacy they clearly needed. But then a nagging doubt crept in: What if I couldn't trust this man with my mom?I hesitated, torn between respecting her space and my overwhelming need to protect her. Finally, I crept to the front door, pressing my ear against it. Eavesdropping wasn't exactly a moral high ground, but my gut told me this wasn't a conversation I could afford to miss."You cannot come back out of nowhere and expect us to take you back," Mom's voice broke through her sobs, raw and trembling."You knew my circumstances," the man said, his tone soft, almost pleading."And now the circumstances have magically changed?" she shot back, her voice rising with frustration.The pieces started clicking into place. My blood ran cold as I slowly realized who this man had to be."Roma, we're not safe anymore. She's not safe anymore."His words confirmed my suspicions. Any lingering doubt vanished like smoke. My heart thundered in my chest, and anger surged through me like a wildfire. This wasn't just some stranger intruding on our lives—this was him. The man who had walked away from his responsibilities. The man who left my mother to fend for herself, raising me alone in a town that judged us both mercilessly. My father.Why had he come back now? And how dare he?My hands clenched into fists at my sides. I could feel my face growing hot, a mixture of rage and the urge to protect my mom from whatever emotional manipulation this man was attempting. She had been through too much already. I wouldn't let him hurt her again.Before I could think twice, I knocked on the door—a little too harshly.The sound startled them both. The murmuring inside stopped, and a few moments later, Mom opened the door. Her face was blotchy, her eyes red and swollen. She looked at me with a mix of relief and guilt, as though my presence grounded her but also made her ashamed of what I'd just walked into.I wanted to yell at her, to ask why she'd let him into our home after everything he'd put us through. But the words stuck in my throat when I saw how broken she looked.For a long, awkward moment, we stood there, staring at each other. Then, with a weary sigh, she stepped aside and let me in.I took a deep breath, trying to steady the storm of emotions brewing inside me. When I turned to face him, my father, I felt a wave of loathing so intense it almost scared me.He stood there, awkward and fidgety, as if he didn't quite know what to do with himself. I could see the apology etched into every line of his face, but it only made my anger burn hotter. It felt empty, hollow, far too late.The man had no idea what my mom and I had been through. No idea about the nights she spent crying herself to sleep, or the way our small town whispered behind her back, labeling her as "damaged goods." He wasn't there when my classmates sneered at me, calling me a bastard child and laughing at my tears. He had no idea what it was like to grow up carrying the weight of his absence.And now he was here, standing in our living room like he had any right to be, spinning excuses I wasn't interested in hearing.I glared at him, my eyes hard and unyielding. He returned my gaze with an apologetic smile that only made my stomach churn.That's when I saw it—the resemblance. It hit me like a punch to the gut. His eyes were my eyes. His nose, my nose. The same features that stared back at me in the mirror every day.I hated it.I hated him.And yet, as much as I wanted to scream, to tell him to leave and never come back, the words caught in my throat. This wasn't just about me—it was about my mom. I glanced at her, and the pain in her eyes made my chest ache.For her sake, I stayed silent. But I wasn't ready to forgive. Not yet. Maybe not ever."We need to talk, Kirti." Mom said before I could ask the man to leave. I wondered why she hadn't turned him away from the doorstep or let him come in. Why was she still tolerating his bullshit?I sat on a chair opposite to the sofa, my body stiff. I refused to look at the man. I couldn't without snarling at him like a wild animal. Mom sat beside me and sighed loudly."Kirti, this is..." she choked on her words. "He is your father, " she said."What is he doing here?" I spat in anger.I couldn't stand his presence. Zavi's words haunted me.Your father killed my parents. He is a traitor."Kirti!" mom exclaimed, bringing me back to the present."That's fine, Roma. She has every right to be angry." The man said, looking at me curiously. "She doesn't know the whole truth.""And I have no interest in learning it." I stood up. "We don't need you here. You can go back to wherever the hell you came from." I didn't care for his truth. Nothing justified his actions, and I would never accept him as my dad. I turned back and dashed to my room, closing the door with a loud bang. I sat on my bed. Placing my hands on my face, I screamed into my palm.Mom let him stay at our place against her better judgment. I wasn't happy about it, and I made it known every chance I got. I stopped talking to her. I went to college, then to work, came home late, and went straight up to my room. I knew it wasn't Mom's fault that he showed up after all these years, but I didn't want her to be sympathetic towards him. I didn't like that she started to warm up to him.Mom came to my room late one night, standing by my bed."What?" I snapped when she refused to leave after 5 minutes of silence."He is not as bad as