Mantisha had always been a girl everybody adored. She might not be a genius, but still was loved by her teachers, fellow classmates, admired by the juniors, and liked by all her neighbours.
She belonged from a scholar family, her father was a deputy director of a renowned University, as well as a University professor, and her grandfather was a retired judge of their state's High Court. She was the girl who was envied, loved, and admired altogether. She had always been proud of her family, and her parents.
On her final year of college, she got a mail. She was taken aback when she looked at it. Her eyes watered when she looked at the words, written on the mail. She discovered that she really made her way into C University. She really was stunned as well as overjoyed. She couldn't help but to ran back home, and hug her mother tight. Being completely oblivious of the situation she was going to face, she was beaming with utmost happiness and joy, but that didn't last long.
Just after she reached in front of the door of her parents bedroom, her smile cracked. After a very long time, she heard her parents fighting.
She was stunned, she had never imagined her father could scold someone so harshly! And that's also her mom! She knew eavesdropping was bad but she couldn't lift her hand to knock the door.
She stood there for more than half an hour, she heard her father's screams, her mother's weeps, their frustrations that they never allowed to come in front of her.
She witnessed them to fight a long time ago but they really didn't do it for a long while. So long that she could not even remember about the topics of their fights anymore. Not that she wanted too. She was long gotten used to them being silent in the time of their breakfasts or dinner, they only talked with her, which never really bothered her.
She always thought it was because of her father's cold personality that he didn't talk with them often. She was not very close to her father but she admired him a lot. The topics of their conversation was her study, her scores, her career, her health, and if she need anything or not.
She was quite habituated with her father's cold personality towards her. Never in her cruelst nightmares she thought her happy family frame was just a shell, and her mother was just holding on because of her. They were continuing a hopeless, broken marriage for so long, all because of her.
That day, she went to her cousin's, even after knowing he couldn't make his way into a good University, so he must be sad. There she saw her aunt was crying, and her uncle was coaxing her while patting her back. Even such a scene filled with sad mood and vibes actually filled her heart with jealousy. She never thought accompanying someone while she was sad would be this heartbreaking. She instantly realised her mother's grievances.
She realised, there was no one when her mother cried all these years. On that big house, her mother only had her, yet she failed to realise her emotions all these years. The imagery of her mother weeping on dark kitchen at night broke her heart to pieces.
She could not sleep, and thought for all night. She could not blame her father too. They didn't get married for love after all. That was an arranged marriage.
Her mother was from a humble family from countryside, she left everything at a young age, and joined such a noble family full of scholars. From when she was still in elementary school, after that when she was in the middle school, she could remember them talking lesser and lesser day by day. She never took it into heart, now that she thought, it had always been like this.
May be from then, they grew out of love. May be they were never actually in love, it was just an understanding, or a mutual bonding that they broke off.
With the first ray of the sunshine, she made her decision. She must persuade them to break off from their marriage. She was not a child anymore, and it was not worth to destroy her parents' happiness for her own comfort.
Then she went back to the house, which was an illusion she named 'home' till yesterday.
Her parents were both stunned at first, then they couldn't find their words. After knowing that she had known everything, neither did her father refuted her questions, nor did he denied her.
Her mother was hesitant all along, she tried to persuade her not to force her father for divorce. Sylvia was scared that she was not understanding on that moment and saying all of those things out of a whim. When she would realise what had she done, it would be very late. But Mantisha was adamant. She insisted again and again. After a few days, they finally applied for a divorce and got their divorce certificate.
Mantisha's final year of college ended over with a sad note. But she took it as a new start. She didn't let her mother return to her parents', not that they were alive anymore, and it would be a burden for her poor Uncle to take her in now. She understood her Aunt's nature well, she would not treat Sylvia well.
So she thought it over and decided to stay with Sylvia. She persuaded her to go with her abroad, and start a new life full of freedom. Sylvia reluctantly agreed, on one hand she was afraid to burden her brother, on the other, she was scared of the life on a new country.
Finally Mantisha managed to break off the fear of the unknown and tugged her mother with her and flied into the C City abroad.
------------------------------------------------
Please stick with me if the first few chapters are a little boring. I'm just trying to get everything settled before the encounter of the main leads. Also I want you to know the pasts and presents of them, so that you could understand them and their decisions better.
Then again, I'm still not used to the sizes of the chapters. I'm just going with the mood and trying to fit one incident into one chapter. This trend will break though, soon.
Please give your valuable feedbacks and supports. Your votes and comments would be welcomed. Keep voting with your stones. Thank you.
With Love <3