"Detaching Darkness: The Intersection of Two Strangers' Journeys"

Chapter 1 - "Unexpected Connections on Social Media"

It was evening when Jhanvi was scrolling through Facebook. Jhanvi, who was 18 years old, was seeking companionship. She loved socializing, not in real life, but in the world of the internet. She didn't know what was happening in her life, whether she was searching for a friend or searching for something to escape her painful life. She saw a pending message request in her Facebook account and opened it. It was just a simple "Hi" from a random guy. She thought about whether to reply or not. She opened his profile picture and her heart said, "Reply to it Jhanvi, he is just an innocent kid, maybe 16-17 years old." Her mind told her not to do so, reminding her of past toxic chats with people. Her decision was dancing between her heart and mind, but finally, she listened to her heart and thought, "Let's give it another try." She replied with a "Hello" and they both started chatting about basic things in their lives.

Suddenly, he asked, "Are you married?" Jhanvi's heart stopped beating for a moment, sensing danger. She gathered some courage and replied with a "No" and asked him why he had asked that question. While he was typing, she became anxious, wondering, "Why did he ask that question? Will he be like other guys, seeking sexual chats?" The message beeped and she opened it to find out that he had just asked because she had mentioned that she was cooking. Jhanvi started laughing alone and told him that she does all the household work. They started sharing about their careers, interests, hobbies, and so on.

When they were discussing their families, Sagar was amazed to hear that Jhanvi had such a big family consisting of seven members. Sagar, being the only child of his parents, thought Jhanvi was blessed with a big family and would never feel lonely. Meanwhile, Jhanvi thought Sagar was lucky to have such a small family with no siblings. Little did they know that something unexpected was awaiting them.