Chapter 7
532 Words
Ishaan manage to drive back home
Ishaan barely made it through the door, his steps unsteady, his head spinning. A strange haze clouded his mind, twisting reality into something dark and suffocating.
The living room was dimly lit, the only source of warmth coming from the soft glow of the television. On the couch, Arohi and Teddy were curled up together, peacefully asleep.
The moment he stepped in, Teddy’s ears perked up, and the puppy let out a small whimper. Arohi stirred, blinking awake at the sound of Ishaan’s footsteps.
“Ishaan?” Her voice was soft, laced with concern. She sat up, noticing his unstable state. “Are you okay?”
She stood up, approaching him cautiously. “Do you need help?”
But in his eyes, she wasn’t Arohi anymore.
The drugs twisted his mind, weaving an illusion that blurred reality and memory together. Her face shifted into her face—the woman who had shattered his heart.
His ex.
The betrayal, the humiliation, the way she had mocked him only hours ago—everything crashed down on him like a tidal wave. His chest burned with a blind, uncontrollable rage.
She was standing right in front of him. The woman who ruined him.
His vision darkened. His heartbeat pounded in his ears. Before he could think—before he could stop—his hand lashed out.
Arohi gasped as his fingers wrapped around her throat.
The force of it pushed her back against the couch. Her hands instinctively reached for his wrists, her eyes wide with shock and fear.
“Ishaan—” she choked out, struggling against his grip. “It’s me—Arohi—”
But he couldn’t hear her.
All he saw was her face. Her deceitful eyes. Her cruel smile.
“You ruined me,” he growled, his grip tightening. His voice trembled with rage. “You think you can just leave and come back like nothing happened? Do you think I’ll let you—”
Teddy barked loudly, the frantic sound piercing through the thick haze in his mind. The small puppy clawed at his leg, desperate to get his attention.
Arohi struggled harder, tears pooling in her eyes as she gasped for breath.
Then, for a split second, reality flickered.
The illusion cracked.
Ishaan blinked.
The face before him shifted.
It wasn’t his ex.
It was Arohi.
His wife.
His innocent wife.
The realization hit him like a brick wall.
His fingers instantly loosened, horror flooding his veins. Arohi collapsed onto the couch, gasping for air as she clutched her throat. Teddy jumped onto her lap, licking her face in distress.
Ishaan stumbled back, his own breath ragged. His hands trembled as he looked at them, as if he couldn’t believe what he had just done.
What had he almost done?
Arohi coughed, struggling to steady herself. Tears slipped down her cheeks, but she didn’t say a word. She didn’t even look at him.
The silence was suffocating.
“Arohi…” Ishaan’s voice cracked. “I—I didn’t mean—”
She flinched when he took a step forward.
That broke him completely.
He turned and ran out of the house.
- Writer
