❝Live a life of Lies, die a death of Truth.❞
The one thing fate is good at is spinning dangerous turns and planting deathly bogs in the stream of life. When you are stuck in the eye of the storm, the truth can't set you free; but the lies can give y...
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Note: All events hence forth will be happening in the present.
April 16, 2018
Hansika's still, emotionless face as she narrated the tragedies of her life breaks my heart further than the fact that she used to live a life like that. Her even breath, her body not shaking once, and her eyes blinking only when necessary, all the while she's talking about how she was trapped under Anirudh; she had become numb. Completely numb.
My hand involuntarily goes to hold hers under the table. She pulls away from my touch like I'm hot coal.
"So, that's how much Ayansh should know about this." Anirudh takes a long puff of the cigarette, his nostrils flaring as he let the smoke out.
"Now, it's your turn, Ayansh. Tell us what happened after Hansika."
He butts the cigarette in the ashtray and picks up Hansika's plate. Oh, how I want to kill him right now. My hand curls up into a fist. The only thing that stops me is Hansika's hand. She snakes it to my fist and softly shakes her head, her eyes pleading.
"Go on, brother," he says, his eyes roaming back and forth between us. Her hand leaves me as if right on cue.
I take a deep breath. "I met Hansika on the road. The NH 60. I was backpacking that time."
He raises his eyebrows. "A pleasure trip? That's nice. Where all did you go?"
I want to punch his face. So hard. Take a couple of teeth out, make his face swell, colour it up a little; make his face perfect for his personality.
I close my eyes and feel the vestigial feeling sink it. I'm useless. Bound to a hundred different values and sacrificing the one value that I really shouldn't: love.
Shaking my head, I continue to narrate the rest of the tale. The real tale of Hansika and I. Neither full of roses nor full of thorns. Definitely far from the latter, looking at Hansika's past.
"What happened at the hospital? How did that ugly family dare to leave behind my baby?" He asks, picking some bacon up with his fork.
"Madhuri and Vinodh left with their child the next morning. I didn't know how they left, but when I asked at the reception, they told me that Madhuri had to be shifted to another hospital because of the severity of her injuries. Vinodh had only had mild injuries, so he helped with the discharge and transfer. He had told them that Hansika was not a relative and not to inform her of their departure. I was so confused but there was nothing I could do about it."
Anirudh clucks his tongue. "See, Princess?" He takes the piece of bacon to her mouth, signaling her to open her mouth. "This is why you should not trust other people. They upped and left when you were in danger. How bad of them. Do you want me to punish them?"
