MAHATAB

AN EXCERPT OF HER LIFE.

DHANANJAY

Yuvika calms down after a while and asks me to let her go. I hold her by her shoulders and ask, "Are you sure you are fine?"

She nods, and I reluctantly let her go. I tell her to go freshen up. She heads to what I assume is her bedroom while I sit up on the sofa, taking a look around. Her apartment looks cozy and homely, and I feel a sense of calm here. There's a little corner adorned with photographs, so I go over to examine them. There are pictures of her and Rohan, some of her with Coco, and a few from her childhood. One photograph catches my eye-Yuvika at six years old, smiling with her arm around a little boy who looks about three.

Does Yuvika have a sibling? From what I know, she's a single child.

A tug at my shoelaces pulls me from my thoughts, and I see Coco trying to chew on them. I bend down to play with him, and he starts to wag his tail happily. Just then, Yuvika emerges from her room. She looks at me with uncertainty, her eyes hollow, red, and puffy-far from their usual charm.

Taking a deep breath, she gestures toward the sofa, and I sit down as she takes a chair across from me. "What are you doing here?" she asks, her voice quiet.

"I was coming to speak to you," I reply. She looks taken aback, but before she can ask anything more, I press on. "What happened? Why was Taniya here despite the restraining order? Did she harm you?"

"How do you know about Taniya and the restraining order?" Yuvika asks, her brow furrowing.

I explain what happened yesterday-how I discovered Taniya had trespassed and was rejected, and how I got a background check done on her, revealing that she is Yuvika's cousin. I tell her about Taniya's outburst at my house and how worried I became for her safety, leading me to visit her.

As Yuvika listens, I can see the turmoil brewing within her. I decide to ask, "If you don't mind me asking, why did you file a restraining order against her?"

Yuvika hesitates, her gaze drifting to the floor. I can see her mind working, and suddenly she's lost in thought.

Yuvika shakes her head, pulling herself back to the present. The sadness in her eyes is replaced by a flicker of anger.

"It's complicated," she finally says, her voice steady but strained. "Some things just... don't go away."

As I watch her, a wave of emotions swells within me. I feel a fierce protectiveness toward Yuvika, wishing I could shield her from the pain that clings to her like a shadow. I think of the little girl in the photograph, the one who had such joy in her eyes, and I can't help but feel a deep sadness for the weight she carries now.

It infuriates me that someone like Taniya could cause her so much anguish, tearing at the fabric of her happiness. I want to reach out, to tell her that she doesn't have to face this alone.

But at the same time, I can sense the walls she has built around herself-walls that are high and fortified by years of hurt and betrayal. It's a reminder that I can't simply rush in and fix things. I need to tread carefully, allowing her to open up at her own pace.

"I'm here for you, Yuvika," I say softly, hoping to convey my support without pushing too hard. "You don't have to go through this alone."

She meets my gaze, and for a fleeting moment, I see a glimmer of the warmth she once radiated, buried beneath layers of pain. It gives me hope that maybe, just maybe, she can find her way back to herself.

Yuvika shakes her head, breaking our eye contact. I can tell she's not ready for another conversation about her past, so I decide to let it go. I refrain from mentioning my earlier encounter with Taniya in her apartment lobby, sensing the delicate atmosphere between us.