Another day

At Mia's orphanage.

Mia's troubles seemed to be endless as she went from one issue to the other. Lakshmi dropped her off at the orphanage and waved her by when Mia began to perceive smoke.

She looked at the orphanage and it didn't seem to be on fire, she went in and found some kids playing as usual.

But something didn't settle well with her, when one of the staff went into the kitchen to prepare a meal for the kids, she turned on the electric cooker.

Some kids were playing and they ran towards her in the kitchen.

"You can't catch me now" the little girl hugged the lady's waist as the boy she was playing with tried to go around the lady to get to the little girl.

There was an electric problem and the first thing to catch fire was the curtain that covered the kitchen window. The lady tried to put it out by pointing water she got from the sink but that only made it worse and the fire began to spread.

They tried to escape but the fire had spread quickly, surrounding them on all four sides. There was no escape for them.

Everyone in the orphanage began to panic and they called the fire department but as usual it would take time for them to get to the scene. Mia was the only person that didn't panic while everyone was screaming.

Their screams were very disturbing to Mia and all she wanted to do was to get away from them.

"Stop!" She shouted at the top of her lungs as she covered her ears with her palms. She was feeling very dizzy and their noise only made her condition worse, she knelt down on the floor and rolled herself into a ball, with her palms still covering her ears.

"Stand up Mia, you have to go. I said get up!" She heard her father's voice scream into her ear. It was as if he was scolding her for her behavior.

She sprung up from the floor and went to the sand box outside. Using the sand bucket the kids used to play with to pack sand, she tried to go close to the fire but some staff stopped her. They were holding her back.

"Mia, are you stupid? Do you want to kill yourself" one of the lady was dragging her back and the sand she had fetched from outside had spilled all over the kitchen's door mouth.

"Leave me!" She kept on struggling with the ladies who held both of her arms very tightly.

Mia was in a fix, she started using her legs to hit the door, she was trying to push it down and she succeeded.

Seeing this the ladies tried to pull her out of there since she was too close to the fire but Mia was very stubborn, she kept on kicking her legs, trying to spread the sand in the fire.

The fire was gradually subsiding but she was out of sand. The little girl who she made a kite for earlier picked up the sand bucket to fetch sand from the sandbox, she wanted to help Mia save her friends because she noticed that was what Mia was trying to do all this while but the ladies kept on preventing her.

She poured the sand inside the kitchen, quenching a huge part of the fire but it was already too late for that.

Lakshmi's POV

At Lakshmi's house

I was willing to take Mia's advice. I no longer decided to die in silence, I was approaching my parents bedroom, the door wasn't fully closed. I wanted to knock when I heard my mother yelling, my parents were in a heated argument.

"So how long were you planning to hide the truth, Veer?" My mum pointed her index finger at my dad's chest.

" You need to calm down Aadvika, I wasn't hiding anything from you. I also just got to know about it" my dad held both of my mum's wrist.

"So I am supposed to believe such lies. How dare you look me in the eyes and vomit such rubbish? Do you think I'm a fool huh?" My mum was very enraged, she shook her head angrily and the bun she made her hair into got loose, it wasn't a tight bun.

"Don't you trust me? After so many years of marriage" my dad was quite surprised by my mum's attitude.

"Trust? You dare open your mouth to talk about trust?" My mum's eyes widened.

"I love you Aadvika and I will never do anything that would hurt you, please believe me" my dad was trying his best to appease my mum but to no avail.

"Where was that love when you hid the truth from me for so many years? For crying out loud we have a 15 years old daughter and I just got to find out about this now?" My mum was very offended and she spoke angrily before she took a pause and smiled, just then a tear dropped from her eyes.

"Was that the reason you insisted that we stopped trying to have another child after my last miscarriage? Was that the reason? Answer me Veer!" My mum grabbed my dad's collar and was yanking it very roughly. My dad placed his palm at the back of my mum's hand and was speaking gently.

"You have to calm down, lower your voice or else Lakshmi might hear you. We don't want her to get involved in this'' my dad took her hands off his shirt. My mum averted her gaze from him before she looked back at him.

"We? I think at this point you will have to start talking for yourself because I totally disagree with everything you have said so far and I'm sure I will disagree with whatever you will say again.

And so what if she hears us? Are you trying to keep the fact that you are a horrible father from her?" My mother was crying and at the same time she was angry.

I really didn't know what could have caused such a fight between my parents but I wasn't going to stop eavesdropping on their conversation even though a huge part of me wanted me to.

"Stop this! Stop your nonsense right now because I have had enough!. What exactly is your problem? What is it that other husband's do that I haven't done? Please tell me so I can do it" my dad joined both of his palms together and was practically begging my mum for an answer but she was quiet but her silence didn't last for long.

"Other husbands have been faithful to their wives that is what they have done that you haven't. They don't cheat on their wives that is what you do that they don't" my mum yelled and this time I felt like the entire roof was going to fall.

"I have been faithful to you from the very day we took our wedding vows!" my dad thundered.

My mum wasn't going to take it any longer. She went in front of the mirror and made her hair into a bun again.

"Where are you going?" My dad held her hand, stopping her motion.

"I am not going to sleep on the same bed with you" she forcefully freed herself from him.

I ran away to hide behind a pillar and I saw her walking into one of the guest rooms and shutting the door. My dad trailed after her and tried his best to make her open the door but she refused.

"Please listen to me. Just listen to what I have to say" my dad was pleading and banging on the door but my mum didn't give him any reply and after several attempts he retired to his room.