Bade Sapne

◇ Part 2 ◇

Vira's POV

The air around me felt heavy, thick with something unspoken yet impossible to ignore. Every step I took felt like I was sinking deeper into quicksand, my feet dragging under the weight of the stares. The sun was setting, but the streetlights cast long shadows that only made everything feel more oppressive.

I shouldn’t have come out alone. Priya was with Abhishek, sorting through the latest mess, trying to keep everything together while my world was falling apart, and if she'd known I'd gone out, she would be livid. But I couldn’t stay cooped up in the apartment any longer. I thought maybe... just maybe... I could find a few moments of peace. But peace felt like a distant memory now, something I had no right to hope for.

My heart raced as I felt eyes on me, burning into my back, whispers growing louder with each passing second. I forced myself to keep moving, my breath shallow as I tried to stay composed. Head down. Don’t engage. It’s going to be okay.

But I could hear it—the muttering, the anger simmering just beneath the surface. It was all around me.

"Woh match-fixer hai, na?"

"Haan, suna hai usne Shubman ko fix karwaya..."

My throat tightened. They’re wrong. They don’t know. But what could I say that would make any of this better? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The media had already painted me as the villain, as if I had somehow masterminded this entire mess. Shubman’s alleged match-fixing, the downfall of friendships, my supposed manipulation—it was all a lie, but in their eyes, I was guilty. And there was no escaping it.

A sudden noise jolted me out of my thoughts. I flinched as something hit the ground near me. Hard. I froze, glancing down at the broken piece of concrete that had landed just inches away from my foot.

No... it can’t be...

I turned, slowly, my eyes scanning the faces behind me. The crowd wasn’t huge, but it was enough. They were watching me, expressions twisted with disgust, anger... betrayal. Their whispers grew louder, sharper, like knives being sharpened before a strike.

"Cheater!" someone yelled from the back, their voice cutting through the murmur of the crowd.

My heart jumped into my throat, panic rising like a wave crashing over me. I needed to move. I needed to get out of here. But before I could, something else hit me—this time, on the shoulder. The impact stung, sharp and sudden. I winced, instinctively reaching up to rub the sore spot, but before I could even process what had just happened, another stone hit me. This one on my leg.

I gasped, stumbling backward. The crowd was growing bolder now, their hatred tangible, suffocating. The whispers had turned into shouts, the accusations flying at me faster than the stones.

"Fixer!"

"Fraud!"

Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision as I tried to make sense of what was happening. How did it come to this? Just a few days ago, I was dealing with rumors, whispers in the background. But now... now they were attacking me. Physically. For something I hadn’t done. For something none of them understood.

I needed to get out of here.

Without thinking, I spun on my heel, my body jolting into action as adrenaline kicked in. I ran. My feet pounded against the pavement, faster and faster, but the crowd wasn’t backing down. They followed, their voices growing more aggressive, more vicious.

I could feel the sting of tears in my eyes, but I kept running, my breath coming in ragged gasps. The streets felt narrower, the lights dimmer, and with every corner I turned, it felt like the world was closing in on me. I had no destination. No plan. Just an overwhelming need to get away.

Please, just stop.

But they didn’t stop. I could hear them behind me, their footsteps echoing in my ears, their jeers ringing in my head. Someone threw a bottle, and I flinched as it shattered against the wall next to me, glass spraying in every direction. I barely dodged the next one, my hand instinctively flying to my face as a shard grazed my cheek, leaving a thin trail of blood.

I wanted to scream, to shout for help, but my voice was stuck in my throat, choked by fear and disbelief. How had it come to this? How had everything spiraled so far out of control?

I turned another corner, my legs burning, my lungs screaming for air. I could barely think, the world spinning around me, but I knew I couldn’t stop. Not yet. Maybe not ever. The streets were empty now, quieter, but the mob was still behind me, and I knew it wouldn’t take long for them to catch up.

My foot slipped on the wet pavement, and I nearly fell, catching myself at the last second. But the stumble cost me precious seconds, and I could hear them closing in. Closer and closer.

"Iss chahat mein mar jaunga... Phir bhi tumko chahunga..."

The lyrics played faintly in my head, the words from the song echoing in the background of my mind, but they felt distant now, a reminder of a love that was no longer mine. A love that had become tangled in lies and accusations, a love that had turned into something unrecognizable.

Before I knew it, my legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the cold, wet ground. My body shook with silent sobs, the tears mixing with the rain as I sat there, helpless, broken. The crowd was still there, their voices ringing in my ears, but I couldn’t move anymore. I was too tired. Too broken.

For a moment, I thought about staying there, letting them do whatever they wanted. Maybe if I gave up, it would all stop. Maybe if I stopped fighting, they would leave me alone.

But then I heard the sound of another bottle shattering, and I knew that wasn’t true. They wouldn’t stop. Not until they had destroyed me completely.

I forced myself back onto my feet, wiping the blood and tears from my face, and started running again. I didn’t know where I was going, but I couldn’t stop now.

Not yet.
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SOOOO ANOTHER CHAPTER THIS WEEKKKK

COZ IM FEELING GENEROUS (AND ALSO ITS MY BIRTHDAY 😇)

ANYWAYSSS TELL ME WHAT YOU THOUGHT??

LYYY

Stay tuned ;)