✨ Leaving him ✨

Samantha

"Div.... divorce", he stated with a seriousness in his tone as if it caused nothing to him to say that.

But even the idea was enough to scatter my whole world, "Abhi...Abhimaan?"

His body remained unaffected at my broken sight, his eyes fixed on me. While my voice barely became audible but I held my words firmly, "What are you saying?"

"I want you to leave my house and never show me your face again", he stated coldly.

I stayed at my feet but my eyes shed tears uncontrollably while my breath hitched somewhere inside me, "No, Abhimaan. Please.... I can't...I can't divorce you", I stammered back.

My words were affecting him but in an opposite way as I noticed a fake smile plastering across his face, "Paison ke liye shaadi ki thi naa tumne mujhse?", he threw his bitter words at me and it felt like the more I was trying to reprimand him, the more he was turning against me.

As if he already has his ways clear. And that is, being apart from me.

"Tumhe jo chahiye tha woh mil gaya naa toh bas ab aazad karo mujhe iss majburi ke rishte se. Yaa phir kuch aur iraade hai tumhare?", he threw his venomous words at me.

I sniffed clutching my hands tightly to the hem of my dress as if that was stopping me from breaking down in front of him, "Mujhse itni nafrat mat karo, Abhimaan. Main tumhare iss nafrat ke sath jee nahi paungi", no matter how hard I was trying, I was already becoming a mess.

"Then, tell me didn't you take money from my Dad? Tell me that everything is a lie. Tell me why I should trust you?", he threw back to back questions at me but I stayed quiet because I barely had his answers.

He was just right. In his own ways.

"Dekha, Samantha? Tumhare paas toh mere sawalon ka jawab hi nahi hai", he chuckled at my silence.

My tears fell uncontrollably but his eyes got even darker and it became more intense, "Sign these divorce papers and leave", the seriousness in his voice amplified while he gritted his teeth in anger.

I looked at him with all the courage I had and nodded a 'No.'

"I can't....divorce....you, Mr. Malhotra", I said slowly. My reply provoked him more as I noticed his expression getting cold. His jaw tightened when he held my hands and pinned me to the nearest wall.

His intimidating air trapped me from breathing properly as he was consumed with nothing but rage, "So, tell me, Samantha, how can I help you now?", he hovered over me while I struggled under his hold.

His words were enough to make me feel filthy in my own eyes, "Abhimaan, please leave me", I tried getting rid off his hold, but that barely affected his movement.

He hardened his jaw, his eyes became more intense than before and I didn't fail to notice his rage turning into hatred, all for me, "Abhimaan, leave my hand. You are hurting me", I asked in a requesting tone.

"Meri takleef ka kya, Samantha? What about me, huh?", his words were firmer than before.

"Abhimaan, leave me....", my heart skipped its beat as I felt captivated under him. He was leaving me with no space to feel alive and my heart was shattering at his words.

"You already used me enough, Samantha. But you know what? I can be of more use, wanna try?", no matter how hurt I was, his words made me feel disgusted.

My resent brought a smirk to his face while I kept looking at him in disbelief, "Tell me, wifey. You were so eager to marry me, huh? Do you have any extra needs that I can fulfill?", his words pierced into my skin, tearing the only way of separating me from my biggest heartbreak.

I couldn't believe he was just doing it to get rid off me. I felt disgusted and my hurt turned into an aggravated anger.

His eyes buried into me in bringing a storm inside me, a storm which ruined the peace I carried within my soul. My body stiffened at his words and I was still hovered under his tall figure. His face was so close to me that I felt his breath mixed with his broken yet destructive self.

My vulnerability turned into a sudden rage and I fumed in uncontrollable flames, I just wanted him to stop saying anything further. Because no matter how hard I try, he holds the privilege of destroying my world just with his words and I feel he was doing it already.

Every organ of my body wanted to stop him and when I felt no hope coming for me. With everything I was holding back, I raised my hands to slap him.

To stop him.

I can't let him say those words which might let me hate him.

Before it could fall onto his face, he held my wrist already, "Don't you dare think that, Samantha", he said in a warning tone. My numb eyes faced his cold ones, when his grip around me tightened yet I managed to act as if I was holding every strength inside me.

"Let me go, Abhimaan!", I shouted back while we fired deadly glares at each other.

I wasn't just in anger. I was hurt. I felt a lack of words because my world was at stake yet he chose to play with his words.

