Whispers of the Past

3

Prisha's POV ( 7th November 2035)

"MAINE BOLA EK BAR, TU IS GHAR KE BAHAR EK KADAM NAHI RAKHEGI!" Rishabh's voice ripped through the silence, each word a dagger slicing through my already fragile heart. His eyes, usually so cold and calculating, were now blazing with a fury that terrified me. He is not the same boy I fell in love with. He had a charm that made me want to quit everything just to be his, but now all I want is for him to leave me. 

"Rishabh, please," I whispered, my voice trembling like a leaf in the wind. "It's just a reunion with my friends. I haven't seen them in ten years."

"MAINE JO KAHA WOH KARO," he spat, his face inches from mine. "You won't go anywhere without my permission!"

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I fought to keep them at bay. "Why are you doing this? Bas ek sham ki hi toh baat h, itne samay ke bad sab aa rahe h, please jaane do main pakka jaldi wapis aa jaoungi. Please jaane do na?"

"TUM MERI SUN BHI RAHI HO?" he shouted, shaking me violently. "You belong here, with me. Not out there with those people who never cared about you!"

His words sliced through me like a knife. "They did care about me, Rishabh. They were my friends. They still are."

"FRIENDS?" He let out a bitter, mocking laugh. "yeh dost h tumhare? tab kahan the jab tu bacchou ki tarah raat raat bhar jagke api dost ki mot pe rotti thi? tab kahan the yeh log jab tu panic atttack main jati thi? tab kaha the jab tere JEE ka result aya? kaha the yeh? BOL JAWAB DE KAHAN THE TERE DOST? MAI THA TERE SATH YAHAN PE ROZ TUGHE CHUP KARANE KE LIYE. MAI THA TUGHE SHANTI DILANE KE LIYE, MAIN THA TERE SATH TERE CELEBRATION MAIN! YOU BLOODY OWE FOR EVERYTHING I DID FOR YOU, AISAN H YEH MERA TUGHPE."

"That doesn't mean you get to control my life," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "Ghutan hone lagi h mughe, apne ghar main kaidi jaisa lagne laga h mughe Rishi. Roz subhah uthne se pehle vinti karti houn ki sas na le paoun, akh na khule meri. KAIDI BAN KE REH GAYI HOUN MAIN."

"PRISONER? You have everything you could ever want. MAINE SAB DE TOH RAKHA OR KYA CHAHIYE, SHUKRAGUZAR RAHO KI MAIN TUMHARE SATH ABHI BHI HOUN! OR KIS CHEEZE KI KAMI H TUMHARE PAS??" he screamed, his face contorted with rage.

"Everything except freedom," I whispered, my voice breaking. "Everything except respect."

"I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS NONSENSE!" he roared, his grip tightening painfully on my wrist. "We are late. Change your clothes. We're going to my parents' place for dinner."

"No," I said, surprising myself with the firmness in my voice. "I'm going to the reunion."

He stared at me, his eyes wide with disbelief. "What did you say?"

"You heard me," I replied, my voice steady despite the fear coursing through me. "I'm going to the reunion. With or without your permission."

His face turned an alarming shade of red, and he grabbed my arm even tighter. "You are not going anywhere, Prisha. You belong to me. Do you understand that?"

"Let me go, Rishabh," I said, trying to pull my arm free. "You're hurting me."

"I don't care," he snarled, his nails digging into my skin. "You are mine, and you will do as I say."

Something inside me snapped. All the years of pain, control, and heartbreak came crashing down on me. "No, Rishabh. I am not yours. I am my own person. And I will not let you control me any longer."

Before I could register what was happening, my hand flew up and slapped him across the face. The sound echoed through the room, and I stood there, trembling with a mix of fear and newfound strength.