Broken but beloved

A bad day!

Puja's POV:

(A lonely girl, walking alone on the streets at night, crying, thinking of all the bad things she had to go through.)

I'm tired of this shithole called life. No matter what I do, my bad fate is never going to leave me alone. And guess what's worse? I found out that my boyfriend Anand, who I have been in a relationship with for the last three years, had been cheating on me with my best friend, Tina. I saw them having s*x on his bed when I went to his apartment with his favorite food, intending to surprise him and spend some time together.

I've been very busy with work lately, and Anand has been constantly complaining that I am not spending enough time with him. I always believed that he loved me and that one day we would get married and build a future together. But how naive I was to not see through all the lies he had been feeding me. And Tina, she's been in my life since kindergarten. We went to the same school and college. Tina and I have spent so many years together, supporting each other through thick and thin. I can't believe she did this to me. I treated her more like a sister than a friend. How could she ever betray me like this? I am so drained and tired of everything happening to me right now. I knelt down in the middle of the road and burst into tears. As if on cue, the rain started pouring, soaking me completely.

I am Puja Sharma. My father left me and my mother for another woman. My mother hates me and abuses me daily because she blames me for my father's betrayal and her love life failure. Even though she has been the provider of our family since I was four, she blames me for my father leaving and comes home drunk every day, abusing me physically and verbally. But I'm here, thankful to be alive, thankful that she feeds me, provides a roof over my head, gives me clothes even though they are her hand-me-downs, and sends me to school.

I was walking aimlessly on the road because it was hard for me to process the pain my boyfriend and best friend had inflicted on me. Is this what my mother felt when my father left? Is this what heartbreak feels like? Suddenly, my phone rang, and it was my boyfriend. I picked up the call, and he spoke to me with an extra sweet, buttery voice: "Hello, love, where are you? I miss you. What time will you be here?" He spoke as if he hadn't just slept with my best friend. How shameless could he be? I couldn't stand his voice, so I didn't say a word and hung up on him. I then went to a nearby park and cried my eyes out. It was 9 pm, so there weren't many people around.

After consoling myself, I stood up and headed towards the place people call home. Yes, my home is more like hell for me. My mother comes home drunk with a new man every day and beats the sh*t out of me. I reached home around 11 pm. It is a small apartment with two bedrooms, one living room, one kitchen, and one bathroom. Thankfully, my mother was not yet home. So I rushed to my room, picked up a pair of pajamas, and entered the bathroom. I turned the hot water on, letting it wash away the tiredness from my body. The warmth of the water was soothing, a brief escape from the harshness of reality. I stood under the shower for a long time, letting my tears mix with the water, wishing it could wash away the pain in my heart.

I walked out of the shower and headed towards the kitchen for some food. Suddenly, the front door flung open, and there she was, my mother, the devil herself, walking in with wobbly legs and a slurred voice. She gave me a vicious look filled with disdain and smirked as if she had thought of doing something evil to me. I was scared seeing her that way. She lunged towards me, pulled me by my hair, and started hitting me with her fists, slapping and kicking me. She cursed me, saying, "You little who*e, you spoiled my entire life. You b***h, because of you, the love of my life left me. I am suffering because of you."

Then she dropped the bomb: "I am finally getting rid of you, bi*ch. I have sold you for a huge sum of money to the old billionaire who owns the pub down the road. He wants you as his mistress. Now you finally have a chance to repay me for all these years I have taken care of you."

Saying that I was heartbroken after hearing this is an understatement. How can a mother be so heartless? I'm her own flesh and blood. She sold me for money. She then dragged me to my room and locked me inside. All I could do was lie down on my bed and stare at the ceiling, wondering what more life had in store for me. I lay there, feeling the bruises and aches from her beating, feeling utterly helpless and trapped. The walls of my room felt like they were closing in on me, suffocating me with the weight of my despair.

My mind wandered back to happier times, moments when I felt loved and cared for. I remembered the times I spent with Anand, the promises we made to each other, the dreams we built together. How could it all come crashing down so suddenly? And Tina, my best friend, the one person I thought I could trust with my life, had betrayed me in the worst possible way. The pain of their betrayal was unbearable, a deep, gnawing ache that seemed to consume me from within.

I thought about my mother, wondering if she ever loved me at all. I tried to remember a time when she was kind to me, but all I could recall were moments of anger, resentment, and abuse. I wondered what had made her this way, what had turned her into the monster she had become. Was it my father leaving us? Was it the hardships she faced as a single mother? I couldn't understand how a mother could sell her own child, but here I was, facing the grim reality of my situation.

The hours passed slowly as I lay there, lost in my thoughts. The rain outside continued to pour, the sound of it hitting the windows a constant reminder of my loneliness. I felt completely and utterly alone, with no one to turn to, no one to confide in. The darkness of the night seemed to mirror the darkness in my heart.

I thought about running away, escaping this hellish life and starting anew somewhere far away. But where would I go? I had no money, no friends, no family who cared about me. The thought of the old billionaire who had bought me as his mistress filled me with dread. I couldn't imagine a life with him, a life where I had no control over my own destiny. But what choice did I have? I was trapped, a pawn in my mother's cruel game.

As I lay there, a glimmer of determination sparked within me. I couldn't let this be the end of my story. I had to find a way out, a way to reclaim my life and my freedom. I didn't know how, but I knew I had to try. I couldn't let my mother's actions define my future. I had to fight back, to find a way to escape this nightmare and build a life of my own.

With renewed resolve, I wiped away my tears and took a deep breath. I didn't know what tomorrow would bring, but I knew I had to be strong. I had to find a way to survive, to escape, and to start anew. For now, I would bide my time, gather my strength, and wait for the right moment to break free. My journey was far from over, and I was determined to rewrite my story, to find happiness and freedom, no matter the cost.