This piece was written for the 2000 word contest. Please leave your comments and criticism and it really encourages me. Thank you and enjoy!
Genre: Drama/Final Goodbye
Trigger Warning: Blood, Abuse
(Cover made by sevenstreaks)
She watched in horror as the ground beneath her turned red before her eyes. It started as a puddle of blood, but now just a mere few seconds later, she was drowning. She was drowning in a pool of blood. Sinking.
The blood was slowly leveling up to her shoulders, a few more seconds and she wouldn’t even be able to breathe.
She lifted her hands to rub her eyes. Anything that would make this nightmare stop. “Wake up!” She mentally tried to shake herself. She looked at her hands which were now painted red and dripping with blood.
“Help!” She jerked awake as she screamed. She was sitting in her bed and covered with sweat all over. This had to stop. These nightmares had to stop. What the hell? It was the same nightmare every single day–the only difference being that each night the nightmare became more and more vivid.
“Calm down, Titli,” she told herself. “I think it’s time to end this once and for all.”
She tossed the bed duvet to the side as she got out of bed and got dressed. Before heading out of the door, she picked up her phone, opened WhatsApp and quickly typed in a message.
—
Titli had met Anish at a wedding two years ago, you could call it love at first sight. They hit it off immediately and dated for six months before deciding to tie the knot. Her family had opposed at first, exclaiming that Anish was not the right guy for her, but Titli who was head over heels in love, convinced them and only realised how right they were when it was too late.
She now stood at the edge of the park, under the dim moonlight. It was the perfect moment, she thought. The perfect moment to say goodbye.
Anish had agreed to meet her at their usual spot, a bench near the small lake. It was where they had their first date, before the wedding, before the promises of forever. She wondered if he even remembered those early days—if he had any recollection of the man he had been before he became someone who hurt her. How had they come to this? How did such a perfect relationship turn so disastrous? What went wrong? There were so many questions running through her mind with no answers.
She glanced at her watch, her fingers trembling slightly. It had been so long since she had felt anything other than fear when thinking about him. The approaching footsteps made her heart race, and she forced herself to turn around. He was there, tall and imposing, with his ever-present air of entitlement. He still looked the same—distant, detached, his face unreadable.
She was seeing him after what seemed like decades, yet it had only been a month, when he had forced her to leave their house after their last big argument merely for reaching home after dark, despite trying to explain to him countless times that she was caught up at work. What hurt her even more was that he never even apologised or asked her to come back. It was then that she had decided to never return--but even then, she still felt suffocated as long as she had a connection with him.
“Titli,” he greeted her with a slight nod. The familiarity of his voice made her stomach turn. She had once loved that voice. Once.
“Anish,” she replied softly, her voice barely above a whisper. The words she had been rehearsing felt like stones in her throat, too heavy to speak.
He nonchalantly seated himself next to her, his presence filling the small space between them. For a moment, there was silence. The wind rustled through the trees, and the only sound that could be heard was the faint lapping of water against the shore in rhythm with her rapid heartbeat.
Titli’s gaze drifted to the ground as memories flooded her mind. She could see it all again—his face twisted in anger, the way he used to lash out at her with his words, his accusations, his violence. How he had made her feel small, insignificant. How he had made her believe that she was nothing without him.
"Why did you ask me to come here, Titli?" Anish's voice broke through her thoughts. "Are you coming back home? Did you finally accept your mistake?"
She swallowed hard. The words were finally ready to come out of her lips. “I want a divorce, Anish.”
He froze, his expression faltering for just a moment. Then, his face hardened. "Divorce? After everything we've been through? You're just going to end it?"
Titli’s heart ached at the rawness of his words, but she couldn’t back down now. She had made up her mind. It had taken weeks, countless sleepless nights, but she had finally found the courage to leave.
“I can’t do this anymore,” she said, her voice steadier now. “I can’t live like this. You’ve broken me, Anish. And I’m not going to let you break me any longer.”
The air between them crackled with tension. Anish’s gaze turned cold, and he let out a bitter laugh.
“You’ve always been a drama queen, haven’t you? Which movie did you get inspired by this time? You think you can just walk away like it’s that simple?” His voice was rising, the anger simmering beneath the surface.
