DESTINY: tale of love

SHREYA'S STAND

It had been a few days since Rushan and Shreya’s heartfelt conversation over breakfast. Things weren’t magically fixed, but there was a noticeable change in how they interacted—an effort, even if hesitant, to be kinder to each other. Small gestures, little moments of understanding, began to surface between them.

One afternoon, Shreya was cleaning up in the kitchen when she noticed Rushan’s lunchbox sitting on the counter, untouched.

“arey,  rushan forgot his lunchbox ” she muttered to herself, picking it up. With a sigh, she stared at it for a moment, thinking about whether or not to take it to him.

“Hum koshish kar rahe hain, right?”
she whispered, convincing herself that this was part of that effort.

As she walked into Rushan’s office building, Shreya couldn’t help but feel out of place. She had never been there before, and the sterile, formal atmosphere immediately made her uncomfortable. People dressed in smart, tailored clothes, their polished shoes tapping against the floor, made her painfully aware of her own simple attire. She straightened her kurti, holding her chin a little higher as she approached the reception.

"Excuse me," she said with a polite smile, " can you please give this to rushan "

The receptionist, a young woman with perfectly styled hair and flawless makeup, barely looked up from her screen as she eyed Shreya from head to toe. There was a brief flicker of disdain in her eyes before she asked, "May I know who are you?"

Shreya swallowed, trying not to let the receptionist’s judgmental gaze rattle her. “I’m his wife,” she responded, her voice steady but still friendly.

The receptionist raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. “Wife? Oh, okay. Par abhi sir important meeting mein hai, so I don’t think he can be disturbed.”

Before Shreya could respond, she heard hushed laughter from a group of staff members standing nearby.

" Does she really deserves him ?" one of them commented under his breath.

Another voice chimed in, not bothering to whisper, "Waise, achhi wife hai... lekin khud bhi thoda zyada khana khati hai, lagta hai."

The words hit Shreya like a slap. She froze for a moment, her face flushing with embarrassment and anger. She could feel their eyes on her, sizing her up, judging her for her appearance. It wasn’t the first time she had heard such comments, but standing here in her husband’s office, surrounded by his colleagues, it stung more than usual. She felt small, like she didn’t belong.

But then something inside her shifted.

"You can't let them degrade you shreya" shreya thought in her mind.

She wasn’t going to let them get away with this. Not today.

Shreya turned to the group, her eyes burning with a quiet fury. " Don't you think you're insulting your boss's wife " Her voice was firm, controlled.

"Mujhe lagta hai aapke standards thode outdated hain. Apne kaam pe focus karna zyada zaroori hota hai, na ki dusron ke appearance pe."

The office fell silent. The receptionist blinked, clearly not expecting a response, let alone one so direct.

" We were just joking " one of the men muttered awkwardly, trying to lighten the mood, but his voice lacked the confidence it had a moment ago.

Shreya didn’t back down. "Jokes banana toh aasan hai, lekin professionalism seekhna thoda mushkil lagta hai, shayad," she said, her chin held high.
"You get paid for your work, not for judging my appearance ."