The Blood That Was Not Mine
Chapter- 1
[Mehra Mansion – Morning | Aira’s 18th Birthday]
Neelam Mehra ( Fl mom )
(placing a kiss on Aira’s forehead)
Happy Birthday, my princess. You’re officially an adult today.
Aira Mehra ( Fl)
(smiling sleepily)
Does this mean I can skip college and sleep all day?
Karan mehra ( Fl father)
(walking in with a gift box)
"Only if you open this first."
Birthdays in my house always feel like fairy tales. My dad—no, Papa—makes sure of that.
I always believed I was the luckiest girl alive.
Until today.
[Meanwhile – Malhotra Mansion]
Riaan Malhotra ( Ml)
(coldly buttoning his shirt, ignoring his ringing phone)
"Don’t call me this early, Kabir."
kabir shah ( Ml bff )
(on call, half-joking)
You do know it’s Aira’s birthday today, right? You’re going to see her in college. You’re not even going to wish her?
Riaan Malhotra ( Ml)
(sharp tone)
Why would I? I barely speak to her.
Karan mehra ( Fl father)
(teases)
you stare at her like she’s your last lifeline every time she walks by.
Riaan Malhotra ( Ml)
(ends call without reply)
I Don’t do birthdays.
And I definitely don’t do guilt.
But today… something in me feels uneasy.
[College – Entrance Gate]
Aira Mehra ( Fl)
(excitedly greeting Ritika and Vivaan)
Okay, be honest. Did you two plan something behind my back again?
Ritika Arora ( Fl bff )
(grinning)
it’s just say… there might be a few surprises you didn’t expect.
Vihaan Arora ( Ml bff )
(smiling casually)
And maybe a few truths you were never supposed to know.
Aira Mehra ( Fl)
(confused)
huh ?
[Evening – Party Venue | Arora Family House Lawn – Decorated, Guests Arriving]
Ritika Arora ( Fl bff )
(holding Aira’s hand)
You look like a dream, birthday girl. Ready to shine?
Aira Mehra ( Fl)
(laughing nervously)
Only if you promise to make sure I don’t trip in these heels.
Vihaan Arora ( Ml bff )
We’ll carry you, princess. Or maybe Riaan will...
Aira Mehra ( Fl)
(blushing, glancing away)
Shut up
[Enter: Riaan Malhotra (ML) – late, in a black suit, cold eyes scanning the crowd]
kiara Malhotra ( Ml sister )
(whispering to him)
You came… for her?
kiara Malhotra ( Ml sister )
(cold tone)
I came for the cake.
kabir shah ( Ml bff )
(smirking)
Liar. You haven’t eaten cake since 2019.
[Moments Later – Stage for Cake Cutting]
Everyone chanting:
🎂 "Happy birthday to you..."
Aira Mehra ( Fl)
(beaming, cutting the cake)
Thank you all for being here. You’ve made this night so special.
[Suddenly – A woman's voice from the back of the crowd cuts through the music]
unknown
"She should know the truth... especially today."
(Everyone turns. A woman in her 30s steps forward — unfamiliar face, eyes sharp, voice trembling but loud enough to silence the crowd.)
unknown
This girl—Aira—deserves to know... that the man standing beside her isn’t her real father
Aira Mehra ( Fl)
"What... what is she saying?"
Neelam Mehra ( Fl mom )
(shaking her head in disbelief)
Who are you? How dare you—
unknown
I was there. The night her mother was brought to the hospital. Drugged. Broken. Pregnant. And I knew the truth would someday come out.
Crowd gasps. Riaan’s eyes widen slightly. Kabir freezes. Vivaan drops his drink.
The music stops. Silence.
Chapter- 2
Karan mehra ( Fl father)
(raging)
Security! Get her out!
unknown
She’s not your daughter by blood. The man who fathered her... didn’t even know what he’d done. But the blood... never lies.
Aira Mehra ( Fl)
(voice broken, eyes filled with tears)
Mom…? Dad…? What is she talking about?
Neelam Mehra ( Fl mom )
(crying, unable to speak)
Everyone was looking at me.
My birthday candles still flickering.
My hands shaking.
My entire world… cracking.
And for the first time ever…
I looked at my parents…
And I saw fear.
Ananya Mehra ( Fl sister )
(Steps forward. Her voice soft but firm.)
She’s not lying.
Everyone freezes.
Even the music stops.
Aira stares at her little sister in shock.
Aira Mehra ( Fl)
(whispers)
"Anaya…?"
Ananya Mehra ( Fl sister )
I heard them talking one night… Mom and Dad. They said you were… born from something terrible. That your real father was someone else… someone who hurt Mom. But she forgave him. They both said you'd never know.
