Disclaimer:
This chapter contain references to violence.
As Ayansh proudly introduced me to his uncle and aunt, my heart skipped a beat. I felt a cold shiver down my spine, memories of the past flooding back to me.
I tried to maintain my composure, but my grip on his hand tightened involuntarily.
As that man's gaze met mine, I felt a surge of fear and discomfort. Despite my best efforts to hide it, my unease was palpable.
My smile faltered, replaced by a forced expression of politeness.
Every word reminded me of the things he had done to me.
I struggled to find my voice, my mind reeling with conflicting emotions.
Inside, a storm raged. Anger, fear, and confusion battled for dominance.
How could I confront this man, standing there so casually, when he was the source of my pain?
The pain that took years for me to overcome now stood in front of me, as if nothing had happened.
The protests I made, his demands, his blaming, his threats—everything echoed in my ears, while the incidents played like a movie in front of my eyes.
It was as though time had stood still, and I was once again face to face with the nightmare I thought I had left behind.
But I knew I couldn't remain silent any longer. It was time to confront him, to stand up for myself, even if it meant facing the terrifying memories head-on.
"Hello, Shreesha, we've heard so much about you from him; he wouldn't stop rambling whenever we were on a call," Aunt said, chuckling and bringing me out of my daze.
Still trying to process the shock, I was finding it hard to believe that the man I loved was somehow related to the man I despised the most.
"Shree?" Ayansh, who was beside me, tried to get my attention.
Finally snapping out of my shock, I jerked my hand away from his.
Ayansh looked at me, clearly shocked by my reaction.
I couldn't take it anymore. What he had done to me was unforgivable. I couldn't stay silent knowing he was so casual about it while I had been suffering for years.
"You didn't die yet," I asked, glaring at the man in front of me.
"What—" he began.
"You had a paralysis attack, right? I wish you would have died," I exclaimed, only to receive a slap across my right cheek.
"What the hell?" Ayansh and Arush exclaimed, both shocked.
"Don't talk to my husband like that," his aunt, the one who slapped me, said angrily.
I stared back at her, a bitter chuckle escaping my lips.
"You didn't recognize me, did you?" I asked.
Her expression turned to confusion.
"Shreesha, or you can say Shasha," I stated flatly.
She gasped, covering her mouth in shock.
A sarcastic chuckle escaped me.
"Yeah, that's the Shasha you just slapped," I said dryly.
She was still processing the information she had just received.
"A-are you really-" the man asked.
I looked at him with eyes filled with rage, wishing I could kill him then and there.
"Don't you remember?" I asked as I took a step toward the man in front of me.
"Does she know what her husband, whom she think as the greatest person in the world, did?" I said, standing just two steps away from him.
"And their favorite uncle, you are their favorite uncle, right?" I asked, glancing over at Arush, then at Ayansh, who silently observed the unfolding scene.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, attempting to lie convincingly.
"Oh no, you can tell me," I said softly, leaning in closer. "I won't tell anyone. Not even my mom. You've taught me well that I won't tell anyone," I continued, whispering the last words that only he could hear.
"Do you still have that long needle-like thing with you? Oh, please don't hurt me with that again," I exclaimed, dramatizing my fear and gasping to emphasize my distress.
"Shree, what are you talking about?" Ayansh asked with concern, moving closer to me to offer support, but I covered it with a stern expression and jerked his hand away.
"No, let me talk to him. I have some things to clear with him," I said firmly, making him take a step back.
"And did you notice? I look way better than before. Not ugly, slim, or malnourished like before," I said as I twirled around, addressing everyone in the room.
"And look, I've learned how to dress properly. Do you want to check?" I said, taking one more step towards him.
In response, he retreated further. "Shree—"
"Oh no no, you need a room for that, right? You can't do it in front of everyone," I stated calmly as I took one more step towards him, while he walked backward, clearly unsettled.
Only I know how I was managing to control myself and speak all this with such composure amidst the whirlwind of emotions raging inside me.
I grabbed his collar, yanking him forward.
"You know how much I'm holding myself back from just grabbing the knife from the table and stabbing you down the throat until it reaches your stomach, and then taking out the part of your body for which you have committed all those assaults on me," I stated calmly, as if I wasn't just uttering the cruelest things one could imagine.
But it didn't matter; this man deserved nothing less.
I stared at her in shock, unable to believe what she was implying. Never in my life had I thought he would do such a thing.
"What are you saying? He wouldn't do anything like that," Aunt protested.
She chuckled bitterly.
"I wish he wouldn't," she said bitterly.
"Shree, are you sure? I mean—" I tried to find the right words, but they wouldn't come out.
"Do you think I'd just say these things casually?" she exclaimed, turning towards me.
"Who knows, you might be lying," Uncle said, recovering from the previous incident.
"Do you really think you can escape from this now? Even if no one believes me, I won't leave you," she said as she moved forward and grabbed his neck.
"What the hell! Leave him!" Aunt exclaimed as she went to intervene.
"Shreesha! Leave him!" I too tried to pry her off him, with Arush joining us.
But she was not ready to let go. "You know, there's a point right here. A slight press and I can send you to hell because heaven won't take you," she exclaimed, caressing a specific point on the side of his neck.
"And also the part here, with a single press, I can get you back in your paralyzed state," she stated, moving her thumb to another part of his neck.
I was shocked at how she knew these things.
"Shreesha, leave him, I said. You can't just commit a crime in the heat of your emotions," I exclaimed as I pulled her back and yanked her away from him.
Uncle fell down, while Aunt and Arush tried to get him stable again.
"What do you expect me to do!" she shouted right in my face.
"Just stay calm for a moment," I exclaimed back at her.
I couldn't take it anymore. Whatever I had learned today, especially about the uncle who had been closest to me, and her behavior—she might cause problems for herself.
"So you think I'm causing a scene now, huh?" she stated, looking at me blankly.
"I didn't mean it like that, I just—" I began, trying to explain.
"Then what do you mean! Should I leave the man who has been haunting me almost all my life? Should I just let him go?!" she exclaimed.
I stayed silent, unsure of how to calm her down.
I reached out to hold her, but she backed away.
"Don't. If I stay here for one more moment, I'll surely hurt someone, and I might or might not regret it," she said as her eyes looked at mine, holding pain, longing, and more.
I knew she wanted to cry, but she refused to show her vulnerable side in front of us.
She walked towards him.
In reflex, he moved back while Aunt and Arush stared at her.
"You deserve this, you fucker," she said as she kicked him right between the legs, making him yelp in pain.
She smirked at him and stormed out of the house, not before throwing me a glance.
While I stood there shocked not knowing what to do, with Aunt comforting Uncle and panicking Arush.
WORD COUNT: 1425
Dramatic? Ik 🫠