⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟗˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
Vidyut's grip on her wrists tightened as she thrashed in his hold, her sobs breaking out like jagged glass. She clawed at his chest, kicked against the floor, her hair falling loose around her tear-streaked face.
"Ritvika—" his voice snapped, sharp as steel, "WHO SAID THIS TO YOU?"
His eyes bored into hers, cold and unrelenting, but she refused to meet them.
She only writhed harder, twisting violently, trying to slip free.
The room echoed with the sound of glass crunching beneath her movements, the mess of broken vases and picture frames surrounding them like the chaos inside her.
Her cries grew louder, rawer, her breath hitching as if the walls were collapsing in on her. Yet Vidyut didn't let go. His grip, unyielding, forced her still within his arms even as she burned to break apart.
"ANSWER ME, DAMN IT—WHO TOLD YOU THIS?" His voice cut again, harsher, demanding.
But she didn't. She couldn't. She only sobbed harder, shaking her head violently, gasping for air, her fists pounding against his chest.
And then, like a dam bursting, her restraint snapped. Her voice tore through the air, a scream so guttural it ripped the silence in half—
"EVERYONE! EVERYONE CALLS ME A BAD OMEN! WHO DOESN'T?! AND WHY DO YOU EVEN CARE, VIDYUT? TUMHE KYA FARK PADTA HAI?!"
Her words ricocheted through the room, loud and trembling, shaking even Tara who whimpered softly in the corner, clutching her toy.
Ritvika's entire body convulsed in his hold, her tears blinding her, her chest heaving. Her voice cracked but she pushed the words out anyway, desperate, hysterical—
"I DIDN'T SNATCH ANYONE! I'M NOT A CURSE! I'M NOT! BUT NO ONE EVER BELIEVED ME!"
And with each sentence, she struggled harder, tearing at Vidyut's hold, trying to escape not just his grip but the suffocating weight of her own existence.
her voice broke, but she kept yelling, choking on her sobs. "THEY THINK I'M A BAD OMEN... I DESTROYED EVERYONE'S LIFE! EVERYONE IS TIRED OF ME! NO ONE LOVES ME... NO ONE WANTS ME IN THEIR LIFE!"
Her knees buckled but Vidyut held her up, his chest rising and falling hard as he tried to absorb her words.
Ritvika's breaths came in painful gasps. Her lips trembled as she went on, voice falling to a wounded whisper.
"My family... they were always like this.
Very orthodox... very strict... but only with me.
" Her eyes glazed over, lost somewhere far away.
"Since I was eleven, they started making me do all the work.
Every chore, every task, everything. And not like I'm complaining.
.." she laughed bitterly through tears, ".
..but they said it was the rule of the family. "
Her chest heaved as she looked up at him with broken eyes.
"But they never made Nisha di do all these things... never."
"Everyone thinks I am cursed! Even my own family... they look at me like I destroyed their lives. Do you know what it feels like?" Her voice cracked as she clawed at her throat, as if the truth burned her from the inside.
"From the time I was eleven years old, they treated me like I was less than human.
My father... Chirag... he would sit in the living room, reading his newspaper, and shout my name like I was a servant.
'Ritvika, bring me water. Ritvika, clean this.
Ritvika, scrub that floor.' Always me. Always my name. "
Her body convulsed as she cried harder, struggling for breath between words. Vidyut instinctively raised a hand to steady her, but she pushed it away.
"And my mother, Deepali... she never saw me as her daughter. For her, I was just... just the girl who had to finish every chore before I could even sit down. Do you know what she would say? 'You are born to serve this family, Ritvika. You are the rule. The tradition.'"
Her lips trembled as her voice lowered to a whisper, raw with pain. "But those rules... they were only for me. Never for Nisha di. Never for her."
Her words were now spilling like venom, years of swallowed grief finding their way out.
"Nisha di would sit with her books, with her friends, painting her nails, laughing, and no one ever said a word to her.
No one ever gave her the broom, no one told her to scrub her hands raw with soap and water.
But me? If I even sat for a second, if I even dared to rest, dadi—Sunamika—would glare at me and say, 'Lazy girls like you bring shame. Move! Do the work.'"
