The Broken Nest

"What are you lacking, Malini? God has given you loving parents and a stable job. Isn’t that enough to live a fulfilling life?" She leaned forward.

"Look at me, Malini! So many people don’t even have this. This is not the end of your story."

"Forget everything like a bad dream and live the life you truly want to live!" said Malini’s therapist, Sugandha, gently trying to counsel her.

“I Will try?” Malini wiped her tears and stood up.

It might have been easy for her to say, but how could Malini forget everything that had taken Satya away from her forever?

That dark day, three years ago—Malini had believed it to be the moment she could finally say her life was filled with lasting happiness. But fate had other plans. In a cruel twist, everything took away from her, and the joy she had once embraced slipped away. Her life became shackled in chains of sorrow, and happiness vanished without a trace.

If only she could erase that one day from her life that relentlessly haunted her, day and night but as usual, her thoughts betrayed her, dragging her back to that very day.

"What happened to you, Malini? Oh! I don't know what to do? Hello.. hello.. Ambulance service, it's an emergency, I don't know what has happened to her. No! she hasn't had any medical history. She is on the floor, convulsions it seems, isn't in her senses. Her eyes are stoned and no sensation. Please, hurry up and come soon." frightened Satya asked the health operator.

At that point, their marriage was still fresh, like the scent of newly painted walls in a new house. It was an arranged marriage, facilitated by a matrimonial site.They had spent about four months getting to know each other via phone and video calls before deciding to marry. Both families had agreed, and according to Malini’s parents' wishes, they tied the knot in the presence of a few close relatives.

The cab was speeding down the road. Inside, a worried and panicked Satya gripped Malini’s hand tightly. Her innocent face was resting helplessly, trustingly, on his strong shoulder.

" Brother, please drive faster!"

"Sir, I’m driving as fast as I can,,This is a car, not an airplane!" The irritated driver snapped, glancing back through the rearview mirror at Satya, who had already told him at least ten times.

"Malini!! What happened to you all of a sudden? Look at me, Malini, You’re going to be fine." Satya spoke nervously, noticing Malini trying to open her eyes.

I’m okay, Satya! Nothing happened to me, really... let’s just go home." Malini tensely replied.
As she slowly regained consciousness, Malini realized what had just occurred and what Satya had witnessed.

The secret locked in that metaphorical box for so many months—as if its hidden key had finally landed in Satya’s hands—a truth Malini and her family had kept from him all this time.

"We have almost reached, we need to see a Doctor.", Satya said firmly.

"Here’s the hospital!" The driver said.

Satya quickly pulled out some money and handed it to the driver, not even waiting for the change.

"Sir! Your change!" the driver called out.

"Keep it. Thanks," Satya replied, barely looking back.

Supporting Malini, he rushed inside the hospital. As they waited for their turn, Satya kept glancing at the clock.

"Malini Sinha!!" A nurse in white called out among the waiting patients.

"Yes, here!" Satya raised his hand and responded. They followed the nurse and entered the doctor’s cabin.

"So, Malini, Will you tell me from how long you have Epilepsy? What are the prescribed medications," The Doctor politely asked her.

"Aaa,,, Aam,,,, I have this problem from childhood," Malini sttutered a bit while speaking.

Malini admitting it to doctor left Satya dumbstruck and his mind went foggy, blank and he breathed anger in each inhalation, feeling betrayed.

Satya like his name is a straight shooter. He can't bear a lie and if he detects it he would walk away from the relationship. He believed that lying was the swiftest way to wilt a bond. He can't build the grounds of the relationship with tricks and dishonesty. This was the only thing he would expect from the beginning, from his life partner.

He was kept in dark about Malini's illness. He asked her earlier too if she has anything to confess before the wedding but, she didn't say anything. The sudden revelation of this truth destroyed the affection he had for her in an instant. Especially when all he did was to keep real of him. He felt betrayed and choked.

