What frightened them most was how little emotion showed on her face.
No visible tears , no shouting.Nothing that matched the panic consuming her.
Her face remained almost eerily still.
Only the slightest tension around her eyes.
The faintest tremor in her jaw.
The smallest cracks in an otherwise unreadable mask.
But her body—
Her body betrayed everything.
Her hands shook uncontrollably.
Her shoulders trembled.
Her breathing came too fast.
Each breath seemed to catch painfully in her chest.
The fingers protecting her head had gone white from how tightly they were clenched.
Farhan felt his stomach twist.
Because he had never seen anyone look so afraid while trying so desperately not to show it.
Fahim's expression had become grave.
The repeated apologies.
The overwhelming fear.
As If she was reacting to something her mind believed was happening right now.
Nearby, Fahad clenched his fists.
Helplessness settled heavily across his face.
Every protective instinct he possessed was screaming at him to do something.
But what?
How did you fight an enemy no one could see?
Mahi's eyes burned.The pain was almost unbearable.
Because for the first time, she realized something heartbreaking:
Maya had learned to hide her feelings so well that most people saw only silence.
And beneath that calm expression lived a fear so powerful that, when it finally surfaced, even Maya could no longer control it.
Mahim stood behind her.
A man who had built companies from nothing. Whose name alone could silence a boardroom.
A man who had faced crises worth millions without blinking.
Yet none of that mattered here.
Not while his daughter knelt in the rain, trembling, her gloved hand clutched at her chest.
For the first time in a very long time, Mahim looked frightened.
Truly frightened.
Maya's eyes blinked slowly.
Her lips parted but no words came.
Only another unsteady breath.
"Ohhhhhh no, no, no." Fahim was already moving.
The cold, analytical doctor disappeared.
What remained was a brother.
A worried brother.
"She's not breathing properly.
She's shutting down."
Mahi went pale,
"Ohhhh no , Maya."
Her voice shook.
"Maya, look at me."
She wanted to reach for her daughter again.
But the memory of Maya recoiling stopped her.
The hesitation broke her heart.
Farhan felt panic seize his chest.
"Maya!"
Fahad gone rigid,
"Do something."
"I'm trying," Fahim snapped back.
Even he was scared.
Fahan looked completely lost.
His eyes darted between Maya and Fahim.
"What the hell ?"
Nearby, Fahish held her fallen sketchbook against his chest.
The pages were protected from the rain.
Naya's eyes widened,
"Oh God..."
Ohi stood frozen. Watching, unable to look away.
Unable to understand how the quiet girl from earlier had become this frightened figure in the rain.
Anik felt his stomach drop.
The anger from before seemed ridiculous now.
He stared at Maya.
And guilt settled heavily in his chest.
Because he suddenly realized how little he understood her.
Then, a flicker of awareness returned.
Just enough for her eyes to focus for a brief moment.
The garden blurred in and out of focus.
Her hand moved.
As though following an old habit she wasn't consciously thinking about.
Her fingers slipped into her hair, parting the dark strands with practiced familiarity.
Then she pulled something free.
A silver pin.
Ordinary-looking.
She held it to her own throat—
The moment the family saw it, a new wave of alarm swept through the garden.
"Maya."
Fahim's voice changed instantly.
"Maya, look at me."
Mahi felt her heart stop.
Farhan's entire body went rigid.The rain soaked through his clothes.
He didn't notice . All he could see was his sister.
"Stop—!"
"Hey, maya—"
Mahi's voice collapsed into itself,
"Please put that down,
sweetheart… please…"
Fahan moved forward more carefully,
his tone lower,
"Hey… hey, listen to me.
You don't need that. Listen to me , please. "
The twins spoke almost at once, their voices overlapping in quiet panic—
"Put it down, Maya.
Please . Don't hurt yourself —"
Maya's eyes remained closed.
Very faintly—her lips moved. Broken by exhaustion,
"…Yama."
The word echoed inside her.
For a moment, there was only silence.
Then, from somewhere deep within—something stirred.
Yama:
You called me… in front of them.
The voice was not external .
Not heard by anyone else.
Like a second rhythm beneath her thoughts.
Maya's fingers tightened slightly.
"No choice.
If I don't call you… I lose control."
Inside her, the presence shifted, just watching.
Yama:
Control…
You think you are controlling me?
Her jaw tensed,
" I think so. "
"You can't control me. "
"I destroy everything if I have to."
The words sent a chill through the garden.
"Even myself.
I did not allow myself to become a monster like them."
