sukoonath gaah

17 | Divorce Papers |

𝗔 𝗨 𝗧 𝗛 𝗢 𝗥 ’𝘀   𝗣 𝗢 𝗩,

Shehnaaz sat tensely beside Siddharth, her hands rubbing his as tears streamed down her face. Baba stood behind her, his hand gently resting on her shoulder as he tried to comfort her. “Woh thik hai, beta…”

“Nahi Baba… Woh thik nahi hai…” she whispered, pressing Siddharth's hand to her cheek and stroking his hair as she wept into his palm.

“Woh thik kehrahi hai, mamu. Siddharth thik nahi hai,” Saqib’s voice cut through the silence as he entered the room.

“Aapka matlab kya hai, Saqib?” Shehnaaz wiped her tears, her eyes clouded with confusion.

“He’s been struggling with depression for the past few months, bhabhi.” Saqib sat beside Siddharth on the bed, softly brushing his hair before gesturing for them to leave the room.

Once they were in the living room, Saqib let out a heavy sigh, sinking into the sofa. “He used to be the type of person jisko kisi cheez se farak nahi parta tha. He was happy—content in his own company. But… after everything, losing his job, the guilt, the attachment issues… He’s been slipping. Aur aapke aur Saad ke bina, woh kho gaya tha. Jaise woh is duniya mein tha hi nahi. And when mamu said that you wanted a divorce… it broke him. He started becoming bipolar. One moment he’s furious, the next, he’s breaking down, getting panic attacks…”

“Panic attacks?” Shehnaaz gasped, covering her mouth with trembling fingers.

“Haan, bhabhi. I know it’s overwhelming, but it’s the truth,” Saqib said gently.

“Shehnaaz, you can’t change your mind now!” Baba’s voice was firm as he stood and rummaged through his bag, pulling out a set of documents. He handed them to her.

“Divorce him. Woh tumhara baccha nahi hai jo tum usko sambhal paogi. Tum shadi karo kisi aur se, humlog usse sambhal lenge,” Baba insisted. Tears welled up in Shehnaaz’s eyes as she looked at the papers.

“Baba, main kaise divorce de doon unko?” She asked softly, her voice thick with emotion.

Suddenly, the sound of something shattering drew their attention. They turned to see Siddharth standing there, a broken vase at his feet, his face etched with shock and hurt.

“D-Divorce?” he stammered, his voice trembling. Shehnaaz immediately rushed to him, wrapping her arms around him to steady him.

“Nazoo… Tum mujhe divorce de rahi ho?” Siddharth’s voice cracked as he cupped her face, his eyes filling with tears.

“Nahi, Siddharth, please baithiye,” she urged, her voice laced with pain as she guided him to the sofa. But Siddharth pulled her close, holding onto her desperately.

“We should go,” Baba said, leading Saqib out of the room to give them space.

“Nazoo, tum mujhe chod ke nahi ja sakti… Main mar jaunga,” Siddharth murmured, burying his face in her neck as he sobbed.

“Siddharth, meri baat toh suniye,” she pleaded, rubbing his back in an attempt to soothe him. But suddenly, he pushed her away, shouting, “Toh phir kyun aayi ho yahan? Kyun?!”

Shehnaaz’s heart pounded at the sight of his erratic behavior. She stared at him, shocked and disoriented by his sudden outburst.

“Ek ghar, makaan toh hai na tumhare paas, Shehnaaz? Toh kyun aayi ho? Mujhe divorce dene?” He yelled, tears spilling from his eyes. He clutched his head, groaning in pain, but ignored it, his emotions in turmoil.

“Par aap nahi ho na. Mere liye ghar, sukoon, sab aap ho Siddharth. Chaar deewaron ka makaan ya koi aur nahi. Aap ke siwaye koi aur nahi hai mera apna,” she whispered tearfully.