Important note

Before reading this chapter, take a moment to recall the events of Chapter 6 and what happened before that.

If you don’t remember, let me remind you briefly—Jayant had gone to the reunion, things between Shreya and Jayant weren’t going too well, and jayant find out something that made him furious.

So, this chapter takes place before and after the reunion (Chapter 6), in the present timeline, and it’s from Shreya’s point of view.

You might not like Jayant much from Shreya’s perspective in this chapter—but don’t hate him. Please.

___________________________________________

Shreya

Day 1 after the interview of Alisha

There was no sleep in my eyes, yet I lay in bed, unmoving. I didn't feel like doing anything. What happened yesterday wasn't the first time-it had happened before too. Jayant never gives my parents the importance they truly deserve.

I finally got up and walked to the kitchen. Breakfast was already prepared. Jayant had cooked before leaving for office. I took a deep breath, a sudden one, and sat down to eat.

While eating, I messaged my boss, Piyush Mehta: "Good morning sir, I'm not feeling well. Can I take a leave today?"

But he denied it instantly and, as always, spoke in that cold, commanding tone, "Shreya, you can't take leave. You remember, right? The drawings for the Coin Museum need to be released today.

Piyush always talks to me like that. And I listen-maybe because he's my boss. Otherwise...

Trying to calm myself, I said, "Sir, it's just the drawing release, right? I'll manage."

But he replied again in the same sharp tone, "Fine then, come to the office."

I couldn't. Not today. Not in this mood. I just couldn't face Piyush right now.

So I asked politely, "Sir, can I work from home?"

There was a pause. Maybe he thought I was just making excuses, but when it comes to work, I'm serious. After a moment, he said, "Fine... just make sure I get the final drawings by 5 PM. Final drawings, Shreya."

I agreed softly and ended the call.

The entire day, my thoughts kept circling back to Jayant. It's not like I'm desperately waiting to marry him-but yes, I do want to. I want to marry Jayant because I love him. And somewhere deep inside, I believe he loves me the same way.

But then... there are moments, like yesterday, that make me question everything.

Maybe he isn't as sure about me as I am about him. Maybe he isn't sure about us-about marriage. And that uncertainty... it hurts. It stings in places I can't even describe.

Every time Alisha's name comes up, it's like I disappear from his world. He forgets I'm even there. And no matter how strong I try to be, I can never truly handle that.

I'm still upset with him-angry, honestly-about what he did in front of my parents. How could he just walk out in the middle of a conversation to watch Alisha's interview on his phone? In the restroom, no less. And then he didn't even return for the rest of the evening.

My parents... they were so disappointed. I saw it in their eyes, in the way their smiles faded. After dinner, they said something I can't shake off even now: "You're wasting your time on the wrong guy."

Their words have been echoing in my head ever since.

Am I really wasting my time on Jayant?

Or am I just holding on to the version of him I once believed in-the version I want to believe still exists?

I don't know. But I do know this: today, even the silence around me feels heavier because it carries his absence.

I slipped into Jayant's t-shirt, hoping-just hoping-it might make me feel a little better. It still carried his scent, faint but familiar. Comforting. I wore it like a quiet hug and turned back to my work, trying to distract myself.

Then the doorbell rang.

I knew it was him. I didn't need to check. My heart sank somewhere deep inside my chest. I wanted to talk to him. I wanted him to see me-really see me-and know that I was breaking. That I needed him to fix this... fix us.

I opened the door. He stood there, expression unreadable. I didn't say much. Just walked back to my work as if everything was fine.

He didn't ask how I was. He didn't ask why my eyes were heavy, or why I looked like I hadn't slept. He simply asked, "Why didn't you go to the office?"

Seriously, Jayant? That's all you have to say? I'm hurting... because of you, and all you care about is why I didn't show up to work?

I wanted to talk about last night-needed to-but Jayant didn't even bring it up. No explanation. No apology. Nothing.

Fine. If he won't talk, I won't either. Not until he decides he wants to.

Before leaving, he gave me a soft back hug. The kind that usually melts me. And then he said, "I won't be home tonight."

I simply nodded. "Hmm." That's all I could manage.

He turned to leave, and I didn't even look back at him. I couldn't. Because if I did... I wouldn't let him go.

I heard the door click shut. And that sound-it hit me like thunder. I turned around too late. He was gone.

I ran after him... but the corridor was empty.

A strange fear wrapped itself around me. Heavy. Cold.

What if he doesn't come back this time? What if I just lost him... now, in this moment?

