ღ Obsession Behind the Mask ღ

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Keep reading the story till the end,

a new secret,a new emotion awaits you at every turn...

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Begin this new journey......

A story that will touch your heart.💌

"Life sometimes speaks the loudest in silence..."

Perhaps that's what Jodha thought every morning when she woke up.

It was 5 a.m.The neighborhood lane was still asleep, but the soft sounds of sautéing had begun to emanate from Jodha's kitchen. Standing by the stove, even in her sleepiness, she was meticulously preparing vegetables for the tiffin. Her hands moved on their own, but her mind was elsewhere.

A voice came from the corner of the room,"Didi, back to work so early again? But today was your day off!"........

Sonu was up, watching from the doorway.

Jodha smiled,"There may be a holiday, Sonu, but who gives hunger a day off?"

Sonu bowed her head,"You, Didi, you never think about yourself."

"Oh,silly girl," she said affectionately, "When your face smiles, that is the greatest gift for me."

Sonu fell silent.Her face held a faint glimpse of both pride and pain.

A little while later, the sound of the prayer bell echoed through the house. Jodha lit a lamp before the gods, then softly chanted mantras. She whispered, "God, just give me the strength to always stand strong for my people."

Then she came out,wiped her forehead with the end of her sari, and called out to Sonu, "Come on, get ready quickly, it's time for college."

When Sonu came out ready,Jodha's old bicycle was standing at the door. She always dropped Sonu off part of the way.

"Didi,don't work so hard, you get tired every day."

"Being tired isn't bad,Sonu," Jodha said with a laugh, "It's only when we're tired that sleep feels so peaceful."

They looked at each other and laughed.Jodha turned the bicycle around and on her way back, she stopped at the old tea shop where she often sought a little solace for herself.

"Arre Jodha beti,early again today?" the shopkeeper, Pandit ji, asked with a smile........

"Yes, Pandit ji, I'm heading to work. Thought if I could get a kulhad of tea, the day would turn out well."

"Here,this is your special cardamom tea. But you're always immersed in work, child, sometimes make time for your dreams too."

Jodha answered with a faint smile,"I have many dreams, Pandit ji, but sometimes reality doesn't let them wake up."

Pandit ji could only gaze into her eyes.

Reaching the restaurant, the day was the same as always – utensils, vegetables, the aroma of spices, and the comings and goings of customers. But now there was a strange peace in Jodha's heart. Something had changed in the last two weeks.

Radha came and said,"Didi, I heard the owner is thinking of promoting you."

"Promotion?"

"Yes,Agrawal ji was saying that you handle everything alone now… so he wants to make you 'Head Cook'."

For the first time,a smile of relief appeared on Jodha's face.......

"If that really happens, Amma will be very happy."

"And me too!"Radha said teasingly, "Then I'll say, my Didi is a big chef now."

The day passed.When Jodha finished the kitchen work at night, exhausted, all the lights were off. She turned and looked back – her name wasn't written on the restaurant's board, but the scent of her hard work was in every corner.

On her way home, a light rain started. She kept getting drenched; she was no longer afraid of the rain… or the darkness of the nights. It was as if a new strength had been born within her.

As soon as she reached home,Amma said, "You must be tired, child."

"I am tired,but it feels good, Amma. My heart feels at peace today."

"That's what life is,Jodha.........

...To get tired, to fall, and then to get up smiling the next day."

At night,everyone slept, but Jodha sat by the window. Moonlight was spread outside. She opened her diary and began to write...

"Every day feels new,but somewhere, that night is still a part of me. Perhaps that night gave me not fear, but the courage to live. I'm not afraid anymore… if something has to return, let it come. I am not the same Jodha I was before."

The ink spread slightly on the paper,and the scent of incense dissolved into the air.

Morning would bring the same day again.The same struggles, the same smiles of people, the same battle with herself.

But the only difference now was......

Jodha was now known not by her pain,but by her spirit.

I have poured my heart into every word, every character, and every turn...

I hope this story makes you feel as much as I felt while writing it💫

If you like the story,please do give your comments and reviews

Your every word inspires me to write more✍️

Tell me which character you liked the most,

which moment touched your heart…💖

This journey is incomplete without your love and support🌸

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Lots of love💕

Yours...u.r.......

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This is a bit too much, isn't it...

.Oh well, never mind, you're only interested in reading, right...

....Before I go, please follow what's new..... I won't continue the story further, and for those who already like the story, you are most welcome in my story......

Then tell me,see you in the next chapter..... Sorry, I had to rewrite this chapter because I accidentally deleted it, thank God I had saved it, so I uploaded it again..... See you

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