A breath.
"Can you hear me, Yama?"
Silence.
Then Maya's expression tightened,
"I know you can hear me.Calm down."
A pause.
"Please.
If you don't calm down... I will become a monster."
Inside her mind, the storm was louder.
And somewhere beyond it—
A voice laughed.
"Monster?"
Yama's voice echoed through the darkness.
"You always call me that."
"No."
"Then what am I? A wound? A mistake?"
"You're angry."
A soft laugh answered her.
"Angry?
No, Maya.
I am simply the part that refuses to pretend."
Outside, Maya's breathing hitched.
Fahim noticed immediately.
A heavy silence settled over the garden.
The family exchanged uneasy glances.
Because, what unsettled everyone wasn't the storm.
It was the conversation. She was answering.
Pausing.Then speaking again.
As though someone stood before her. Someone only she could see.
"...Did she just answer a question nobody asked?"
A chill ran through Ohi.
"She's speaking as though she's having a conversation."
"With who?" Nahi asked quietly.
Nobody answered.
"Did you hear what she said?" Fahis asked.
"'Calm down.'
'I don't want to become a monster.'"
Ohi swallowed.
"Who was she talking to?"
Faha finally spoke,
"Maybe the question isn't who.
Maybe we should be asking why."
Fahim nodded slowly.
"Something is clearly causing her immense distress."
--
Within the storm of her thoughts, Maya shook her head,
"No."
Yama stepped closer like a shadow growing larger,
"Look at them, They pity you."
"No."
"They fear what they don't understand.
And when they finally see everything?"
The voice softened.
More dangerous than before.
"Will they stay?"
"I don't want you to come out."
Yama laughed,
"You say that every time."
"Because every time you hurt people."
The laughter stopped immediately,
"I protect you . I destroy threats."
"You destroy everything."
For the first time, Yama said nothing.
The darkness seemed to watch her.
"You're trembling."
Yama's voice drifted through the darkness.
Almost amused,
"Look at you. Afraid of a little rain."
"It's not the rain."
"I know."
Maya's eyes squeezed shut.Her body trembled,
"Please."
The word was almost a prayer.
"Just this once, stay back."
Yama laughed softly,
"You repeat those words every time."
"Because every time you try to take over."
"Take over?"
Yama tilted her head,
"Interesting choice of words.
I am you .How can I take what already belongs to me?"
Maya shook her head.
"No, you are not me."
The darkness seemed to grow quieter.
" And yet,
When you're frightened, who appears?
When you're cornered, who answers?
When you're hurt, who stands up? "
Maya looked away.
Yama stepped closer,
"You know the answer."
"That doesn't make you right."
"It makes me necessary."
"I don't need you."
"Tell me, Who protected you when nobody else did?
Who endured with you ?"
"Stop."
"Why?"
"Because you're twisting everything."
"Am I?
Or am I simply saying what you refuse to hear?"
Then, quietly:
"You're tired."
Maya didn't answer.
"You're scared.
Then why you're still fighting me? "
The voice sounded almost curious now.
"Because I want to choose who I am."
Fahan looked between his siblings.
"Tell me I'm not the only one seeing this."
Farhan felt his stomach twist.On thid rainy night fear crept through him.
Fahish tightened his grip on the sketchbook he was protecting from the rain.
His face had gone pale.
Even he, usually so calm, looked shaken.
"Please, just this once.
I know why you're angry . I know why you want to fight."
A flicker crossed Yama's face.
"I know you're trying to protect me."
"Then why are you stopping me?"
"Because I don't need protection right now."
Then Yama sighed.
A sound so rare it almost didn't seem real.
"Only this once.Don't make me regret it."
Yama's voice was quieter now.
Farther away.
"Rest, Maya."
Fahan whispered under his breath,
"What is she doing…?"
Fahim's voice dropped, urgent now,
"Don't move. "
"Don't interrupt her , please. "
Fahim snapped under his breath,
"She's stabilizing something. "
"Fahim, What is happening to her?"
The doctor exhaled slowly,
"I don't know for certain.
She's extremely distressed.
It could be a panic response.
Or she may be experiencing perceptions that feel completely real to her even though no one else can observe them."
Farhan's face lost color,
"Hallucinations?"
"Possible," Fahim corrected immediately.
"Not confirmed."
—
Maya's head bowed.
Her dark hair fell forward like a curtain, hiding her face from view.
For a brief moment, the garden seemed to hold its breath.
Fahad pressed a fist against his mouth.
