Arjun had never been overly emotional, but today the feelings surging within him were difficult to articulate. His eyes were moist, and his heart felt unbearably heavy. He was pouring everything into his diary, hoping the act of writing would help him regain some composure and ease the crushing tension inside.
The habit of keeping a diary had taken root during his time in jail. Whenever his mother and younger sister visited, he would try his hardest to appear strong in front of them, yet deep within, he felt utterly defeated.
Getting bail in a murder case is never easy, but in Arjun's situation, the remaining witnesses had mysteriously vanished—fled to unknown places, leaving no trace. The case had not been closed, but the absence of key testimonies had cracked open a door.
Sinha Sahab had warned him clearly: "The court has released you on trust, Arjun. This case is far from over. This is merely a window for some breathing room. Don't make any mistakes."Now he had to report to the police station every week.
Except for those mandatory visits, he avoided stepping out of the house altogether. "A traveler of light had become prey to darkness." He could not leave the city; it felt as though the entire town had turned against him.
Slowly, people in the neighborhood had begun showing sympathy toward his family once again. Yet inside Arjun, a deep restlessness had taken hold. He had no desire to go anywhere. He would spend entire days lying face-down in his room, lost and indifferent. No task sparked even the slightest enthusiasm in him anymore.
After many sleepless nights, he finally fell asleep one evening, only to wake up abruptly from a disturbing dream. In the dream, he was lying in bed while droplets of water fell steadily from the ceiling, landing on him one by one. With Madhav Kaka no longer around to interpret his dreams, Arjun turned to Google. The search revealed that a leaking ceiling often symbolizes emotional instability and problems slowly seeping into the depths of one's being—issues that demanded urgent attention.
It made him wonder: if Madhav Kaka could help him even while behind bars, why had he chosen imprisonment over freedom for himself?
When Arjun had asked him that day, Kaka had simply brushed it aside, saying, "Every prisoner has his own story." At the time, Arjun had been too consumed by his own pain to inquire further about Kaka's suffering.
Sunrise is like a new life—after the long, dense darkness of night, when the first golden ray breaks over the horizon, it feels as if a fresh chapter has begun. Every day is a blank page, waiting to be written with our will and our actions as we desire.The true beauty of life reveals itself only when we peel away the layers of artificial sorrow and listen to the silence within. That silence speaks truth. And the truth can be devastating—learning that the murder for which you have spent months in jail was nothing but a well-orchestrated conspiracy is enough to make the ground disappear from beneath your feet.
You entered my life like a comet, destroying everything in your path before vanishing. Whatever remained, your family finished with ruthless precision. What ancient enmity from some past life were you all avenging against me?
If only I could tell you how much hatred has filled me toward all of you… and yet, strangely, I cannot even hate you properly."I never knew that one day you would smile sweetly and slit my throat.
You came into my life like a monsoon stream, sweeping away everything I held dear. Your sudden arrival and the way you wrecked my entire world before leaving—it was not fair."
You turned my life into autumn, but you could not even become a night-flowering jasmine. If not that, at least you could have remained evergreen, blooming forever in someone else's garden. It would have been better if, that night, you had all finished me off. At least I would not be dying this slow death of helplessness. It would have been far kinder if I had been the one who died that night.
You have carved such an unhealable rift between me and Kavya that it can never be bridged again. I try to reason with my heart, but it refuses to listen. Even when I want to hate you, I cannot. Yes, the pain you left behind torments me constantly. People say time heals every wound, but my wound only grows deeper with each passing day. Every small memory connected to you refuses to leave me alone.
"You were in such a hurry to come, and equally eager to leave in anger. You never asked how I was when you arrived, nor waited when you departed."
If only you were still alive, I might have received answers to my questions. For so long, countless unspoken questions have surrounded me. The taunts of people and my own silence continue to prevent me from moving forward even after you are gone."I take two steps ahead, only to be pulled four steps back."Every morning I wake up, but there is no purpose left in living. A pall of gloom hangs over the house. The laughter that once filled these rooms has vanished, along with the voice that could erase all my fatigue with a single word.
My heart seeks closure from Shreya, who can never return, and I feel nothing but shame at the thought of facing Kavya. I wish I could escape to some unknown place where I would never have to meet her eyes or answer her endless questions.
If only you would meet me once more—I would ask you just this: why me?
What wrong had I ever done to you?
"If ever everything falls apart… then come back. I will be waiting right there, where our last conversation ended."
When you came to my room with prasad that day, how I wish you had brought poison instead. What sin of mine have you punished me for?
Until I receive answers to my questions, peace will never find me. Until then, our story remains unfinished… and it shall stay unfinished.
I want to end this story now. If not for my sake, then at least lead me to my family—those who framed me and fled like cowards into the dark night. All that remains now is this one desire: to somehow prove my innocence and expose before the world the crime committed by your family.
"He may have walked free from prison…
but the truth still held him captive."
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