Ritvika's nails dug into her own arms as she shook violently, her whole body convulsing with the force of her sobs. Her voice rose again, bitter and sharp.
"I was eleven, Vidyut! ELEVEN! And they made me cook, wash, clean, sweep—while my sister was treated like a queen.
And when I asked why... when I asked just once why I had to do everything, my mother slapped me across the face and said, 'Because you are different.
Because you are the one who has to pay.'"
Her knees gave out, and she collapsed to the floor, still crying, her palms pressed to her face.
"From that age, I carried the weight of their hatred. And the worst part? I believed it. I believed I was a curse. I believed I was the reason for their pain. They reminded me every single day."
Her shoulders shook as her voice cracked again. "No one loved me. No one wanted me. I was never a daughter, never a sister. Just their servant. Their shame. Their curse."
She buried her face into her hands, muffling a scream. "I destroyed everyone's life, Vidyut. That's what they said. And I... I started to believe it too."
Vidyut stood frozen, staring at her with clenched fists. His breath was heavy, ragged, his jaw so tight that his teeth threatened to crack. He had thought he was ready for her truth. But this... this was beyond anything he could imagine.
Slowly, he lowered himself to her level, his shadow falling over her trembling form. His hand reached for her wrist, forcing her to look up at him through her tears.
"Enough. Don't you dare say you are a curse again. Not in front of me. Not ever." His voice was sharp, commanding, but his eyes—his eyes were glassy with something he never showed anyone.
Ritvika only shook her head, broken, her voice barely above a whisper. "But it's true... it's true... even blood doesn't want me..."
Her words pierced him like blades, but Vidyut did not let her hand go.
"Then remember this—your blood failed you. Not the other way around."
Her voice trembled, but she forced herself to continue, her eyes staring blankly as though she was reliving every wound.
"You know... home wasn't the only place where I felt unwanted. School was worse. At least in my house, I could convince myself it was about rules, traditions, or the so-called 'discipline.' But at school... it was pure cruelty. No reason. No mercy. Just me... the joke everyone laughed at."
Her fingers twisted the edge of her dupatta until her knuckles turned white.
"Every day I walked into that classroom, it felt like walking into a battlefield where I had no armor.
Teachers never looked at me twice—unless it was to scold me.
They said I was careless, lazy, good-for-nothing.
No matter how much I studied, no matter how many nights I kept myself awake with swollen eyes and an empty stomach, I was always the failure in their eyes.
Even if I scored good marks, they said I cheated.
If I failed, they said I was dumb. There was no winning. .. ever."
Her throat tightened, but the words still kept spilling out, sharp and broken.
"And my classmates... they weren't any better.
Do you know what it feels like when the whole room goes silent the moment you enter, and then laughter erupts behind your back?
They called me names—curse girl, unlucky, servant girl.
They made me sit alone on the last bench as if touching me would ruin their lives.
Sometimes, they threw chalks at me... sometimes water bottles.
And I... I just sat there, frozen. Because if I reacted, they laughed louder. "
Her eyes glistened, tears finally gathering, but she didn't wipe them.
"There was one day I'll never forget. I was late because I had to wash clothes in the morning at home.
When I reached, drenched in sweat and my hands smelling of soap water, the teacher didn't ask why.
She made me stand outside the class, holding my ears for an hour.
And the students? They came out during break and threw chips at me, chanting, 'servant girl, servant girl.
' Do you know how it feels when even the crumbs someone throws at you feel like charity? "
Her voice cracked, breaking into sobs she tried to hold back.
"They pushed me in corridors, they hid my notebooks, they scribbled dirty things on my bench.
And once... once they poured a bottle of chilled water on me during recess.
Just like at home. I stood there shivering, wet, humiliated, while everyone laughed.
The teacher came, saw me, and instead of scolding them, she slapped me.
She said I was clumsy, careless, always creating a scene.
No one ever asked me if I was okay... no one ever cared. "
Her breathing grew heavy, chest rising and falling as though the memories themselves were suffocating her.
"And you know what hurt the most? When festivals came, other kids came with decorated thalis, sweets, new clothes.
I came with nothing. I never had fancy pens or storybooks.