His entire body had gone rigid.
The eldest brother who rarely showed fear now looked as though the ground had disappeared beneath him.
"Maya..."
And then—
She collapsed, her body gave way.
Falling sideways toward the rain-soaked grass.
Anik moved first.
He surged forward, faster than anyone else, catching her before her head could strike the ground.
His arms slid beneath her, lifting her as though she weighed nothing.
He pressed her close, his heart pounding, the scent of rain and earth clinging to her hair.
"Fahim?"
Mahi's voice shook,
"Fahim, say something."
"We need to get her inside."
"Open the doors, fast," he barked, his voice harsh.
"Now!"
Servants scrambled, flinging the wide oak doors of the mansion open.
Anik carried her inside with long, unrelenting strides, his grip unyielding, his jaw tight.
Her head lolled against his chest, her breath shallow, lips pale.
Each step echoed like a war drum through the marble halls.
Mahi hurried after them,
"Call the doctor— now! Hurry!"
~~
The mansion erupted into motion.
The quiet dignity that usually defined the Sunayana estate vanished completely.
Servants hurried through hallways carrying blankets and towels.
Footsteps echoed across polished floors.
Lights throughout the house blazed to life.
Maya was carried upstairs immediately.
The family followed close behind.
Within minutes, the family doctor arrived.
Dr. Rahman.
The moment his car stopped outside the mansion, a servant was already waiting.
"Doctor, this way!"
Dr. Rahman barely acknowledged the greeting.
His leather medical bag was clutched tightly in one hand.
His spectacles had slipped halfway down his nose from how quickly he had rushed over.
"What happened?"
"No one is completely sure," Fahim answered beside him.
"Found her outside during a severe panic episode."
Dr. Rahman's expression immediately sharpened.
"Loss of consciousness?"
"Yes."
"Head injury?"
"None that we observed."
"Breathing?"
"Rapid at first."
Fahim's voice remained professional.
"Then she became unresponsive."
Dr. Rahman nodded once.
When they reached Maya's room, the atmosphere was heavy.
The entire family seemed gathered outside or just inside the doorway.
Mahim stood near the window.
Everyone could see the tension beneath it.
Mahi sat beside the bed.
One hand gently resting on Maya's blanket.
Farhan occupied a chair nearby.
Looking exhausted.
Frightened.
The others lingered throughout the room.
Dr. Rahman entered.
"Everyone give me some space."
The family reluctantly stepped back.
Dr. Rahman moved to Maya's bedside.
He carefully checked her pulse.
Her breathing.
Her responsiveness.
The condition of her pupils.
The tension in her muscles.
The room remained completely silent.
The only sounds were the soft hum of the air conditioner and the occasional distant rumble of thunder outside.
Several minutes passed.
Finally, Dr. Rahman straightened.
Removing his spectacles briefly before replacing them.
His expression was thoughtful.
Mahim spoke first.
"Doctor?"
Nobody moved as they waited for Dr. Rahman's assessment.
Dr. Rahman stood beside the bed, his voice steady,
"She didn't just faint, This girl… she has just endured three panic attacks in less than five minutes."
A pause.
"The body simply gave up trying to keep pace."
Fahim stood still for a moment, the doctor's words hanging in the air like a heavy curtain.
Then he exhaled slowly.
Not as a brother.
But as a fellow physician.
"…Three acute panic cycles in under five minutes," he repeated quietly.
"That kind of autonomic cascade… it's rare at this intensity."
Dr. Rahman turned slightly toward him, acknowledging the shift in tone,
"You're a doctor. "
Fahim nodded once.
"Yes and I'm trying to understand the pattern."
Fahim stepped closer to the bedside, careful not to disturb Maya.
"She didn't present like a typical panic disorder case. The onset was too rapid.
Too… situationally triggered."
Dr. Rahman listened without interrupting.
"The initial episode outside—hyperventilation, dissociation signs, possible flashback response."
He frowned slightly.
"And the third collapse—complete autonomic shutdown.
That sequence suggests cumulative trauma activation, not isolated anxiety."
Dr. Rahman nodded slowly,
"You're seeing it correctly."
Fahim's expression tightened.
"Then we're not dealing with a single episode."
"Yes. "
"Doctor… when she was speaking earlier—she wasn't responding to us consistently.
There were structured pauses. Dialogue-like patterns. As if she was engaged in an internal conversation."
Dr. Rahman chose his words carefully,
"That can occur in extreme dissociative states.
The mind externalizes internal conflict when it cannot integrate emotional stress."