Malini straightly moved out of the hospital and said, "Let's go", as she is combat-ready to confront her buried truth.

The road that had once been filled with love and togetherness now felt like a path strewn with thorns on their way back.

None chose to speak on way to home, nor did they discuss anything throughout the day or initiate a conversation for a week. The bitterness was unfolding in their marriage. Just one hidden truth had such destructive power—it had blown away all their deep love for each other like a house of cards.

They reached, neither of them made an effort to fix it. Instead, anger began to grow like weeds between them.

Satya, who had placed her on a pedestal, now felt like a fool. The very foundation of trust he had built with her crumbled.He couldn’t see the scared little girl inside Malini, only the grown woman who had lied.

In the days that followed, silence grew between them.They still lived under the same roof, but not in the same world. Words were few, glances rare, and hearts full of unspoken pain.


Malini, on another side, thinks is it that required to be without an illness? Is it her sin to be an Epilepsy sufferer? Suddenly her subconscious recalls nearly all the repetitious brushoffs she had faced from her childhood. She still retains an incidence during the school when she had a seizure in front of the students. She was shattered with shame and kept on switching school.

In College, everyone who discovers the truth overlooks her sooner or later. She was captured by depression that merely loneliness was unfolding and squeezing out the zest from her.

A long list of the withdrawn proposal for marriage and their pricking questions, is it contagious? What about the children? Will she survive for long? Who will bear the expenses if conditions worsen?

Amid all of this, Malini found herself sinking deeper into loneliness—so much so that she had been silently battling depression for a long time. All her life, the world had offered her not words of love, but only rejection and judgment.

But when Satya walked into her colorless life, something shifted.
She felt—maybe he was meant just for her.
The way he cared for her, the honesty in his words, the warmth in his presence—she couldn’t help but fall for him.

After her parents, Satya was the only person who had ever truly cared for her.
She couldn’t bear the thought of losing him.
So this time, she made a decision—she convinced her family to keep her truth hidden.

“One day, he’ll find out, daughter. Then what?”

“Maa, I’ll love him so much, so selflessly, that one day he’ll forgive me.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

“Then I’ll live the rest of my life cherishing the memories I made with him—even if they were short-lived.”

They got married and Malini began to love him—fiercely, selflessly.
She paid attention to his every need, made sure he felt valued every moment, and constantly reminded him that he was her whole world and Satya he, too, drifted deeper into her love.

Malini believed that whenever he found out the truth, the purity of her love would mend everything.
But the reality…
was exactly the opposite.

Ting-tong!!!!
(The doorbell rings.)


"Ohh, my child, are you okay!!", Malini's was shocked to see her parents at the door.


"Did Satya inform you about that?", Malini confusingly asked them.


"Yes, I informed them because I need to know why you all were hiding the reality?" Satya in the peak of his rage geared all of them in a row.


"Satya we can discuss it, why to involve my parents into it?", Malini argued.


"Why not? Are they not co-partners in this dishonest move of yours? Why did no one told me about it? You lost my trust, Malini! " Satya was in no mood to understand. It was clear he has to burst out his anger, to prevent something more worse.

"Satya, you are such a kind person. We thought after knowing her illness, you will still love her. The pills are working from the start. We did what we could have done best for her. I admit of hiding the truth from you because I wished my loving child to marry like any normal girl. My mistake is only that" Her father got emotional.


"I gave her chances to share the unsaid, had she told me about it earlier, things would have been different. I would have prefered to hear a stinging truth over a sweet lie." Satya was firm.


"Leave it now, what is done, is done. Let's start with a new beginning," her mother consoled Satya in an attempt to save their marriage.


"Yes, We will start with a new beginning but not together!", Satya shocked everyone with his hard hitting statement.


"We were going for a project to the U.S. next week, I will have to cancel your ticket Malini. I don't know what I am doing. But I am certain I need a break from you."

