I look lifeless as I climb onto the terrace.

My steps are slow, unsteady. As if my body has already given up, and only habit is carrying me forward.

Tears slip from my eyes, silent and hot.

The last hope I was clinging to is gone.

Dead.

One by one, everything has slipped through my fingers.

Love. Family. Dignity.

Even the right to be angry.

There is nothing left.

The city lights below blur as I stare ahead, my vision shaking. I remember, too clearly, that I am alone.

I always have been.

No one came looking for me.
No one tried to stop me.

And for the first time, I understand something with cruel clarity..

I never belonged anywhere.

Not all at once.
One by one.
Like drops of poison.

I remember being small 8 year old, standing in the living room with a drawing clutched tightly in my hands.

I had stayed up all night coloring it, careful not to cross the lines. As an apology for the mistake I made some days ago, hoping she'll forgive me.

"Mama, look," I had said, my eyes bright. "I made this for you."

My mother looked at me "It's nice, Ira"

"Niya, beta," her voice softened instantly, "did you finish your homework?"

"Yes, aunty," Niya replied sweetly.

"Such a good girl," my mother smiled. "Always so obedient."

I stood there, my smile slowly fading, the paper crumpling in my hands.

Another memory followed.

Our birthdays were on the same day. Always together. Always shared.

Two cakes on the table. Candles lit.

"It's unfair to celebrate only one child," my parents used to say.

But somehow, it was never my celebration

It was never my day.

"Niya looks so pretty today," someone said.
"Her dress suits her so well."
"She's grown up beautifully."

I sat there, hands folded in my lap, waiting.

Waiting for someone to say my name.

"Niya, cut the cake"
"Make a wish, beta"
"Niya smile".

"I wish Niya was my daughter," my father laughed once.

"I wish Niya was my sister," my brother said, smiling at her.

I smiled too. Quietly. Like I was supposed to.

At the dining table, it started slowly.

First, Niya ate with us sometimes.

Then every day.

"Niya, sit here," my mother said, pulling out a chair.
"Eat properly," my father reminded gently.
"Take more," my brother said, passing her food.

I sat across from her, chewing slowly, invisible in my own house.

"Niya eats so properly."
"Niya talks so politely."
"Niya never answers back."

"I passed," I had said once, holding my report card carefully. "I... I passed."

My mother smiled half. "Good Ira. But try to do better next.. see niya.. she topped her class every exam."

Then she smiled again, this time with tooths and tongue.

"Niya topped the class again," she announced proudly. "First rank."

Everyone cheered.

"Well done, Niya."
"So intelligent."
"So hardworking."

My report card felt heavy in my hands. Like proof that I would never be enough.

Then came the dining table.

At first, Niya ate with us sometimes.

Then every day.

Festivals hurt the most.

I still remember my brothers laughing, holding out their wrists.

"Niya, come tie it," one of them said.
"You're like our sister anyway."

They let her tie the rakhi.

They gave her gifts.

Bracelets. Chocolates. Watches.

I stood there seeing my own brothers loving someone else more than me, pretending it didn't matter.

No one noticed.

And then.

"Ira, why can't you be like her?"

Every sentence took something from me.

I learned to stay quiet.
I learned that crying didn't bring anyone.
I learned that being good wasn't enough.

Anger was the only thing that made people notice me. Even if it was the wrong way.

I remember the things I did later. The things I shouldn't have done. The bitterness. The small cruelties. The moments I hated myself for.

I hurt her.

Humiliated her.

I broke things.

I abused people.

But even then.

Niya was still loved.

And I was still invisible.

My chest tightens as I stand on the terrace, memories pressing down on me until breathing hurts.

I tried.
I really tried.

But no matter what I did, I was never enough.

And Niya...

She was always everything.

The wind felt cold on the terrace.

It brushed against my skin, sharp and careless, like the world itself.

I stood at the edge, my white wedding dress fluttering softly around my legs. Pearls pressed against my chest, heavy, suffocating.

I felt empty.

Not numb.
Empty.

Niya was perfect.