He was breaking me beyond repair when he was the only one to glue back all my lost pieces. My unfounded emotions took over me and tightened my soul from within. Making me feel trapped in my own world.

Just like mine, his voice amplified too, "Then, why the fuck did you marry me? You are nothing more than a gold digger", he spat out bitterly. He put every word with venom in his voice and everything went blank around me except the word left from his mouth. It just started echoing inside me.

"Gold digger!", my broken pieces mocked at me, flipping back the pages of my life and snapping it straight on my face. It took no time in trapping every sound around me as my ears filled with the muffling voices.

"Teri Mumma ne tere Dad ko chhor diya tha naa? Pata hai unhe kya bolte hai? Gold digger!"

"Tu bhi apni Mumma jaisi banegi naa, Gold digger?"

"Mumma aur babies toh ek jaise hote hai naa? Matlab jaisi woh, waisi tu. Bilkul same same...."

An agitating fear ran down my spine, a fear I fought back my whole life. A fear I never faced but kept buried inside me. A fear I hid it from my Dad but felt under every eye who ever looked at me since my childhood.

I kept looking at Abhimaan with storming emotions inside me and didn't realise when my tears dried down my cheeks. Maybe the wound was too much to feel anything more as I lifted my knee and hit him hard on his member, "You better not use that word again, Mr. Malhotra", I pointed fingers at him as he groaned in pain, moving away from me.

My tearful eyes were facing his dark orbs, was looking at me with mixed emotions in his eyes and I realised the depth of the words I just heard from him.

Yes, he said that to me.

Abhimaan, my Abhimaan said those filthy words to me.

The man I'm in love with. The man I have already given my heart to. The man who saved me from every fall I ever had. And now who pushed me to my greatest downfall ever. The man I'm dying to be with. But who stabbed my living soul the number of times I didn't even count. The man my Dad trusted to marry me with. The man I believed would never hit me where I'm low. The man who will never make me meet my biggest fear.

But he did it. He did it in the worst possible way.

When my own subconscious showed pity for me and the realisation started flowing into my nerves, I jerked away from him. As far as I could. I kept getting away from him until the crackling sound pulled me back to the reality. I noticed that the vase fell breaking into pieces as I pushed it unknowingly.

My hands shivered but I barely wasted any time as I grabbed the papers in my hands which I didn't realise, was lying on the floor. I released a heavy breath before I flipped back the pages. I spotted my name and took no time in inking the papers. Once I was done, I stepped ahead and threw the papers in front of him, "Yes, Abhimaan. I'm a gold digger", I said every word with utter seriousness in my tone as if I barely cared if I really meant it or not. I just wanted to snap back at him.

He stood there unaffectedly, tears gathered in the corner of my eyes but I chose not to show it in front of him. Not anymore. I roamed my eyes around every corner of the room, I knew it was my last fraction of seconds here. So I wasted no chances in captivating every memory I ever had here.

Ironically, the best memory of my life.

It's the same place which somehow brought peace to me which I needed the most in my life. It's the same walls which captured our soft giggles and meaningless fights.

It's just the same place but what really changed is the man standing right in front of me. He can't be the Abhimaan I'm in love with.

Yes, I'm in love with Abhimaan Malhotra. I realised it when his hatred tore apart my world.

Kyu ki uss pyar ka kya fayda jo tumse tumhari pehchaan cheen le....

My heart stuck with the breath behind me, I gulped the lump in my throat and I knew it was time for me to leave. I took a few steps into his direction when I realised I still had one of his belongings with me.

Abhimaan's eyes didn't leave mine nor mine left his gaze and with a heavy heart eyes, I looped my hands around my neck, unlocking the mangalsutra. I held his cold hands which still brought warmth to me, handing the mangalsutra to him. I blinked back to hide my tears as I turned around and with a stormy silence, I ran out.

I ran out from his room, from his house and from his life too. I ran out from every relation that could ever hold me back here.

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Author's POV

The floor felt cold to him but not more than his heart. The room was shattered and the pieces of glass were scattered in every corner of the room. But his heart had more broken pieces.

Abhimaan was sitting on the floor and he was holding her mangalsutra in his hand. His eyes had become numb by now, his face had never been this pale but he barely cared about it anymore. He has been cold throughout his whole life but today, he felt the pain of his heart being broken into pieces.

He inner pain was so much that he didn't even realise that his hands were bleeding. Maybe the broken pieces caused him this but he barely felt any of it, he was just sitting g there with no emotions in his eyes.