" Satya please don't do this to me..." Malini begged.

" I have booked your return tickets with your parents for tomorrow. You shouldn't stay alone in this condition." Satya said with a broken heart to Malini.

The care for her was evident .

The more we love someone, the more deeply we express our anger toward them.
Satya, being someone who always sought the truth, often got angry more quickly than others—and that very trait had become the fuel burning down their relationship.

Saying nothing more, he turned toward his room and slammed the door shut in frustration.

Malini was left with just one night—one last chance to try and make things right.
With all her heart, she hoped to melt his anger, to beg for forgiveness, to be embraced once more and restore the love they had lost. Several times that night, she stood at his door, knocking gently,


"Satya… please, Satya… just give me a chance to explain," Malini pleaded, her voice trembling, cracking under the weight of her sorrow.

But there was no response.

Not a word.
Not a movement.
Only the silence of a shut door—and a heart that had chosen not to listen.

Malini stood there, her breath is uneven, waiting for something… anything.
But all she heard was the echo of her own pain.

After several failed attempts, Malini and her family vacated the house the next morning. She turned around to see hoping Satya may call her back, but no, they left. And after few days Satya too left  for US.


Satya is now alone, heartbroken without any friends, family, seven oceans far away from home. So much of differences but the heart is firmly broken, unrepaired. Time was crisscrossing without any twist.

"Marry someone else, three years have passed now," Satya's mother tried to check his mood sharing her apprehensions about the wedding which was a low-profile scene.


" Please Maa, I don’t have time for this! How many times have I told you—stop bringing up marriage with me! Don’t you have anything else to talk about?"

"That temper of yours is just like your father’s! He stayed upset with me for years over one issue. They hid the truth, and yet I got blamed—why are you lashing out at me?"

" Sorry mom I didn't mean to hurt you"


"It's okay,, by the way I have heard she is working now, moved to Banglore with parents." mom informed him.


"Good for her, it's late now, I have to sleep, Good night", Satya didn't want to know any update about her. His anger is still fresh in these long years.


"Good night, Satya come back home, it's long time we haven't seen you", Mom got emotional over phone.

"I will plan in Diwali, bye", Satya hangs the phone. He kept tossing and turning; in these three years, he had forgotten what peaceful sleep was.

Everything had paused between the two, neither did they fall for anyone else, nor they wished to settle with someone else. Yet, they had no hope they will be together again.

Days passed and Now, Satya is waiting for a cab from the international airport, Banglore. He smells the desh ki mitti, the fresh air with a small smile on his face after many years.

On the other side on that day, Malini and her parents vacated the house, she turned back to see Satya may call her back. But he didn't, she left with disappointment.

Later on, Malini didn't receive any call on her birthday from his side. She reminds the day how important was it ago. Satya changed his FB status from married to single. She was staggered. It indicates he doesn't desire her to be back in his life. She attempted to message an apologetic note, but he blocked her too.


For Malini, coming out of that situation was an incredibly difficult journey. She couldn't gather the courage to accept the reality of her broken relationship, and the dark clouds of grief came storming back into her life.

Seeing her in that state her worried parents, who began taking her to counseling. She slowly started benefiting from weekly sessions with therapist Sugandha and her condition gradually started improving.

She came to accept that hiding the truth had been a serious mistake. Holding on to the beautiful memories she had shared with Satya, she began to rebuild her life from scratch, slowly embracing her fate.

As Malini started learning from what had happened and moved forward with a more positive view of her reality, that same tragedy gradually became her strength—it helped shape her new identity. The love she once felt for Satya began to fade with time, and she begin to love herself.

She received a great job offer from Bengaluru and appeared for the interview on the scheduled day.

"You've written in your profile that you suffer from epilepsy?"

"Yes, it's a part of my life—and I don’t see it as a problem."

"Would you prefer to keep it private from the team?"

