Chapter 15

Throughout the entire journey home, a heavy silence enveloped everyone in the car.

The atmosphere was filled with an overwhelming sense of shock and disbelief.

No one had anticipated the extent of the surprising and unexpected events that had unfolded today.

What struck them the most was the realization that the person they had known for so long had been concealing an immense amount of pain behind a facade of constant smiles.

Pihu left the building before them, so nobody knows where she is. Only Hoping that she would go home directly.

As soon as everyone reached home, Naksh didn't wait for a second and started searching for Pihu. They all search every corner of the house but there is no trace of Pihu.

"Gosh!! Why is not she here...?" Janvi cried out in panic.

And at those words, Naksh's heart sank more deeply.

Aahan maintained a composed demeanour as he addressed the worried group. "Guys, you don't need to panic," he reassured them.

Naksh, clearly agitated, interrupted him with a burst of emotion. "How can you say that? She's missing, and you're telling us to calm down?"

A stern look crossed Aahan's face as he asserted himself. "I know what I'm saying. Don't try to raise your voice at me. I'm your elder brother, so show some respect," he growled at Naksh.

Trying to control his anger and nervousness, Naksh closed his eyes and offered an apology. "I'm sorry, brother."

Aahan took a deep breath before continuing. "Hmm... Listen carefully. I understand your concerns, but it's become a habit for Pihu to withdraw to her favourite place to be alone after experiencing trauma. Trust me, she won't do anything reckless," he explained.

Naksh's mind struggled to accept Aahan's words, but his heart was not ready to believe anything just yet.

Aahan turned to address the group. "Everyone, Pihu is resilient. Let's not pity her. If we talk about past incidents, she has been hurt and traumatized, but that doesn't make her weak. Showing pity could trigger memories of her trauma, something she may not be okay with," Aahan explained.

The group agreed with Aahan's perspective, understanding the importance of not causing Pihu any further distress.

Despite Aahan's words, Naksh's heart remained uneasy. He made a decisive move, grabbing the keys and leaving the house to search for Pihu, even though he had no clue where to look.

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(Janvi pov)

As I reflect on the events of today, my heart grows increasingly restless. I find myself taking a deep breath and closing my eyes as a gust of wind brushes against my face.

"It was a long day..." I mutter to myself. But as expected,

"You're looking tired..." a familiar voice speaks from behind me.

Upon hearing those words, a smile naturally spreads across my lips. I already knew he was there. Without even turning back, I could sense his presence.

From the beginning when I started understanding the life he was there. No matter what he was there.

I don't know what role he plays in my life, but his mere presence is enough to soothe me. I'm addicted to his presence, so I know who he is - Shivay.

"Once again, you've made an appearance," I teased, turning to face him.

"I'm here for my Shehzadi, not for you, Miss Janvi," he replied in his calming voice.

"It's the same thing," I remarked, arching an eyebrow.

There was a glint in his eyes as he smiled warmly, bending down to meet my gaze and saying, "So you admit that you're my..."

Shit!!, not this again. I stood there, utterly speechless, facing him, with flushed cheeks and a swarm of butterflies starting Bharatnatyam in my stomach.

Once more, he had rendered me speechless with just a few words. I found myself at a loss for what to do. I couldn't bring myself to agree with him, yet inexplicably, my heart urged me not to disagree.

So, I resorted to the only option I could think of – changing the subject.

"Why are you here...?"

"I'm here for you, Princess... I saw how disturbed you look, so I thought you might need someone to talk to," he said, giving me his enchanting smile once again. I could never understand what kind of magic he possessed, but he seemed to understand me so well that I feared I might not be able to hide anything from him.

Taking a deep breath, I turned my face towards the endless night, and he stood beside me.

"Today's events shocked and shook me," I began.

"Everyone was shocked because nobody expected this," he replied.

"When I first met Pihu, I thought about how lucky she was. She had achieved so much at such a young age, that make me assume she was blessed with both exceptional intelligence and luck. I, on the other hand, felt unlucky to have been born into an abusive family and still struggling to achieve my dreams. But I was wrong."