Titli closed her eyes for a moment, trying to steady her breath. She had always been afraid of his outbursts, but not anymore. She had spent two years walking on eggshells, trying to please him, to avoid his wrath. But now, she was done.
“Do you even remember the things you’ve said to me?” she asked, her voice quiet but firm. “The things you’ve done?”
The silence stretched between them, but it was not an empty silence. It was the silence before a storm, the calm before everything came crashing down.
Flashback:
It was late one evening, the apartment lit by the soft glow of a lamp. Titli had just finished a long and tiring day at work, her mind weary, her body aching. She had been looking forward to a quiet evening at home, but Anish had other plans.
“Where have you been?” He demanded as soon as she appeared at the door.
“Work,” Titli replied, setting her bag down on the table. “I told you, I was staying late.”
“Don’t lie to me!” He snapped. His voice was low, controlled, but there was a dangerous edge to it. “You think I don’t know what you’re up to?”
Titli felt the familiar tightening in her chest, the sense of dread that always came when he was in one of his moods. She tried to calm him down, but it never worked.
“Anish, please..” she started, but he cut her off.
“You think I’m stupid? I know you’re cheating on me!” His voice grew louder, filled with venom. “I’ve seen the way you look at Suraj, Titli. You’re nothing but a liar.”
She tried to back away, to escape the confrontation, but he was already there, blocking her path.
“Don’t touch me!” She cried, as he grabbed her wrist with a force that made her gasp.
His grip tightened. “You’ll regret this, Titli. You’ll regret making me think you don’t love me anymore.”
The pain in her wrist was sharp, but it was nothing compared to the ache in her heart. The man she had once trusted, once loved, had turned into a stranger right before her eyes.
“Please, Anish,” she whispered, the tears stinging her eyes. “Please let go. I’m not cheating. I swear, I love you.”
But it didn’t matter. Nothing ever mattered when his anger consumed him. He didn’t let go. He took out her clothes from the cupboard and threw them at her face, yelling at her to go to Suraj and never come back again along with a bunch of curses which she would never forget. And she knew, if she stayed until the next morning, after everything had settled, he would act as if nothing had happened.
Present:
Anish’s face was twisted in fury now, his lips curling into a sneer. “You think you can just walk away? Do you think anyone will believe you?”
Titli felt the weight of his words pressing down on her, but she refused to be intimidated. She had lived in fear for too long.
“I don’t need anyone to believe me anymore,” she said firmly, standing up from the bench. “The only thing I need is to be free.”
For a moment, he just stared at her, as though trying to process her words. Then, he stood up too, taking a step forward.
“You think I’ll let you go to Suraj just like that?” His voice was low, dangerous. “You’re mine, Titli. You’ll always be mine.”
But Titli didn’t flinch. She had heard those words too many times. She had lived them. And now, they meant nothing.
True that Suraj was her best friend, her biggest support throughout her marriage. Her protector. Her counselor. Her shoulder to cry on all those times when she needed Anish but he wasn't available for her. Suraj admired her, maybe even had a crush on her, but he had never shown it. It was just there. Nor had he ever come in the way of her marriage or in between her and Anish, that was enough to show her how different he was from Anish. If Anish was night, Suraj was day. Suraj was a gentleman and everyone could see it. Perhaps one day in the long run, after moving on with her life and learning to trust again, she could even consider Suraj as a prospective partner–maybe--but she was not obliged to explain anything to Anish. He had lost every right on her.
“I’m not yours anymore,” she said, her eyes meeting his. “I’m nobody’s. And I’m done being degraded by you. This is goodbye, Anish. My lawyer will be bringing the divorce papers to you soon.”
He looked at her for a long moment, his face a mask of anger, confusion, and hurt. But Titli didn’t wait for him to speak any further. She turned and walked away, her heart pounding in her chest. She wasn’t sure what the future would hold, but for the first time since her marriage, she felt a small spark of hope. She was not only getting rid of him, but also bidding goodbye to those terrifying nightmares.
As she walked out of the park, she also left her past behind and vowed never to look back again.
The weight of the past, heavy and painful, was finally lifted. She felt like a butterfly who was flying away from all her problems. She was finally free.
And that was all that mattered.
Cricket
Chakravarti Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan
Mangal Lakshmi
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