ch 19 Behind the Walls
The bathroom door creaked open, and her son appeared, clutching a small strip of tablets.
"Ma... yeh lo," he said firmly, pressing them into her hand.
She snatched them, gulped them down with a sharp exhale, and slumped back, wiping sweat from her brow.
Her eyes, however, flicked toward me calm, folding clothes, the faint victorious curve of my lips betraying that she had lost this small battle.
And that's when I saw him.
Sameer.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. His jaw was sharp, his eyes cold steel—the mirror image of her cruelty. At twenty-eight, he carried her wickedness like a second skin. One glance from her was all it took, and he understood.
Before I could even stand, his hand shot out like a whip, seizing a fistful of my hair. A strangled cry escaped my throat as he yanked me to my feet, dragging me across the room. My knees scraped against the floor, my back hitting the edge of furniture, my bag falling uselessly to the ground.
"Chhodo!" I shouted, clawing at his grip. But his hold only tightened, merciless.
Then
crack!
The sting of a slap seared across my cheek, my head snapping to the side. I tasted blood, metallic and bitter, as tears threatened to fall.
"Bas kar do, beta," my stepmother's voice rang from the kitchen, sickly sweet. "Iski yahi aukat hai... ab dekho, kaise samjhaata hoon ki Ali ka matlab kya hota hai."
Sameer's grip didn't falter. He dragged me down the hallway, my bare feet stumbling against the cold, hard wooden floor, until a shove sent me crashing into the storeroom. Pain exploded across my knees, my cheek, my wrist the bruise from yesterday throbbed anew.
He stood in the doorway, shadowing me like a predator, his jaw tight, eyes full of cruel satisfaction. Then the bolt slid into place with a metallic click.
"Yahin padi raho," he said, voice low, dangerous. "Yahi tumhari aukat hai."
And then... silence.
The footsteps faded, leaving me alone in the dim, cramped room. My wrist throbbed, my cheek burned, and my heart hammered against my ribs. Tears stung my eyes, but I swallowed them, curling onto the floor and hugging my knees.
For the first time in a long time, I felt small... trapped... powerless.
But somewhere deep inside, a flicker of fire refused to die.
This isn't over.