LIFE AFTER LOVE

"I hate this world. I don’t want to live anymore. I just want to die."

Vijay set his phone aside after posting the message to his Instagram story.

This wasn’t anything new for him. He often shared such dark thoughts whenever memories of his ex-girlfriend resurfaced. She had gotten married just a week ago.

Dozens of replies flooded in this time. Vijay ignored them all—except one.

It was from Madhu.

Madhu and Vijay had become friends through Instagram. She had first reached out after his initial post about the breakup. Since then, she’d been a consistent support system—someone he could confide in. She became more than a friend to him; she became a source of strength. But at first, he had always assumed she was just another person giving generic advice from afar, one of many online connections who might not truly understand.

She had once mentioned that she lived in the same township Vijay had moved to two months ago. He had asked her several times to meet in person, but she always refused. Her reason was simple: she didn’t want to become the subject of gossip.

So, their friendship remained entirely virtual.

Until now.

Her message read: "LET’S MEET."

Vijay stared at the screen in disbelief, heart suddenly racing.

"When can we meet?" he replied.

"Tonight. 10:30 PM. On the terrace."

Vijay got home just in time. Work had delayed him. He quickly scarfed down his dinner and rushed upstairs.

Madhu was already there, waiting.

It was the first time Vijay saw her in person. For a moment, he froze. She deserved at least a few seconds of quiet admiration. Dressed in a simple white salwar, she stood beneath the full moon, which only made her features glow. She looked even more beautiful than in her carefully filtered Instagram photos. But as he looked at her, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d seen this quiet strength in her eyes before—like she had been through things that made her understand pain in a way he never could have imagined.

"Hi. Finally!" Vijay greeted, smiling.

"What’s wrong with you?" Madhu asked, cutting straight to the point. "Why would you post something so ridiculous on Instagram?"

"I was just… overwhelmed. I don’t know how to live without her. I miss her so much," Vijay said, his voice tight with emotion.

"Listen," Madhu said gently. "I’ve been through the same. That’s why I’m here. But you’ve never told me your full story. Let’s do this—tell me yours, and I’ll share mine."

Vijay nodded and began.

"Her name is Narmadha. We studied together. We were in a relationship for three years. She was my world—every day started and ended with her. After graduation, I couldn’t land a decent job for a long time. I asked her to wait for two years. I was confident I’d eventually make it. She agreed. But her parents didn’t.

We lost touch. I tried to reach her in every possible way, but nothing worked. And then, the only message I ever got from her… was her wedding invitation.

She was forced into it, I know that. She loved me. But even knowing that—it still kills me."

Madhu fell silent. The cold breeze drifted over them, offering a moment of calm.

Then she spoke.

"His name was Sam. We were together for eight years. During our post-graduation, we even lived together for two years. We were completely in love. But his father is a politician, and proposals came pouring in from powerful families. He promised he’d never leave me. The night before his engagement, he was with me. He said he’d call it off. I believed him.

But in the end, he chose money over love. Married the daughter of a wealthy businessman and became managing director of their company.

He left me behind a year ago."

The place was filled with silence, and Vijay could only hear his heart beat.

"I’m sorry," Vijay said softly.

"It’s okay. I’m fine now," Madhu replied.

"It’s not easy for me," Vijay said. "Whenever I think of her, I feel like I’m losing my mind. Honestly… I’ve thought about ending my life more times than I can count. I just never had the courage to go through with it. I don’t just miss her. I miss who I was when I was with her." His voice cracked, and tears welled up in his eyes.

Madhu reached out to hold his hands but stopped herself from doing that. "Sorry," she said, "Force of habit."

"I know it’s painful. But tell me this—would you really cause so much pain to your parents, your friends, everyone who cares about you, just because you lost one person? You’ll meet someone new. You’ll fall in love again. Life doesn’t follow a boring, linear script. It’s full of unexpected twists.

And sometimes, those twists give life its true meaning.

Vijay, life is beautiful. There’s so much more waiting for you. Don’t bury it all in a moment of despair. But if you truly want to go down that road… I won’t stop you."

"Thanks," Vijay whispered.

"That’s it? Just like that?" Madhu asked, surprised. "You’ve changed your mind?"

"No, I haven’t changed completely. It’s not that easy. Life isn’t a movie. But now, whenever those thoughts come again, I’ll remember what you said. Maybe that’ll be enough to stop me. And over time… maybe I’ll heal."

"Good," she said with a small smile.

"Can I ask you something?" Vijay said.

"Of course."

"How did you manage to move on from everything?"

Madhu paused. "Honestly… I didn’t. Not right away. I was even worse than you. I did things you wouldn’t believe. But I’m at least glad you won’t make the same mistake I did a year ago."

"What mistake?" Vijay asked, half-joking. "What conclusion did you jump to?"

"Jumping was my conclusion," she said.

Vijay burst into laughter at her wordplay.

Madhu smiled.

He laughed again a little harder.

But this time, it was followed by silence.

He was standing alone on the terrace.