We didn't even talk properly. It felt like something fragile between us had finally snapped.

And what scared me the most wasn't just the silence between us...

It was where he was going.

To Alisha.

That Alisha.

And it's her... it's always her...

That terrifies me.

I was crying.

Not the kind of quiet, controlled crying. No. This was the messy, gut-wrenching kind. The kind where you can't breathe properly, where your heart feels like it's folding in on itself.

How could you just leave like that, Jayant?

How could you walk away when there's still so much broken between us?

For a moment, I wanted to pack my bags and go back to Bangalore-to my home, to some place where I wouldn't have to feel this pain anymore.

But I'm not the kind of person who runs away halfway through a storm. Not like you. I stay. I try. Even when it hurts. Especially when it hurts.

But what breaks me the most-what always breaks me the most-is that I'm never your first priority. Never.

Still crying, I somehow made my way to my desk, the place I usually go to escape, to focus. Not tonight.

I buried my face in my hands, tears spilling uncontrollably. It felt like everything-everything-was falling apart.

And then, my phone rang.

Through my blurred vision, I saw his name on the screen. Jayant.

I couldn't answer. My fingers hovered over the screen, frozen. My heart wanted to hear his voice, but my soul was too shattered to respond.

It rang again.

This time, I picked up. Barely.

My voice was lost somewhere in the ache inside me, too broken to even say "hello."

"Are you okay?" His voice came gently through the receiver. Silence.

"Shreya... Shreya, are you listening? Say something... please." His words trembled with desperation, and I felt it in my bones.

"I promise, Shreya, I'm going to fix this."

Fix it, Jayant? You always say that. You promise things you never follow through on.

But I couldn't say that-not now. Not while choking on tears. I placed the phone on mute, unable to speak, not wanting him to hear the sound of me breaking.

The silence was unbearable-even for him.

"I'll come and set everything right... I promise. Just say something. I'm begging you."

Then... he said something I never expected.

"Let's get married."

Everything stopped.

For a moment, time paused.

Silence again. But a different kind this time-filled with disbelief, hope, fear. I could hear his breathing, quick and uneven. He hadn't meant to say it. Maybe. Maybe he did.

How could someone who wasn't sure yesterday, be so certain today?

He started to speak again-maybe to explain, maybe to take it back-but I stopped him, gathering every bit of strength I had left.

"...Jayant."

That's all I said. Just his name.

But that was enough. I heard the change in his breath. The tremble in his exhale.

He heard me.

My voice trembled, heavy with pain, as I finally found the strength to speak.

"Jayant... propose to me tomorrow. If nothing changes tonight."

I knew those words hit him. I could feel it-through the silence, through the phone. But deep down, something inside me whispered that tonight... something would change.

There was a pause, long and weighted.

Then he said, softly but firmly, "Okay. Tomorrow, I'll propose to you. With a ring."

For the first time that evening, a tiny smile slipped through my tears.

It didn't last long-but we laughed. Just a little.

A faint, fragile laugh. Like we were holding onto the last sliver of normal. Just enough to feel human again.

But even as I smiled, fear crept back in-quiet but sharp.

The fear had a name. Alisha.

Jayant sensed it too. His voice turned gentle, careful.

"Shreya, is everything okay?"

And I let the truth out. I couldn't hold it in any longer.

"I'm scared," I whispered. "It feels like... I'm going to lose you."

I didn't plan to say it. The words just slipped out like a cry from my soul.

Maybe I just wanted him to know-truly know-how much this was tearing me apart. And then he said something I'll never forget.

"You hold my heart so tight, Shreya... and I know you'll never let it slip away."

His words were full of love, of belief in us. He wanted to comfort me. To pull me back from the edge.

But what he didn't know was-

I'd been holding on this whole time.

My voice dropped to a whisper, barely a breath. "I've been holding on... but now, the grip is slipping."

Because that's the truth, isn't it, Jayant?

I've been the one keeping us together-clinging, hoping, loving through every storm. But whenever her name is spoken...you start to drift. And no matter how tight I hold on-I can feel you slipping through my fingers.

We spoke for a little while longer after that. Then, Jayant had to hang up-he had probably reached the resort.

And just like that, as the call ended, my heart began to sink again... slowly drowning in a sea of anxiety, fear, and restlessness.

But strangely, after talking to him, I did feel a little lighter-like someone had lifted a tiny weight off my chest. Still, reality waited for me.

It was almost 7 PM.

And I hadn't sent the final drawing yet.

