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Author's POV

The silence in the car was heavy, broken only by the sound of the mechanic's tools clinking as he finished the repair immediately. With the engine finally roaring to life, Dhruv didn't waste a second. He drove straight to the nearest hospital, his knuckles white on the steering wheel, while Anant kept a firm, steadying grip on Krithika's bandaged hands in the backseat.

Manvi, her voice trembling, had already called Neeraj and Kumud. By the time the car pulled into the emergency bay, the Sharma parents were already there, their faces masks of sheer terror.

"We're their classmates, Aunty. I'm Dhruv, and this is my brother, Anant," Dhruv explained quickly as the nurses whisked Krithika away for proper treatment.

But the relief of seeing them alive quickly turned into a storm. Kumud, overwhelmed by the sight of Krithika's blood-stained dress, turned on Manvi. "I told you! I told you not to go out this late! Why do you always have to be the one to drag your sister into trouble?"

"Mumma, it wasn't like that-" Manvi started, her voice cracking.

"Enough!" In a flash of pure, panicked adrenaline, Kumud's hand connected with Manvi's cheek. The slap cracked through the hallway like a gunshot. As Kumud raised her hand a second time, Neeraj stepped in, firmly catching his wife's wrist.

"Kumud! Bas karo! (Stop it!)" Neeraj's voice was a low, stern rumble. "Don't take your fear out on her. Manvi didn't do this." He turned his wife away, his hands on her shoulders, trying to ground her

The sound echoed through the sterile hospital hallway. "You are always the reason she gets hurt! When will you grow up?"

Stunned, Manvi's face went white. She didn't cry. She didn't shout. She just turned and bolted out of the hospital sliding doors.

"Mannu! Wait!" Krithika shouted, trying to jump off the hospital bed despite the nurse protests. She turned on her mother, her eyes blazing with a fury no one had ever seen. "How could you? She didn't do anything! It was my choice too! Why do you always make her the villain?"

As Krithika struggled to follow her sister, Anant stepped in, firmly but gently placing his hands on her shoulders. "Stay. You're bleeding, Krithika. Let him go." He gestured to Dhruv, who was already disappearing out the door after the younger sister.

Dhruv's POV

I found her behind the hospital garden, huddled on a bench, her small frame shaking with violent sobs. As I approached, she didn't even look up. She was gasping for air, her chest heaving in a way that told me this wasn't just crying-it was a full-blown panic attack.

"Manvi, look at me. Breathe," I said, kneeling in front of her.

"It's... always... me," she choked out between gasps, clutching her chest. "I'm just the... unnecessary... culprit. Everything... is my fault."

I didn't say anything. I just pulled her into a firm hug, letting her cry into my shoulder. "It's not your fault, Manvi. Listen to me. You fought those guys off. You were brave. Your mom is just scared, she doesn't mean it."

"She hates me," she sobbed, her breathing finally starting to level out as I rubbed her back. "She thinks I'm a burden."

"You are the heartbeat of your house," I whispered into her hair, my voice steady. "Don't let one moment of panic define who you are. I know what you did back there. You're a lioness, not a culprit."

Krithika's POV

Inside the ward, I didn't care about the stitches anymore. I looked my mother dead in the eye. "If you ever put blame on mannu for something I agreed to, I will never forgive you. Manvi is the reason I even smile half the time. Our entire life we just followed the rule book. Just today we slightly deviated from it,you are creating a scene now. Stop making her feel like a mistake!".

Kumud sat down heavily, her face crumbling as she realized the gravity of what she'd done. "I... I just saw the blood, Kittu. I went mad with fear. I didn't mean it..."

A few minutes later, Dhruv walked back in, leading a quiet, red-eyed Manvi by the hand. The room went silent. Kumud stood up immediately, walking over to her younger daughter. To everyone's surprise, the proud mother held her own ears in a traditional gesture of apology.

"I'm sorry, bacha," Kumud whispered, her eyes filling with tears. "Mamma was scared for Kittu and I took it out on you. Please... forgive me."

Manvi didn't say a word, she just buried her face in her mother's shoulder and started crying again-this time, with deep sadness

I looked over at Anant. He was leaning against the wall, his gaze lingering on me for a second longer than usual. For the first time, there were no marks to discuss. No ranks to fight over. Just the quiet realization that tonight, we had all survived something much bigger than a classroom.

The bond of sisters and the silence of brothers. Stay tuned!