They'd laugh at my old torn shoes, my uniform stitched again and again till it looked like patches sewn together.
Sometimes... sometimes I used to pray during morning assembly—'God, please let me disappear.
Please don't make me see another day.' But God didn't listen. "
Her hands shook violently now, her voice almost breaking into a scream.
"I used to hide in the bathroom during lunch breaks, just to avoid the taunts.
I ate dry roti alone, sitting on the toilet seat, because at least there.
.. no one saw me, no one laughed at me. Even then, some girls would bang on the door, shouting, 'Are you crying again, curse girl?
' and they laughed until my ears rang. They found happiness in my pain. And I... I had nowhere to run."
She pressed her hand over her chest, as if holding her heart together before it shattered completely.
"Day after day, the bullying carved into me. At home, I was a burden. At school, I was a joke. Where could I go? Who could I be? No one wanted me. Not even God."
Her words dissolved into silence, broken only by her choked sobs.
Vidyut's chest tightened as he watched her trembling form.
Ritvika's words had been heavy enough to crush a mountain, but the sight of her breaking in front of him was far worse.
Her body shook violently, her breaths uneven, and her eyes—those eyes that always carried a quiet endurance—were now wild, brimming with pain.
Slowly, almost hesitantly, he reached forward and wrapped his arms around her. She felt so small, so fragile, like a bird caught in a storm. Her face buried against his chest, her tears seeping into his shirt, scorching his heart more than fire ever could.
"Ritvika..." his voice was low, strangled, almost pleading, "enough. Don't torture yourself more. You've already said enough... I can't bear to hear you breaking like this."
But the moment his words brushed her ears, she flinched. Her fists, tightly clenched, pushed weakly against him as if fighting his hold. She shook her head violently, her wet hair sticking to her tear-streaked cheeks.
"No!" her voice cracked, rising in a scream, "No, Vidyut! This is nothing... NOTHING compared to what I went through! Do you hear me?"
Her words sliced the silence of the room like glass shattering on stone. Vidyut froze, his hands still holding her trembling shoulders. Her face lifted, and for a moment he saw not just pain but a storm—a storm that had been caged for years and was now tearing itself free.
"You wanted the truth, right?" she cried, her voice hoarse, raw, each word dripping with years of suppressed agony. "You wanted to know what I hide ... so listen! Listen to it all. Don't you dare stop me now!"
Vidyut's throat tightened. He wanted to tell her she didn't need to do this, that she didn't need to relive the horrors to prove anything to him.
But the desperation in her eyes rooted him to his place.
She wasn't just telling him—she was purging herself, clawing her way out of the chains that had bound her for so long.
Her body collapsed again, but her words did not falter. They poured out like blood from an open wound.
"They made me their slave, Vidyut," her voice trembled but grew louder, "My own family—the people who were supposed to protect me—treated me worse than dust. Do you know what it feels like to be invisible in your own home?
To wake up every day knowing you're just.. . just a tool for their convenience?!"
Vidyut shut his eyes, his jaw clenching, his arms tightening around her.
"They used to throw buckets of water on me if I was even a minute late for chores. My body would shiver in winter, my hands would go numb... but no one cared. Not my mother, not my father, not even my sister. Do you know what that does to a child?!"
Her voice broke, her chest heaving violently against him. Vidyut cupped the back of her head, pressing her closer, as if he could shield her from memories already carved too deep.
"And once—once my hand got burnt while cooking... I cried the whole night, Vidyut. The skin peeled, the pain was unbearable... but no one came. They looked at me like I was stupid for being careless. Not a drop of medicine. Not a word of comfort."
Her body convulsed in his arms. Vidyut felt his throat burn, his eyes sting, but he stayed silent—because her storm wasn't done yet.
"They insulted me, humiliated me... every day. Do you know what my Dadi used to say? 'Girls are born to serve. You should be grateful we even keep you under this roof.' Grateful?" she let out a broken laugh, one that sent a shiver down Vidyut's spine. "Grateful for being treated like dirt?"
Her nails dug into his shirt as she shook her head furiously.
"No, Vidyut. Don't you dare think this is all.
Don't think my story ends here. Because this—" she sobbed, her voice almost a scream now, "—this is only the beginning of what they did to me.
