Wrecked - An After-Divorce Romance✨

Chapter Twenty Seven

   He left the room with much difficulty, closing the door behind him.

   ***

         Khushi thought she couldn't go back to sleep but she did. It had been years since she had slept so well. The sheets smelled of him, it smelled like home. When she awoke the next time, bright sunlight cut through the gaps between the blinds.

   Khushi sat up and stretched, her cracking her back and neck. She walked to the washroom and inspected the damage. Her face was swollen on one side with a purple hand print, her hair was tangled and a mess. Khushi winced as her head throbbed and she parted her hair, to see that a patch of her hair was missing and there was blood there.

    Wincing and groaning, she removed her top and jeans. She stood looking in the mirror and unhooked her bra. She let the bra fall to the floor and stared at her chest.

    Khushi felt grateful that Dhruv had stopped, he wouldn't have found this attractive. She traced her surgical scars, her absent nipples and her flat chest. It was a depressing sight. Covering her chest, she entered the shower and took a long hot shower.

    When she came out, she put on the same bra, as much as it disgusted her, her bra was made specially for post cancer women. But she refused to wear her tshirt. It stank. She folded them and put on a bathrobe she found hanging on the hook.

    Then she walked out of the room toward the kitchen, following the aroma. There was a loud rhyme playing, Riyan danced sitting on the table, raising his little arms, Dhruv sang and danced moving his hips while flipping the dosa on the tava.

     He looked at her and smiled wholly and nudged his head inviting her in,  Nats who had her back to her turned back, standing up, she dragged Khushi to the table. She took a seat. Nats sang along Baby shark too.

      Khushi waved at Riyan. "Hiii...Hiii. Riyu Piyu!" She said.

    Riyan smiled at her shyly.

     Dhruv then put forward Riyan's plate in front of him. Riyan heartily dug in his flood. His dosa was already torn into bite sized pieces.

      Then Dhruv brought in Nats' plate and his and hers. He settled beside her.

            Khushi ate more than she could with Dhruv and Nats loading her plate. After breakfast, Riyan had climbed on her lap, with a book in his hand. She settled the boy on her lap and opened her book.

      "Oh wow. What an amazing tiger." She cooed looking at the stick tiger in his drawing book.

     "Who drew this? Huh? Who drew this?" She jostled him and he giggled.

       "Me." Riyan said quietly.

      "You did? Ohhh wowwwww....what is this?"

     "Tiger. Bengal Tiger." He said. It took her a moment to understand what he was saying, because he had a lisp and his Rs came out as Ls.

       She turned the page and pointed to the white tiger with brown stripes, "Which one is this?"

     "White Tiger."

      "Oh wow. Amazing. You're so intelligent. Riyu Piyu." She kissed his chubby cheek.

        "He's quite obsessed with tigers. I have no idea where he got it from." Dhruv said like a proud father. He slid a ceramic cup towards her and she saw that it was tea.

        "I don't have coffee." He gave her a smile.

        "Riyan, go baba, play with Nats."