"I’m not ashamed of it. If you don’t find me suitable, you’re free to hire someone you won’t feel embarrassed about."

"Why would we hire someone else when we can hire you? Welcome to the firm, Ms. Malini."

"Thank you very much!"

After landing the job, Malini relocated to Bengaluru with her parents, where she'd been living for the past two years. Despite the many memories she had shared in this city with Satya, none of them hurt her anymore.

Story now...

Nearly three years after separating from Satya, Malini was sipping her morning tea and reading the newspaper, just like every day—when suddenly, her eyes froze on a particular headline.

She read,

"Banglore: One killed, one injured as Pick-up cab hits bike on Banglore-Mysore Highway. According to police, the cab which was moving at a high speed was carrying one passenger named Satya Prakash, aged 36, recently coming back from the International Airport. The driver died, while the other is severally injured and in critical condition. He is admitted to the Fortis Hospital, he is the resident of Byatarayanapura.

Malini’s eyes widened in disbelief.

The same address.
The same name.
The same age.
And he was abroad too?

Could it really be… Satya?

Is it him? Could it be… my Satya?

Her mind tried its best to reason with her, to shake her out of the growing storm.

It doesn’t matter anymore. You have no connection to Satya now—and you shouldn't. Whatever happens to him, what does it matter to you? Did he ever care about what happened to you after he left? About what you went through? If he’s hurt, may God help him recover. That’s all. That’s all you need to feel.

But in the end her heart—It refused to listen to her mind.

She stepped out, supposedly heading to her office, but before she knew it, instead of telling the cab driver her office address, the name of the hospital slipped from her lips.

As the cab moved, she began questioning herself—

"Do I really want to see Satya again after everything that’s happened?"
"And does he even want to see me?"
"He must hate me. He probably can’t even stand the sight of me anymore."
"Then why, Malini? Why are you doing this?"

She had no answer.

Yet her feet kept moving, and soon, she was walking into the hospital.

The only prayer on her lips—Please, let it not be him. Let it not be my Satya.

At the reception, she steadied her breath and asked,

"Satya Prakash, an accidental case of yesterday. Can you tell me in which room is he admitted.", Malini asked by controlling her rapid breathing

"He is in room no. 12 ICU.", Receiptionist replied to her.

While approaching to the lifts, Malini saw a big Idol of Ganesha in the open prayer hall, She bowed her head and prayed," Lord, I wish my doubt a mistaken one, Please don't do this to my Satya", she was in extreme anxiety, the yearning for him was floating like the most powerful wave of the ocean. The sentiment was nevermore so strong.

With wet eyes and a beating heart, she tried to look inside the room from the window, a person entirely wrapped with white dressings, tubes in the nostrils, hose in the mouth, Iv in the hands, four monitors flashing near his head. Nearby him, Satya's progenitors were residing.

"Ohh, noo!!!, she bent in front of the door and rose to shatter.

The nearby nurse rushed to her. Satya mother saw something occurred outside. She came out and saw Malini in the unstable emotion for her Son. She takes her out to the visitors waiting room.

"Are you okay now?" Savitri, Satya's mom asked Malini.

"How can I be? I read the news I wanted to confirm" She replied in a sobbing tone.

"Okay, now you know he is the same guy and in Coma. What you will do now?" She straightly asked her.

"I know, he doesn't want me to come back in his life, he hates me," Malini replied.

"That we all know", Savitri silently replied.

"My heart wants to be with him until he comes out from Coma, please aunty, please at least consider my first and last request. I promise you I won't stay a second more.", Malini begged to his mother.

After thinking for a while, mother answered, "Let me ask his father", she can't ignore her love toward him. And from within, she too wants her to be beside Satya, always. She lied earlier but who don't make errors. Everyone deserves a second chance if the person is worth one.

Malini waited there, as the one whom she infinitely loved is battling for life. Her only desire is to be with him in his struggling time and nothing else.