What came after... was hell itself. You think you're ready to hear it?
You think you can handle the ugliness I've lived through?
Because I swear, once I start... you won't see me the same way again. "
Her chest rose and fell in violent gasps.
Her face was red, streaked with endless tears.
Vidyut's arms tightened instinctively, as if anchoring her to reality before she drowned in her memories.
He wanted to say he could handle it, that nothing could ever change how he saw her.
But when her broken eyes met his, he realized—this was no longer about him.
This was her fight. Her purge. Her truth.
So he only whispered, voice breaking with a promise, "Then tell me everything. I'll listen to every word. I won't leave you. Not now, not ever."
Her body shook harder, but this time, she didn't resist his hold. She clung to him, her nails biting into his skin, as if fearing that even he might vanish.
And with that, she drew in a ragged breath, ready to tear open the darkest chapter of her life.
Ritvika's voice trembled as she continued, her eyes unfocused as though she were staring into some distant, merciless past.
"Then I passed my 12th grade... I wanted to study more, Vidyut. I begged them, I cried, I folded my hands, but they didn't let me. They didn't even see my tears. That was my only dream—just to study... but they crushed it."
Her shoulders shook, and Vidyut instinctively pulled her trembling body closer. For a brief moment he pressed his palm against her head as if to calm her, but she pushed slightly away, shaking her head violently.
"No! Don't stop me now. This is nothing compared to what is coming. You wanted to listen—so listen now! I want to tell everything today."
Her sudden outburst cut through the silence of the room, leaving Vidyut frozen. His jaw tightened, his hand still lingering at her shoulder, torn between pulling her back into his arms and letting her free her demons.
Her breath hitched as she went on, voice raw with memory.
"One day... I decided to run. To leave that house of hell. And by God's grace, I actually succeeded. For a few hours... I thought I was free."
Her lips twisted into a broken smile before it disappeared just as quickly.
"But they found me." Her voice broke. "And then... then came the horror."
The front door banged open with a force that rattled the walls. Ritvika was shoved inside, stumbling to her knees, breathless from running.
"Tu bhaagegi, haan? Itni himmat teri?!" (You will run? You dare?!)
Chirag's voice thundered like a storm as he stormed into the house, one hand clutching Ritvika's hair so tightly it felt as though her scalp would tear apart.
She screamed in pain, her nails scratching at his wrist, but he only yanked harder, dragging her across the floor like a discarded doll.
"Itni himmat teri!" Deepli spat, her palm crashing across Ritvika's face. The slap resounded, leaving a stinging red imprint as Ritvika's head jerked to the side.
Ritvika sobbed, trying to crawl back. "Maa... maa I'm sorry... Papa... please forgive me... please!" Her words were broken, choked with terror.
But forgiveness was nowhere in their eyes.
Another slap. Then another. A hard kick to her ribs sent her crumpling onto the cold marble.
"Saali! Badnaami karaayegi hamari? Bhaag ke naam doobayegi ghar ka?"
(You shameless girl! You'll disgrace us? Ruin the family's name by running away?)
The belt cracked through the air before lashing across her back. The sting ripped through her flesh, making her cry out in sheer agony.
"Aaaaaahhh! Please... stop...!" she begged, curling into herself, but the blows only grew harsher.
Chirag's fury was blind, Deepli's hands merciless. They slapped, kicked, pulled her hair, the belt falling again and again until her skin split and warm blood seeped through her clothes.
Her cries filled the house, desperate and raw, but nobody came. Nobody stopped them.
Every plea for mercy only invited another blow.
Her body was dragged across the floor, her arms bruised from their grip. At one point, Chirag's boot pressed against her stomach, pinning her down while Deepli struck her with the belt until she went limp.
Her tears mixed with blood as her lips whispered broken apologies.
But they weren't finished.
"Upar le jao isko! Aaj akal thikane lagayenge." (Take her upstairs! Today we'll teach her a lesson she'll never forget.)
Ritvika, dazed and trembling, felt herself being hauled up again by her hair, her knees scraping the steps as they dragged her toward the staircase.
Her body was no longer fighting. It was too weak. Only her mind screamed, begging God for mercy.
