Her Nightmare | 18+

82 | Echoes of Despair |

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PARINIDHI

"Devansh's parents died because of me," I kept whispering, my voice cracking with each repetition.

The words felt alien, like a grotesque reality I couldn't fully grasp. The idea that I was responsible for someone's death seemed impossible to accept.

The revelation hit me with a force so overwhelming that I felt my entire body go numb. My legs buckled, and I collapsed onto the floor, kneeling in shock.

Devansh, who loved me so deeply, who would do anything to make me happy, was now suffering the greatest pain of his life because of me.

I was the cause of his deepest sorrow. He wanted to create a world for me, and I had shattered everything he held dear.

As I sat on the floor, my mind raced uncontrollably.

How could I be the reason for the death of people I had never even met? How could I be responsible for destroying Devansh's world?

The guilt was suffocating, and the more I tried to understand, the more my despair deepened. I felt as though I was sinking into an abyss, with no way out.

My mother rushed toward me, sitting down in front of me, and pulled me into a tight embrace. As she rubbed my back and sobbed uncontrollably, she murmured, "I'm so sorry, Pari. I'm truly sorry. Those words just slipped out in the heat of the moment."

Through my tears and anguish, I managed to lift my tearful eyes and look at her. "Slipped out?" I whispered, my voice trembling with bitterness.

Just moments ago, she had said that I was the reason for Devansh's parents' deaths, and now she was trying to brush it off as a mistake.

I had never felt anger towards my mother before, but right now, an intense rage surged within me. How could she say something so devastating, fully aware that I would be haunted by this guilt forever? It felt like she hadn't considered for a single moment how deeply her words would cut me, she had simply let them spill out without thinking about the pain they would cause.

"Please, just hear me out completely before you let your anger take over," my mother pleaded, her voice quivering with both pain and an unmistakable fear.

Anger? I scoffed to myself, feeling a profound sense of disconnection from my emotions. It wasn't just anger that surged within me, it was a suffocating guilt.

The realization that I might be responsible for Devansh's parents' deaths weighed heavily on me. I feared the moment Devansh would learn that I was the reason he lost his parents, and the thought of his shattered trust was unbearable.

More than that, I dreaded the possibility that this truth could shatter our marriage, which had begun to find happiness and stability. The mere thought of being the cause of his pain left me paralyzed with dread, a chill seeping deep into my bones.

My mother wiped her tears and began speaking, "I know, beta, that you're hurt by what I said, but that's not exactly what I meant."

I cut her off sharply, my voice trembling, "What do you mean it wasn't what you meant? You just said that I'm responsible for my husband's parents' deaths. What else could that mean, Maa?" Each word felt like shards of glass slicing through my throat, making it hard to speak through my sobs.

Mom's gaze was filled with guilt. "I know I shouldn't have said it that way, but the truth is, they paid with their lives for helping us. I'm not saying you directly caused their deaths, but they died because they sacrificed their lives to save us."