Only now did she think of all those events from her past that left a lasting mark on her figure. Still what horrified her now was not that another woman had conspired to steal her husband from her, but that she had been all these years easily deluded into a lie – a fantasy – where she has been literally wasting the precious moments of her life. That bitter truth now jolted her into a new realization.

She sighed deeply. Words seemed to fail her. Still, she managed to speak to herself:

“It was I who carried the burden of this family, why shouldn't my hair turn gray? Did I ever live like my husband – with no worry or concern? He would be a hero forever if I continue to stand by him and offer him all the support and protection he wants. I never took care of myself – I cared only for him, he was always the object of my concern. And what about him? Was he even thinking of me? What a shameless fraud! And what a cruel exploitation! I just can't imagine the life I lived all these years! My stomach turns! I can't take this any more! I don't want to look at his face again! This nightmare should end!”

From: Every Hero Deserves a Heroine

Original Tamil story: Herovukku Oru Heroine”