Chapter 6: Exile and Return
The day I was released, Mr. Agarwal and Arjun arrived with reporters. Arjun, sunglasses on, sneered: “Just a lowly diver—dared to touch me? Hope you never dive again. I’ll break your record soon.”
I clenched my fists, Amma’s words echoing: “Chhodo, beta.” In front of the media, I stayed silent, letting their cameras twist my pain.
Mr. Agarwal pursed his lips: “Be a good person. Temporary glory is nothing; only grounded people go far.” It was all for show—gratitude had vanished. The rich always have the last word.
Online, Arjun boasted, calling for my permanent ban. Trolls swarmed. Ex-students and teammates invented complaints. Even Kunal, now Arjun’s coach, avoided my gaze: “You know my family needed money.”
I realised my friends’ silence was their own survival. I took my savings and moved to a new city, teaching diving online as ‘DiverX.’ Slowly, I found some peace.
But a year later, my phone rang. Mr. Agarwal again—Arjun was trapped in that cave. The city’s noise faded. Only the memory of that cave remained—dark, hungry, and waiting. And this time, I wasn’t sure I’d go back.