Chapter 5: The Cracks Beneath the Silence

The rain hadn’t stopped all night. It whispered against the windows, soft but constant, like it was trying to hush the house that had already fallen silent after all the chaos.

Meera sat on her bed, clutching her pillow tight, her heart still racing with the words she’d overheard earlier. Her parents’ voices still echoed in her mind — their anger, their coldness. And Ishani’s soft sobs outside the house… she couldn’t forget that.

When she heard the main door slam, Meera ran to the window. Through the drizzle, she saw Ishani running out into the dark street — barefoot, her dupatta dragging on the wet ground. Meera’s chest tightened.

“Didi…” she whispered, her voice trembling.

She turned and stormed downstairs, her eyes burning with tears. Rajesh and Shobha were still sitting in the living room, the air between them heavy and awkward.

“How could you?” Meera’s voice broke the silence. Both of them turned, startled.

“Meera, what are you—” Shobha began, but Meera cut her off.

“No! You both don’t get to act innocent now!” She shouted, her small frame shaking. “I heard everything you said about Ishani Didi. You said you wished she was never born. How could you even say that about your own daughter?”

Rajesh’s face darkened. “Watch your tone, Meera. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I know exactly what I’m talking about!” she snapped back, tears spilling over. “Didi has always done everything quietly — she helps you both, she stays out of trouble, she fixes things when Ishania messes up! You just don’t see it!”

Shobha’s voice hardened. “Enough, Meera. You’re too young to understand these things. Ishania is your elder sister. Don’t talk about her like that.”

Meera’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Elder sister? You mean the one who humiliates everyone around her? The one you always praise no matter what she does?”

“Stop it right now!” Rajesh yelled, slamming his hand on the table. “I won’t tolerate this kind of disrespect!”

Meera’s lips trembled, but she stood her ground. “Then tolerate the truth at least once in your life.”

She turned and ran upstairs, locking herself in her room before either of them could respond. Inside, she sank to the floor, sobbing. She picked up her phone with shaky hands and called Raghav.

“Bhaiya,” she whispered when he answered, her voice broken, “Ishani Didi ran away. She heard everything. Please, please find her. I’m scared something might happen to her.”

Raghav didn’t say much — just a quiet, “Okay,” before hanging up.

Outside, the night stretched long and heavy.

...----------------...

By the time Raghav found Ishani sitting alone at the bus stand, she looked lifeless — drenched, shivering, her eyes red and blank. He parked his car and stepped out with an umbrella, walking toward her.

“Ishani,” he said sharply.

She looked up, startled, her face streaked with rain and tears. “Raghav Bhaiya?”

He let out a breath — not out of relief, but irritation. “What the hell are you doing here? Do you even realize what time it is?”

“I just… needed to get out,” she whispered, her voice trembling.

“Get out?” he scoffed. “You think running away in the middle of the night fixes anything? You’ve done nothing but create more problems for everyone.”

Her eyes welled up again. “I didn’t mean to—”

“Yeah, well, intent doesn’t matter when people are panicking at home,” he cut in coldly. “You should’ve thought about that before storming out.”

She went silent, lowering her gaze. The rain continued to fall, tapping against the umbrella he held between them.

Raghav sighed, annoyed. “Get up. Let’s go home before Dad finds out the police are involved or something.”

When she didn’t move, he frowned. “Don’t make this harder than it already is, Ishani. Just… come.”

She hesitated, then slowly stood. He gave her his jacket — not out of care, but practicality. “You’ll catch pneumonia. And I don’t have time to deal with another mess.”

They walked to the car in silence. The drive back was tense — every drop of rain on the windshield louder than the words they couldn’t say.

Halfway through, Ishani whispered, “You don’t have to care, Bhaiya. I know I’m just… a burden.”

Raghav’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, but his voice stayed calm, almost emotionless.

“Then stop acting like one.”

He didn’t look at her again for the rest of the ride.

...****************...

When they reached home, Shobha and Ishania were waiting near the door. Shobha’s face softened for a moment when she saw Ishani, but it quickly turned stern.

“Where were you?” she scolded. “Do you even realize what time it is? You scared us all!”

“I’m sorry,” Ishani murmured.

Before she could say anything more, Ishania cut in, her tone sharp. “Of course, she doesn’t realize anything. She’s always been like this — creating a scene for attention.”

Rajesh sighed. “Enough. Ishani, you should learn something from your sister. She’s doing something with her life. You, on the other hand…”

That was it. Something inside Ishani snapped.

“Don’t worry,” she said, her voice trembling but steady. “You won’t have to see me much longer. I’m moving to the dorm tomorrow. You can enjoy your perfect life without me in it.”

The room went silent. Even Ishania looked taken aback for a second.

“Ishani—” Shobha started, but Ishani didn’t stay. She walked past them, up the stairs, and closed her door.

A few seconds later, they heard another door slam — Meera’s.

Shobha sighed, rubbing her temples. “God, what has gotten into these girls?”

Downstairs, the parents sat in silence. Upstairs, Meera and Ishani both cried in their own corners of the house.

Ishani sat by the window, the moonlight falling faintly across her wet hair. Her eyes were swollen, her hands trembling as she folded her clothes and packed them neatly into her bag.

She paused, staring at her reflection in the mirror. “Maybe this is what freedom feels like,” she whispered. “Leaving behind everything that never wanted you.”

And as the clock struck midnight, she zipped her bag shut — not just packing clothes, but every shattered piece of her heart that the house had ever broken.

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