What A Beautiful Face She Has

Karma

Stella's POV:

I drag Raghu and make him sit in his car after the tense confrontation with Mathew. There’s a moment of silence, thick with the weight of everything that just happened. Raghu glances over at me, concerned.

My hands were trembling slightly, and Raghu noticed it. Without a word, he reached into the cup holder and grabbed a bottle of water, handing it to me.

"Idha kudi. Take your time," he said.
(Drink this. Take your time.)

I nodded gratefully, taking a few sips to steady myself. The tension in the car was palpable, but I felt that Raghu didn't want to push me. He knew something deeper was bothering me.

"Stella… yaaru avan? Yen unna gold digger nu kuptan? I mean, unnaku comfortable ah illa en kita solradhula apdina, please, you don’t have to explain it."
(Stella… who is he? Why did he call you a gold digger? I mean, if you’re not comfortable telling me, it’s okay, you don’t have to explain.)

His voice trails off, giving me the space to speak if I wanted to.

I wanted to talk to him and tell him the truth.

I closed my eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. I felt safe with Raghu, but the story of my past was one I had buried for so long. Still, after everything that just happened, maybe it’s time I finally let it out.

"That was Mathew… my ex-husband," I said.

Raghu’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, but he remained silent, letting me continue.

"We were married for seven-eight months, and it was… a nightmare. I really loved him and took very good care of him. He used to be this handsome, successful guy, but he had a terrible obsession with appearances. He married me only on one condition, that I had to lose weight within six months after getting married. I agreed to the condition because I really loved him. As I failed to lose weight in those six months, he turned cold and cruel. He would say things, horrible things, to make me feel like I was less than a person. All because I didn’t fit into his idea of what I should look like."

I paused, my voice faltering for a moment as I relived the pain of those memories.

"After a point, I stopped trying to lose weight or trying to change for him. Anyway, no matter what I did, it was never enough. Eventually, I realized that it wasn’t my body that was the problem, it was him. But by the time I figured that out, the damage was done. I’ve been body-shamed by literally everyone ever since I was a kid. I thought at least my husband would support me and stand by my side. But I turned out to be wrong."

Raghu listened intently, his jaw clenching slightly as he processed what I was saying. He was clearly disgusted by Mathew’s shallow thinking and the pain he caused me, his face showed it all.

"Stella, you didn’t deserve any of that. No one should be treated like that, least of all by someone who claims to love them. And, Avan ipdi charity panni enna aaga pogudhu, his heart isn't clean. Kevalama mathavangala bodyshame panran, hurt panran mathavangala, Avan evlo charity pannalum avanala Avan paavangala kazhuva mudiyadhu."

(And what’s the point of all his charity? His heart isn’t clean. He shames and hurts others, no matter how much charity he does, it can’t cleanse his sins.)

I looked at Raghu, my eyes shimmering with unshed tears, but I didn’t let them fall. I'm stronger now, stronger than I ever was with Mathew.

"I know. It took me a long time to understand that. But I’m free now, Raghu. I’m free from his cage."

Raghu reached out and gently took my hand in his.

"You’re more than free, Stella. You’ve come out stronger. Mathew doesn’t get to define your worth. Not now, not ever."