Deceptive Affections

CHAPTER 35

REYAAN

It couldn't be her. She is dead. She is gone. It was someone else. I have to find out who it was. I have been roaming around the streets for the past two hours. I need to go back. I should go back to the hotel.

I called a cab. I don't know where the car is anymore.

"Where to?", the driver asked.

"Airport" I don't know what I am doing but I just can't stay here for another second. It is getting hard to breathe here.

I boarded the flight back to Delhi. Darkness crept outside the window and the memories of my nightmares haunted me.

My mother is with me. I turned twelve last week and she got me the best present. It was a chess set. I remember asking for one, months ago. I like playing board games. Part of the reason is that I get to spend more time with her.

"Reyaan, do you want to play another game? This one is very long though", she said gently.

"What kind of game?", I asked.

"It's a game like hide and seek. But in this one, only one of us gets to hide but no one finds the other person."

"I don't get it. How will we play this?", an edge of worry creeped into my voice.

"First, I will go and hide. Not in this house, somewhere far away. If you manage to take care of yourself in that time, without me, then I will come to get you and you will win. So, do you want to play?", she put her hand in front of mine. I didn't fail to notice the marks she had on her hand.

I didn't like the idea of her going away but the small smile she passed me made me say yes. I placed my hand in hers and she gave me another beautiful smile.

She tucked me in bed after that saying that we will start the game tomorrow and right now I need to sleep.

The next day I woke up with the loud sounds coming from outside. Like someone was smashing things. I didn't want to go outside to see what was happening. The last time I went out, I saw my father hurting my mother. They were fighting about something. And then he pushed her back. She landed on the floor, her head crashed with the corner of a table and I could see blood on her hand. Seeing this, he left her there and went out of the house.

I rushed towards her and she ushered me to go back inside. But I didn't go and instead called the ambulance. She came back home the next day from the hospital with stitches on her head.

The sounds became louder. Loud enough to ignore. I slowly got out of bed and opened the door only to find my father smashing things on the floor. Breaking everything. I stood frozen at the doorway, watching my father destroy our home with a rage I had never seen before. Plates, vases, and picture frames were scattered in pieces around the living room. The sight of him like this made my stomach churn.

"Dad, please stop!" I yelled, trying to make my voice heard over the chaos.

He whirled around to face me, his eyes red with anger and grief. "Where is she?" he shouted, his voice cracking. "Answer me! Where is your mother?"

I felt a pang of confusion and sadness. "What are you talking about?"

"Your mother," he spat out, pointing a trembling finger at me. "She left me. She left us. I can't find her anywhere. She's gone."

All of a sudden, the world around me shattered. The ground beneath me started fading away and my legs were barely holding my weight. I couldn't breathe. Why would my mother leave us? Where is she now?

He strode toward me, his eyes blazing. "This is all your fault!" he shouted, his voice rising. "She left because of you."

"I didn't do anything", I tried to speak but he didn't seem to hear me. His anger was like a tidal wave, crashing over me. He grabbed my arm, his grip tight and painful. "You ruined everything!"

"Dad, please," I begged him to leave me, tears streaming down my face. "I didn't do—"

"Shut up!" he roared, shaking me. "You're just a stupid kid!"

The pain in my arm was sharp, but it was nothing compared to the hurt of his words. I looked into his eyes and saw nothing but rage. And I have never been more scared in my life. A shiver ran down my spine.

He pushed me away, and I stumbled, falling to the floor amidst the broken pieces. "Get out of my sight," he snarled. "I can't stand to look at you."

I scrambled to my feet and ran to my room, slamming the door behind me. I collapsed on my bed, sobbing. My mind raced, trying to make sense of everything that had happened. My mother was gone, my father was lost to his anger, and I felt completely alone.

Hours passed, and the house grew silent. I didn't dare leave my room, too afraid of facing my father's wrath again. I thought about my mother and what she told me. "Reyaan, do you want to play another game? This one is very long though"

This is a game. She will come back. I just need to stay strong and protect myself. And she will come back. She will come back for me.

The memory and the flight both came to an end. All this time she left me with that monster. She let me handle him on my own. I was all alone. And she was here. She could have come back. She could have taken me with her. But she didn't.

Putting these thoughts aside, I went straight to my office. I looked at my phone only to find out that there were about 50 missed calls. All from one person. Zaisha. But I can't tell her all of this. At least not right now. She cannot know what happened.

Right now, I need information on that woman. Who was she? She looked exactly like her. But her name tag said differently. Was she really my... mother?

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