you think he is," she said, sighing deeply. "He had his reasons. I don't think he had a choice, Kirti. We should cut him some slack.""What kind of reasons, Mom? Did he ever tell you? Did you try to find out why he left?" The anger I had been storing for the last two days showed its ugly face, and I started yelling at my mother."He was running away from some bad people." Even mom knew how pathetic that excuse sounded."Why? Is he the mafia?""He said it's more complicated than that.""Mom," I huffed in frustration, taking her by the shoulders. "Open your eyes. He is not a man to be trusted." If my father was some assassin from another world like Zavi claimed, then there was a criminal living under our roof."Kirti.." mom's eyes filled up with unshed tears. She wanted me to accept him as my father. I could see it now. God, she loved him. How can you love someone who couldn't care less about you? But then I thought of Zavi and understood. I wasn't any better than her."Mom, leave. I don't think I can handle you right now." I said, turning back to my books."If that's what you want..." she mumbled before leaving.I needed to clear my mind and focus on something other than the man sleeping on our sofa.The next night, I decided to join them at the dinner table after two days of direct ignorance. The man sat right opposite me. I almost wanted to leave but one look at my mom's pleading face made me sit back in silence.Mom was happier than usual. This man made her happy and it somehow made me feel guilty for hating him. It was the first time I had seen her enjoy the company of another person who wasn't me. Mom might be blindsided by love, but if it made her happy, then so be it. I tolerated it for a whole week before shit went south.It was difficult for me to get used to my biological father being around us. I wanted to ask him about Ashudhar but couldn't find the courage to. I observed him sometimes, trying to see the glimpses of a fugitive. To be honest, I didn't know what I was looking for. I wanted him to not be so normal. Show me one sign to prove Zavi right. Hating him would be so much easier. The way he laughed with mom, helped her, and looked softly at me didn't give me the impression that he was a murderer.The man showered my mom with the love she hadn't known before. I wanted to hate him, I really did but couldn't. I didn't want her to get hurt. She had seen too much pain, sacrificed too much for me. I didn't want to be the person barring her from enjoying this little thing.I was scared he would break her heart again, and maybe she needed that, too, to finally get over him.That night, I was reading a book, trying to get some sleep when someone knocked on my bedroom door. I opened it to find my "father" standing outside, smiling warmly."Can I come in?" he asked. Honestly, I had no intention of letting him enter, but just out of courtesy, I did."Okay." I walked back inside, and he followed me. He sat on my bed, hands folded in front of him. He seemed to be in deep thought. Now that I looked at him closely, I could see how different the man looked from normal humans, just like Zavi did but not half as magnificent as him. I stared at the floor, my eyes falling to his feet, which were starkly similar to mine. Why did I have to be his daughter? I would have taken anyone but a murderer. The words were on the tip of my tongue.You killed innocent people. You orphaned an infant."I know you are angry about the past."I didn't reply."I owe you an explanation.""You don't owe me anything," I snapped. The man's eyes softened instead of getting offended."Maybe I don't deserve this, but I just want one chance to tell you my side of the story," he begged. I shouldn't have let him speak, but I didn't have the heart to stop him either, so he continued."When I met your mom, I was going through a very tough time in my life. Survival was a struggle for me, it still is. Your mom was like a breath of fresh air. When everything was crumbling down in my life, she was the one who held me together. But things got messy. You see, Kirti, I belong to a community where rebellion means death. I spoke against the injustice committed against our people and I got charged for it. I was, and still am, l running away from very dangerous people. I couldn't put your or your mother's life at risk." He sighed heavily, stood up, and turned to look out the window. "Having a family was everything I could ever dream of but...""Who were you running from?" I interrupted a little too harshly."People..." He said vaguely."What people?""You won't understand...""Ashudhar?" I spat in a fit of rage.He froze in his spot in front of the window, body stiffening. "Where did you learn that word?" he asked, his remorseful voice suddenly strained."You are a criminal. Admit it! You have killed people.""You don't know anything." he turned to me, his face contorted into a deep frown. For the first time since I had met him, I saw anger behind those sad eyes. "Who told you about Ashudhar?" He walked towards me, looking menacing. I took a cautionary step back."No one." All these years, I had been doubting my sanity. I had been trying to tell everyone about Zavi and Ashudhar, but no one believed me. This man should have been the last person to validate my past. I could have continued living my life thinking that it was all in my imagination, but I couldn't accept a father who was a murderer."You need