Fahim nodded slowly, absorbing it.
"So it's not necessarily psychosis in the classical sense."
A pause.
"It could be trauma-driven dissociation with intrusive cognitive intrusions."
"You're thinking in the right direction."
Fahim exhaled, running a hand through his wet hair,
"But the intensity…
I've seen panic disorders. PTSD cases. Acute stress reactions.
But nothing with this level of rapid cycling and complete physiological collapse."
Dr. Rahman responded calmly,
"That's because this is not a textbook presentation."
"Then what's your working impression?"
"Severe trauma-related dissociative episodes with acute panic escalation.
Possibly with embedded trigger-linked memory activation."
Fahim's eyes widened slightly.
He understood immediately what that implied.
"So the episodes are being driven by specific stimuli."
"Yes. "
"Likely sensory or emotional triggers.
In this case, the thunder, the environmental stress, and earlier psychological distress acted as catalysts."
Fahim looked down again at Maya.
"So her brain is not just reacting to the present.
It's reliving something."
"She is only fifteen," he said, more softly now.
"But her body is reacting as though it has lived through repeated psychological trauma."
A brief pause.
"This is what happens when the nervous system is pushed beyond its limit.She's been holding it in for a long time.
For this reason, her body reacted as though it was facing a serious threat."
Then he spoke again, his voice lower now,
"She is only fifteen,But what I am seeing… this level of breakdown in the nervous system…It does not happen in isolation."
A pause settled in the room.
"It happens when a mind is repeatedly pushed beyond its capacity to tolerate fear, distress, or emotional shock."
Fahim's expression tightened slightly,
"This is cumulative. Layered. Built over time."
"I need to be very clear with all of you,
This level of psychological trauma in someone so young does not develop without cause."
A pause.
"It means there has been prolonged exposure to something deeply distressing."
He stopped for a moment, as if choosing whether or not to continue.
Then he did.
"Whatever she has endured… it has left an imprint not only on her mind, but on her body's automatic responses.
Whoever has done this to her…"
A brief silence.
"It is sustained psychological damage…this level of harm is not accidental.
Whoever was responsible… they were destructive to it, very much . They are absolutely monster."
Mahi let out a broken breath . Her hand covered her mouth.
Fahan finally broke the silence,
"Doctor...…is recovery possible?"
"Yes."
A brief pause.
"But only in the presence of sustained safety, consistency, and trust.
And only if the environment that caused this harm is no longer allowed to continue in any form."
He turned slightly toward Fahim
"I am going to give her mild sedative. Only to stabilize her nervous system and reduce residual agitation."
"I'll handle the dosage oversight."
"I will return tomorrow," he said.
"If there is any change—positive or negative—you inform me immediately."
Mahim nodded once,
"Thank you, doctor."
The silence that followed was unbearable.
Fahad was the first to break the silence.
His voice came out rough, unsteady.
"This… is worse than we thought."
Farhan stood near the doorway,
"She always looked… in control."
Fahan exhaled sharply,
"So all this time…We didn't notice anything?"
Ohi stepped closer,
"I thought she was just… quiet."
Nahi gave a short, uneasy laugh that had no humor in it.
"This is not quiet.This is someone holding themselves together until they couldn't anymore."
Anik stood slightly apart from the group.
"I thought she was avoiding me.
I didn't think she was… struggling like this."
"How did I not see this?"
Fahim finally spoke, breaking the silence with clinical calm,
"Right now, blame is not useful."
Mahi's hand flew to her chest. She sobbed quietly,
"My daughter… my child… what did she endure out there?"
"Mahi—" Mahim's voice cracked.
He reached for her, but she pulled away, her tears drowning him out.
Fahad stepped forward, his usual composure shattered,
" We'll protect her. Whoever—whatever—hurt her, we'll — We'll burn the world down if we must."
Fahan's voice cut in, sangry.
"But how?
She won't speak. She won't tell us. She locks it all inside and we stand here. What use is our power if she won't let us in?"
"Enough," Mahim said, voice heavy.
Farhan—still pale from his earlier outburst—sat heavily on a chair in the corner, head in his hands.
"She thought I was going to hit her. When I touched her.
She looked at me like… like I was the one. Like I was—"
"Farhan, no." Mahi moved toward him, pulling him against her chest like she had when he was a boy.
He didn't resist.
His broad shoulders shook under her hands.
"She wasn't seeing you. She was seeing someone else. Whoever did this… she still lives in shadow."
Anik had not moved.
