Everything was already fragile… like a glass about to shatter with the slightest touch.
And then Diwali came.
The festival of lights.
The day when every house glows, every heart feels warm…
But mine? Mine was drowning in darkness.
Two days before Diwali, I felt something was off.
His texts were colder. His replies shorter. His presence… distant.
So I finally asked him.
"Are you hiding something from me?"
There was a pause.
A long, suffocating pause.
And then he said it.
"Yeah… I think we should talk."
My heart dropped.
"What happened?" I whispered, already scared of the answer.
He sighed. "I'm in a relationship now."
For a second… I couldn't breathe.
"With… who?"
"You know her," he said casually. "The girl I used to talk to before."
It felt like someone ripped my heart out and crushed it in front of me.
"You're joking, right?" my voice trembled. "Tell me you're joking…"
"I'm not," he replied coldly. "I love her."
Love.
That one word shattered everything we ever had.
"What about me?" I cried. "What about us? You said you loved me… you promised—"
"Things change," he interrupted. "I don't want to be with you anymore."
"No… no, please…" I begged, my voice breaking. "Don't do this. Please don't go to her. Stay with me… I'll fix everything… I'll do anything…"
"Stop it," he said, irritated now. "I've made my decision."
Tears wouldn't stop.
I was crying so hard I could barely speak.
"Just… just give me one chance," I whispered. "Please… don't leave me like this…"
But he chose her.
Over me.
Like I was nothing.
Like everything we had meant nothing.
The call ended.
And so did something inside me.
That evening…
My house was filled with lights, laughter, and the smell of sweets.
"Mummy, diya idhar rakhna!"
"Come for pooja!"
Everyone was smiling.
Everyone was happy.
And there I was…
Sitting in a corner of my room, silently crying, holding my phone… hoping his name would flash on the screen again.
But it never did.
Firecrackers burst outside, lighting up the sky.
But inside me… everything was dark.
Every explosion outside felt like my heart breaking again and again.
I wiped my tears, trying to act normal.
But how do you celebrate Diwali…
When your world has already burned down?
That night, after everyone slept…
I opened our chat again.
Scrolled through every message.
Every "I love you."
Every promise.
Every lie.
And then… I saw something.
A message.
Not from him.
From an unknown number.
"You deserve to know the truth… but are you ready for it?"
My fingers froze.
My heart started racing.
Who was this?
And what truth…?
I hesitated… then slowly typed:
"What do you mean?"
Three dots appeared.
Typing…
Stopped.
Typing again…
And then—
"He didn't just choose her… he was never yours to begin with."
My breath hitched.
Before I could reply…
The number went offline.
And right at that moment…
My phone rang.
His name flashed on the screen.
After everything…
After choosing her…
Why was he calling me now?
I stared at the screen, my hands shaking.
Should I answer?
Or was this… just the beginning of something even worse?
To be continued…