Capítulo 12: Chapter 12: Shattered Illusions
Back at the Chauhan estate, the air of celebration had long dissipated. What had begun as a night of opulence and grandeur had descended into an ugly spectacle, leaving Dheeraj and Riya Chauhan grappling with a whirlwind of emotions. Their daughter, Diya, had brought an unexpected storm into their lives, and now they were left to face the consequences.
The remaining guests, unsure of how to respond to Karna Agastya's explosive outburst, had either left quietly or retreated into uncomfortable conversations, their laughter now awkward and stilted. Dheeraj, still reeling from Karna's harsh words, stood near the entrance, his mind buzzing with the events of the night. His wife, Riya, was by his side, her face pale and her lips tight.
"Why would she do something like that?" Riya muttered, her voice low and strained. She had asked herself this question countless times since Karna and Devi stormed out of the party, but no answer had come.
Dheeraj, usually calm and composed, was visibly shaken. He couldn't believe the mess they were now in. His friendship with Karna went back decades, and it felt like a betrayal had occurred in his own home. His daughter, the girl he'd always considered kind and well-mannered, had been at the heart of a cruel, petty incident.
"She's our daughter, Dheeraj," Riya continued, her voice trembling slightly. "She's never behaved like this before. I just… I don't understand."
Dheeraj closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure. He had seen the ugly exchange between their daughter and Dhruvansh, and although he had hoped it was just a misunderstanding, it had become painfully clear that Diya had done something far worse.
"I never thought…" Dheeraj began but trailed off. He had never imagined that Diya would be capable of such cruelty. To target Dhruvansh—the child of one of his oldest friends, no less—and humiliate him in front of everyone was beyond anything he could have expected.
But what stung more than Diya's actions was the way she had lied to him and Riya afterward. When confronted, she had immediately shifted the blame onto Dhruvansh and the other Agastya kids, claiming that they had started the altercation. And Dheeraj had believed her, if not for the CCTV recording shown by Dhruvansh, he would've still believed Diya's story—after all, she was his daughter, and maybe fractured the friendship he has with his friend Karna.
Now, with Karna's furious words still ringing in his ears, he has to decide how to mitigate the harm that has been done.
"She's lying," Dheeraj said finally, his voice quiet but firm.
Riya looked at him, startled. "What? No, she wouldn't—"
"She did, Riya," Dheeraj interrupted, his tone filled with disappointment. "She lied to us. I saw the footage before it was deleted. It wasn't Dhruvansh who started anything. It was Diya and those other kids."
Riya's eyes widened, shock and disbelief flashing across her face. She had always believed Diya was a good, well-behaved child—perhaps spoiled at times, but never malicious. The idea that their daughter could have orchestrated something so hurtful was too much for her to process.
"But… why?" Riya whispered, her hands trembling slightly as she clutched the edge of the table. "Why would she do something like this?"
Dheeraj shook his head, at a loss for answers. "I don't know," he said, his voice heavy with regret. "But this isn't just a prank gone wrong, Riya. This was something else entirely. The rich kids targeted Dhruvansh and the other kids because they saw them as different—because they think they doesn't belong here at this party, and Diya ignored the whole thing while watching the fiasco going down."
Riya pressed a hand to her mouth, as though she might be sick. "We raised her better than this," she murmured. "We taught her to be kind, to respect others…"
Dheeraj's expression hardened. "Did we? Look around, Riya. We've spoiled her. We've given her everything she's ever wanted. We let her grow up in this world of privilege, surrounded by people who believe that their wealth and status make them better than others."
Riya didn't respond. She couldn't. The weight of Dheeraj's words settled heavily on her chest. She had always prided herself on being a good mother, on raising Diya to be a well-mannered young woman. But now she couldn't help but wonder if they had failed her, if they had failed as parents.
They were interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching. Diya, still in her party dress, stepped into the room, her face flushed with a mixture of anger and embarrassment. She had been sulking since the Agastyas left, and now she looked ready to confront her parents.