He sat beside the bed, close enough that Maya's hand almost brushed his sleeve. His eyes never left her face.
The stillness in her, the refusal of expression—it terrified the others. But to him, it was a riddle he needed to solve.
He leaned closer, voice low, controlled. "Maya…"
She didn't stir.
"I'll find him, Whoever touched you. Whoever scarred your soule. I'll tear him apart with my own hands."
Fahad shot him a look, "This isn't the time for—"
"No, You don't understand. She doesn't need pity. She doesn't need tears. She needs someone who won't stop until he's dead."
Mahim's stare pinned him.
But Anik didn't flinch. His jaw stayed locked, his hands tight on the edge of the mattress.
And Maya lay there.
Her breathing shallow, uneven at times, then steady again—like a fragile rhythm refusing to collapse completely.
Fahad spoke first, his voice low.
"…She's didn't responding to us."
Mahi's hand trembled where it hovered near the blanket,
"What does that mean?"
Fahim chose his words with care.
"It means her awareness is… withdrawn.
Like the mind has stepped back from the immediate environment to protect itself."
Ohi stepped back a little, unsettled.
"This is… terrifying."
One by one, they began to leave the room.
But slowly, as if stepping away from Maya felt like abandoning something fragile that could shatter the moment they turned their backs.
Mahi was the last to rise from her chair beside the bed.
Her fingers hovered for a second near Maya's blanket, then withdrew . She couldn't bring herself to touch her again.
Fahad lingered near the doorway.
Then he turned away without a word.
The weight of helplessness followed him out.
Farhan hesitated in the middle of the room.
He left quietly, shoulders lowered.
Fahan followed next.
Faha and Fahish moved together.
Neither spoke.
The sketchbook remained in Fahish's hands, pressed carefully against his chest like something sacred and broken at the same time.
The door closed softly behind them.
The hallway felt colder.
Larger.
Down the corridor, Mahi stood still for a moment longer than the rest.
—
Mahim gathered everyone in the corridor outside her room.
The servants stood in a tight line near the wall, heads lowered.
He spoke slowly,
"No one speaks of what happened tonight outside these walls."
A pause.
"Not a word."
His gaze moved across the staff, ensuring every person understood.
"Not to anyone."
Only the distant sound of rain against the windows filled the gap.
"Do you understand?"
One by one, the servants lowered their heads and nodded.
"Yes, sir," came the quiet chorus.
"If I hear even a rumor leaving this house…
There will be consequences."
The warning was calm, but unmistakably final.
The servants nodded again, more firmly this time.
" Understood, sir. "
Nearby, the brothers stood together in silence.
Fahad's jaw was tight, his eyes dark with thought.
Fahim remained composed, but his gaze was distant, still processing everything he had witnessed.
Farhan looked exhausted, as though the weight of the night had settled fully onto his shoulders.
Fahan and Faha stood quietly, neither speaking, neither moving.
Fahish held the sketchbook closer to his side, as if anchoring himself to something real.
After a moment, Fahad spoke softly.
"…No one will talk. Understand? "
One by one, the brothers nodded.
Their faces grave, serious.
Night settled deeper over the mansion.
The living room remained occupied, though no one truly sat in comfort.
A single lamp near Maya's room cast a muted golden glow down the corridor.
Inside the living room, silence stretched too long.
Fahad sat rigidly, elbows resting on his knees, staring at nothing in particular.
His mind replayed every moment.
Farhan leaned back slightly, eyes half-lowered.
Exhaustion had taken over his body, but not his thoughts.
Fahim sat apart from the rest.
A notebook lay open beside him, untouched.
Mahi sat near the edge of the sofa, hands folded tightly in her lap.
She did not cry .
But the stillness in her face was heavier than tears.
Mahim stood by the window.
His reflection merged faintly with the glass.
Farhan's voice was almost a whisper,
"…She's been carrying this alone for a long time."
Fahad's jaw tightened.
"So what now?"
"Now we observe."
Mahi's voice broke softly.
"…Will she remember any of this when she wakes up?"
"I don't know. " Fahim replied.
"Enough. Everyone should rest."
His gaze moved across the room, leaving no room for argument,
"What happened tonight… will not be solved by exhaustion."
Farhan rose quietly, adjusting his sleeves.
He didn't speak, just gave a tired nod.
Mahi nodded faintly. Then turned away.
One by one, the family dispersed into the vast mansion.
The lights dimmed gradually behind them.
Leaving only faint pools of gold along the hallway.
Outside, the storm had quieted.