Unexpected

Chapter 9

I'm broken.

I'm lost, devastated, numb and broken.

First mother's murder, and now that diary.

I haven't shed a single tear since I learned the man whom I used to love as my father was not my father.
Well, biological obviously.

I'm Ashok Sen's daughter. Whatever joyous memories I had concealed deep down my heart, memories of my father when he used to be my role model, when he used to shower so much love that often, I prayed to God not to snatch him away from me, ever.

The mere thought of realising all those dreamlike memories were a hoax, shattered my heart into bits and pieces.

Losing my mother was hard enough, witnessing her lifeless body coated with cruor was more than my worst nightmare.
Turning a blind eye towards her getting brutally beaten, abused and tortured was intolerable , but now?
I don't know, I find myself acting like I'm okay, I can survive this, I've to fight for justice, for my mother's justice, but my strength has given up.

I have always dreamt of a safe and secure place for me and my mother.
I have always dreamt,  that , after being done with school me and my mother would spend the rest of our lives far away from that hellhole, far away from that barbarous man.

Deep down I really hoped that there would be an ample amount of space in both of our hearts that would cherish the better part of my father's memories, despite of what he did.

And we would survive clinging to them. Because those memories were our family.

My family.

And now I don't even know whether to name it "family", or not.

I've heard this somewhere. I can't exactly recall from where, but I most certainly did.
That, when you feel like all hopes you had grown for survival had been submerged deep down the fathomless depth of darkness, but you're still breathing miraculously, and none of those could deliquesce the flickering bits of soul you still had left within yourself.

So, you start looking for answers.
Because searching for "why" would be the only motivation you could've hoped for, which won't support you for long, and some truths might provoke you to just, end your miserable life , reason being you can't take it anymore, still deep down you know you can't stop searching because that's the only energy that'll work.

And just like that, I knew what I needed to do.

Natasha was scrolling through her phone when I entered her room.

" See who decided to pay me her V.I.P. visit today, how lucky I am!"

" Stop it, Nat. I've something important to discuss with you," I was deadpan.

Worry wrinkled her smooth face.
This was my best friend. Always guessed my mood, no matter how sudden and fickle it used to turn.

" Hey. Calm down. What's wrong," she was getting tensed.

" Look. I think we need to inform Mr. Mehta what we found out recently. Afterall if he wouldn't have provided us with Mom's diary,  we would still be lurking in the shadows about the entire case."

There.
I said it.

" Whoa. You're willing to interact with the cops? I mean, don't get me wrong but, I thought you needed some space to deal with the series of traumatizing events happened to you."

She was right. Actually that's exactly what I told her after we discovered the hideous news.

" Yes. I know Nat. And trust me my decision remained unchanged until , I don't know how to explain, I was hit with an unforeseen wave of inquisitiveness regarding the secrets of my family. I need this, Natasha.
Right at this moment when I have nothing to hope for?
This is the perfect opportunity which will help me keep moving."

I was expecting for some kind of worried, dismissive reaction from her. Instead, she reached out and hugged me. Tightly.

And at that very moment I knew, Almighty has bestowed upon me a bit more of an unexpected strength , which I desperately needed.