Two years I have spent living with my mother-in-law and Rakesh. They have left no stone unturned in making my life a living hell. That bastard would find any excuse to manhandle me. Every day he would hit me, slap me, and every night he used my body to satisfy himself. My mother-in-law constantly cursed me about the food I ate, so I stopped having three full meals. I survived on just enough to keep myself alive.
The only solace I found was in my father-in-law. He was completely different from them. He always helped me quietly, without the mother and son knowing. Every time he noticed the bruises on my face or arms, or saw me limping, he would leave tablets and medicine on the kitchen shelf, silently caring for me. He endured his wife’s constant screaming about my barrenness and the free food I received from her, yet he never failed to show his quiet support. When he noticed I had stopped taking anything more from my mother-in-law and Rakesh, he would leave little snacks for me in the kitchen.
He would prepare half of breakfast before anyone else woke up and slip out of the kitchen. I would thank him, but as always, he wouldn’t respond, his care was silent, steady, and constant.
My meetings with Radhika didi on the terrace happened more than once a day. We would meet in the morning and again in the evening. She provided me with healthy food from her home, and I would eat on the terrace, grateful for her kindness every single day.
I have no contact with my parents anymore.
Today was like any other day. I was in the kitchen, cooking dinner, when I heard my mother-in-law enter.
“Hey, What are you doing standing here? Dreaming of your luxurious life back in your village? Be grateful you have a roof over your head and that my son provides you with full meals every day. You are so lucky to enjoy all this, despite being useless to this family. Don’t you know I have to take my medicine on time? Now stop daydreaming and make sure dinner is ready on time. I can’t risk my health”
She screamed and walked out, leaving me in tears.
I prepared the dinner and placed it on the table. Hearing the clatter of cutlery, she emerged from her room, and I served her the meal. But after the first bite, she stopped eating and glared at me.
“Is this what you call dinner? Useless girl, Why can’t you be of any use to this family? You can’t give an heir, and the least you could do is cook properly, but here you are, serving bland food. Curse the day we brought you here. Get lost, it disgust to look at your face ” she screamed and walked back to the room and slammed the door shut.
I slapped myself for being a coward. I couldn’t see a way out of this hell. I wiped my tears roughly and looked at myself in the mirror. I was not the same Meera who had entered this house two years ago. I had lost weight, my face had drained of all color, dark circles framed my eyes, and I looked exhausted.
I no longer looked like a 22-year-old girl. I looked like a woman who needed rescuing. And that was the truth, I needed to be rescued.
My trance broke when there was a knock on the door. I knew it would be Rakesh, though he had returned later than usual. Not wanting more drama, I opened the door quickly.
The sight before me shook my very being. Rakesh was standing there, completely drunk. This was the side of him I had dreaded seeing, and now he had finally decided to show it. Before I could react, he shoved me aside and entered the room. I tried to move, to get away, but he blocked me and locked the door.
“Rakesh ji, you look tired. I’ll bring your food in the room,” I said, trying to calm him, hoping to convince him to leave.
But he pressed his hand around my throat, squeezing, and tears rolled down my cheeks.
“Stop pretending to care, bitch. Did you forget what I told you? You’re just a slut I bought to satisfy my needs” he screamed, yanking my hair hard in his fist. I coughed violently, struggling for breath, certain my throat would be bruised by now.
He dragged me by my hair and threw me onto the bed.
“Rakesh ji, you’re drunk, please stop,” I pleaded, my voice breaking. But my words fell on deaf ears. His rage, his cruelty, and his drunkenness drowned out my cries.
When it was over, he turned away, leaving me trembling and broken. I stared blankly at the ceiling, the tears long dried on my cheeks.
“I have nowhere to go, No one to turn to. Why should I even live? This world has given me nothing but pain. Twenty-two years, and not a moment of peace. Why should I expect the rest of my life to be any different?” I whispered to the silence.
I walked into the bathroom and looked at my reflection. The marks on my skin spoke of the violence I had endured. My face was pale, my eyes hollow, my lips trembling.
“I’m ruined, Completely… ruined.” I whispered, my heart shattering.
The next morning, I sat on the terrace, lost in thoughts, numb to everything around me. I didn’t hear Radhika didi call out until I heard her gasp. She stood on the opposite terrace, staring at me in horror.
“Meera, what the hell did he do to you?” she muttered, looking at the bruises on my body. I just sat there, staring at her with tears in my eyes.
“I want to leave,” I mumbled. She shut her eyes, trying to control her emotions, and then looked back at me.