Piyush had already called me multiple times, but I hadn't been in the mood to deal with him.

Still, after the fifth call, I finally gave in and picked up-only to snap.

"What is your problem?" I barked into the phone, frustration spilling over.

His voice came, calm but firm from the other end, "You know what my problem is, Shreya... where's the drawing?"

Without thinking, I replied, "In the gutter."

I didn't care that he was my boss. Not tonight.

He responded sharply, "Shreya, you can't talk like that. I am your boss."

But I was already in the mood for a fight.

"A boss? Really? What kind of boss doesn't even allow one single day off? No matter how you're feeling-emotionally shattered or mentally drained-you still expect work to be done like we're machines. Why?"

Everything I'd been bottling up all day poured out. I wasn't just frustrated-I was exhausted. There was a pause.

Then Piyush's tone changed-he sounded shaken. "Shreya, you need to apologize."

"For what?" I shot back. "I'm not apologizing."

"I'm your boss," he reminded me again, a bit more hesitantly now. And that was it. That was the final push.

"Not anymore," I said coldly. "I resign. You'll get the official mail soon."

And before he could respond, I hung up.

I took a long, deep breath.

Oddly, I didn't regret what I'd done-not even a little. But I wasn't done yet.

The drawing-almost finished-deserved to be completed.

Designing has always been my comfort, my calm in the chaos.

So I sat down, made the final touches, and sent it along with my resignation email to Mr. Piyush Mehta.

It was over.

And for once, I felt free.

I was a little happy, I won't lie.

After spending the whole day drowning in sadness, at least Jayant had spoken to me... and it felt like he tried, like he wanted to sort things out.

But now, a new tension had taken over-what was happening at the reunion?

Was everything okay? Was Alisha there? Was she saying something?

I tried to shake it off and focus on myself for a bit. I cooked dinner-just something simple. I was trying to stay calm, even feel a bit normal... but I was stuck somewhere between nervousness and hope.

A strange place to be.

It was past 10 PM now.

I was debating whether or not I should call Jayant.

He had told me earlier that he wouldn't be coming home tonight... but still, I thought maybe we could talk for a while. Just hear each other's voices again. Maybe laugh, even if for a moment.

I had just picked up my phone to call him...when the doorbell rang.

Who could be here this late? I thought, a little anxious. I opened the door... and there he was.

Jayant.

I couldn't register much-couldn't even properly see his expression.

Without thinking, I threw my arms around him.

"You came... you said you wouldn't come tonight," I whispered into his shoulder, my voice shaky with relief.

But then...

he gently pushed me away.

And in a voice colder than I'd ever heard before, he said,

"You left me no choice. You forced me to come here."I stepped back, confused, stunned by the sharpness in his tone.

I kept looking at him, trying to understand what had just changed.

He stepped inside.

As the light fell on his face, I could finally see his eyes-burning red with anger, but beneath that... I saw something deeper. Pain. Without another word, he slammed the door shut behind him. The sound echoed through the room like thunder.

He stood in front of me, furious... yes.

But more than that-he looked shattered.

And I had no idea what had happened.

Or what was about to happen next.

I slowly reached my hand toward his face, my voice barely a whisper.

"Jayant... what happened? Are you okay?"

But before my fingers could even graze his cheek, he smacked my hand away.

And in the very next second, he stepped in-so close our faces were just inches apart.

His eyes... they weren't just angry.

They were blazing. Unfamiliar. I instinctively stepped back, startled by the intensity. But he didn't let me go.

He grabbed my arm-tight, rough.

"Jayant-what are you doing?" I gasped, the pain sharp in my voice.

"You're hurting me... let go!" But he didn't.

There was something wild in his eyes-rage mixed with betrayal.

Like he wanted to ask me a thousand questions... but before that, he wanted me to feel what he was feeling. I had never... never seen him like this before.

Then, in a voice so cold it cut through me like ice, he asked,

"Did you ever lie to me?"

I was shaking. My voice trembled.

"N-No... never."

The moment those words left my mouth, something in him snapped.

Without warning, he shoved me-hard.

My body hit the floor with a thud.

For a second, the air left my lungs.

I just lay there... stunned... not just from the fall, but from the sheer disbelief that Jayant-my Jayant-had done this.

No one had ever touched me like that. Not in my whole life.

And I couldn't understand why. Even if something was wrong-even if I had unknowingly made a mistake-was this how you treated someone you claimed to love?

Tears spilled from my eyes as I slowly lifted my head from the cold floor. But I didn't try to get up. I couldn't.

