Chapter 1: My Life

Falak's POV

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'Do you think your life is difficult? Or has God put all the problems in your life? Trust me; if you feel so, then you won't say the same after hearing my lifestyle.'

'Hi Everyone, I am Falak Srivastav, and I stay with my dad, step-mom, and my half-brother in Sydney.'

'I don't know what is wrong with me? My family hates me. Generally, daughters are the Princess of their fathers, but my father treats me like trash. My stepmother treats me like a maid. My half-brother practically hates me. Dad started sending me to school when his friends came to know that I am his daughter, and he treats me like a maid.

But school life sucks because I study in the same class in which my brother, Lance, studies. My stepmother and half Australian, while my father and I are Indian.'

'Coming back to where I had left, yes, Lance. He doesn't leave a single chance to bully me. He is good at everything except his studies. He always forces me to do his homework and project. He threatened me not to let anyone know that I am his half-brother.

I don't have any friends because I am not good at making friends or socializing. Everyone near me hates me. I loathe them.'

'I do study in school, but my father doesn't pay my fees. I have to do a few part-time jobs to support my studies. Also, no matter how many part-time jobs do. I have to do all the household work as well. Cooking, cleaning, washing, and everything. Mom and dad always say that I should be grateful that they let me stay in the house and feed me, so I must do all the work to show my gratitude.'

'It was my birthday today. Unlike other kids, I didn't receive any gifts or cake, but something horrible because of which I hated my birthday. He hit me with a belt until I fell unconscious. Sometimes, I wonder why he doesn't kill me?'

'Whenever I feel like I will die, he saves my life. As per him, "He won't let me die that easily."

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Right now, I was crying, hiding myself in the bushes in the garden. I always came here because this was my permanent hideout.

'Why is my father so cruel to me? Is it because I am a girl?'

I was sobbing and battling with my thoughts. God knows how long that I slept in the middle. When I opened my eyes, it was going to be dark, which meant I had to go back home.

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Immediately my eyes landed on the two boxes kept near me. I looked everywhere to see who kept this here because no one came here. But no one was there. There was a small note stick on the box.

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"Happy Birthday, Senorita," the note said. Wait! What? Who is the Senorita here? I groaned. Was someone trying to do a prank on me? With a shivering hand, I opened the first box and found a small keypad phone.

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Then suddenly, that phone vibrated, notifying a new message. 

'Please accept this as a birthday gift. I am asking much, but please keep this with you so that we can stay in touch.'

I narrowed my eyes on the person's request. I opened the 2nd box and found my favorite black forest cake.

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"Hope you enjoy your favorite cake, Senorita. Go home safely after eating the cake."

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I almost dropped that phone in surprise.

'Who the hell is he? How does he or she know that this is my favorite cake?'

I cut the slice of the cake and smell it. It smelled heavenly, and I remembered I hadn't eaten anything since morning. I finally ate that slice, and it tasted so delicious.

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I almost ate all the cake and smiled happily.

"Thank you. By the way, who are you? Are you a boy or girl? How do you know about my favorite cake?"

I typed slowly and hit the send button, and started waiting for the person's reply.

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"I can't reveal who I am. Until then, you can call me your mysterious lover because I am a boy. And last but not least, I know everything about you." came a message from the other side, and my breath became uneven. I was sure he was a stalker; otherwise, how did he know about my hideout? And my favorite cake? Now, the question of whether I should take this phone with me to home or not? If anyone finds out about me having a phone, then they will surely kill me. 

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'And you want to get killed by them, isn't it? So, it is better to do something to get yourself killed rather than waiting for your death.', My mind said, and I agreed with it. I hid the phone under my shoes and started walking back to my home.

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The moment I entered my home, I was welcomed by a tight slap. "You fucking useless bitch! Where the hell were you? Who will cook food for dinner?" I sobbed slowly. "Go and cook the food if you don't want me to kick your ass.", She hissed, and I walked toward the kitchen. I prepared the food for them. And after eating dinner, all three left the living room. I ate the leftover food from their plate after washing all the dishes. I walked toward my room, which was not even a good room to stay in. They hadn't even provided a mattress to me. I sleep on the old torn bedsheet. The storeroom didn't have proper heating or cooling. So, in summer, I have to stay sweating, and in winter, I always get frozen up.

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I tried to sleep, but I was not feeling sleepy at not. Just like another teenager, I was feeling giddy with the thought that someone loved me.

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I hope he was not kidding. But why would someone love me? I meant I was a nerd. Everyone saw me, a girl with messy hair, an ungroomed face. And who wore oversize school dresses or clothes and old shoes? They saw me as someone who didn't even have a basic sense of fashion or dress style, but that's not the complete truth; my parents never bought me anything suitable to wear. All my mind was filled with a lot of thoughts.

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Then my phone vibrated—a new message from the same unknown number. I opened the message with my finger shaking. I want to know what did he send?

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"Good Night Senorita"

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I always wanted my family to love me. But Nevermind, someone else was doing their job. My life was full of shit, pain, and miseries, so just a tiny amount of love meant a lot to me. I felt happy. I felt special…..

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#TBC