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As I stood in the bathroom,the cool water cascading down my face,I felt the familiar sting of tears pricking at the corners of my eyes.
Nirvair's innocent question had unleashed a torrent of emotions, transporting me back to a time I thought I had long buried.
The memories came flooding back, like a dam had burst,and I was powerless to stop them.
My mind replayed the painful scenes of my past,the anguish and betrayal I had felt when my own parents,the people I loved and trusted most,had turned their backs on me.
They had refused to believe me,to support me,when I needed them the most.Instead, they had sided with Sartaj.
The man who had tried to assault me, simply because they were eager to get rid of me,to marry me off to him and be done with it.
The pain and anger I had felt then still lingered,a raw and gaping wound that refused to heal.
I had thought I had moved on,that I had left the past behind,but Nirvair's question had ripped the scab off, exposing the still- festering hurt beneath.
I felt like I was reliving the nightmare all over again, the helplessness and despair washing over me like a wave.
As I stood there,frozen in time,the tears I had been holding back finally broke free, streaming down my face like a river.I felt like I was drowning in my own emotions,unable to escape the vortex of pain and anger that threatened to consume me.
The bathroom seemed to spin around me, and I felt like I was going to collapse,like my legs were going to give way beneath me.
But somehow,I managed to compose myself, to pull myself back from the brink.
I took a few deep breaths,wiping away my tears with the back of my hand.
I looked at myself in the mirror,and the person staring back at me was a stranger,a fragile and broken thing.
I didn't recognize myself, didn't know who this person was or how she had gotten there.
"It's okay,You're fine and safe.It was just a question."I took long deep breaths.
"You can do this Preet.It was your past,you've to move on.You can't stick to the past."I took another deep breath,trying to shake off the lingering emotions.
I knew I had to get out of there,to escape the confines of the bathroom and the suffocating memories that lingered within.
I opened the door, stepping out into the bright sunlight,and that's when I saw that Nirvair was gone.The room was empty, except for the faint scent of his cologne lingering in the air.
I felt a pang of disappointment,of regret.I had wanted to talk to him,to explain,to apologize for my behavior.
But he was gone,and I was left alone with my thoughts.I did the only thing I could think of - I put on a mask,a fake smile,and pretended like nothing had happened.