My body was frozen... more from heartbreak than pain.

Jayant's voice echoed above me, loud, broken, furious.

"You lied to me... not once. So many times!"

I couldn't even ask what he was talking about. I just stayed there, motionless on the ground... trying to process what had just happened. Trying to understand how love could turn into this kind of cruelty... in a matter of seconds.

He grabbed my arms and yanked me up from the floor.

I avoided looking into his eyes-afraid of what I might see there-but my gaze met his anyway. And what I saw shattered me. There was no guilt.

Not even a flicker of remorse for what he had just done-throwing me to the ground like I was nothing.

Nothing at all.

He started speaking-no, accusing. His voice, sharp and relentless. "How could you do this? Even after knowing everything... how? How many times did we talk about this, again and again, but you never told me the truth.

And now I know why. You didn't tell me-because it was you behind all of it." He continually saying without thinking of what he saying.

"You kept pretending, lying with that innocent face of yours-God, you're so good at playing people. I never imagined you'd be this heartless." I stood there, trembling. All I wanted in that moment was to see a trace of regret in his eyes-for the pain he just caused me. Just one sign that he realized what he'd done.

But there was nothing. Just fury. Just betrayal

I couldn't speak.

I couldn't even cry properly.

I was just... frozen.

He kept going, his words hitting harder than any slap.

"You were behind all of this. All of it. It's because of you."

And then-one word broke through everything.

One word that made my heart stop.

"You know how much she means to me."

"She."

My breath caught. Alisha.

It was like someone had ripped the air out of my lungs. The fear I had buried deep inside... the truth I didn't want to face... was now standing in front of me.

It was about her.

I looked at Jayant-my Jayant-desperately searching his face for a reason. For a sign.

For a second of understanding.

But he wasn't seeing me.

He wasn't hearing me.

He didn't care to.

He just kept going, blinded by whatever storm was raging inside him-

accusing me, blaming me...

not once stopping to ask what I had to say.

And I stood there... in pieces... hoping, begging- "please, Jayant... just listen to me. Just once."

But he wouldn't.

I pushed his hand away from my arms-not to hurt him, but because I needed to breathe. Because I couldn't take any more of this...My voice came out soft, barely a whisper, but it carried the weight of everything I had been holding in. "Enough, Jayant... you've broken me enough."

My voice trembled as I finally spoke. There was no anger in my words, just exhaustion. Just truth. I didn't look at him. I didn't even bother to look into his eyes. What was the point?

I had stopped expecting understanding from him. My gaze dropped to the floor, steady, unmoving-like my heart had sunk there and refused to rise again. like if I looked up, everything would fall apart again.

But he didn't pause.

His voice cut through the air, sharp and cold. "And what about how you broke me?" he shot back, his voice tight, bitter, as if the pain in his chest needed to spill onto someone else-and that someone was me.

I felt my heart squeeze, not because he was wrong... but because he hadn't even tried to understand.

He didn't ask. He assumed. He judged.

I could feel my throat tighten, heavy with unshed tears and words I didn't know how to form.

My voice cracked as I spoke again, thick with emotion.

"What exactly did I do, Jayant?

Tell me...before you start accusing.

Before you turn me into your villain... tell me what I actually did."

Something inside me shifted then.

I wasn't standing in front of him like a girl begging to be loved back.

No. Not anymore. I was standing for myself-for every time I kept quiet to keep peace, for every moment I broke a little to keep him whole, for every single second I kept choosing us when he only saw me as the problem.

So I looked up.

This time, I met his eyes-not with softness, but with something stronger.

There was no fear in my gaze. No pleading. Just a quiet defiance.

A strength born from being pushed too far. He needed to know that the girl he had just hurt wasn't weak.

She was wounded, yes... but not defeated.

And I needed him to know-if he truly loved me, he wouldn't have needed to break me to prove his pain.

<•∆∆∆∆∆•>

Jayant seemed stunned by my response-maybe even a little shaken. Maybe he never expected me to talk back, to stand up like that. But his shock quickly turned into something else. His anger was rising, while I... I had never been calmer. I was ready-ready to answer every question, every accusation he threw my way.

"Tell me, Jayant," I said firmly, "what exactly did I done?"

He grabbed my arm again, pulling me closer with frustration blazing in his eyes. "You told Alisha to stay away from me, didn't you? You told her not to contact me!"

I didn't flinch. I didn't show even a trace of surprise. But he clearly wasn't prepared for my stillness. My calm expression seemed to throw him off now.

