the ugly swan

✿Day 8

✿Day 8

Mira and Yuv stood outside the NYC's police headquarters. They had to report the accident meticulously, every detail, and even the brief fit Yuv had. The paramedics had taken a look at him and declared that it was an acute stress reaction. Yuv admitted that he had been suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for few years now. He hadn't had a relapse in a while though.

Thankfully, no-one was injured. The twenty-one year old girl who had crashed the car was texting while she was driving. She had been fined severely and put in lock-up until her case was put in-front of the jury.

It was six in the morning. The first beams of the light were breaking through the horizon, behind the tall buildings. The sleek police headquarters glistened in the background. The grass was trimmed finely, almost to the dirt.

Yuv stood stiffly a little distance away from Mira. His back facing her. With her eyes, Mira traced the outline of his broad shoulder. He was strong, maybe physically, emotionally Mira didn't know how scarred he was.

She wanted to ask him about Kaori. She was scared, no, not for Yuv but for herself, of what she would find. He had been too good to be true. In the past few days, he had managed to create an illusion of an almost perfect romance.

Mira had forgotten that humans aren't meant to be perfect. They are supposed to be broken pieces held together by quant joys.

"Kaori was Dr. Subash's patient. Dr. Subash was my senior. Jace and I worked under him during our residency years." Yuv didn't turn around. He stared straight ahead. Mira didn't move either. Her heart was beating insanely fast. She was scared of the truth just as much as he was. The sound of her fantasy world shattering slowly filled her ears.

"Kaori was a VIP patient. She was the daughter of an influential businessman. But that didn't matter to Jace and I, we had a huge crush on her. She was a bubble of joy, wherever she went -laughter surrounded her. Little did we know that all of it was an act..."

Silence encased the empty space between them.

Mira's breaths were labored. "What was her truth?"

"She had been suffering from Body Dysmorphic Disorder. When Jace and I told her that she didn't need to change a thing, she didn't believe us. She was so consumed by her negative thoughts that cosmetic surgery became her obsession. Every time I operated on her, a part of me died. I wish there was something I could do to stop this madness. So I took her out on dates. I was persistent. During her recovery days at the hospital, I used to pester her until she'd agree."

A sad, suffocated laughter made Yuv's shoulder shake. A tear slipped out of Mira's eye. Why was all of this so familiar? Had she been a replay?

"Those were the one of the most beautiful days of my life. Her smile, her laughter, the light in her eyes was all I thought about. " His voice was barely above a whisper. It was quite and pained. "Without even realizing it, I fell in love with her. Doctors are expected to be cold hearted bastards. She was a patient. I shouldn't have gotten involved with her but what was I supposed to do. Watch her ruin her life."

His hands were tightly clenched into a fist. His arms shook with waves of shivers. Mira didn't know if it was from rage or sadness.

"My love wasn't enough to change her. She committed suicide few days after we performed an Adam's apple reduction. It was a huge scandal. Her father sued us for making his daughter miserable. He blamed us for her death. The man who never cared for his daughter, was miserable now that she was gone. I moved to India to escape the heat and get my mind together. I dropped cosmetic plastic surgery. Dr. Tripthati, a correction plastic surgeon in India, took me up when I had lost all hope. He trained me to be the surgeon I am today."