HER PAIN
1
？？？
Ma, I didn't..
(before that)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
Liar ❄️
(walks away)
？？？
(goes and sits on her chair)
？？？
How are your studies going ?❄️
？？？
(nods and continues eating)
？？？
(looks at the food which she hates the most)
？？？
(Pushes her plate away and stands up.)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
Where are you going?
(Tone instantly sharp)
？？？
I don't like this food.
(looks at her)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
Don't waste the food.
(glares at her)
？？？
(Hesitates, then sits back down and reluctantly begins to eat without choice.)
RUHI (FL ELDER SISTER)
Mumma, i don't like it
(pushes her own plate away, whining.)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
I will prepare something else for you, mera baccha.
(smiles at her softly and walks into the kitchen.)
？？？
(Watches this exchange from the stairs, her expression pained.)
AARUSHI (FL)
(comes running downstairs)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
Should we always send you a personal invitation to eat?
(sharply)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
Stop speaking and eat your food silently.
(walks to the dining table)
AARUSHI (FL)
(goes and sits down in her chair and serves herself)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
(Watches her with a critical eye)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
Your sister likes that dish.
AARUSHI (FL)
Huh
(holding a bowl)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
(points to the bowl which Aarushi is holding)
AARUSHI (FL)
(nods and hands the bowl to Ruhi)
RUHI (FL ELDER SISTER)
But i already ate.
SONIYA (FL MOM)
Eat, beta. It's nice.
(eyes locked on Aarushi)
AARUSHI (FL)
(looks up to her mother)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
Why are you glaring at me
(angry tone)
AARUSHI (FL)
I was just looking at you
(softly)
AARUSHI (FL)
I can see whether you are looking or glaring.
AARUSHI (FL)
S.. sorry
(looks down and chews her food silently while controlling her tears)
RUHI (FL ELDER SISTER)
Mumma..
RUHI (FL ELDER SISTER)
She always does this. She gets jealous of you both whenever I take care of you.
AARUSHI (FL)
(Looks at her in disbelief, her heart breaking.)
AARUSHI (FL)
*I just wanted you to love me as you love them. Is that wrong?*
AARUSHI (FL)
(Stands up, taking her plate.)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
Where are you going now?
AARUSHI (FL)
I'll eat in my room.
(walks away)
RUHI (FL ELDER SISTER)
See? She always makes a scene and tries to get attention from everyone.
AARUSHI (FL)
(Hears the comment, her shoulders slumping in defeat, and leaves the dining room.)
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2
AARUSHI (FL)
(enters her home, her face bright with happiness.)
AARUSHI (FL)
Ma!
(Her voice is light and chirpy)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
(Sitting on the couch. She looks up, her expression neutral)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
What happened?
AARUSHI (FL)
Tomorrow, there's a festival at my college and —
(Excitedly, talking non-stop)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
Can you please shut up for a minute!
(Shouting, cutting her off)
AARUSHI (FL)
(Flinches, her excitement instantly vanishing.)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
Why are you making such a big fuss over a function? Stop getting excited like a child for small things.
AARUSHI (FL)
(Eyes well up with tears)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
You already talk like a child, and now you're behaving like one. Our relatives are asking us why your daughter speaks like this.
(Angry tone)
AARUSHI (FL)
(bites her lips to control her tears)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
They're asking if she has a problem! It's so shameful. You're an adult, yet your voice is like a child's. Be mature, for God's sake!
(walks away, leaving Aarushi devastated)
AARUSHI (FL)
(Retreats to her room while controlling her tears)
Later, Aarushi is in her room, trying to focus on her homework. The stress and hurt from the earlier confrontation have manifested as a throbbing headache. She massages her temples, the words on the page blurring.
AARUSHI (FL)
(gets up as needed water and walks downstairs)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
(talking with Ruhi)
AARUSHI (FL)
(Sees her mother, Soniya, talking warmly with her sister, Ruhi)
AARUSHI (FL)
(looks away and walks towards the Kitchen)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
Where are you going?
(Friendly tone with Ruhi instantly vanishes as she spots Aarushi)
AARUSHI (FL)
I am having a headache. So I was just—
(Stopping in her tracks, she speaks softly)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
Is it because of what I said before?
(Cutting her off with a mocking laugh)
AARUSHI (FL)
Huh? Wh...
(Confused and caught off guard)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
You can't even bear a small scolding? Pathetic.
Before Aarushi can even form a word in her defense, "Wh—", Soniya shakes her head in disgust, leaving her daughter standing alone, the unspoken apology and explanation dying in her throat.
AARUSHI (FL)
(Feels her heart heavy and without a word, retreated to her room)
The silence around her was a stark contrast to the turmoil within.
This was a constant, aching reality in her life—a script that never changed. Her parents always prioritized her siblings. Ruhi's wishes were commands; Anurag's whims were catered to without question. Aarushi, however, was an afterthought, her presence often met with criticism or, worse, indifference.
She craved a mere fraction of the love they so freely gave to the others. A word of praise, a genuine smile, a moment of undivided attention—that was all she ever wanted. But it was a hope that forever went unanswered.
