Author’s POV
“Wahan se nahi… thoda upar se cut karo… jaldi mar jaogi.”
The voice was sharp. Cold. Lethally calm.
Saaisha froze.
A violent shiver ran down her spine as the blade hovered over her wrist, trembling in her hand. She didn’t turn.
She didn’t need to.
She knew that voice.
She knew him.
Shaurya.
The man who saved her. The man who gave her silence when she couldn’t bear words.
The man who made her feel safe… and was now watching her try to end it all.
Footsteps echoed in the room.
He walked toward her with a deadly calm and stood in front of her.
“Kya hua?” he asked, voice low. “Ruk kyun gayi?”
(What happened? Why did you stopped?)
She couldn’t answer. Shame choked her throat, and guilt weighed down her body.
She wasn’t just hurting herself. She was hurting him. Hurting them. The people who had held her broken pieces without expecting anything in return.
Her hand trembled violently, and the knife slipped from her fingers, lattering to the floor with a sound that felt like a scream in the silence.
There was a long pause.
Then Shaurya spoke again.
“Chaliye mere saath.”
(Come with me)
His voice was calm but carried an intensity that couldn’t be ignored.
She remained still. Frozen. Her body felt hollow, and her mind was drowning in exhaustion and self-loathing.
“Maine kaha chaliye, SAAISHA.”
(I said come with me, Saaisha)
His voice rose firm, sharp.
She flinched.
Her eyes met his.
His were bloodshot. Jaw clenched tight. The veins on his forehead throbbing. His fists curled by his sides like he was holding back an emotional explosion.
For the first time… Saaisha was scared of him.
Seeing her flinch, Shaurya exhaled sharply and softened his tone.
“Mere saath chaliye, Lotus… please.”
(Come with me, lotus... Please)
The word Lotus broke something inside her.
She nodded and followed.
He opened the passenger door. Not the back seat this time.
She sat beside him.
The drive was silent. Saaisha stared blankly out the window while Shaurya gripped the steering wheel tightly his knuckles pale and stiff.
Suddenly, the car slowed.
He stopped in front of a simple building surrounded by quiet lanes. No bustling houses. Just one faded signboard:
“KHUSHI NGO.”
Saaisha’s eyes widened. Her chest tightened.
Why are we here?
Is he going to leave me here?
He could’ve just told me to go… I would’ve left for Lucknow.
Her thoughts spiraled until..
“Bahar aaiye.”
His voice snapped her out of it. The car door was already open. He stood waiting for her.
She stepped out hesitantly.
Shaurya began walking toward the NGO. She followed silently, nervously.
Today, she didn’t want to argue.
Because today, she was wrong. And he… was furious.
As they entered, a kind-faced woman in her early fifties approached them with warmth.
“Beta, itne dino baad aaye ho. Aao, andar aao.”
She led them to the verandah.
“Dekho sab, kaun aaya hai!” she called out.
Within seconds, women started gathering. Older women, younger girls, middle-aged mothers. Some with gentle eyes. Some with scarred wrists. Some carrying toddlers. Some carrying pain.
There were at least sixty to seventy women… and they all smiled when they saw Shaurya.
Saaisha watched in quiet surprise.
Who were they?
Why did they look at him like that?
Shaurya’s phone rang.
He turned to Saaisha.
“I have to take this call. It’s important. I’ll be right here.”
Then he pulled out a small notepad and pen from his pocket and handed it to her.
She stared at it, surprised.
Does he carry this everywhere? she wondered.
He walked to the gate to answer the call.
Saaisha sat silently, awkwardly, amidst women she didn’t know… unsure what to say or do.
Then the elderly woman placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“Kya naam hai tumhara?” she asked kindly.
(What's your name?)
But she took the pen, opened the notepad…
And wrote one word:
“Saaisha.”
"Aur main Nandini."
A young girl walked toward Saaisha. She looked no older than twenty. One of her legs was missing, but her smile was wide and unwavering.
The older woman with her smiled kindly and said,
"Toh jab tak isse baat kar, main aati hoon. Khane ki tayari karke."
(Talk with her, till then I'll do preparation for lunch)
Nandini nodded and sat beside Saaisha, still smiling.
"Tum bol nahi sakti kya?" Nandini asked gently.
(Can't you speak?)
Saaisha felt like needles had pierced her throat. A lump formed as she slowly nodded, unable to meet her gaze.
"Arre koi baat nahi," Nandini said softly. "Dekho meri bhi ek tang nahi hai."
(It's okay, See I too don't have one leg)
Saaisha looked up, surprised. Despite the pain behind her words, Nandini’s face held nothing but light.
"Tumhare saath bhi kuch hua hai kya?" she asked.
