Chapter 5: Exile

My mother closed the door. The click echoed in the quiet house, louder than the TV ever was.

My sister, who had been holding it in all night, finally broke down, sobbing at the table. Her shoulders shook, face buried in her hands. The bangles on her wrists clattered with every shuddering breath.

My father, unable to hold back any longer, slapped me hard across the face. The sound rang in my ears. For a second, I couldn’t breathe.

I wasn't prepared, and fell to the floor in disgrace. My knees scraped against the tiles. My cheek burned, tears pricking at my eyes.

My head hit the corner of the table. It hurt—a buzzing pain. Stars danced in my vision. The world spun.

My mother, heartbroken, hugged my sister's shoulders and said to me, "Megha, don't blame your father for being harsh. Tonight, you really let us down." Her voice trembled, torn between anger and sorrow. She rocked my sister gently. Amma’s hands twisted the end of her pallu as she avoided my gaze.

"Have you forgotten how many times I've warned you?" She sniffed, dabbing her eyes with her pallu. "Always the same mistakes."

"Why did you go downstairs without permission? Why did you talk to him? Are you really that shameless?" Her words fell like stones, heavy and cold. I hugged myself, trembling.

Blood oozed from the wound on my forehead, trickling into my eyes. Everything blurred into a haze of red.

I tasted iron on my lips. My hand came away sticky with blood. Clutching the wound, I tried to explain.

"I'm sorry, I thought he had already left. I didn't mean to…" My voice was hoarse, barely more than a whisper.

Suddenly, my sister grabbed my collar, screaming hysterically: "Running downstairs dressed like that, showing your bare feet in front of him, and even pulling out that stupid box to get his attention—Megha, who are you trying to impress?"

Her nails dug into my skin. The world shrank to her furious face.

"Do you know what kind of status Arjun Malhotra has? Do you know your own place? How dare you set your sights on him?"

She shook me, hair flying wildly around her face. "Do you realise that because of your shamelessness tonight, I might lose him?" Her voice broke, turning raw with desperation.

"Can't you live without a man? Even your own sister's boyfriend—you want to take him too."

She spat out the words, eyes wild, before pushing me aside. With that, my sister stormed out the door. Her sandals slapped against the marble as she left. The sound echoed long after she was gone.

My mother rushed to stop her. She called out, but Priya didn’t slow down. "Priya, where are you going at this hour?"

Priya glared at me with hatred. Her eyes burned. "In this house, it's either her or me. If she's here, I'm gone."

She grabbed her purse and keys, hair flying as she vanished into the night. Soon, I heard the car start in the driveway. The headlights flashed across the curtains, and then silence.

My mother sighed deeply. She sagged into a chair, head in her hands. "Kya din aa gaye hain," she muttered.

My father slammed the door in anger. The sound made me flinch. He muttered curses under his breath, too upset to look at me.

I spoke quietly. My throat ached. "I'll stay out tonight."

My mother hesitated. She wiped her nose with the corner of her saree, voice weary. "Where will you go?"

"I'll stay at a hotel. When I was abroad, I always stayed in hotels—I'm used to it." My words felt hollow, but it was true. The loneliness of those foreign hotel rooms had become my only comfort.

Back then, I couldn't bear the inhuman torment. Whenever I got the chance, I'd run away from the hospital. I’d hide in small guesthouses, the kind where nobody asked questions as long as you paid cash. The beds were always lumpy, but at least I could sleep without fear.

I stayed in the cheapest hotels, just to escape the painful treatments they arranged for me. But my sister always found me quickly and brought me back. She’d arrive, breathless and angry, dragging me home by the wrist.

My mother was silent for a long time, then finally nodded and said, "Tonight really was your fault. Go out, then. When your sister calms down, I'll bring you back." She didn’t meet my eyes, her voice softer than before. I picked up my bag and left, the door closing behind me like the end of a prayer.