"He agreed, you go home and pack your bag, I don't know how many days it will take. Pray to God.", She stopped saying further as her throat was heavy with grief.

Malini occupied herself sleepless days and night serving Satya. Fully engaged in checking his drips, if any monitor blinks rushes to call nurse, asking about the recovery from each doctor who visits him. Praying to the downstairs and shedding tears. She continuously gazes him with all her love. Her attempts were watchful by his parents, staffs and above all the almighty.

Finally, on the 12th day, Satya's attempts to open his eyes for a few seconds. A glimpse of Malini was felt by him.

After a few days, Satya completely came out from Coma and his condition is under control. Doctors are going to discharge him after a few days of observation.

"Maa, was Malini there? Satya asked in a doubtful note.

"Aa, no beta, how can she be here. You are recovering faster, I am so grateful to God. " Savitri folded her hands in gratitude and changed the topic as well.

They reached home after a month spent in there. Despite his mother’s clear denial, Satya’s mind kept imagining that Malini was standing there—gazing at him with the same gentle smile, just as she used to. And moments later, she would silently open the door, her eyes brimming with tears, and walk away without a word.

It would be his illusion. He thought to talk to his friends and took his mother's phone. As he attempts to press the numbers, He saw Malini's multiple calling and receiving back by her mother. He open watsup and seeing countless chats between Malini and his mother, Satya’s anger began to rise again. And yet— A part of his heart was already immersed in reading every single line, over and over again.

"Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to you and Uncle, for trusting me."

"Aunty, he was in so much pain today. There were moments when his heart nearly gave up. I’m praying to God that nothing worse happens to him."

"May tomorrow’s surgery be successful. After that, Satya might finally come out of the coma."

"His wounds have started to heal now."

"God has finally listened—he came out of the coma today, after eleven days."

"As promised, I’m now saying goodbye. If I’ve made any mistake, please forgive me."

And after that day—not a single message, not a single call.

The scene was now cleared to him, what had happened in those days. That wasn't his imagination. Satya felt grieved, a lot repented. How he expelled her for the health issues, she lied but who don't. My mother lied to me that day and today as well. What if I was in place of her?

She was with me in my worst time 24 hours, without sleep. She did what a life partner should do, what I have foreseen. She didn't expect me to come back into her life. And see me, I am a person with so much of narcissism, self-centred. He was bursting with guilt. She meant for me, I married her, took seven promises and how I treated her? I have punished her far deeper.


It didn’t take Satya long to realize that he had robbed Malini of her rightful place in his life long ago—through harshness and humiliation. And still, she had stood by him through his struggle.

He had never even given her a chance to explain herself, to speak her side of truth. He had only followed the voice of his own anger.

Now, guilt overwhelmed him. He began to put himself on trial in his own heart.

She was mine… and it was my own foolishness that drove her away. I destroyed the joyful little nest we had built together. The guilt of it began to pierce Satya from within.

"I know I don’t deserve forgiveness… but after hurting her so deeply, the least I could have done was talk to her once."

I made a big life blunder in both's life. It was not that scary until the time Satya began to regret his decision to live separately. Now he doesn't want to wait for a minute more for not doing anything.

He straightly goes to her mom.

"Don't say a word, give me Malini's address, and thanks for not erasing your chats", Satya asked with two distinct emotions with her mother.

With shaking hands and eyes lowered, she quietly handed him Malini’s address, written on a slip of paper.

From the tension in his face and the weight in his silence, she could feel the storm of emotions raging inside him—no words were needed.

She didn’t dare ask what he planned to do next.
She simply prayed in her heart—that perhaps today, the broken nest of his life might find a way to be whole again.

"Bhaiya, please drive faster!" Satya urged the driver every ten minutes, his voice laced with desperation.

"Sir, you’re lucky you even got a cab on Diwali," the driver replied, clearly frustrated.