"Abhimaan....", he heard a soft voice as he realised his parents were home by then but that barely made any movement in his body.

He just stayed there when Khyati entered his room, "Abhi....", she couldn't say anything further when her eyes fell on the sight in front of her.

"Abhimaan....", she screamed, rushing to him.

"Beta, ye sab kya hai? Ye...ye chot kaise lagi, Abhimaan?", she asked in concern but Abhimaan remained unaffected.

She rushed to the drawer taking out the first aid box and cleaned the wound of his hand, "Beta, kuch bol naa? Ye sab....ye sab kya hai?", she covered his hands with the bandage while tears flew down her cheeks.

"Abhimaan....", she cupped his cheeks in concern.

He finally urged to face her, his body was stiffened and barely showed any movement, he just kept looking at her with immense pain in his eyes, "Sab khatam ho gaya, Mom....", he said in a breaking tone when his Dad entered inside the room.

"Abhimaan....", he took his steps carefully inside the room as the pieces of broken glasses and mirror were scattered everywhere.

He rushed to him, "Abhimaan....", concern was plastered all over his face.

"Samantha kaha hai, Abhimaan?", the first thing which came out of his mouth.

Khyati roamed her eyes around the room and the realisation hit her, "Abhimaan, Where is Samantha?", his Dad repeated authoritatively when Abhimaan faced him.

His eyes turned cold before he trembled to stand at his feet. Khyati stood up too, noticing the tension building between the father and the son. "Chhor diya maine usse, Dad. I left Samantha....", Abhimaan stated coldly.

His Dad widened his eyes in shock and Khyati covered her mouth with her hands,"What?", his parents couldn't believe their son when a smirk plastered across his face while he repeated this.

"I left her, Dad. I left Samantha Singh."

His Dad fumed in anger after hearing his words. He fisted his hands in anger and it took no time for him to raise his hands, giving a tight slap right across his cheek.

"Abhimaan, main tujhse aakhri baar puch raha hu meri beti kaha hai? Bolo, Abhimaan, meri bachhi kaha hai?", his Dad grabbed his collar but that barely affected him.

On the other hand, Khyati was shivering in both fear and concern, "Speak up, Abhimaan. What did you do to her?", his voice echoed inside the room as he knew what destruction his son was capable of.

"I know the truth, Dad. I know everything. Iss liye khatam kar diya iss jhoothi shaadi ko maine", his Dad dropped his hands off him when he heard his son giving voice to his biggest fear.

A known shiver ran down his spine, "Meri beti.... Meri beti.... Meri bachhi ko chhor diya isne. Uski zindagi barbaad kar di....", he rubbed his face in frustration, when tears didn't fail to meet his cheeks.

Abhimaan faced his Dad as he continued to speak, "Why, Dad? Why do you care for her so much and not your son? Don't you see my pain, Dad? Don't you see what she has done to me? Huh, don't you see that she married me just for the sake of money?", he shouted in tears.

His Dad didn't bother to speak a single word knowing what his son meant by it, he just watched him grabbing the papers and making him see it.

While Khyati was in immense shock after seeing it, Devaansh was barely affected by it because he knew the truth.

"Answer me, Dad. Why are you not saying anything now?", Abhimaan faced his Dad when he started speaking out.

"It's not what you see, Abhimaan. You don't know the whole truth", he replied with a heaviness in his voice.

"It's because of me. I asked her in fact begged her to marry you. I offered to save her cafe for which she refused immediately. Then, I showed her Dad's last letter in which he asked her to marry you....", Abhimaan turned his eyes to hear his Dad as he listened to him in shock.

"Her Dad and I wanted you both to get married. But unfortunately Samrat died. But Samantha didn't know that her father was in debt. Abhimaan jo ladki teri maa ki tasveer bachane ke liye aag se bhi lad sakti hai woh apni pita ki aakhri yaad ko kyu naa bachayegi?"

"Tune toh Abhineeta ki diary tak sambhal kar rakhi hai. Phir meri bachhi galat kaise hui? Kaisi hui, Abhimaan? Bol naa woh galat kaise hai?", he screamed shedding tears from his eyes.

"Her Dad wanted her to be safe after his death and he trusted me. We thought our children were perfect for each other as they would complete each other's incomplete world. In fact I made her promise me to never tell you about the cafe's debt. Because I was scared that you would hate me even more", he cried in tears when Khyati held him back.