"How could you do that?" he demanded, his voice laced with disbelief. "You're trying to cut me off from my own friends just to keep me for yourself?"

I gently loosened his grip from my arm.

"Not all your friends," I said quietly. "Just Alisha."

He looked at me like I'd just confessed a crime. "How could you say that about her?"

I gave him a small, almost sad smile.

"She wanted to distance herself. I only suggested she should cut contact with you. I thought it would make things easier..."

"Don't you dare blame this on Alisha!" he snapped. "And what would that make easier, huh?"

I met his furious gaze without blinking.

"You never asked her that, did you?"

He took a step closer, but I stood my ground. I didn't move-not even an inch.

"Don't twist the conversation," he growled.

"I'm not twisting anything," I shot back. "You don't even know the full story."

"Then tell me! What are you trying to say?" he shouted.

I gave a sarcastic laugh, my patience thinning. "Are you really that naive, Jayant? Do you truly not know?"

There was something strange in his expression-something beyond the anger. I couldn't tell if it was confusion... or denial. Maybe both.

"You're deflecting," he muttered. "You just want me to go fight with Alisha. But why would she want to walk away from me? What reason could there possibly be?"

"Why don't you go and ask her that?" I said coldly.

That pushed him over the edge. His face turned red, his eyes burning.

"You'll never get what you want," he hissed. "Main tumse dur ja sakta hu but usse.. kabhi bhi nhi."

("I might walk away from you... but I'll never leave her.")

And just like that-he said it. He crushed the love I had carried for three long years in a single, careless sentence.

Three years.

Of loving him.

Of choosing him.

Of waiting.

And all of it... meant nothing now.

Because he made it clear: he would rather lose me than let go of her.

And no matter how strong I tried to be-his words... they tore right through me.

---

And then... he did the worst thing he could have. Without saying a word, Jayant grabbed my wrist and dragged me toward the bedroom. I didn't resist-I couldn't. His words had already wounded me too deeply. I had no strength left to argue.

Once inside, he started tearing through my things, his anger guiding his hands like a storm with no direction. And then... he found it.

A small, delicate model of a home-our home. The one I had built for us. For Jayant and me. I had kept it safe all this time, guarded like a secret wish.

He didn't care. He smashed it. Shattered it like it meant nothing.

I sank to the floor, picking up one of the broken pieces with trembling fingers. My voice cracked as I finally spoke,

"Do you even know who Alisha has been in love with for the past seventeen years?"

That stopped him.

He froze, halfway to the door, as if those words struck something inside him.

I hadn't asked to get answers. I asked to hurt him. Because he had already hurt me more than I could take. And I couldn't stay silent anymore.

He turned away, his face unreadable, and started walking out of the room. Maybe the truth made him uncomfortable. Maybe it scared him.

But I couldn't let it go just yet.

I stood up, reached out, and grabbed his hand-not to stop him from leaving, but to make him hear what he had ignored for too long.

I didn't look at him. I couldn't. My throat burned, but I forced the words out anyway.

"It's you," I whispered. "She loves you. She still does."

He didn't turn back. Not even a glance.

Maybe... maybe he didn't want me to see the tears in his eyes.

But I knew. I knew.

That moment shattered something inside him too.

I had hurt him. Deeply. Because even though I told the truth, it was a truth he never wanted to face.

He gently pulled his hand away from mine and walked out, saying nothing.

He had been packing my things before that-pushing me out, trying to erase whatever was left between us. But now... now he left himself, stepping out so he wouldn't have to see me again.

Jayant, the man who had always cared so deeply... who placed everyone else's happiness above his own... had unknowingly kept hurting the one who loved him the most.

I don't know what kind of bond Alisha and Jayant share. Maybe I never will.

But I know this-when one person loves too much, someone else is bound to get hurt.

Alisha kept getting hurt because Jayant gave me the love she had always longed for.

And now Jayant is hurting... because he finally realized the truth:

The girl he thought of as his friend... loved him all along.

And the cruelest kind of pain?

Knowing someone loves you... and realizing you can never love them back in the same way.

That's what Jayant is feeling now.

And no one-not even love-can save him from it.

-------------------

After he left, I began packing my bags.

I couldn't stay here anymore.

Just a while ago, he was ready to throw me out-so why not walk out on my own terms?

Quietly, I gathered my things. My heart was heavy, but my mind was made up. I needed to go to Bangalore.

I didn't have time to book tickets properly, and nothing was available last minute. So, I took Jayant's laptop and used his business ID to get a flight for tonight.