"Can’t you see? Every home is lit up, families are celebrating. Now you tell me—how am I supposed to drive faster in this chaos?"

But how could Satya explain the storm inside his heart?

Every passing second felt like an eternity. It was as if the love Satya had long buried for Malini was now rising to the surface—deeper, more intense, and more desperate than ever before.


“Here’s your destination!” the driver said, stopping in front of a house adorned top to bottom with glowing, colorful Diwali lights.

“Thank you,” Satya replied, his breath unsteady.

“Your change, sir!” the driver called out, limping after him.

“Keep it,”

"Thank you, sir. Happy Diwali!" the driver said with a cheerful grin.

"Happy Diwali," Satya replied, managing a small smile—one he couldn’t even remember the last time he had genuinely felt.

Just one step stood between him and Malini.Taking a moment to gather himself, Satya reached out and pressed the doorbell.

Malini, dressed in a soft pink saree with a delicate bindi on her forehead and colorful bangles jingling on her wrists, held a decorative plate of diyas as she opened the door to light up her doorstep.

The soft glimmer of a thin mangalsutra around her neck caught Satya’s eye. The very same one he had lovingly chosen and gifted her on their wedding day.

She hadn’t worn it in years. But after realizing the depth of her unwavering love for Satya at the hospital, the very first thing she did upon returning home was open her jewelry box and search for her mangalsutra. The moment she found it, she held it to her chest, kissed it over and over again, and gently fastened it around her neck, hanging upto her heart—where it had always belonged.

It wasn’t just a necklace. It was a quiet confession. A sign that the bond they once thought broken… had never truly left her heart.

Seeing Satya standing in front of her, her heart froze—then overflowed.
She was overwhelmed, speechless. Yet her eyes—her eyes said everything.

For days, she had only seen him lying unconscious in a hospital bed. And now he stood there—alive, right before her.

Controlling her emotions and holding back tears in her kohl-lined, smoky-colored eyes, she managed a faint smile and asked softly,

"How are you now Satya?"

"I was never fine without you, Malini. Not even for a moment. What I did to you—I regret it deeply. What happened between us… it should never have happened. The fault wasn't yours alone. I can't keep living each day burdened with guilt. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I hope that someday... you will forgive me. I'm sorry for everything, Malini."

Satya finally gave voice to the pain he had carried for so long.

Without waiting for an answer, and without expecting forgiveness at the same moment, he turned to leave.

But just then—Malini quickly reached out, caught his hand, and gently pulled him by the shoulder to face her.

"So , listen my truth Satya..What I did, —I did it consciously. I hide my illness from you only because I didn’t want to lose you. I was afraid that if you knew the truth, you’d walk away.I wanted you to stay in my life as long as I can hold you. I know one day you will know my truth. That was the only lie I ever told you. And I have no regrets about it. None at all."

Satya's eyes filled with tears realizing how much Malini loved him. She wiped the tears from his eyes. For a few silent moments, they simply gazed at one another.

Suddenly, a loud burst of fireworks cracked from the next door.
Startled, Malini instinctively nestled into Satya’s arms.

Satya embraced her tightly, smiling, as he looked up at the sky where colorful sparks played among the stars. He silently thanked the divine.

Life didn’t turn into a perfect fairytale for Malini and Satya after that night.

There were still disagreements, emotional scars, and the quiet echoes of the past.
But now, there was also understanding, patience, and the willingness to listen before judging, to forgive before walking away.

They learned that love isn’t a destination—it’s a decision, made every day.
In choosing each other again, they didn’t erase the pain, but they gave it purpose.

Malini continued her work, now stronger, unapologetically herself. Satya, once bound by pride and idealism, learned to embrace vulnerability—and in it, found peace.

Together, they began building a new chapter, not defined by the weight of their past,
but by the quiet courage it took to start over.

Because true love isn’t found in perfection—It’s found in the imperfect, messy, beautiful after.


Yours,
Ruchi Pant