Chapter 67: Chapter 64

The knock on the door came softly, hesitant, breaking the heavy silence that wrapped around Siya like a suffocating blanket. Startled, she wiped her tear-streaked face, her heart pounding as she walked toward the door. Her movements were slow, mechanical, as though her grief had turned her into a ghost of herself.

When she opened the door, a delivery man stood before her, holding an elaborate bouquet that seemed too vibrant for the dim, grief-stricken world she inhabited.

“Mrs. Siya Desai?” he asked, his voice breaking through her haze.

“Yes,” she replied hoarsely, her voice barely audible.

“This is for you.” He extended the bouquet toward her, and she stared at it for a moment, her heart racing as if bracing for impact.

The bouquet was breathtaking—fifty red roses, their petals soft and velvety, exuding a fragrance that filled the air with sweetness. Nestled among them was a single yellow rose, its bright hue a stark contrast against the sea of crimson. A white envelope, tied delicately to the stems with a satin ribbon, seemed to whisper her name.

Siya’s hands shook as she took the bouquet, the weight of it foreign yet familiar in her trembling grasp. Her breath caught as her eyes fell on the handwriting on the envelope. It was his.

It was Raghav’s.

She hesitated, her fingers frozen on the ribbon. For a moment, the world stood still—the soft rustle of the bouquet, the faint hum of traffic outside, and the rapid thudding of her heart were the only sounds she could hear.

Finally, she untied the ribbon and slid the letter free, unfolding the paper with trembling fingers.

Siya,

Happy Birthday.

I know I’m probably the last person you want to hear from right now, and I wouldn’t blame you. I’ve spent so much time pushing you away, hiding behind my anger and silence, when all I’ve ever wanted was to be close to you. You must be wondering why I’m writing this, especially after everything I’ve said and done. But the truth is… I couldn’t let this day pass without telling you what I’ve kept buried in my heart for far too long.

Siya, I’m sorry.

I’m sorry for every moment I made you feel unimportant. You’ve been the anchor in my chaotic world, and I’ve been too much of a coward to admit it. Loving you has been the most effortless, natural thing I’ve ever done, but I was scared. Scared of what it meant, scared of losing you, scared of not being enough for you. But now, I see how foolish I’ve been.

The fifty red roses are for every time I’ve looked at you and fallen a little deeper. The single yellow rose is for the friendship I hope we can rebuild, the one that started it all. Let’s begin again. Please. If there’s even a small part of you that feels the same, I need you to know something.

I’ve written letters for you—one for every day since I realized I loved you. They’re tucked away, waiting for you. Each one holds a piece of my heart, my thoughts, and my dreams for us. One of them even contains the name of my favorite song, the one you always asked me about. I loved it more when I realized it reminded me of you.

If you love me too, open them. If you don’t… I’ll understand.

I dreamed of a life with you, Siya. A home filled with laughter, mornings sipping tea on the balcony, and maybe one day, little footsteps running through the halls. Even if that dream will never come true, I’ll cherish it forever.

Yours, always,

Raghav

Siya clutched the letter to her chest, her tears falling freely, staining the paper. “Raghav…” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Why now? Why did you wait until you were gone to tell me?”

Her legs buckled, and she sank to the floor, the bouquet resting beside her. The rich fragrance of the roses enveloped her, a bittersweet reminder of the man who had loved her in silence. Every word of the letter reverberated in her mind, a cruel yet tender echo of what could have been.

Moments passed like hours. Her sobs filled the room, each one a mix of sorrow, love, and regret.

Then, the front door burst open.

“Siya!”

She looked up to see Noorie standing in the doorway, her face pale, her breath labored. In her hands was an envelope—the same envelope Siya had handed her days ago.

“What are you doing here?” Siya asked, her voice hollow.

Noorie stepped inside, her eyes wide with urgency. She knelt beside Siya, holding out the envelope. “You made a mistake.”

“What do you mean?” Siya whispered, confusion etched across her face.

Noorie hesitated, her voice shaking as she said, “The letter you gave me… it’s not what you think. It was an apology, Siya. For me. For our past. But the rest of the letters…” She held up a small stack of neatly folded papers. “They’re for you.”

Siya stared at her, disbelief and hope warring in her teary eyes. “Noorie… don’t do this.”

“I’m not lying,” Noorie said, her voice breaking. “He wrote these for you. Every single one. He loved you, Siya. More than anything.”

Siya’s hands trembled as she reached for the letters. She picked one up, her heart racing as she scanned the handwriting. The words blurred behind her tears, but she kept reading, desperate for the truth they held.

Siya,

Do you remember the night we danced on engagement, and we argued over whose fault it was? Urmi bhabhi or Vasu, I kept laughing because you looked so annoyed, and I didn’t care that we were both together. You were beautiful that night. You’re always beautiful.

Siya’s breath caught. The letter slipped from her fingers, fluttering to the floor. She looked up at Noorie, her voice trembling. “Why didn’t he tell me?”

She picked up another letter, clutching it tightly. Her tears came again, but this time, they weren’t just tears of grief. They were tears of love, of longing, of the knowledge that Raghav had always been hers in ways she hadn’t understood.

That evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, Siya sat in her room, surrounded by Raghav’s letters. She didn’t open all of them—not yet. She wanted to savor them, to let his words heal her broken heart one piece at a time.

She held the bouquet close, its fragrance wrapping around her like an embrace. Her fingers brushed against the single yellow rose, and she smiled faintly through her tears.

“Raghav,” she whispered, her voice steady despite the tears streaming down her face. “I’ll carry your love with me. Always.”

As she placed the bouquet on her bedside table, her gaze fell on the unopened letter that Noorie had mentioned.

The one containing the name of his favorite song.

She hesitated for a moment before picking it up. As she unfolded the paper, her hands trembled, and her heart swelled with a bittersweet ache.

The first line of the letter made her laugh softly through her tears.

“It’s not the song you think it is, Siya. But it’s the one that makes me think of you every time I hear it”

As the melody of his favorite song filled the room, Siya closed her eyes, letting the music carry her into a world where Raghav was still by her side.

For the first time in weeks, the storm inside her began to calm. Raghav’s love had found her, even from beyond, and she knew she would carry it with her for the rest of her life.

And that's how fate played two individuals. The forgotten past, the first meet and the deal.

Deal 365:No string attached to Deal 365: Beyond Years.