Karan mehra ( Fl father)
(roaring)
Anaya! Stop talking!
Ananya Mehra ( Fl sister )
I didn’t understand everything… And when I saw that woman… I recognized her voice. She came to our house once. I remembered
Aira Mehra ( Fl)
I couldn’t breathe.
My ears were ringing.
My baby sister… the one who braids my hair and shares secrets with me…
She knew.
And she didn’t tell me.
And now she believes a stranger over our parents?
Aira Mehra ( Fl)
(steps back, looking at her mother with pure betrayal)
Is it true?
Neelam Mehra ( Fl mom )
(crying, unable to answer)
Aira Mehra ( Fl)
(voice broken)
Mom… please.
Neelam Mehra ( Fl mom )
(falls to her knees, sobbing)
I didn’t know how to tell you… I wanted to protect you… I didn’t want you to hate me.
I should have screamed.
Cried.
Slapped someone.
But I stood there… frozen.
My cake melted.
My guests stared.
My truth shattered.
Aira Mehra ( Fl)
(quietly):
I want everyone to leave.
Ritika Arora ( Fl bff )
Aira, wait—
Aira Mehra ( Fl)
I SAID GET OUT!
Riaan Malhotra ( Ml)
(watching from the shadows, eyes unreadable, fists clenched)
Chapter- 3
A quiet street near the Mehra Mansion – Night
The streets are dimly lit, the distant sounds of the party replaced by the chirping of crickets. Aira walks fast, her heels clicking against the pavement, but her breathing is ragged. She’s hugging herself tightly, as if trying to hold in the pieces of her breaking heart.
Her mind replays the words again and again
Aira Mehra ( Fl)
(the man standing beside you isn’t your real father.)
Each repetition feels like another crack in her chest.
Aira Mehra ( Fl)
(whispering to herself)
Why… why today? Why in front of everyone?
A car slows down beside her. The headlights briefly blind her before it stops. The door opens and Riaan Malhotra steps out, still in his black suit from the party, his expression unreadable.
Riaan Malhotra ( Ml)
(calmly)
You plan on walking until morning?
Aira Mehra ( Fl)
(turning away, voice trembling)
Go home, Riaan.
Riaan Malhotra ( Ml)
(walking toward her, hands in pockets)
No.
Aira Mehra ( Fl)
(snapping)
I don’t need your pity—
Riaan Malhotra ( Ml)
(cutting her off)
This isn’t pity. It’s common sense. You’re out here, alone, in the dark, with no idea who’s around. That’s not happening.
She tries to step around him, but he moves, blocking her path — not aggressively, but like a wall she can’t bypass. His eyes hold steady on hers, and for the first time tonight, there’s no crowd, no whispers — just the two of them.
Aira Mehra ( Fl)
(weakly)
Everything… everything I knew about my life… was a lie.
Riaan Malhotra ( Ml)
(quietly)
That’s not true.
Aira Mehra ( Fl)
(bitter laugh)
You heard him. You saw their faces. Papa couldn’t even deny it.
Riaan Malhotra ( Ml)
(soft but firm)
Even if the truth isn’t what you thought… it doesn’t erase eighteen years of love. Karan Mehra raised you. That matters.
Her lip trembles, and she looks away, not wanting him to see the tears spilling down her cheeks. But he notices anyway.
Without saying a word, Riaan shrugs off his suit jacket and drapes it over her shoulders.
Aira Mehra ( Fl)
(startled, clutching the jacket)
I’m not cold.
Riaan Malhotra ( Ml)
I didn’t say you were. But you’re shaking
They stand there for a moment, the night air heavy with unspoken things. Finally, she exhales shakily.
Aira Mehra ( Fl)
I hate that they kept this from me.
Riaan Malhotra ( Ml)
Then be angry. Scream. Break something. But don’t run away alone and make it easier for the world to hurt you.
Aira Mehra ( Fl)
(looking at him through wet lashes)
Why do you care so much?
Riaan Malhotra ( Ml)
(holding her gaze, voice steady)
Because someone should.
For the first time tonight, she doesn’t have the strength to argue. She lets him lead her toward the car.
Riaan Malhotra ( Ml)
(opening the passenger door)
You can go back and face them… or I can take you somewhere quiet. Your call.
Aira hesitates, glancing toward the distant mansion lights, then back at him. The weight of betrayal is still there, but right now, the thought of going back to that crowd feels unbearable.
Aira Mehra ( Fl)
(quietly):
Somewhere quiet
He nods once, no questions asked, and drives into the night — the beginning of a bond neither of them expected.
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