"So, Mrs. Raizada would you like to share with me, what exactly has happened that night?"
The once shining bright blue eyes wandered to the right to see her husband, beside him sat her sister along with her husband. Everyone wanting her to speak out. She looked back to her husband, the shine in her eyes missing, with a nod of assurance from her husband she turned towards the lady to answer her.
"It was 11'0 clock in the night, I woke up to the sound of the door, in sleepiness I thought it to be my husband but it was him. He.."
"Him? Who is he Mrs. Raizada? "
"Dad"
"Okay, so what happened next?"
"He came inside the room, I switched on the light, he sat on the bed and tried to hold me, I pushed him, he.."
"Was he not in his senses ?"
"He was drunk."
"As he was not in his senses, there can be a chance that he mistook your room to be his ?"
"NO, he was in the room intentionally."
"How can you be so sure?"
"He told me that."
"Why do you call him dad? "
"Because he asked me to."
"Why do you think someone who treats you as his daughter would try something like this?"
"He never saw me as his daughter, only I was in the imagination of this."
"Why did he force you?"
"ENOUGH.Not a word.Enough of this, your questions are more hurting than the actual trauma."
"Mr. Raizada you have to understand that she needs to speak out, that incident has caged her soul in such a way that it is threatening to kill her entirely. She has blocked out that time from her memories but it isn't allowing her to be peaceful" not again, more than the woman in front of her, the lady's husband needs a psychological assistance.
"I can't see her like this" he couldn't see her tortured like this.
"I understand but for her to be normal you need to be strong. You can see, how she revealed it. As if its normal mundane thing which will happen daily and there is no personal involvement from her side while narrating it. She is just leading a life of robot with no feelings attached"
"But.." YES. He accepts that she stopped speaking, smiling, all day she sits locked in her room.
"Your wife is in denial mode, she needs to accept that she is a victim of sexual assault, the pain has to be felt, there is nothing you can do to get her out from it other than making her cry and let it out, for that she needs to speak. Your interference multiple times would only lead her to get back into that darkness again. I think your brother here will help out, I'm sure her sister here will call you back if I need any further assistance from your side." there is no way this case will be solved while having the Raizada brothers in the same room while treating the lady.
"Miss. Anu I think this can be dealt .." the other Raizada tried to intervene in support of his brother.
"I'm sorry to say this but there is no other way and I request you to let me do my work." she gestured her hand towards the next door. Few more minutes passed before they heard a yell. The scene which welcomed them would never be erased from their memories for the rest of their lives.
Holding back a raging Payal, stood Khushi and Dr.Anu. Once the brothers were sent out, the digging of memories started and finally Payal snapped with such rage and bitterness that it felt she will explode any moment, primeval instinct took over her. All the pretense of quietness was lost as she sank to the floor, roaring at top of her voice, screaming obscenities, scarring her face and arms with her nails. The heavy feeling that's like the weight of the world which engulfed her into darkness finally found out the escape in the form of the tears, her heart which felt like it was beating in a tight cage finally found freedom.
Akash ran towards his wife to hold her back before she harms herself more. As he tried to touch her shoulder she swung around her face red with rage, knuckles white from clenching her fist too hard, and teeth gritted from an effort to remain silent. Her anger slowly dissolved to sadness as tears embraced her eyes, waves of pain washed over her, as she crashed onto him, his legs buckled, knees sinking into the earth as he as he holds onto her frame watching her finally rest in peace.
At first, there was guilt, guilt that he could do nothing while his father Mr. Manohar Raizada tried to sexually assault his wife. That could not be his father, never in his wildest dreams was he able to see the black monster behind the generous smiles and free hugs. The alcohol showed its effect and Payal was saved but that night brought a lot of change in his life. He neither was able to let his mother know what happened that he and his wife had to suddenly shift to another city, as he couldn't see her life shattered at this stage,nor, he was able to let his wife's sister, Khushi, know that its depression due to which her sister started having the eating disorder and not her being pregnant. But he couldn't keep the little secret which he was aware of away from his brother Arnav anymore which led them today, to be here to get Payal out of her shell and successfully did it. His guilt reduced a bit as he let her tears soak his shirt, he felt at peace when her fists beat into his skin. With every hit, he felt delighted. Relief, Comfort, and Peace washed over him.