And with each step, her sobs grew weaker, fading into the cold silence of her house as they took her upstairs like a ragged, lifeless rag doll.
"And then... they took me upstairs. My legs were trembling, I couldn't even stand properly. While climbing, my foot slipped on the edge of the stairs... and I fell. I rolled down so hard... my head hit the sharp railing. That was the last thing I remembered."
Her lips quivered.
"When I opened my eyes, I was in a hospital bed.
Bandages on my head, body aching everywhere.
For a moment I thought maybe God saved me.
.. maybe it was over. But no, Vidyut... they discharged me the very next day.
They didn't take me there out of concern.
.. they just didn't want me to die in their house.
The moment I came back home... the torture began again.
Over and over... until I was nothing but their servant. Their punching bag. Their slave."
Ritvika broke down, her hands trembling as she covered her face.
"Main sirf zinda thi... jee nahi rahi thi."
(I was only alive... not truly living.)
Ritvika took a shaky, trembling breath, clutching her arms around herself as if trying to hold together the pieces of her broken body and soul.
"Then... then I turned nineteen. My father was deep in debt... and my family... they decided I had to get married. I begged them, I cried, I fell at their feet, I told them I didn't want to marry, not yet, not so soon. But... they didn't listen. They didn't care."
Her voice wavered, cracking as the words escaped.
"And gradually... they married me off. That day... that day when I walked into the marriage hall, I had a tiny, fragile hope. Maybe... maybe now something good will happen. Maybe now... maybe now I can live freely, just a little... just a little bit of freedom."
Her hands trembled violently as she buried her face in them, tears spilling over and streaming down her cheeks.
"But... my hope... it... it was crushed. One by one... shattered into pieces."
Her chest heaved as she struggled to breathe through the sobs. Vidyut's hands hovered near her shoulders, but he didn't move—he let her spill the pain, the horror, because he knew she needed this release.
"After the marriage... I found out... my husband.
.. he was fifteen years older than me.
Thirty-four years old... and I was just nineteen.
.. a teenager... can you believe it?
" Her voice was trembling, a mix of disbelief and terror, and she shook her head violently, as if trying to rid herself of the memory.
"But... still... still I didn't completely lose hope. I thought maybe... maybe he will be kind, maybe... maybe life won't be so cruel."
Her lips quivered as her hands clutched at the fabric of her suit, her knuckles white.
"But... my hopes... were crushed again. Again... and again... when..."
Her sobs broke into uncontrollable, wracking hiccups.
She couldn't form words at first. The memory hit her like ice, freezing her heart.
She pressed her palms to her face, trying to stifle the screaming in her throat.
Her body shuddered violently, each breath a jagged gasp, tears and snot mingling as her voice finally broke through the storm of her pain.
"When... he... he forced me... FORCED me... he r@ped me... he... he made me... he took me... against my will..."
Her words were jagged, broken, and raw. Her body shook with every sentence, her hiccuping sobs echoing in the room, making the very air heavy with despair.
She couldn't even look at Vidyut. Her eyes were squeezed shut, her lips quivering uncontrollably as the memory played over and over in her mind.
"I... I... I..." she stuttered, her voice disappearing into broken whimpers. "I screamed... I fought... I..."
Her body convulsed with every remembered slap, every twisted gesture of force, every horrifying detail she wished she could erase. The memory made her skin crawl, every nerve screaming, and yet she had no way to push it away.
Vidyut's hands, trembling slightly, came to hold her shaking shoulders. His face was tight, his jaw clenched, but he didn't speak. He simply let her cry, let her shatter completely.
Her body rocked violently, and every utterance of the memory seemed to tear a piece of her soul away.
She finally slumped forward, burying her face into her arms on her lap, sobbing hysterically, gasping for air, each hiccup a raw echo of the horror she endured. Vidyut's hands stayed on her back, holding her trembling form, though his own eyes glistened with unspoken rage and anguish.
The room was silent except for her cries, a raw symphony of trauma and grief. Every beat of her shattered heart seemed to demand recognition, every hiccup a scream that no one had heard before... until now.
Ritvika's whole body was trembling, her voice barely above a whisper at first, then breaking into raw, hysterical sobs as she forced the words out.
