Saad slowly shook his head. "No. I don't know who the man today really was... or who this one is. But Aisha once told me—between the two of them, one molested her at Joshi Mansion."
A stunned silence shattered.
Vikram's voice was low, controlled, but heavy with concern. "Since when has she been doing this?"
Before Saad could answer, the bathroom door creaked open.
Aisha stepped out as she dabbed her wet face. Her voice cut through the thick silence—quiet but unshakable. "It's been four years."
Every head turned to her.
She didn't falter under the weight of their gazes. "It started with Kaki's assaulters," she continued, walking to the board, her tone composed, like she had rehearsed these words a thousand times in her mind. "I found them in Switzerland... when Rivaan took me there."
Rivaan took a step forward, eyebrows furrowed. "When?" he asked, disbelief lacing his voice.
Aisha looked at him, a faint, tired smile on her lips. "The second day. We were playing in the snow, remember? I asked you to get us hot chocolate. I saw him... recognized the face. I sent his picture to bhai immediately. And through him... I tracked the other one too."
Realization dawned in Rivaan's eyes. The others nodded slowly, speechless.
Aisha turned back to the board, her gaze lingering on the crisscross of strings and photos. "When STAR came into the dark world... I sent them warnings. Subtle at first. Then louder." Her smirk was cold, chilling. "They ran. Hid like cowards. That's when I realized... they weren't random men. They were gang. Protected by very powerful people. People who are still behind me."
Her voice hardened. "But I like the fear they have when they hear my name. Why wouldn't they? I became their nightmare."
Arjun's voice, though calm, held a sharpness. "And the man you killed today... who was he?"
Aisha's smile disappeared. She stared at the freshly crossed-out photo on the board, her expression hollow, unreadable.
"When I was eight," she said slowly, "he was hired as my tutor. He was only seventeen. Seemed nice to everyone else... but he wasn't. He was twisted. He found joy in punishing me. In abusing me. And he made me recite that poem... over and over... the one I was forced to sang when Kaki was getting raped. Because he knew." Her voice cracked slightly on that last word, but she didn't let it break her.
Gasps were swallowed. Jaws clenched. Everyone stared at the photo like they could bring him back to life just to make him suffer again.
Divyansh's voice trembled. "If he was your tutor... then the last one left—he's the one who..."
His words faltered.
Aisha nodded silently, her eyes not leaving the board. They all knew what he meant.
A heavy, suffocating silence descended. Rage. Sorrow. Guilt. The weight of it all pressed down on them like a storm cloud. Every time they thought they knew the depth of her pain, it turned out there was still more—more horror, more hurt, more strength.
And through it all, Aisha stood there—small, silent... shaking ever so slightly.
Rajendra's gaze never left her. He saw what the others couldn't. The way her fingers trembled. The quiet struggle in her breath. She wasn't okay. Not really. She was still living those memories... still fighting to stay upright.
And that was enough.
"That's enough for today," Rajendra said suddenly, his voice laced with gentle authority.