Ek din hamari aankhon ne bhi thak kar humse keh diya,
Sapne wahi dekha karo jo poore ho;
roz roz humse roya nahi jaata
One year later
Naira sat on the cold floor of her bedroom, the silence in the room was almost suffocating, broken only by the faint sounds of ahaan's quiet breathing from his crib in the corner. Ahaan her baby boy. A soft smile tugged at her lips despite the bruises that marker her face and arms. In his sleep, Ahaan’s little hand twitched, and she thought, He's dreaming... my little angel.
Yuvaan had left the house hours ago after another violent argument, locking her in. It had become routine, his hate erupting over the smallest things, his control tightening each day. He hated that she’d brought life into their world, that Ahaan occupied even a fraction of her time and love. He barely looked at his son, barely looked at his existence, except to complain when Ahaan cried.
She walked over to his crib, gently brushing her fingers through his soft hair, whispering, "You don't know what Mommy goes through, do you, baby? One day, I’ll get us out of this, just you and me.”
Suddenly, the sound of the door unlocking echoed through the room. She froze, her heart pounding as she heard Yuvaan’s footsteps approaching. She quickly pulled herself away from the crib, bracing herself for what was to come.
Yuvaan entered, his gaze cold as he looked at her. "Still sulking?" he sneered, dropping his coat on the floor carelessly. "Do you ever stop with this pathetic act?"
Naira didn't respond, lowering her gaze to avoid provoking him further. Her silence only seemed to irritate him more.
He stepped closer, grabbing her chin roughly to force her to look up at him. "Answer me," he demanded, his grip tightening painfully.
"I... I wasn't sulking," she whispered, trying to keep her voice steady. "I was just... with Ahaan."
Yuvaan scoffed, releasing her face with a force. "That brat? I don’t know why you waste your time. He’ll grow up to be just as useless as you."
Tears stung her eyes, but she forced them back, not to let him see her break. Instead, she stood her ground, her voice barely a whisper. "Ahaan is innocent. He’s just a baby..."
"Don't talk back to me." He raised his hand, and she flinched instinctively, but he stopped, a mocking smile spreading across his face. "You’re lucky I don’t have time for this tonight."
He turned away, pulling a chain from the closet. Naira's stomach dropped as he approached her, roughly snapping the chain around her ankle and locking it in place.
Him putting her in chains is not a new thing.
As Yuvaan left, she crawled to Ahaan's crib, clutching the edge and gazing at her baby with a bittersweet smile. She reached out, holding his tiny hand. "One day, my love," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "One day, I’ll find a way to give you a better life... one without him."
Ahaan stirred in his sleep, a soft smile spreading across his little face. It was moments like these that kept her going, that reminded her there was still something beautiful in her life. Despite the pain, despite the chains, her son’s innocence and laughter were the light that cut through the darkness.
As she watched him sleep, her determination grew. She would survive this, for him.
The days turned into weeks, and the tension in the house grew heavier. Naira learned to live with it, to exist in the quiet spaces between Yuvaan's rage and her moments with Ahaan.