"Mom, Dad, why are you making such a big deal out of this?" Diya snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. "It was just a joke! Dhruvansh overreacted, and now everyone's acting like I did something horrible."
Riya turned to her daughter, her voice trembling. "Diya, this isn't just about a joke. You humiliated Dhruvansh in front of everyone. You and your friends made him feel like he didn't belong."
Diya rolled her eyes, clearly unrepentant. "He doesn't belong! He's not even really an Agastya. Everyone knows he's just some orphan Karna Uncle and Devi Auntie adopted like the others out of pity."
"Diya!" Dheeraj's voice was sharp, filled with fury. He took a step toward his daughter, his face hard with anger. "How dare you say something like that? Dhruvansh is as much an Agastya as any of Karna's children. What you did tonight wasn't a joke—it was cruel. And you lied to us about it."
For the first time, Diya faltered, her bravado slipping. "I-I didn't lie," she stammered, though the uncertainty in her voice was clear.
Dheeraj wasn't having it. "Enough. I saw the footage before it was deleted. The whole bullying happened in front of your eyes and you did nothing just stood there smiling like watching a show when you should have stopped Kumar and his entourage from bullying the Agastyas. I wanted you and Dhruvansh to be friends like we are with Karna and Devi that's why I got Dhruvansh admitted to the same batch and class in the academy with you but you set out to hurt Dhruvansh, and when it blew up in your face, you tried to cover it up by blaming him. That's not how we raised you, Diya."
Diya's eyes filled with tears, but Dheeraj didn't soften. He couldn't. He was too angry, too disappointed.
Riya stepped forward, her voice quieter but no less firm. "Diya, we trusted you. We believed in you. But what you did tonight… it's not something we can just brush aside. You need to understand the gravity of your actions."
Diya sniffed, wiping at her eyes. "It wasn't supposed to be like this," she whispered. "I didn't mean for it to get so bad."
"But it did," Riya replied, her voice filled with sadness. "And now you have to take responsibility for what you've done. Karna and Devi… they're family. And you've hurt them deeply."
Dheeraj nodded, his expression grim. "You'll apologize to Dhruvansh, and to Karna and Devi. No excuses, no half-hearted attempts. You will own up to what you did."
Diya blinked, her tear-filled eyes widening. "But Dad—"
"No buts," Dheeraj said firmly. "You will make this right, Diya. We will not tolerate this kind of behavior in our family."
Riya placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder, her touch gentle but firm. "This is a chance for you to learn from your mistakes, Diya. It's not too late to be better."
Diya didn't respond immediately, her gaze dropping to the floor as she tried to process everything that had happened. Her parents' disappointment was a heavy burden, and for the first time, she began to feel the full weight of her actions.
The silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken emotions. Dheeraj watched his daughter closely, his own heart aching as he saw her struggle. He wanted to believe that this was a wake-up call for her, that she would learn from this and become a better person. But the hurt was still raw, and it would take time to rebuild the trust that had been broken.
"We'll speak to Karna and Devi tomorrow," Dheeraj said finally, his voice weary. "But for now, go to your room. We all need time to cool down."
Diya nodded, her face pale and drawn as she turned and left the room without another word.
As the door closed behind her, Riya let out a long, shaky breath, her hand trembling as she wiped at her eyes. "What are we going to do, Dheeraj?" she whispered.
Dheeraj wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders, pulling her close. "We'll get through this," he said quietly, though his own heart was heavy with doubt. "But things are going to have to change."
Riya nodded, resting her head against his shoulder. "We can't let this happen again. We need to be better parents."
"We will be," Dheeraj promised, though he knew that the road ahead would not be easy. "But first… we need to make things right with Karna and Devi. For Dhruvansh's sake."
As they stood there, wrapped in each other's arms, they both silently vowed to do better—for their daughter, for their family, and for the friends they had hurt. But deep down, they knew that the damage done tonight would take time to heal.
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