"Ehsaas" means "feelings," and that's what you'll get with every page of these Indian stories.
A country where golden sunsets kiss the land and temple bells whisper melodies. This ain't just a story, it's a whole lotta love, packed in bite-sized tal...
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VIRAAT'S POV
I stood at the doorway, my gaze fixed on Meera. She lay huddled on the bed, her blank gaze fixed on the ceiling, tears tracing silent paths down her cheeks.
"Meera?"
She glanced at me for a second then turned her head. I put the tray of food on the table and before I could say something she said,"I met an old lady today. She lives next door"
I knew where this was going, a cold dread settled in my stomach.
"You know what she said to me?",she turned her head and looked at me with those blank expressions.
"She said you were...a monster"
Monster. That's what they call me.
"A man who used to beat his wife, leaving her body a broken map of scars." A humorless laugh escaped her lips, brittle and laced with pain,"strange, isn't it?"
She walked and stood inches before me, her gaze locked with mine.
"That old lady told me that your first wife used to cry for help", she choked out, tears welling up again.
"Your first wife. My sister. My sister heer. How many times have you raised your hand on her Virat? When did it start? Was it in this room? This very corner? Or in your precious study?"
Tears streamed down her cheeks. Her body trembled, not with fear, but with a righteous fury.
"Tell me, Virat!" Her voice cracked, raw with pain.
"How many slaps? Pushes? Kicks? How many punches did it take for you to silence her? How many times did you leave her bruised and broken, hiding her pain from the world? Is that the reason why she left you? Is that the reason why she hated you? ANSWER ME, VIRAT! WHY?"
Her trembling fingers grasped my shirt's collar, her scream dissolving into sobs. She was hurt, and rightfully so.
I had seen this coming, yet in that moment, I didn't know how to reach out, how to hold her without breaking her even further.
So, I did what I've always done.
I took a step back and left.
She was on the floor crying her heart out.
The distance between her room and my study, normally a mere hallway, felt like an endless journey. Even from my study, I could hear her cries echoing through the house.
"YOU ARE A MONSTER, VIRAT!"
"YOU RUINED HER!"
The love she must have had for her sister was immense, for this news to have shattered her so deeply.
I took off my shirt, walked into the bathroom, turned on the cold shower, and stood beneath its stream. The cold water dripped over my bare chest and body.
