In the Space Between Us

I was desperate to get home. Ridhi's laughter, her tiny arms reaching out for me, was all I could think about. But as I neared Tanishi's house, a strange, cold, and heavy feeling settled in my chest. I don't know what's happening to me.

Tanishi opened the door, her smile bright, but my gaze shifted past her. There, in the room, stood a man holding Ridhi. She was laughing in his arms, her front teeth visible, completely at ease with him.

"Mumma!" she called, but didn't reach for me. My smile faltered. "Come to mumma, mera bacha."

The man turned, slowly, like he was moving through thick air. When our eyes met, my world shattered. It was him.

I couldn't breathe. He wasn't supposed to be here. What is he doing here with -m-my daughter?

"Priyanka," he whispered, his voice barely holding together. His eyes filled with disbelief, confusion, and... something more. Tears slipped down his face as he stared at me, broken.

I reached for Ridhi, pulling her away from him, but her tiny hands clung to him, crying for the man who had once been my world.

And now? He was the past I had buried-the love, the pain, the betrayal-all of it crashing back, unraveling the fragile peace I had fought so hard to hold onto. He was here, and with him came everything I had tried to forget.