Chapter 7 — A Different Kind of Healing
Sujan spent months undergoing rehabilitation. He learned to walk steadily again, regained his strength, and attended regular medical appointments. His injuries had changed his life, but the doctors encouraged him to focus on recovery rather than fear.
The police department offered him time to heal. However, the memories of the farmhouse and the humiliation he had endured made returning to duty difficult.
Sujan struggled with nightmares. Sometimes he woke suddenly, convinced he was still locked in that room.
Lakshmi Devi remained beside him. She never demanded that he become the person he had been before.
One afternoon, she found him sitting quietly near the hospital window.
"You do not have to carry every burden alone," she told him.
Sujan looked at her. "I don't know who I am anymore."
Lakshmi Devi answered gently, "Then take your time finding out."
Sujan eventually resigned from active police duty, following medical advice and his own decision to begin a different chapter.
His resignation was not a defeat. It was an acknowledgment that his life had changed.
For the first time, he allowed himself to imagine a future beyond the uniform.
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