Passion & Dilemma

18. Beauty and Scars

Prerna's POV

It's been five days since the incident happened and my father forced me back into the normal life, not giving me time to grieve and heal properly.

I entered Moonlight's headquarters. Everyone greeted me but it felt fake. All of them had worked under me for years but they never really liked me.

Though they treated me like they treated Naina but the difference was, their respect for Naina was genuine unlike for me. Their derogatory whispers always followed no matter where I was.

Because apparently, Naina build the company and I did nothing to get this position other than to being her friend. Lie. I have put my everything to build this company. My contribution and hardwork were equal in magnitude to that of Naina.

My assistant, Neerja, gave me the schedule. Two meetings, a research centre tour, number of files to check. The work was comparatively lesser than the other days and I knew the reason why.

"Aunty told you clear up my schedule?" I referred to Mahima Sahani, AKA The CFO of Moonlight, AKA Naina's mother.

"Yes," Neerja said hesitantly. "She asked not to stress you too much with work."

My face softened at the thought of it. During the last few days, she spent a little more time with me to make sure I was doing fine. I was not. But she does not have to know that.

I was grateful for her thoughtfulness toward me, I have always been. Sahanis always treated me like their family. I wish I had a family like theirs or no family at all.

Speaking of my family, they were being cruel to me. Again. My father is being more abusive. Yesterday, he threw the Raita on me just because it was too salty. I do not know what he told my mother that she had stopped talking to me.

I feel so lonely in there. All my days feel the same, as if my life is moving in a circle. Nothing new, nothing better is coming to me.

Before the incident, I used to work a lot. I loved it as it helped me to take my head off the stress. But these days, I wish to quit everything. I don't know what to do. I don't know what I want to do.

I just feel like laying in my bed like a wilting flower and stay away from everyone. But even that seems difficult, because as soon as I am alone, I begin to overthink everything. I think until I cry.

Perhaps I know what I need. I need a peaceful home and a better family. I always knew it, but was in denial because no matter how...bad my family was I still had a sense of attachment toward them.

But things have changed now, I have lost all my hopes of them changing for the better. If I do not part ways with my parents soon, I will burn out. I have been bearing too much for too long. Now, I wish to break free.

My self-harming was increasing day by day. Everytime I think about the broken engagement, I feel the same intensity of humiliation and I end up picking the blade.

Though all the articles have been taken down as fast as they came. The murmurs remained back. People already knew what happened. Nothing can make them forget what happened, especially when it is so interesting to them.

Disaster has just begun and it is already so much. Our profit graph fell to it's lowest point in the last five years. The company's review columns are filled with mockery and criticism. The upcoming projects have been put on hold and investors are stepping back.

I dismissed Neerja and sat back in my seat, looking at the ipad screen. I clicked on the last picture posted on Moonlight's official social media page. It was the picture of the last summer skincare collection we announced. It had 10.3k comments on it.