"He... he used to force me... every... every night.
.." Her teeth chattered, her hands clutching at her arms as if to hold herself together.
Her chest heaved violently, and tears streamed freely.
"And during the day... his family... his family.
.. they used to... to torture me. They weren't human.
.. not even close... they were animals..
. monsters... more cruel than my own family, Vidyut. "
Her lips quivered, and she began to shiver violently, the memories making her whole body convulse.
"And... and then... then I got to know..
. my own family... they didn't just marry me off.
.. they... they sold me, Vidyut! They sold me!
" Her hands flew to her mouth, muffling her screams as her eyes widened in disbelief even as tears blurred her vision.
"Just... just for... for one lakh rupees.
.. can you believe it? One lakh... they sold me like I wasn't their daughter.
.. like I was... like I was... just... an object! "
Her body shook violently, her knees buckling slightly as if gravity itself wanted to drag her into the floor. Vidyut stepped closer, instinctively holding her trembling shoulders, but she didn't even notice. Her entire world had collapsed again in that moment.
"They... they tortured me... in every way imaginable.
They made me kneel on cold floors... made me clean until my hands were raw and bleeding.
.. burned my palms with irons... slapped me until my cheeks were swollen.
.. kicked me... left me standing in the sun for hours.
.. until I couldn't even feel my legs, my body. .. until I was nothing..."
Her voice cracked violently, each word a shard of broken glass piercing the air. She trembled, her body shuttering with the memory, every muscle taut with fear and pain.
"They... they laughed while I cried... while I begged... while I promised I would do anything... anything just to make them stop. But they never did... never... They... they were monsters, Vidyut! And I... I... I was trapped!"
Ritvika's breathing became ragged. Her chest heaved, tears flowing in torrents, as she shivered uncontrollably, her voice shaking like a broken instrument.
"I... I had no one... no one... no one to protect me.
Not my family... not my in-laws... I was.
.. I was alone... completely alone. Every night, every day.
.. it was horror, Vidyut. Pure horror. I.
.. I didn't sleep... I didn't eat... I didn't even cry sometimes because even crying felt like a privilege I wasn't allowed to have. .."
Her trembling intensified as her mind conjured every image, every slap, every mocking laugh, every cruel gesture that had scarred her. Her body shivered from head to toe, like the trauma had settled into her very bones.
"And... and still... still, I lived... I survived... but I wasn't living, Vidyut. I wasn't breathing... I wasn't... I wasn't even... human to them. I was... nothing."
Her voice broke into incoherent sobs, her body shaking violently as she pressed her hands to her face, trying in vain to hold back the flood of memories, the horror, the fear.
Viduyt, frozen for a moment, held her trembling figure close, his own jaw tight, eyes filled with rage and helplessness. Yet he didn't speak. He only let her tremble, let her release every ounce of terror she had carried inside for so many years.
"I... I am not... I am not weak... I survived... I lived... but my soul... my soul... it was crushed... beaten... shattered... and they... they thought... they thought they could own me, sell me, destroy me completely... but I... I..."
Ritvika's voice broke into a choked sob, her body shuddering violently, tears soaking her suit as she trembled uncontrollably in Vidyut's hold, reliving every horrifying moment that had been forced upon her.
Ritvika's whole body trembled as she clutched her arms around herself, trying to anchor her shaking figure. Her voice quivered, each word laden with the weight of years of abuse and neglect.
"You know... they... they caged me in their house, Vidyut.
They... they never let me out. Not for a single moment.
If I dared step outside, it wasn't for freedom—it was only to stand in the scorching sun, as if punishment could melt me, break me into pieces.
I was... I was trapped... like a bird in a cage, like a prisoner.
.. like I didn't even have the right to breathe freely. "
Her hands shook violently as she spoke, and tears spilled down her cheeks uncontrollably.
"They tortured me... every single day...
Vidyut. They never gave me proper food, never let me rest, never let me feel.
.. human. I wasn't their daughter... I wasn't their wife.
.. I was just... their doll... their puppet.
.. their servant. Their life was easy...
they lived comfortably... but me? I was. .. I was nothing... nothing at all."