to tell me, Kirti. If the wrong people come to know that you are my daughter, it could jeopardize all of our lives.""What the heck! Stop talking bullshit. It is you we should be scared of," I yelled, pulling away from him."Who put all these thoughts in your head? You have no idea what we are dealing with. You don't know anything about Ashudhar.""I know enough to see through your bullshit. Did you or did you not kill the parents of an infant?" I gripped the sides of the bed, my entire body shaking.He shook his head, running his hands over his face. "That place is ruled by tyrants who will stop at nothing to get what they desire. They have been unjust to their own people for ages. Anyone who speaks against their tyranny is slaughtered, even kids are not spared. So, yes, judge me for trying to help millions of people.""Why should I believe you? You left me and my mom when she needed you the most."He grunted, pacing the room in frustration. "Whoever brainwashed you knew exactly what he was doing. There are so many things, Kirti. So many things," he said, shaking his head in despair.Was I being manipulated by Zavi? I couldn't make up my mind. How was I supposed to believe this man, of all the people on Earth?"Who are you running from?" I asked again, wanting to make sense of it all. Maybe I should give him a chance to justify himself.He stood in one place, observing me for a few seconds, perhaps trying to decide whether he should trust me with his truth. "I belong to the world called Ashudhar. We are the only species who know how to harvest the energy of the universe. We have people who can move us between dimensions. For millions of years, the knowledge of harvesting the universe's energy has been taught to us, passed down from one generation to another. Just like the school that teaches you science and history. But everything changed when Hurims came into power. They closed down the schools. They changed the history books. They burned down all the books that taught harvesting the universe's powers. No one could learn marzeek, dimension transportation, or element control. Hardworking people were reduced to the position of slaves. ""If your people possessed such magical powers, then why couldn't they save themselves?""They couldn't. Our world treats the Raza, the one that possesses the Ashu, like God. Before they realized that this time God was actually the devil, it was already too late. Hurims came into power 100 years ago when a boy named Malith was born into their family. He was gifted with Ashu. Ashu is the manifestation of the goddess Shakti. Whoever possesses Ashu becomes Raza, the king. When Malith became Raza, his family came into power. But Malith wasn't like the previous Razas , he was evil. He assassinated the previous Raza's family, started the trend of slavery, and killed anyone who spoke against him or his family. He changed all the Ashudhar laws according to his benefit. Anyone who possessed any kind of marzeek was killed. His Ashu would annihilate anyone who tried to harm him. The years he lived and ruled are considered dark times. He died at the age of eighty, leaving behind his family to rule Ashudhar. They were even more evil than the old Malith, in fact, they were downright monstrous. Rebels like us started an organization called 'Shadow' to fight against the Hurims. We wanted to take them down , even if it cost us our lives . But, to our bad luck, another Raza was born to the family. Malith's third son, who everyone thought to be sterile, gave birth to a boy named Zavi."My heart came to a halt at the mention of his name. I looked up and saw a pained expression on dad's face. "We had to act before the boy and his Ashu grew up to its full potential. We launched a war against the Hurims. We wanted to kill the new Raza, but he was taken away before we could reach him. And all of us were caught. Thousands of us were to be hanged, but support from inside helped us escape. And now, we are deemed to be traitors. They are always on the hunt for Dhurims across dimensions. This is the reason I have been running."Zavi's face flashed in my mind. All the times he told me about his family's legacy, how could he forget to mention that his family was the Nazi of Ashudhar? I couldn't believe I was living under a rock all this time, crushing over a tyrant of all people. I hated myself for not seeing the truth for what it was."Why didn't you tell mom all of this?" I asked, turning to the man who I finally acknowledged as my father."She wouldn't have believed me. She would have thought I was a maniac."I could relate. That's what people labeled things, or people, they didn't understand"Meeting your mom was the best thing that happened to me in my entire life ." His eyes glazed over, reliving those memories. "But our happiness was short-lived . Hurims found out that I was hiding among humans, that's why I had to leave, to save Roma."We sat there in silence as I took in all the information. What would he do if he knew it was Zavi who had told me about Ashudhar?I hesitated, almost blurting out about Zavi, but something stopped me. Zavi had all the opportunities he required to kill me, and if he was as heartless as my father portrayed him to be, I shouldn't even be alive right now. . Maybe Zavi wasn't like his family."Can you give me some time to gather my thoughts?" I asked, feeling exhausted.He nodded quietly, then left the room.