She had tried everything: excelling in her studies, staying quiet and obedient, even forcing down meals she hated to avoid being a burden. Yet, every attempt to earn their affection was met with a cold shoulder, her efforts dissolving into the familiar void of their neglect. She was invisible in her own home, and the loneliness was a constant, hollow ache in her chest.
One evening, after picking at a dinner she disliked, Aarushi felt a pang of hunger. Gathering her courage, she approached her mother.
AARUSHI (FL)
Ma, I'm still a little hungry. Could you please make something for me?
(Tentatively)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
But these leftovers will go to waste.
(Without looking up from her phone)
AARUSHI (FL)
Waste? But... I didn't like it to begin with. You made me eat it anyway.
(Confused by the logic)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
It's not good to waste food, Aarushi. You should have eaten properly when it was served.
(Tone final and dismissive)
AARUSHI (FL)
(Stared, the unfairness of the situation striking her dumb)
Aarushi's request for a simple meal was reframed as an act of wastefulness, while her own feelings were completely invalidated.
After her mother's refusal to make new food, Aarushi simply nodded in silent resignation. She had long learned that protest was futile. Defeated, she returned to the unfinished, disliked meal and ate it, swallowing not just the food but also her disappointment.
Aarushi was sitting in the living room, trying to focus on her assignment. The quiet was suddenly broken by her younger brother, Anurag.
AARUSHI (FL)
(sitting in the living room while doing her assignment)
ANURAG (FL YOUNGER BROTHER)
Mummy, pleaseeee
(whining)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
But, baby...
(Voice dripping with indulgence)
AARUSHI (FL)
(lifts her head from her books, her eyes instinctively darting towards them)
ANURAG (FL YOUNGER BROTHER)
Please, please!
(persistently)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
Alright, alright. Wait here.
(walks away)
AARUSHI (FL)
(Watching them, a silent question mark hanging in her mind)
The contrast was a familiar sting. Her simple request for a different meal had been dismissed as "wasteful," yet her brother's whims were being catered to without a second thought.
SONIYA (FL MOM)
(enters inside the house, carrying a distinctive takeout bag that fills the room with the savory scent of fried chicken)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
(Walks directly to Anurag, a smile on her face, and hands him the bag.)
ANURAG (FL YOUNGER BROTHER)
What's this?
(takes the bag from her)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
It's fried chicken. Your favorite. Eat it, okay?
(smiles at him)
ANURAG (FL YOUNGER BROTHER)
Okay!
(skips away happily)
AARUSHI (FL)
(Feels a fresh wave of hurt, remembering how her own simple request for a meal was denied while looking at them)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
(Shifts her gaze from her son to her daughter)
AARUSHI (FL)
(Immediately looks down, pretending to be intensely focused on her assignment, her heart sinking.)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
Don't ask him for any of the fried chicken, okay?
(said while walking towards her room)
AARUSHI (FL)
(lifts her eyes and looks at her)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
He loves it. So, don't you ask for it. Hmm?
(looks at Aarushi)
AARUSHI (FL)
(Couldn't speak, just nodded, her eyes fixed on her textbook, seeing nothing but a blur)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
(walks inside her room and closes the door)
AARUSHI (FL)
* My heart hurts*
AARUSHI (FL)
*If I am always the one who is wrong... then why does it feel like this? Why am I the one feeling so hurt?*
(voice trembling with doubt)
The illogicality of her pain—the fact that she was punished for existing while being told she was the problem—was too much to bear.
AARUSHI (FL)
(A broken, fragile smile touched her lips, a futile attempt to mock the absurdity of it all, while eyes brimmed with unshed tears, betraying the profound sorrow beneath)
“The loneliest place is when you're hurting in a house full of people who are supposed to be your home.”
3
As days passed, the argument has reached a boiling point. Aarushi, pushed to her limit, has finally voiced the deep-seated feeling of neglect.
SONIYA (FL MOM)
How can you say that? How can you even think that?
(Stunned and furious)
AARUSHI (FL)
Ma...
(Voice trembling, clutching her dress for strength)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
They are your own siblings! How can you be so jealous of your own blood?!
(Shouting, face contorted with rage)
AARUSHI (FL)
I.. didn't mean..to..
(before she could say anything)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
(slaps her hardly)
AARUSHI (FL)
(eyes widened)
AARUSHI (FL)
(looks at her while holding her cheek)
The sound echoes in the room. Aarushi stumbles back, her eyes wide with shock and pain. She brings a hand to her stinging cheek, staring at her mother in utter disbelief.
SONIYA (FL MOM)
How filthy you are
(Seething, looking at Aarushi as if she's something vile)
AARUSHI (FL)
(Eyes instantly pool with tears, the physical pain nothing compared to the emotional devastation)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
What did I do to deserve a daughter like you? You do nothing but bring problems into this family!
(Voice cracking with contempt)
AARUSHI (FL)
(eyes widened after hearing her)
AARUSHI (FL)
What problems ?
(voice hollow, broken whisper after the shock)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
(Flinches, startled by the quiet defiance)
AARUSHI (FL)
(Looks at her blankly, all emotion drained from her face, replaced by a chilling calm)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
(flinched)
AARUSHI (FL)
What problems did I ever bring you? Tell me, Ma. Did I ever hurt you like Anu and Ruhi do with their demands and words?