Her lips quivered and her voice broke further. "Once... once I got seriously sick. I couldn't even get out of bed... I couldn't breathe properly... I had fever... my body was weak, burning... and they... they didn't care. They never... they never even asked... Vidyut... not once... no one cared..."
Her shoulders shook as she buried her face in her hands, letting out a long, trembling sob.
Then, as if forcing herself to continue, she lifted her tear-streaked face and whispered, "And.
.. and after six months of my marriage..
. I... I got pregnant. I thought... maybe now.
.. maybe they would care for me, for my health, for my life. .. for once..."
Her voice cracked, and she swallowed hard, trying to hold herself together but failing.
"But... I was wrong... oh, I was so wrong.
.. They were happy... yes... happy... but not for me.
They were happy because... because an heir was coming.
Not because... not because they cared for me, not because they wanted me to be safe, not because they wanted to protect me.
.. no, they were just happy for the child. .. not for me. Not for me at all..."
Ritvika's trembling increased, her entire body quivering as she relived the memory. Her chest heaved violently with every sob, and she shivered as though the walls of that house, the memories of every harsh word, every cruel glance, every act of abuse, had returned to crush her in the present.
"Vid... Vidyut... do you... do you understand?
I was alive... but I wasn't living. I existed.
.. in their eyes, I was nothing more than a shadow.
.. a servant... a cage-dwelling doll that could be broken whenever they wanted.
.. and even my own life... my own body..
. my own soul... didn't belong to me. It belonged to them. "
Her voice cracked again, and she let herself shake, let herself tremble, finally letting the weight of all those years press down on her like a mountain.
Tears fell freely now, soaking her hands, her suit, her chest, as she finally surrendered to the storm of grief and fear that had been buried deep inside her for so long.
Ritvika's hands trembled as she hugged herself tighter, her voice barely above a whisper, yet laced with all the anguish she had carried for years.
"Even when I got pregnant... even then..
. nothing changed... nothing at all. They didn't stop.
.. they didn't care... my body was carrying life, but to them.
.. I was still just... just a servant...
a puppet... a doll. They still made me work.
.. every single day... every chore... from cleaning, cooking, washing.
.. everything... I had to do it all. My body ached.
.. my back burned... my legs trembled...
but they didn't care... they didn't even notice. "
Her lips quivered, and she took a shaky breath, her shoulders rising and falling with each sob.
"The only thing that changed... just one.
.. just one thing... they gave me food..
. that's it... just food. That's all they thought I deserved.
.. enough to survive... not enough to rest..
. not enough to live... just enough to keep doing their work. That's all."
Her voice broke completely now, tears streaming down her face as her memories clawed at her relentlessly.
"I was carrying a life inside me... and still.
.. I was invisible. Still... I was worthless.
They never asked if I was tired, if I was sick, if I was hungry for more than just a meal.
I wasn't allowed to slow down... I wasn't allowed to rest..
. I wasn't allowed to be... human. I had to keep going.
.. keep serving... because I was nothing but a possession.
.. not a daughter... not a human... nothing. "
Ritvika's body shuddered violently, and her voice rose in anguish.
"Every day, I felt like I was being crushed.
.. like I was being erased... like my existence didn't matter.
And even with a life growing inside me, they didn't see me.
.. they didn't see my pain... they didn't see my fear.
.. nothing. I was alone... completely alone.
.. even when I carried a child... even when I hoped.
.. hoped maybe something would change... nothing did."
Her fists clenched as she spoke, trembling with anger and hurt.
"I wanted to cry... I wanted to scream..
. I wanted someone... anyone... to see me.
.. to care... but no one did. I was trapped.
.. trapped in their house, trapped in their rules.
.. trapped in their cruelty... and the only thing that kept me alive.
.. the only thing that kept me going... was the little hope that maybe.
.. maybe my child would survive... maybe my child would live free. .. unlike me."
Ritvika grabbed Tara from the other side of the bed who was crying standing there.
Ritvika's hands tightened around Tara, her knuckles white as if holding on could somehow keep the memories at bay. Her voice, trembling yet sharp, cut through the silence.
"And then... when I was just three months pregnant... my husband... he... he died. He was driving... drunk... too fast... and... and it happened. He died. Just like that."