"Woh majboor thi lekin tere liye uska pyar jhootha nahi tha. Samantha ne tujhe wapis jeena sikhaya. Usne humein humara beta wapis diya lekin tune kya kiya?", his Dad grabbed his collar again when Khyati made him leave his son.

He was fuming in both anger and pain knowing about the destruction his son had already done, "Arey jaanwar ban chuka hai tu. Apne guroor mea sab kho diya tune. Meri beti ki zindagi barbaad kar di tune, Abhimaan. Sab khatam kar diya tune....", Abhimaan's heart crumbled and his world drifted apart when he heard his Dad blurting the truth making him face his own deeds.

"Acha hua aaj teri maa nahi hai kyu ki woh agar tujhe iss haal mea dekhti toh waise bhi jeete jee marr jati....", his Dad shattered while saying this.

Khyati's eyes widened in shock realising the depth of the word he said just right now, "Ye aap kya keh rahe? Please shaant ho jaiye. Aisa mat kahiye....", she requested him when Abhimaan started taking his steps back into an opposite direction.

Realisation started hitting him from every organ as he failed to breath freely. He clutched onto her mangalsutra tightly while he rubbed his face in frustration.

"Maine Samrat se vaada kiya tha ki uski bachhi ko humesha hifazat se rakhunga. Lekin aaj main haar gaya....", he heard his Dad crying in a defeating voice.

Abhimaan looked at his Dad with tearful eyes and he failed to catch his breath when he heard him muttering in a low voice, "Woh.... Woh maar dega usse...."

Abhimaan gaze focused on him, "Woh maar dega meri bachhi ko....", he failed to decipher what his Dad was saying but his words were enough to drench his heart in an unspoken fear.

His adrenaline rushed up and he ran to his Dad, "Dad, what are you saying?", he asked as an agitating shiver ran down his spine.

"Aap....aap kiski baat keh rahe ho, Dad?", he asked in a pleading tone while Khyati stood there with the same horror in her eyes.

"Abhimaan, woh maar dega Samantha ko....", his Dad repeated with the same numbness in his voice.

"Dad?"

"Samantha's step brother. He will kill her....", hearing his Dad not only shook Abhimaan's whole world as his own bitter words started echoing inside him, "I want you to leave my house and never show me your face again...."

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On the other side

Samantha's head was nothing but a mess, her heart was nothing more than a broken shallow piece. The fainted voices was still running inside her as she kept walking in the dark night to God knows where.

The only thing she knew that she wasn't going back to her Dad's house. She was just walking and walking along the road. Her face has become paler by now, her tears have dried down her cheeks as she had cried enough already. Only if that could make her heart feel light again.

Main teri aisi parwarish karunga ki tujhe apne aurat hone par garv hoga....

She remembered her Dad's words and realised how she is going to live her life now when her own identity has been snatched away from her. She questioned herself if there is any reason for her to survive now?

Maine aapko let down toh nahi kar diya, Dad? Kahi maine aapke dar ko sach toh nahi kar diya?

Kya main apni Maa ki tarah ban gayi? Main unke tarah kaise ban sakti hu? Main toh Samrat Singh ki beti hu naa?

Mujhe maaf kar do, Dad. Please forgive me.

The darkness captured around made her feel related to the darkness she was carrying within herself as she hurried her pace ignoring the world around her.

Including the air which caught her breath hitched, including the night which matched the colour of her heart, including the emptiness which showed her reality. And probably including the car's honk coming behind her.

She abruptly stopped in her way when the honk didn't fail to come to her ears repetitively as she turned around to face it. She shut her eyes instantly with both of her hands, the car's light were too much for her puffy eyes to catch.

She took a deep breath when she noticed the car getting slower as it stopped just before her heels and the lights turned off. She slowly removed her hands from her eyes only to notice a man getting out of the luxurious car.

She squinted her eyes to focus on his details, he was dressed up in a business suit, his hair was well groomed, his dark eyes were a contrast to his fair complexion and he felt nothing more than a walking signal of money and power. A known face came in front of her as he came closer to face her, "Samantha....", she wasn't hearing that voice for the first time.

She noticed his remarkable features and it took her a fraction of seconds to recognise him as she uttered in a slow voice, "Mr. Raichand....", the man in front of her nodded with a plastic smile on his face.

A smile that hides a knot of truths and secrets.

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Did I do justice to the chapter? Guys, I really need your reviews. 🥺

Happy Reading!