Where the Tide Ends
The rain had just settled into a soft drizzle as Athira walked down the narrow, misty lane in a quiet backwater village in Kerala. Her heart was pounding heavily. Five years ago, she had moved away to Hyderabad, hoping the distance would heal her broken heart. But standing there, she realized that running away had been an illusion; he had never left her thoughts.
She stopped at the gate of a small, newly built house near the lake and knocked gently on the wooden door. The sharp ache in her chest made it difficult to breathe.
When the door opened, a young woman about her age stood there. Athira felt a sudden wave of relief that it wasn't him. The woman looked at her curiously, not recognizing who she was.
"Hello... I'm Athira. I'm an old friend of Kannan," she managed to say, her voice trembling slightly.
The woman’s face lit up upon hearing his name. "Athira! He has mentioned you so many times... But I'm sorry, Kannan isn't home right now. He went into town."
"That's alright... I actually just wanted to see the baby for a moment, if you don't mind," Athira replied, holding back her tears.
The woman warmly welcomed her inside. A newborn was sleeping peacefully in a cradle—with soft red lips and fair skin, looking just like her father. Athira handed over a small gift wrapped neatly in a transparent bag with a red ribbon: a delicate, hand-woven silk outfit.
Suddenly, the front door creaked open, and Kannan walked in. The moment his eyes fell on Athira, his expression hardened, flushed with sudden anger. Without saying a word, he grabbed Athira by the wrist, snatched the gift from his wife's hands, and pushed Athira out the door, tossing the present onto the ground. The door slammed shut behind her.
Not a single word was spoken. Tears streamed down her cheeks like a flood.
Instead of heading back home, Athira walked along the muddy bunds between the quiet backwaters until she reached an old banyan tree platform near the shore. For four years before she left, this was their secret spot where they met almost every evening. She remembered the laughter and the small celebrations they shared there with friends. Back then, the trees felt greener, and the world felt brighter.
She wasn't surprised by Kannan's reaction. She knew she deserved his anger for ignoring all his calls and cutting ties years ago. She had done it believing it would help him move on, but experiencing his coldness now made her realize the true weight of the pain she had caused.
However, the sight of his new baby changed everything.
Athira decided she would never step into his life again. She unclasped the delicate silver anklet from her foot—the precious gift Kannan had given her years ago, which she had held onto for so long. Without looking back, she cast it into the deep waters of the lake, letting the final memory sink silently beneath the ripples.