(Did something happened to you too?)
Saaisha frowned in confusion and scribbled on the notepad:
"Kya matlab?"
(What do you mean?)
"Matlab yeh ki yahan sab ke saath kuch na kuch hua hai… tabhi toh sab yahan hain. Jaise main," Nandini said, her voice calm but firm.
(That means everyone here has been through something... that’s why they’re all here. Just like me,)
"I had no one. I used to beg on the streets, sometimes sleep in trains. One day, a man touched me on the train. At first, I didn’t understand... then suddenly, he lifted my frock and started touching me inside."
She paused, eyes far away.
"I felt horrible. So I rushed away, towards the door of the train. But he came after me. In trying to get away from him… I fell off. And that’s how I lost my leg."
Saaisha stared at her, stunned. This girl… this young girl… was still smiling.
She quickly scribbled:
"How can you smile while saying this?"
Nandini let out a small laugh.
"Because I’m happy with my life. I don’t miss what I had before. Back then, I was alone. Now, I have a family. I used to beg on the streets. Today, I attend online classes. This year, I’m preparing for my board exams."
Saaisha blinked, trying to process her words. Then wrote again:
"But what about your leg?"
Nandini tilted her head and said,
"If I keep looking at what I lost, how will I ever appreciate what I have? God gave me a second chance. I could’ve died on those tracks… but I didn’t. Now, I have a roof over my head, people who care about me, and a future I never imagined."
She looked around briefly.
"Everyone here has a story. Everyone here has suffered. But we smile not because we forget, but because we survived."
Saaisha hesitated. Her hands trembled slightly as she scribbled:
"But that man… don’t you feel his touch on your body? Don’t his memories haunt you?"
Nandini’s smile faded a little. A dark shadow passed through her eyes.
"I used to… every single night. I couldn’t sleep. I used to shake just thinking about it. But then one day, I saw his photo on the news. He was dead. Train accident. His body was scattered across the tracks—head, legs, arms… everything torn apart."
She looked at Saaisha and gave a bitter smile.
"That night, for the first time in years, I slept peacefully. And ever since, my smile hasn’t faded—because of this place… this home."
She gently turned toward Saaisha.
"At least my attacker was a stranger. There are girls here who were tortured by their own blood—their fathers, uncles, husbands. You know what the best part is? Most of those men… are dead."
Dead? Saaisha blinked.
So what if they’re dead?
Does that erase the scars?
Does that bring back the pieces of me they broke? The nightmares, the shame, the fear that crawls under my skin every time I’m alone that won't die with them. That still lives in me.
But her thoughts were interrupted when Nandini’s voice softened, almost like a whisper of hope.
"I don’t know what exactly happened to you… and maybe I shouldn't ask. But let me say this, pain never feels small to the one who endures it.
But don’t let the pain blind you to the new life waiting ahead."
Nandini placed a hand over hers gently.
"And most importantly… trust Shaurya bhaiya. He’ll never let anything wrong happen to you. No one else can give you the justice he will.
When we thought all men were monsters, he became our hope. Our protector. He didn’t just give us a home… he gave us a new life."
Saaisha sat there, frozen in thought.
Her mind spiraled with everything she had seen and heard. For the first time since her rescue, her thoughts weren’t about "Why me?"
They were "Why any girl?"
Why is any girl unsafe, whether at home, on the streets, or in a crowd?
Her eyes lifted and found Shaurya standing outside—talking on the phone.
“Can I ever trust men again?” she wondered.
“Is it even possible after everything I’ve endured? I know not every man is the same, but the reason I flinch at my own reflection, the reason my body feels foreign—it’s all because of them.
Can I heal like her? Smile like her? Can this man… really change something inside me? Can I ever feel worthy of living again?”
Her gaze lingered on Shaurya. His presence didn’t scare her but it didn’t silence her fears either.
“What if I trust him? What if I tell him the truth?”
Her breath hitched.
“What’s the guarantee he won’t judge me… or worse, look at me with pity? What if he doesn’t believe me? What if he laughs? The truth I’m hiding isn’t just painful, it’s humiliating. If he hears it, will he still look at me the same way?”
She closed her eyes for a moment, a quiet ache settling in her chest.
“Some truths feel heavier than silence… and right now, silence is the only shield I have.”
After lunch, Shaurya walked over to Saaisha and said gently, “Let’s go.”
Saaisha looked up at him, confused for a moment.
He’s not leaving me here?
He’s taking me back with him?
A quiet sense of relief washed over her.
Noticing the hesitation in her eyes, Shaurya asked, “What happened? Do you want to stay here a little longer?”
She quickly shook her head and began walking toward the car
.
.
.
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