"What do you mean? I can't understand what you are asking. " Aishwarya said.
Kamali lowered her eyes.
A bitter smile appeared on her lips.
"...Let me answer your question."
She looked at Aishwarya, whose face was still filled with confusion.
"Why did I ask whether it's right to be beautiful?"
Her voice became distant, as though she were reliving a nightmare she had spent years trying to bury.
"It all began..."
"...eighteen years ago."
The scorching sun hung over the deserts of Rajasthan.
A gentle breeze drifted through the narrow streets of a small town where life moved peacefully.
Back then...
Kamali was only fifteen years old.
She sat before a mirror inside her bedroom.
"In my childhood, I humming softly while brushing her long, silky golden hair.
Every stroke of the comb made her smile.
"My hair..."
She admired her reflection.
"...is the most beautiful thing in the world."
Her golden hair shimmered beneath the morning sunlight, flowing gracefully down to her waist.
People often compared it to threads of gold.
At school...
Everyone knew Kamali.
Not because she was the smartest.
Not because she was the strongest.
But because she was beautiful.
"The prettiest girl in the entire school."
Almost every boy had a crush on her.
Many confessed their feelings.
Many dreamed of dating her.
But her heart had already chosen someone.
As she sat quietly in her classroom, a familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.
"May I sit here?"
Kamali looked up.
A handsome boy stood beside her desk, smiling awkwardly.
The moment she saw him...
Her entire face brightened.
"Of course."
He sat beside her.
Kamali smiled to herself.
He wasn't just another classmate...
He was the person she loved.
When school ended...
The two of them left together.
Kamali climbed onto the back of his motorcycle, wrapping her arms around his waist.
The motorcycle sped through the lively streets of the town.
They laughed.
Talked.
Shared dreams of the future.
To Kamali...
Those ordinary moments felt more precious than anything else.
As evening arrived, they rode to the ruins of an old fort overlooking the town.
The sky slowly transformed into shades of orange and crimson.
They sat side by side, silently watching the sunset.
For a long while...
Neither spoke.
Finally...
The boy gently held Kamali's hand.
She looked at him.
He leaned closer.
Their lips met beneath the glowing evening sky.
Kamali closed her eyes.
At that moment...
She believed she already possessed everything she could ever wish for.
She wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of her life with him.
Night had fallen when he dropped her in front of her house.
Kamali smiled brightly as she waved goodbye before stepping inside.
The moment she entered...
SLAP!
A sharp pain exploded across her cheek.
She stumbled backward in shock.
Her mother stood before her, eyes burning with rage.
"How many times have I told you to stay away from that boy?!"
Tears instantly welled up in Kamali's eyes.
"M-Mother..."
She held her aching cheek.
"Please believe me..."
"He's a good person."
Her mother's face darkened.
"Good person?"
She shouted.
"He's from another caste!"
"I told you many times that you should not meet him.!"
Kamali clenched her trembling fists.
"But..."
"I love him."
Her voice shook.
"And..."
She gathered every ounce of courage she possessed.
"...I want to marry him."
Silence filled the house.
Her mother's eyes widened in disbelief.
"...What did you just say?"
Kamali instinctively stepped backward.
"I..."
"You want to marry him?"
Her mother's expression twisted with fury.
"What nonsense are you talking about?!"
She grabbed a wooden stick resting against the wall.
Fear filled Kamali's eyes.
"N-No..."
"Mother, please..."
"I'll teach you some sense!"
The stick came crashing down.
WHACK!
"AAAH!"
Kamali screamed.
Another strike.
Then another.
Again.
Again.
Again.
The sound of wood striking flesh echoed throughout the house.
Her cries filled every corner.
But no one came.
No one stopped it.
By the time it ended...
Bruises covered her back and arms.
That night...
Kamali lay silently on her bed.
Moonlight filtered through the window.
Her pillow had become soaked with tears.
Every part of her body hurt.
She slowly reached for her phone with trembling fingers.
She dialed one number.
The call connected.
"Hello?"
The familiar voice answered.
"It's me..."
Kamali whispered.
The boy immediately noticed something was wrong.
"Kamali?"
"Why are you crying?"
She wiped away her tears.
"...I've decided."
Silence.
"I'm ready."
The boy's voice softened.
"Are you sure?"
Kamali looked toward the closed bedroom door.
Then toward the window.
"Finally…"
She nodded.
"...I'm ready to run away with you."
The following morning...
At exactly four o'clock...
The entire house remained asleep.
Kamali quietly opened her bedroom window.
She climbed outside without making a sound.
She didn't even look back.
Near the end of the street...
Her boyfriend waited beneath a streetlight.
The moment she saw him...
She ran into his arms.
He gently patted her head.
"It'll be okay."
He smiled warmly.
"I'm here now."
Holding hands...
The two of them disappeared into the darkness.
They arrived at the railway station before sunrise.
With two bags of luggage...
They boarded the first departing train.
Kamali sat beside the window.
As the train slowly left the station...
She smiled through tears.
"We're finally free."
She rested her head against his shoulder.
"We'll always be together now."
The boy smiled.
"Yeah."
"I'm happy too."
For just a brief moment...
A strange smile crossed his face.
Kamali never noticed it.
Several hours later...
The train stopped in another city.
Neither of them had ever been there before.
The streets felt unfamiliar.
The people were strangers.
Her boyfriend confidently led the way through a maze of narrow alleys until they stopped before an old hotel.
"We'll stay here tonight."
Kamali nodded happily.
She trusted him completely.
At the reception...
Both of them signed the guest register.
While Kamali focused on writing her name...
The boy quietly exchanged a knowing glance with the elderly woman sitting behind the counter.
A smile appeared on both of their faces.
Kamali never noticed.
That night...
The two of them shared the same room.
He kissed her gently.
Held her tightly.
Promised her countless dreams.
A future together.
A family.
A happy life.
Believing every word...
Kamali entrusted everything she had to him.
She fell asleep with a smile on her face.
She thought...
Tomorrow would be the beginning of her new life.
Morning arrived.
Warm sunlight entered through the curtains.
Kamali slowly opened her eyes.
"...?"
The room was silent.
She looked beside her.
Empty.
She smiled.
"He must've gone to buy breakfast."
She got dressed and walked downstairs.
Her smile disappeared.
His luggage...
Was gone.
So was hers.
A cold feeling spread through her chest.
She hurried to the reception.
The elderly woman looked at her with an unreadable expression.
"Excuse me..."
Kamali asked nervously.
"Have you seen my boyfriend?"
The woman nodded.
"He left early this morning."
Kamali froze.
"...Left?"
"Where?"
"I don't know."
The old woman shrugged.
"He simply walked away."
Panic filled Kamali's heart.
"I-I'll go look for him!"
She turned toward the exit.
Before she could take another step—
A rough hand grabbed her wrist.
"What...?"
The old woman yanked her backward.
Kamali lost her balance and fell onto the floor.
She looked up in confusion.
The old woman's gentle smile had vanished.
"You aren't going anywhere."
Kamali blinked.
"...What do you mean?"
The woman slowly walked toward her.
"From today onward..."
She smiled.
"...you belong to me."
Kamali stared at her.
"...What?"
"You still don't understand?"
The old woman laughed.
Then she leaned close enough for Kamali to hear every word.
"Your boyfriend..."
"...sold you to me."
Time stopped.
Kamali's eyes widened in horror.
Her lips trembled.
"...No..."
She shook her head desperately.
"No..."
"...You're lying."
The old woman only laughed louder.
And in that moment...
The beautiful dream Kamali had built with her own hands...
Shattered into pieces.
TO BE CONTINUED…