Part 37 – The Truth Unraveled

Dr. Varman exhaled, his fingers grazing the edge of the table as if recalling a distant past. "It all began with me."

Maya and Arjun exchanged a tense glance, bracing for what was coming.

"I was born with the gift," Dr. Varman continued, his voice carrying an eerie calm. "The ability to see glimpses of the future. But it wasn't enough. Seeing wasn't the same as controlling. I wanted more—I wanted the power to change it."

A bitter chuckle escaped his lips. "At first, I tried to use my visions for good. But every time I tried to alter fate, it slipped through my fingers. The more I interfered, the more unpredictable the results became. I thought if I understood the nature of these visions, I could reshape them… make them serve me."

Maya's hands curled into fists. "And what did you do?"

Dr. Varman met her gaze. "I experimented."

A heavy silence filled the room.

"I found a way to transfer my ability to others. I handpicked children from the orphanage—children with the right brain patterns, the right neurological makeup. I placed them in specific situations to awaken their sight. Some failed. Some succeeded."

Maya's breathing quickened.

"You did this to us," she whispered.

Dr. Varman nodded. "Yes. You were one of the few who developed the ability after experiencing trauma—your accident wasn't an accident."

Arjun stiffened beside her. "You planned it?" His voice was laced with fury.

Dr. Varman sighed. "We had to trigger the visions in you. It was the only way. We guided events, led you into the crash to unlock your potential."

Maya felt like the air had been punched out of her lungs.

The room swayed, her mind trying to reject his words.

Dr. Varman's gaze softened, but his voice remained devoid of guilt. "You should be grateful. You are one of my greatest successes."

Maya swallowed hard, her hands shaking. "What about the drawing?"

Dr. Varman chuckled, shaking his head. "That was never a true vision."

Maya's heart stopped.

"What?"

"I created it," he said simply. "A test. I needed to see how you would react, how far you'd go to prove your visions were real."

Maya's blood ran cold. "You—You lied to us?"

Dr. Varman shrugged. "I haven't had visions in years. I lost my gift."

Arjun took a threatening step forward. "Why?"

Dr. Varman's smile faded. For the first time, his face twisted in frustration. "Because I misused them. When you tamper too much with fate, it punishes you. The more I tried to change the future, the more it slipped away from me. Until one day, the visions simply… stopped."

Maya clenched her teeth, rage and betrayal boiling inside her.

Arjun's fists were trembling. "And Aditya?"

Dr. Varman sighed, glancing at Aditya.

"He never had the visions."

Maya turned sharply toward Aditya, who stood motionless, his expression unreadable.

"What?" she whispered.

Dr. Varman continued, "Aditya was one of the cleaners at the orphanage. We placed him there to watch over you. To make sure you stayed on the right path."

Maya felt the floor beneath her shift. "No… That's not true. He said his sister—"

"She never had visions either," Dr. Varman interrupted. "That story? A lie."

Maya turned to Aditya, her breath shallow. "Tell me it's not true."

Aditya didn't meet her eyes.

Maya's stomach twisted. Everything had been a setup. A deception.

Dr. Varman's voice cut through the silence.

"There's more."

Maya felt herself slipping further into a nightmare.

"Your real parents… died in an accident."

Her breath caught in her throat.

Dr. Kael, who had been standing quietly until now, finally spoke. His voice was eerily steady.

"They were my family," he admitted. "My brother, my sister-in-law. When they died… I took you in. But you were special, Maya. You had the potential. So I placed you in the orphanage, under Dr. Varman's care."

Maya's world shattered.

Her uncle. The orphanage. The accident. The visions.

It had all been orchestrated.

Arjun's voice was sharp with fury. "You manipulated her life."

Dr. Kael met Maya's tear-filled gaze. "I did what was necessary."

Maya's body trembled with the weight of everything she had just learned.

Everything she had believed about her life… was a lie.