Arvi's pov:

My breath caught the moment his fingers brushed lightly against my waist gentle, almost hesitant. Rayaan wasn't just standing near me; he was present in a way that silenced everything else. His presence filled the room, steady and grounding.

"You have no idea what you've just done, Arvi," he said softly, his voice low and thick with emotion.

And then, without warning, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to my forehead.

Not hurried. Not rehearsed.

Just a simple, quiet act that sent a tremor through my heart.

His hand settled at the small of my back, anchoring me as I struggled to keep my breathing steady. He looked down at me, his gaze searching, almost vulnerable like he was still trying to understand what I truly meant to him.

"You wore this for me?" he asked, voice barely above a whisper.

I nodded, feeling the weight of the moment settle between us. "Yes."

His expression didn't change, but his eyes softened. Slowly, deliberately, he reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. His fingers brushed my skin light, reverent.

"Then don't look away now," he murmured.

And before I could move, his forehead rested gently against mine.

It wasn't just closeness. It was connection. Real. Unspoken.

My hands found his chest, fingers resting over his heartbeat, steady and strong. We stood like that for a breathless eternity, two people suspended between past pain and present longing.

In that moment, I felt seen. Not judged, not dismissed. Just seen.

And somehow, that felt more intimate than anything else could have.

"I love you," I breathed, almost too soft for the room to catch it. But he did.

I saw it.

His jaw clenched.

I saw the shift in his eyes like something shut off inside him.

"I didn't mean to," I rushed, trying to hold the moment before it slipped. "But I do. I know you hate me, and maybe I deserve that. Maybe I should've left that night when you asked me to. But even then even when you looked at me like I was nothing I couldn't stop caring."

Still, he didn't speak.

The silence was louder than my heartbeat.

"I know I'm not brave, or bold. I hide. I break. I overthink. But I love you, Rayaan. And I just.. needed you to know."

And then he stepped back.

Just a single step. But it shattered everything. He didn't say a word. He didn't yell. Didn't call me a liar. Didn't scoff. Just turned. And walked out. I didn't stop him. I couldn't.

Because deep down, a part of me always feared this.

That no matter what I felt, no matter how hard I tried, I'd still be the girl he once hated.

And no amount of red sarees, silver chains, or whispered confessions could erase that.

The door clicked shut behind him, and with it... something inside me broke. Not loudly. Not dramatically. It just cracked quiet and clean like glass under too much pressure. My legs gave out before I could think, and I sank to the cold floor, numb and shivering despite the warmth in the room.

I didn't scream.

Didn't beg.

Didn't ask why he left.

Because I already knew.

He heard me. Every word.

And still, he walked away.

Tears spilled without permission hot, stinging, relentless. I pressed the back of my hand to my mouth to muffle the sobs, my chest tightening like something heavy had settled in it and refused to move.

Minutes passed. Maybe hours. I don't know.

Eventually, I dragged myself up, legs trembling beneath me, and walked out onto the balcony. The cold air hit me like a slap, sharp and honest. It was quiet outside. Too quiet. Even the wind moved gently, like it didn't want to disturb the wreckage I had become.

I tilted my head up, looking at the sky the one place I always turned to when things fell apart. The stars were scattered above like tiny wounds stitched into the night. Distant. Indifferent.

My voice cracked as I spoke.

"Mumma... Baba..."

It felt strange, saying it aloud after so long. Like I was calling into a void I wasn't sure would answer.

"I thought... maybe if I gave him everything. My honesty. My heart. My truth... maybe he'd stay."

The wind brushed past me, almost like a cruel caress.

"But he didn't. He heard me... and he still left."

My eyes burned as I whispered,

"It hurts, Mumma. It hurts so much I don't know where to keep the pain."

My fingers curled around the balcony rail like it could hold me together. But nothing could. Not right now.

"I tried. I really did. I tried to be strong. To be enough. For him. For this family. For myself."

The stars didn't blink back. They just stayed still, listening.

"And still... he looked at me like I was a mistake."

A sob escaped before I could stop it. I buried my face in my hands, voice barely audible now.

"I love him, Mumma... I love him so much it terrifies me."

And maybe that was the worst part

That love, the kind that was supposed to heal, was the very thing tearing me apart.

.

.

.

The morning sunlight filtered in through the curtains, casting soft rays across the living room. I rubbed my eyes, the ache of last night still heavy on my heart.

I had slept on the balcony floor. The cold stone clung to my skin, but it wasn't the chill that kept me up it was the pain. The silence Rayaan left behind echoed louder than anything.

I pushed myself up, limbs stiff and sore. The red saree I still wore felt too heavy now. Too full of memories I didn't want to carry.

I changed into something simple and quiet. As if that could dull the noise in my chest.

When I walked downstairs, the house felt too still. I heard voices coming from the dining room, soft and casual.

I entered, trying to mask the chaos in my chest. "Good morning," I said, forcing a smile.

Vivaan looked up from his plate. "Where's the birthday boy?" he asked brightly.

I paused. My breath hitched, but I stayed silent.

Maa didn't look up. She simply said, "Rayaan left, beta. He's gone abroad for work. For two months."

My heart stopped.

Two months.

Gone.

Just like that.

No goodbye. No message. Not even a glance back.

I stood frozen, my mind racing to catch up. Everything inside me had gone quiet.

Vivaan and maa kept talking. Their voices faded to a blur.

I pulled out a chair and sat down, but I couldn't feel the ground beneath me.

It felt like the world had shifted under my feet. Like something inside me cracked wide open.

I gripped the table, trying to steady myself. But the damage was done.

My voice came out low, almost like a whisper. "Two months..."

Bade papa looked up. "Yeah. Just for work. He didn't say much."

I nodded slowly. But I wasn't really there anymore.

Rayaan had left.

And I had never felt more alone.