“Please forgive me, Meera. You don’t deserve this. I’ll help you get out of this hell. I’ll call a friend of mine in the evening and we’ll get you out of here. Please trust me. You don’t have to endure any of this anymore,” she said softly.
She handed me some food, but I refused and returned to the kitchen to cook. My father-in-law entered the room and placed some medicines and food on the counter, but I didn’t feel like touching them. It would have meant more if he had stood up for me instead of offering medicines that could never heal my wounded soul.
I was just waiting for the evening. I couldn’t live here anymore. I had made up my mind, it was either leaving this hell or ending my life. I couldn’t take it any longer.
By evening, I rushed to the terrace and waited for Radhika didi and her friend. Ten minutes later, she arrived with a woman dressed elegantly in a crisp cotton saree. There was something about her confidence, something I had always dreamed of having myself.
Radhika Didi introduced her as Advocate Geethanjali. It seemed she already knew everything because she didn’t ask any questions. Instead, she simply clicked pictures of my bruises.
“Meera, I’ll help you file for divorce, but I’ll need a statement from you detailing everything he’s done. Don’t worry, I have friends in the police department. We’ll protect you. I’ll need two days to prepare and file the case against him. Once he receives the notice, I’ll make sure you’re safely out of that house. You can stay with me until the divorce is finalized. After that, we’ll decide what’s next. I’ll also make sure you get alimony, so you can have a secure future,” Geethanjali said, her voice full of quiet determination that gave me hope.
Meanwhile, Radhika Didi stood beside her, fidgeting with her fingers, as if she were hesitating to say something. She had been like this ever since we first met.
“Radhika Didi, if you have something to say, please go ahead. Every time you hesitate, I can feel it. There’s nothing left that can break me further, so please… just say it,” I said, leaning against the water tank.
“Please forgive me, Meera. It was never my intention to keep this secret from you, but I couldn’t watch you break any more than you already have. I only wanted you to leave safely… but if that safety depends on the truth I’ve been hiding, then I can’t keep it from you any longer.”
“Didi, please… say it already,” I whispered, closing my eyes for a brief moment.
“You are not his first wife.”
My eyes snapped open at her words. I straightened up instantly, staring at her in disbelief. She slowly nodded, tears brimming in her eyes.
“You are his third wife, both his first and second wives divorced him after enduring the same kind of abuse. Everyone here knows what he’s done. None of the neighbors talk to Rakesh or his mother anymore, because they’ve already seen two women suffer in that house. What’s happening to you… isn’t new to anyone here.” she continued softly.
I felt the ground give way beneath me. My knees buckled, and I slumped against the parapet wall, staring blankly ahead.
I couldn’t say a word. Radhika Didi and Geethanjali madam were still speaking, but their voices faded into nothingness. Everything around me blurred, their words, the evening sky, even my own breath until all that remained was the echo of a truth that shattered whatever was left of me.
Finally, Radhika Didi handed me some water, and I thanked her without meeting her eyes.
“Meera, stay strong. And please… don’t let them know that I’m the one helping you with the divorce case. This is my home, and I’ll have to live here forever. Geethanjali will handle everything for you,” Radhika didi said, her voice trembling with both fear and concern.
I nodded, understanding her plea and the helplessness behind it. I gave her a weak smile before turning to Geethanjali madam, who noted down my number and asked me to record a statement about all the abuse I had endured. I did everything she asked, recounting each nightmare in a voice that no longer trembled. She promised to return the next day with the papers for my signature.
“He might lose control once he receives the papers, but you need to stay strong, Meera. This is your time to face them with confidence. Show them what you’re capable of. Remind them that any harm to you will put them behind bars.” Geethanjali madam warned gently.
I thanked her sincerely before returning to my room.
Freshly cooked food and snacks were laid out on the kitchen counter, probably by my father-in-law again. I ignored everything and simply drank a glass of water before walking back to my room.
Everyone had betrayed me at some point and I had finally decided that no one would dictate my life anymore.
Two days. I just had to wait for two more days. I had already taken the first step toward my freedom.
I opened my wardrobe and pulled out a small potli bag hidden beneath my clothes, a few thousand rupees I had managed to save from grocery expenses. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to start somewhere, maybe a women’s hostel, or an orphanage where I could work and earn. I would do anything to survive… as long as it meant leaving this hell behind.
For the first time in years, I could see a faint light at the end of the tunnel. Only a few more days.
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A/N:
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