I had to leave.

Before walking out, I picked up that little house model-the dream I had once built for us. I took it with me.

And the engagement ring he gave me?

I placed it on the desk. I couldn't carry that weight with me anymore.

Every couple fights.

But disrespecting your partner during the worst of times? That's not love.

And maybe we weren't what I thought we were.

With trembling hands and a broken heart, I stepped out of the apartment. This is the same apartment where jayant said I love you to me. Confessed.

The walls still echoed with laughter, love, fights, forgiveness-all the memories we had shared. And now, I was leaving them behind.

I was leaving him behind.

I booked a cab and headed to the airport, thinking about the moments we had lived together.

The late-night coffees, his sleepy voice, the silent support, the fights that ended in long hugs... everything kept flashing in front of my eyes like a cruel movie on loop.

When I reached the airport, I didn't enter immediately. A part of me... waited.

Waited, foolishly, hopefully... for him to come. He must have seen message. He had to know I was leaving.

I waited.

And then, through blurred eyes, I saw someone walking toward me. Slowly. Carefully. Like every step hurt.

It was Jayant.

I didn't know whether to cry or smile. So, I did both. Tears rolled down my cheeks, but my lips trembled into a small smile.

I whispered through my sobs,

"Say I love you too... before we start fighting again."

He didn't look angry anymore. Just tired... defeated. But I knew-if he just said those three words, even the last bits of his anger would melt.

I walked toward him and tried to hug him. But he gently stopped me.

"Say it," I pleaded softly. "Everything will be okay..."

But he stepped back.

Avoiding my eyes, he said quietly,

"This won't work."

I blinked in confusion, my voice trembling.

"What if it does... if you just say it once?"

Then came his soft, emotionless reply-

"I only came to return your ring."

I tried to joke, tried to lighten the air even as my heart began to pound.

"Sorry, Jayant... I left without it. Give it back, it's mine," I said with a shaky laugh, reaching out my hand.

But instead of giving my ring back-he started taking off his.

My heart stopped.

"Jayant... no, what are you doing? Please, don't do this. I took mine off in anger. You don't have to..."

But he cut me off.

"I'm taking it off in full awareness."

His words hit harder than any slap.

"Jayant, please..."

He gently placed his ring in my hand... and pulled me into a hug. I couldn't even hug him back. I was too stunned. Too broken.

In a voice full of restrained pain, he whispered into my ear-

"take care of your self, my love. Goodbye. Forever."

Tears streamed down my face. I had no strength to stop them.

He turned and walked away.

I stood frozen, calling after him-

"Jayant! Jayant!"

But he didn't look back.

After Jayant walked away, I broke down completely. I didn't care who was watching, who was passing by, or how loud my sobs were.

I fell to the cold bench outside the airport, clutching the ring he had just returned-pressed it tightly against my chest as if holding it could stop my heart from falling apart. It didn't.

Tears poured down uncontrollably, blurring everything in front of me. My breaths came in gasps, like I was drowning in my own grief.

The pain wasn't just emotional-it was physical, sharp, slicing through my ribs, through my spine, spreading like wildfire through every inch of me.

People around me began to stare.

Some with curiosity. Some with pity.

Some probably just annoyed by the girl who couldn't hold herself together in public. But none of it mattered.

I sat there, crying like a child- for the love I lost,

for the goodbye I never imagined,

for the version of Jayant who used to hold me like the world would end if he didn't- and for the version of me who still believed he always would.

And in that moment, surrounded by strangers and silence,

I realized what true heartbreak feels like.

It's not loud. It's not dramatic.

It's quiet. It's numb.

It's sitting in a crowd, feeling completely alone.

And still, I held that ring that reminds everything of him. All our beautiful moments were flashing before my eyes,

like a film I never wanted to end...

but now had to watch with a shattered heart.

_____________

The final boarding call for my flight echoed around me.

If I left now... I might never see him again. Was I really ready to lose Jayant forever? No. Not at all.

But maybe... walking away was the only choice left. Maybe this goodbye was our only closure. So I boarded the flight.

And just like that, I left Jayant behind...

Left the love, the pain, the promises, the memories. Carrying only my grief with me. And maybe... that's all I ever had to carry in the end.

___________________________________________

🫶🫶

Hlo my lovely readers ❣️

I'm hoping you all are happy now. But I sad for Shreya.

This chapter was filled with emotions, so please don't forgot to vote and comment how you felt.

Love you

Nima❤️