(Voice clear, steady, and cuts deeper than any shout)
AARUSHI (FL)
(wipes her tears harshly, takes a shaky breath, her gaze unwavering)
AARUSHI (FL)
Have I ever disappointed you with my studies? Ever? I pushed myself to the limit.
AARUSHI (FL)
(Stands her ground, voice trembling not with fear, but with the weight of years of perfect obedience)
AARUSHI (FL)
I got full marks even when I felt I couldn't... just for a chance to make you proud...
(before she could finish)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
(Strikes her face again)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
Don't you dare talk back to me.
(Voice venomous)
The second slap seems to sever something inside Aarushi. The pain, the shock, the sheer injustice of it all finally shatters her composure. She looks at her mother, her expression completely blank, emptied of all hope
Aarushi looked at her mother, her face a perfect, chilling mask of blankness. All the fight, the pain, and the hope have finally drained away, leaving nothing but a hollow shell.
AARUSHI (FL)
Don't talk back ?
(Voice flat, devoid of all emotion)
A slow, heartbreaking understanding dawns in her eyes. There is no winning, no reasoning, no love to be found here.
AARUSHI (FL)
Okay. I won't.
(Quietly, with finality)
Without another word, without a sob or a backward glance, she turns and walks away. It isn't a retreat; it's a surrender of a battle she never should have had to fight—the surrender of her hope for a mother's love.
Soniya was left standing in the silence, the echo of her daughter's quiet resignation more deafening than any scream.
After that day, a profound silence fell over Aarushi.
She withdrew completely, building invisible walls around herself. She performed her duties like a ghost—cooking, cleaning, fulfilling requests—but she never initiated a conversation. When spoken to, she would answer with the barest minimum of words, a quiet "yes," "no," or "okay," her voice stripped of all its former life.
One afternoon, Soniya was preoccupied with her phone.
SONIYA (FL MOM)
Aarushi, go and bring Ruhi. She's at the neighbor's.
(without looking up)
SONIYA (FL MOM)
Are you deaf? I told you to get your sister.
(Glares at Aarushi, who is sitting motionless on the couch)
Aarushi, having just finished the house chores, sits perfectly still. The silence stretches. Finally, without meeting her mother's gaze, she speaks, not to Soniya, but to the empty room.
AARUSHI (FL)
My back is hurting.
(voice low, exhausted whisper)
It is not an excuse. It is a simple, stark statement of her reality—a pain that is both physical from her labor, and deeply, irrevocably emotional.
Aarushi's quiet statement hung in the air, a rare admission of her own strain. For a moment, Soniya is taken aback, not by concern, but by the sheer audacity of her daughter expressing a need.
SONIYA (FL MOM)
Do I look like I care? Stop being lazy and do as you're told. Now.
(Glare intensifies, sharp enough to cut glass)
The final word is a whip-crack of command. The brief flicker of defiance in Aarushi dies instantly. The walls she had built, which felt so solid a moment ago, crumble under the weight of her mother's tyranny.
Without another word, Aarushi pushes herself up from the couch, a subtle wince crossing her face before it settles back into its familiar, blank mask. She turns and walks out the door, her shoulders slumped not just from the physical ache, but from the crushing weight of resignation.
AARUSHI (FL)
(left without any choice)
As days bled into months, the atmosphere in the house settled into a new, colder normal. Aarushi's family continued to hurt her, not with dramatic slaps and shouts, but with the quiet, relentless weight of their actions and expectations. Their indifference and conditional love were a constant, low hum of pain she learned to live with.
Time, the great equalizer, moved on. Aarushi, ever the diligent one, buried herself in her work. She completed her college studies with the quiet excellence that had become her trademark. With graduation behind her, she immediately turned her focus to preparing for competitive exams, building a future that was entirely her own—a silent act of rebellion and self-preservation.
One evening, her mother passed by her room.
SONIYA (FL MOM)
Study well, okay.
(Tone practical, devoid of warmth or encouragement)
Before Aarushi could even form a response, Soniya delivered the true message, the one that defined their relationship.
SONIYA (FL MOM)
Remember, a lot of money has been spent on your studies. So make sure you prepare properly. We expect a return.
The words hung in the air, not as motivation, but as a transaction. Her education, her future, was not a gift or an investment in her happiness, but a debt she was obligated to repay.
The pressure was a constant weight on Aarushi's chest—her future, a debt she was obligated to repay.
AARUSHI (FL)
I am leaving for the hostel tomorrow, but they...
(Eyes drifted across the living room, landing on her family)
Soniya was laughing at something Anurag said, while Ruhi chimed in with a story of her own. They were a perfect, happy circle, their conversation flowing easily, their faces bright with shared amusement.
Aarushi sat just a few feet away, yet she might as well have been invisible, separated by an invisible wall they had all built together. The suitcase standing ready by the door was her escape, her chance to breathe, but in that moment, it only highlighted her profound isolation. She was leaving, and none of them had even noticed.
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