Chapter 10 – Shadows and Scars
छुपे हुए जख्म, अनकहे राज,
तेरे मेरे मिले आज।
बीते कल की परछाइयों में,
उजली उम्मीदों की राह बनाई।
The night had fallen over Mumbai, draping the city in soft amber and distant car lights. Inside the Khanna residence, the house was quiet—guests long gone, Priya busy in her room, and Nikhil snoring loudly on the sofa.
Trisha lay awake in her bed, staring at the ceiling. Something in her chest pressed heavily, a tension she couldn't shake. Across the hall, Abhineet's room was lit faintly, the door slightly ajar. For reasons she didn't understand, she felt drawn toward him.
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She knocked softly. "Abhineet?"
His voice, low and calm, came from inside. "Come in."
The room smelled faintly of sandalwood and leather. He sat on the edge of the bed, arms resting on his knees, gaze fixed somewhere far beyond the walls.
"You're awake too," she whispered, closing the door behind her.
He gave a small nod. "Some memories don't wait for night to end."
Her heart skipped. There was a weight in his tone she hadn't heard before. She sat beside him on the edge of the bed, careful to keep a respectful distance.
"You... want to tell me?" she asked gently.
He exhaled slowly, jaw tight. "It's not easy."
She nodded. "I understand."
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He swallowed hard and began. "I lost my good friend... Yuvraj. He was more than that—family, my shadow in every decision. We were on a business trip once, and someone kidnapped him." His voice cracked slightly. "I wasn't fast enough. I couldn't—he was gone, and I..." He pressed a hand to his forehead. "...I couldn't save him."
Trisha's fingers clenched around her dupatta. The confession wasn't loud, but the grief behind it reverberated through the room.
"I still see it," he continued, voice low. "The moment he slipped from my grip, the pleading in his eyes... I've carried that guilt for years. I bury it in work, in control... but some nights, it's louder than everything else."
He looked at her then, and for the first time, the mask of composure cracked. His eyes glimmered, shadowed with pain, the rawness of loss shining through.
Trisha felt her chest tighten. She had always sensed quiet strength in him, but now she realized it wasn't invincibility—it was endurance, forged in tragedy.
She placed her hand lightly on his arm. Not to console, but to anchor him.
He flinched slightly, unused to physical comfort, yet he didn't pull away.
"Thank you," he murmured, voice hoarse.
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After a long silence, he finally spoke again. "That's enough about me for tonight."
Trisha nodded, though something inside her stirred. She had her own shadows, buried deep, and for the first time, she felt the pull to share them.
She drew a shaky breath. "My past... it's not easy either."
Abhineet didn't look at her. He simply nodded, waiting.
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"I grew up in fear," she began softly. "Not from the world, not from teachers or strangers... but from my parents. They lost my elder sister, Manya, when I was very young. And somehow, they decided I was the reason. That I... killed her." Her voice trembled. "I didn't, of course. I was just a child. But every day, they treated me as though I were guilty. Every word, every slap, every harsh look was a reminder."
Tears pooled in her eyes. "I didn't have friends... didn't have anyone who understood me. I learned to survive by shutting myself off, hiding my thoughts, my feelings. If I showed weakness, they punished me. If I smiled too much, they reminded me of Manya."
Her hands trembled in her lap. She looked down, ashamed of the flood of emotions spilling forth after years of holding them in.
Abhineet reached out this time, covering her hands with his large ones, firm and warm. "Trisha..." His voice was low, almost a whisper. "No one has the right to treat you that way. And you didn't deserve any of it."
She looked up at him, tears spilling freely now. "But they called me evil... said I brought misfortune... they never let me feel safe, ever."
"I know," he said simply, voice steady. "I... I can feel the weight you've carried. You're not weak. You're surviving."
The words wrapped around her like a protective shield. For the first time, she realized someone truly saw her—not the scared, trembling child her parents had made her, but the person she had fought to become.
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The room was silent, except for the faint hum of the fan.
He leaned slightly closer, careful not to crowd her. "We've both been shaped by loss," he said softly. "Guilt, fear... abuse. Shadows that follow us. But sitting here, talking, I feel... less alone."
Trisha nodded, her tears slowing. "Yes... less alone."
A tentative smile flickered on her lips, weak but genuine.
For the first time, they weren't just Abhineet and Trisha, the arranged couple—they were two souls recognizing each other's scars, quietly forming a bond stronger than words.
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Abhineet broke the silence. "There's something else I've learned... Pain shared becomes lighter. Not gone, but lighter. And maybe... maybe we can carry it together, not just alone."
Her lips quivered, and she finally whispered, "I think... I'd like that."
His thumb brushed her knuckles gently, a silent promise.
The night stretched around them, calm, intimate, heavy with confessions and shared grief.
And somewhere between his loss and hers, a fragile hope began to take root—a hope that perhaps, for the first time, their pasts wouldn't define their future.
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✨ End of Chapter 10 ✨
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