The edge of goodbye...!!

The city slept but Shreya's heart refused to.

Her footsteps echoed on the empty road, a soft rhythm swallowed by the night. A cool wind brushed against her skin, but the chill inside her had nothing to do with the weather.

Her life has turned into a blur of failure, disappointments, and loneliness.

Parents who called her a burden. siblings who never understood her. Friends who had drifted away like sand through her finger.

A career that ended before it even began. A love story that had never existed. she always felt invisible, unwanted , unloved.

There's nothing left.... nothing, the thought

repeated in her mind again and again. Tears welled up but she didn't bother to wipe them

away. They belonged to her as much as her

pain did.

Ahead across the road , stood a rusted railing.Beyond it, a deep, dark river moved silently under the moonlight, it's surface glimmering like black glass. The sound of rushing water called her- an invitation, a promise of peace.

Shreya stopped walking. Her breath caught.

The night smelled of wet earth , but to her

it smelled of endings.

Her trembling hands gripped the railing, it's metal biting into her skin, grounding her in the moment.

" I have lost everything, she thought. I have lost everyone. There's no hope left, no reason to keep breathing. I want to die. I want to die.....and I will...."

Her toes edged closer to the line of railing. she could already feel the drop, the emptiness below.

The wind tugged at her hair and dress, whispering jump.....jump....jump....

everything will end here.

But then-

A sound

At first, it was a faint , like a sigh in the dark.

Then clearer: a voice, soft but urgent.

"stop"

Before Shreya could react, a figure came running out of the darkness.

His shoes splashed through puddles, breath coming fast, eyes wide with panic.

In one swift motion, he reached her, grabbed her trembling arm, and pulled her away from the railing, dragging her back onto the pavement.

Shreya stumbled, startled, her heart hammering. She blinked at him through her tears, her mind blank.

The boy’s chest rose and fell rapidly. His hands were still on her shoulders as if afraid she might disappear.

“What are you doing?” he demanded, his voice shaking. “Why are you doing this?”

Shreya stared at him, speechless. Shock and confusion tangled inside her, and for a moment she couldn’t even find words.

He ran a trembling hand through his hair, trying to steady himself. “Listen… relax, okay? Calm down.

Take a breath. Think with a clear mind. Problems happen in everyone’s life, but that doesn’t mean this is the right way. Time heals. Things change.

Do you hear me? Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Shreya swallowed hard. Her lips trembled as she finally whispered, barely audible, “Please… just leave me alone.”

But he stepped closer, eyes desperate.

“You’ll try again, won’t you? This is your plan, isn’t it? To end everything here?” His voice cracked. “Why aren’t you saying anything? Answer me.”

“I understand you’re hurting,” he continued, words tumbling out. “I know you’re emotional right now. I know your life feels broken. But—”

“Stop!” Shreya suddenly shouted, her voice raw, breaking into sobs.

Tears streamed down her face as she backed away from him. “Please, just stop talking. I don’t need your pity.

What do you think of yourself? Huh? You know nothing about my life. Nothing about me. So how can you possibly understand?”

Her knees trembled as she clasped her hands together, pleading through her tears. “I’m begging you… please, just leave me. Let me be. Please go away…”

Her voice cracked, and she crumpled into heavier sobs, her whole body shaking as if her pain had finally found a way out.

Shreya stood trembling at the edge, tears streaming down her face, her breaths coming out in sharp, uneven bursts. Her mind was a storm, a chaos of pain and exhaustion.

The boy who had pulled her away just moments ago — stood a few feet from her now, his chest rising and falling as he tried to steady himself.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Only the sound of the river below and Shreya’s quiet sobs filled the air.

Then, his voice came, low and trembling but firm.

“Look… I know this is hard for you,” he said carefully. “But trust me, everything will be fine. With time, things do get better.”

Shreya snapped her head towards him, her eyes burning red, her lips trembling.

“No!” she cried, voice cracking with despair. “Nothing will ever be fine. Nothing can ever be fixed. Never.”

Her body shook violently as she clutched her arms around herself. “I tried. I tried so hard,” she whispered, broken.

“But no one wants me. No one needs me. No one loves me. There’s no one to care for me, no one who worries about me. And there never will be.

I’ve failed at everything… everything. My life has no meaning. No meaning at all.”

He took a step closer, his eyes soft but determined. “That’s not true. Please, think clearly. There are people who love you. Who cares about you. Your family—” your friends -"

“Family?” Shreya’s laugh was bitter and hollow. “Friends?” Her voice cracked as she choked on her own sobs. “I have no friends. And family? I’m just a disappointment to them. A burden. The sooner I disappear from their lives, the better it will be for them.”

His jaw tightened. He wanted to reach out but hesitated. “That’s not how it is. Parents say harsh things, but deep down they love you—”

“Stop!” Shreya shouted, her voice full of rage and anguish. “You don’t know anything about me or my life. Who are you to tell me who loves me or who doesn’t? You think you know my parents better than me? Leave me alone!”

Her knees buckled, and she whispered to herself in a broken rhythm, “No one loves me… no one needs me…” Then, suddenly, before he could react, she lurched forward again, toward the edge.

“No!” He lunged and grabbed her wrist, yanking her back with all his strength.

Shreya thrashed in his grip, screaming, “Leave me! I don’t want to live! Nobody loves me!” She tried once more to break free, her body trembling with rage and despair.

His heart pounded in his chest. He didn’t know what else to do, what words could reach her.

And then, suddenly, the words burst out of him, raw and unplanned.

“I love you,” he shouted.

Shreya froze.

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