Perfect grades.
Perfect manners.
Perfect smiles.

And me?

A stain.

Something unwanted. Something people wished away.

I tried.

I really tried.

To be good.
To be quiet.
To be obedient.
To be loved.

Nothing worked.

And then there was him.

My childhood friend.
My first love.
The only person I thought was mine.

I believed, foolishly, that at least he would choose me.

But he didn't.

He chose Niya too.

The wedding hall.
The whispers.
The stares.

The white dress I had chosen so carefully.

White because I wanted peace.
White because I wanted a fresh start.

Tears blurred my vision as I stood on the terrace, memories crushing my chest until breathing hurt.

"So this is it," I whispered. "This is all I was ever worth."

No one was coming.

No one was calling my name.

No one would stop me.

No one even care.

"I'm tired," I said softly. "I'm so tired."

My voice broke as I spoke the last words.

"Bye... everyone."

I turned away from the edge.

The terrace door slammed behind me as the storm grew louder.

The rain followed me down the empty streets as I walked without direction, my wedding dress dragging against the wet pavement.

The roads were almost empty.

Streetlights blurred through the rain.

My vision was hazy. I could barely see where I was going.

Everything inside me felt hollow.

"I... I should go back," I murmured weakly, though my feet kept moving forward. "Where would I even go?"

My voice sounded strange to my own ears. Small. Lost.

Water soaked through the silk of my dress, the pearls heavy against my chest. My hair clung to my face as the rain poured harder.

"I'm so tired..." I whispered to the empty street.

Thunder rumbled somewhere in the distance.

I stepped onto the road without looking.

A loud horn suddenly tore through the rain.

My head snapped up.

Blinding headlights rushed toward me.

For a moment I froze.

"Oh..!"

The truck's horn blared again.

"Hey! Move!" someone shouted from inside.

My heart lurched violently in my chest.

My body reacted too late.

I stumbled backward, the wet hem of my dress tangling around my feet.

"No... no...wait!"

My hands shot out instinctively as if I could stop the giant vehicle rushing toward me.

The driver slammed the brakes.

Tires screeched violently against the rain-soaked road.

"Stop! Stop!"

I tried to move.

Tried to run.

But the pavement was slippery, my heels sliding under me.

My body twisted as I lost balance.

"Please...!"

The impact came like thunder.

The truck hit me before I could move away.

My body was thrown hard against the asphalt, the world spinning violently around me. Metal screeched. The truck lurched to a stop somewhere ahead.

For a moment, I couldn't breathe.

Pain exploded through my body seconds later.

A broken gasp escaped my throat.

"A... ahhhhh!!!"

The rain poured down harder, cold drops hitting my face as I lay there..

Somewhere nearby, a door slammed open.

"Oh my God!" the driver shouted. "I didn't see her!"

Footsteps splashed through the water as he ran toward me.

"Miss! Miss, can you hear me?"

I tried to move my fingers.

They barely twitched.

My body felt heavy. Too heavy.

Warm liquid spread beneath me.

I turned my head slightly.

My white wedding dress was slowly turning red, the blood mixing with the rainwater and spreading across the road like a cruel joke.

A royal bride.

Reduced to nothing.

My breathing came out shallow and broken.

"I... d..didn't..." I whispered faintly.

The driver knelt beside me, panic filling his voice.

"Don't talk! Stay with me, okay? I'm calling an ambulance!"

His hands hovered over me, unsure where to touch.

"God... there's so much blood..."

I tried to lift my hand.

It fell back down.

My vision blurred even more.

So this... is how it ends.

Tears mixed with the rain on my cheeks.

"I... I di..didn't m..mean to..."

My voice was barely a breath.

"I just... w..wanted it to stop ha...hurting..."

The world around me grew distant. The sound of rain softened. The streetlights above blurred into pale halos.

The driver's voice sounded far away now.

"Stay awake! Please stay awake!"

But my eyelids felt too heavy.

The cold no longer bothered me.

As darkness slowly swallowed everything, my last thought wasn't fear.

It was relief.