Tara Divan, a sweet and kind-hearted woman with a fairy-like innocence, faces an unwanted situation: a party to celebrate her impending divorce from her husband, Ishaan.
Ishaan, who suffers from intermittent explosive disorder, is seen by many as a...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
We were at the beach today, surrounded by the warmth of family and friends. Tara sat quietly, building a little house out of sand with her small, delicate fingers. The rest of us - Dhruv, Rivan, Mahira, and I played beach volleyball. Jaya was our self-proclaimed umpire, keeping the game lively with her comments. We had been having fun for hours, laughing and enjoying the sun.
At some point, the volleyball went flying towards Tara's side. Jaya went to fetch it, but when she returned, her eyes were red with tears. She told us that Tara had called us 'fools' for playing volleyball on the beach. I didn't think twice before anger boiled over in me. I grabbed the ball from Jaya and stormed over to Tara. Without asking for an explanation, I smashed the ball straight into her sand house, watching it crumble.
Tara was stunned. Before she could even react, I pushed her into the pile of sand, crushing what she had been building. Her wide, tear-filled eyes met mine, and at that moment, I felt something break inside. She didn't deserve this. But no one moved. Everyone seemed upset with her, convinced by Jaya's lie.
It wasn't until later, when the adults stepped in to calm things down, that we realized Jaya had made up the whole story. Tara hadn't called us fools. The hurt in her eyes lingered on me, a silent accusation.
Before we could apologize, Tara ran towards the shore, needing space. Guilt gnawed at me the entire time, but just two hours later, she returned with a handful of candies, offering them to me with a smile as if nothing had happened. That's who Tara is—mature in ways I never was. She forgave me easily, while I stood there feeling like the true fool.
- from Ishaan diary written at the age of 15
Tara's POV
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I had just finished scrolling through the photos I took from his old diary on my phone, and the memory of the beach incident came rushing back. That day, Mom, Uncle, Aunt, and Dhruv's mom tried to cheer me up with candies, but I cried a lot.
Yet, reading Ishaan's diary today made me smile at the memory. I took a bite of the chocolate Ishaan had given me earlier, grinning throughout the day.
I waited outside my office for Ishaan to pick me up. After five minutes, he arrived, opening the door from inside the car. I got in, pouting.
