Tanya's POV:

I didn't know what to do. This wasn't possible. Forget about believing, I couldn't even imagine Dad doing something like this.

"Sia, you might have been mistaken. We would have already come to know about the settlement if Dad kept paying it. You know we lacked money, so there was no chance for him to pay settlement", I tried my best to guide her indirectly.

She would be heartbroken if I outrightly told her that I didn't believe her. Hopefully, my explanation would make her understand that she was thinking about an impossible act.

"And why do you think we lacked money?" Sia counter backed, folding her arms and looking at me with steel eyes.

"We lost our jobs and our savings were negligible", I answered, not understanding where she was heading with her question.

"Do you really think that our savings got used so fast that we didn't have enough money for even a morsel of food? Let me remind you I am talking about the savings that our parents were saving since their marriage.

"Even if the amount was not much, it wouldn't be so less for us to be in the situation where we would be thrown out on the streets.

"And let's not forget about the money Trisha Di lended us. If used properly and deposited some of it, that money would have lasted us for years to go.

"Where do you think all this money disappeared?" Sia asked with a sardonic smirk.

"Okay, I get what you are talking about money. But that doesn't mean Dad would commit a crime. There can be some other reason for the money being used", I was adamant on my stance.

I looked at Raghav, hoping that he would take my side but he stood silently, having a thoughtful look on his face.

"Raghav", I called him, making him come out of his thoughts.

"Please say something", I whispered pleadingly.

"I don't think your father can do something like this", Raghav spoke, making me sigh in relief, and Sia snort at his conclusion.

"But I also don't think Sia will be so sure about this without any proper reason. There has to be something or else why would she speak something so grave like this for her own father", Raghav added the fact that I was trying to deny.

It was true and I knew it too. Sia wouldn't lie about something like this, but my Dad....there was no way he committed such a vile act.

"Sia is there are any chance that you misunderstood something?" I asked with a final hope.

"I wish it was the case", she replied sadly.

"Sia, at the start you said that you saw it with your own eyes. Can you ellaborate on that if it is okay with you?" Raghav requested.

Sia nodded mutely, before gesturing us to sit down beside her.

"No one was at home that day. Tanya and Mom had went to Temple to pray while I had left for college. However, I had to come back as I forgot my assignment that was supposed to be submitted that day", Sia started speaking with a far away look in her eyes, like she was remembering the dreaded moment.

"Thinking that no one was home, I opened the door with a key instead of ringing the doorbell. Going inside, I heard some noise but chuck it off, thinking that it was my illusion.

"As I moved forward towards our room to take the assignment, I saw that Mom and Dad's room was slightly open. I went to close it but then I saw Dad, his lawyer, the father of the supposed victim sitting there with grim faces. I was angry at the sight of the man who accused our father, but then I grew confused as to why they were at our home.

"I was about to go in and ask that man to leave our house, but I stopped short when I heard them talking about settlement money. The first thought that came to my mind was- Yes, that is it. That man accused our Dad to blackmail him and extract money.

"I couldn't have been more wrong. I heard him say loud and clear, "Bastards like you don't deserve to live. If only I didn't need the money for my daughter's medical bills, If only my daughter's life didn't depend on this money; I wouldn't have taken a single penny. I would have made you rot in the jail like you deserve".

"The girl was in a vegetative state. Her father chose her life instead of getting justice for her.

"Our father destroyed a girl's life, Tanya. And instead of repenting his deeds, he used up all our savings for the settlement. If that wasn't enough, he tried to destroy your life by trying to marry you with an old man for money.

"Every year Dad pays off the money at this date. I knew about it but the stupid me didn't realize that he would take Raghav's money too, while creating another problem in your life".

Sia didn't stop speaking until she was done. Not once did she stop to take a breather, but once finished, she bursted out crying.

I left Raghav's hand, which I had unknowingly grabbed as Sia spoke about our father's sin. Keeping my tears at bay, I moved forward to console Sia. She was a young child who had to see this reality of the world and that too by our own father.

My pain could wait, right now my only priority was Sia and then repayment of Raghav's money. I couldn't even bring myself to think about the victim and how sorry and pathetic I felt.

We didn't even know about her condition and kept cursing her for destroying our life. I needed to repent and I would. But first things first, I needed to be there for Sia. She saw a face of our Dad that no daughter would ever want to see.

"Was...was this the reason you kept warning me about men?" I inquired, now understanding the meaning behind her mysterious warnings.

My younger sister kept trying to save me. Calling Trisha to cancel my wedding with an old man, trying to get me run away from my wedding with Raghav, constantly trying to keep me alert, her changed behaviour; how did I miss all this signs?

What kind of a elder sister was I to not understand my sister's silent pleas. I felt like hitting myself for letting my kiddo face all this alone. I should have been with her to share the guilt and disgust. I should have taken out all her burdens.

Raghav looked at me with confusion, not getting my comment. I blinked my eyes and he understood that it was something just between us. His confusion wasn't cleared but he stayed quite, giving us sisters the space we needed. Raghav backed down and at the same time Sia spoke up.

"Yeah, this was the reason. How can we trust any other man, if our own father is like this?" Sia's question hit directly to the heart.

How true her words were!! A Father was his daughter's first hero. If a hero was like this, then what expectations should a girl keep from strangers.