29

Tara walked away from Aryan without looking back, her mind still a storm of emotions she wasn't ready to face. He stood there, hands clenched at his sides, watching her disappear down the hallway. "Ugh," he muttered under his breath, frustration boiling over as she slipped out of his grasp once again.

Meanwhile, Tara hurried back to her flat, her thoughts a tangled mess. She needed space—time to breathe and sort through everything she was feeling. But as she stepped into the lift to her building, she wasn't expecting the group of familiar faces waiting for her inside.

Rohan, Aakash, and Karan stood there, eyes slightly averted, clearly aware of the tension in the air. The lift doors closed, and for a moment, it was a silence that felt too heavy. Tara shifted uncomfortably, sensing the awkwardness of the situation but not knowing how to break it.

The silence lingered until Karan cleared his throat, his voice calm but serious. "Tara, can you come with us for a moment?"

She blinked, caught off guard by his request. "What? Where?"

"We need to talk to you, please. Just come with us," Karan insisted, his tone soft but firm.

Tara hesitated, confusion painting her face, but something in his expression made her nod slowly. "Okay," she said, still uncertain of what was going on.

Without another word, they all walked out of the lift together, heading toward Aakash's flat, where she wasn't aware that things were about to take an unexpected turn.

Karan sat on the couch in Aakash's flat, nervously shifting his weight from one side to the other. He glanced around at the others, who were all quiet, waiting for him to say something. Tara sat across from him, arms crossed, looking distant. The awkward silence hung heavy in the air, but Karan knew he had to get this off his chest.

"Tara," he started, his voice a little hesitant, "I need to tell you something... about Aryan."

Tara shot him a sharp look. "Why is everyone so hell-bent on talking about him?" she snapped. "It's in the past, Karan. Why can't you just let it go?"

Karan sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. He was silent for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "It's not in the past, Tara. Not really. You have to understand something. If you knew what happened, you'd see that it wasn't his fault. He's still your Aryan."

Tara's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked, her tone softening but still guarded.

Karan took a deep breath. He had been holding this in for too long, but now wasn't the time to back down. He had to tell her the truth, for both of their sakes.

"Let me tell you how it all went down," he began. "You know how Aryan went back to India, right? Well, things weren't as simple as he made them out to be. His dad was seriously ill, and his mom... she put so much pressure on him. Aryan was expected to drop everything for the family business. His mother... she was controlling. And not just with the business, but with his personal life too. She didn't want him distracted, so when you two were together, she saw it as a problem."

Tara's face softened slightly, but she still didn't speak, her arms still crossed tightly in front of her.

"His dad was really sick," Karan continued, "and Aryan had to be there, but his mom... she didn't just want him to focus on family. She wanted him to cut ties with everyone who could be a distraction—especially you. So she went ahead and deleted all your messages and blocked you from everything."

Tara's eyes widened, disbelief and hurt crossing her face. "What?" she whispered, more to herself than anyone.

Karan nodded. "Yeah. I'm pretty sure she was the one who did it. She was terrified of him getting distracted, and she thought you were a distraction."

"But why didn't he tell me? Why didn't he explain?" Tara's voice trembled slightly, the hurt returning. "Why did he just cut me off like that?"

Karan's expression softened, and he looked at her with empathy. "Because he didn't know how to tell you that his mom is making you the problem. He knew that would hurt you. His mom made him feel guilty for even trying to reach out. He tried, Tara. He really did. But she got into his head, telling him he needed to focus on the business, on taking care of everything, and that his personal life would only hold him back. And when he tried to reach you, when he tried to send emails, he found that everything was bouncing back. Your email was blocked. He didn't even know who did it at first, but it was his mother. He couldn't get to you. He was cut off, just like you were. He tried to make fake accounts to talk to you, but you deactivated Instagram."

Tara's eyes glistened with tears as she listened, her arms uncrossing slowly. She bit her lip, still struggling to process everything.

"Why didn't he tell me sooner?" she asked softly. "Why didn't he explain this when his dad got better? When he got his phone and life back?"

"Because he didn't know how," Karan said, his voice steady but kind. "He was scared, Tara. He was scared of what you might think. And when his dad got better, his mother insisted that it was for his own good, that he needed to stay focused, and he didn't want to add to the tension. He wanted to come back to you, but the guilt was too much. He tried... but by then, he'd already lost you. It had been almost a year since it happened—he didn't know what to do. He thought he lost you, he didn't know if reaching out would make anything better.."

Tara blinked rapidly, trying to fight back the tears. "But he never told me..."

"I know," Karan said, shaking his head. "He was stupid. But he wasn't the one who made the choice to cut you off. He was put in a position where he had to listen to his family, and he didn't want to lose them, especially with his dad's health on the line. But he never stopped caring about you."

"Is that why he never read my messages?" She mumbled.

Karan nodded, "He didn't have his phone. When you messaged him, it was taken away from him."

"He never saw my breakup message? Then how did he know that I broke up or that he lost me?"

"Well," Karan continued, "He did see the message. But—"

"But what?" She asked, impatiently.

"His mom showed it to him, just through the notifications—saying that this is the girl you were going to prioritize over your dad... someone who left you when times got bad." Karan mumbled, half embarrassed to answer.

That's why the message was unread, she thought. Tara felt tears in her eyes. His mom thought so low of her.

Karan continued, "He realized then that he lost you, and he begged his mother to let him talk to you—but she said that why would you message someone who left you?"

Tara stood up, pacing a few steps, her mind racing. She could feel the weight of everything Karan had just said sinking in. The betrayal, the anger—it all felt so overwhelming.

"I don't know what to think right now," she murmured, wiping away a stray tear.

Karan stood up too, taking a step toward her. "Tara, he's been miserable. He feels like he lost you, and he hates himself for it. But he's ready to make things right, if you're willing to listen."

Tara looked down at the floor, lost in thought, the turmoil of emotions swirling inside her. "I don't know if I can forgive him just like that, Karan," she whispered.

Karan nodded, understanding. "I know. But at least now you know the truth. It wasn't his choice to hurt you. It was all the circumstances. He's sorry, and he's ready to fix this. But it's up to you."

The room fell silent, and Tara's mind kept replaying everything she'd heard. Could she ever trust him again? Could she forgive him for not fighting harder? For not telling her what had happened?

But for the first time in so long, a tiny sliver of hope flickered in her heart. Maybe, just maybe, things weren't as broken as she thought.

"Tara," Karan said as he was leaving, "Only Aryan knows the whole details and has the answers to all the minor questions in your mind right now. Don't let these questions weigh you down—ask him. And get to know what happened. Hear his side. It might answer your own questions."

As he was about to leave, Tara asked, "Karan. How is he with his mother now?"

Karan sighed before replying, "He doesn't talk to her." He gave her one last look before walking out, leaving her to process everything.

And Tara stood there, her mind racing with the decision she had to make.

💜

Okay—I am requesting you all—please don't find so many faults in this. Look, the story isn't a 100% perfect. It's fictional and I have tried to make it as realistic as possible, but if anything, it might even seem like a TV serial—just because I'm trying to cover all bases so I don't get comments like "oh but this oh but that." I'm trying my best to write it so it covers the loophole, but please—please understand that I am trying.

There might be mistakes and loopholes like stuff might not add up, but please know that it might have slipped my mind. I'm also just a simple person.

Not a professional writer.

And I am only requesting you all to let any issues slide so that we can enjoy the rest of the story. I never post such messages when giving a chapter, but I feel like I have to right now. So please—I'm pleading with you all—please let this go the way it is, so that I don't have to write unrealistic elements.

Thank you! 🫶🏻