"I was wrong to judge people without truly understanding the struggles they may be facing in their own lives. I see my pain, but I struggle to see the pain of others. Now, I feel like my pain is nothing compared to hers," I sighed. Regret filled my heart as I realized how unfairly I had judged someone.

As I finished speaking, I glanced at him, and our eyes met. He turned fully towards me, reaching out as if to take my hand, but paused midway. He gazed at me with a gentle smile and asked, "Can I, princess...?"

Those words hit me like a wave, causing my entire world to come to a standstill. I could feel my heart thumping against my chest, and my stomach twisted in response to his question. It dawned on me how much my words meant to him, and how much I meant to him. What struck me the most was the realization that when he called me "Princess," it wasn't just a name; it was a genuine reflection of how he saw and treated me.

"Quite the gentleman, aren't you?" I teased as I offered him my hand.

"Only for you, princess," he replied, gently taking my hand in his.

"Princess, don't blame yourself. You're not judging her, it's just a feeling you have towards her that makes you assume things. Let me ask you, who hasn't judged people in this world? We all do it, even we judge ourselves, just like you're doing right now, and that's okay as long as it doesn't hurt someone or breed hate. It's fine, you haven't done anything wrong. And when it comes to pain, everyone has their own destiny. No pain is insignificant. Your pain is yours, her pain is hers. Both of you were victims of fate, so no one's pain is minuscule or greater. What matters is that both of you experienced pain."

That's it!! Some words from him and my mind were clear like the sky after a rain. Nobody can be this calm except him. He really possessed some power. I chuckled at my own thought, how much dumb it sounded.

"Did you have magic...?" I asked him jokingly.

"Yup, I had. A magic of love."  He said with a chuckle.

"You never forgot how to mention your love, right?" I asked him while shaking my head.

" Because you're always in front of me to remember about love, princess." He said while looking fondly at me.

Gosh!! How much this man loves me.

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(Mrunali Pov)

I found myself standing in front of Aahan's door, my heart pounding in my chest as I hesitated to knock. A whirlwind of uncertainty and doubt swirled within me, making it difficult to focus on what to do next. Despite my internal struggle, I couldn't shake off the overwhelming guilt of questioning him. The idea of entering Aahan's space without his consent made me feel incredibly uneasy, causing me to linger outside his door, nervously ruminating on my next move.

Suddenly, a voice from inside the room snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Roaming outside doesn't make you invisible, Mrunali," Aahan's voice rang out, catching me off guard. What stung the most was the use of my full name instead of the nickname I had come to dislike. It felt like a sharp jab, a reminder of how I had distanced myself from my own identity.

With hesitation, I finally gathered the courage to open the door and step inside. As I entered the room, I found Aahan standing on the balcony, gazing into the distance with his hands nonchalantly tucked in his pockets. Every step I took toward him felt like a struggle, my nerves getting the best of me as I grappled with a mix of emotions.

"Aahan..." I called his name, but he just hummed in response without turning toward me. His body language seemed distant, and a pang of worry shot through me.

"Are you angry with me?" I asked nervously, my voice quivering slightly. I hoped for a reassuring response, but his reaction only made my anxiety heighten.

He chuckled at my words, "Why would I...?" His tone lacked its usual warmth, and I sensed a hint of hurt.

I felt a surge of embarrassment. I closed my eyes and blurted out, "Sorry for not trusting you." My words tumbled out in a rush, as if I couldn't bear to keep them inside any longer.

"So you know, you should trust me..." He scoffed, and the weight of his disappointment hit me like a brick wall.

Shutting my eyes tightly, I sensed his brewing anger and disappointment. I couldn't blame him, could I? It was my own inability to trust in our relationship that had caused this rift. Regret washed over me, and I struggled to find the right words to convey my remorse.

I remained silent, feeling at a loss for words, not even having an explanation for my actions. His silence was heavy, filling the space between us with tension and unspoken words.

"Are you not going to say anything?" he asked, but I stood there silent, unable to meet his gaze. My heart ached with the weight of his disappointment, and I longed to find the right words to bridge the growing divide.

His next words cut deep, "Truthfully, I didn't expect you to trust me blindly, but I thought we were at least on terms where we could talk to each other. I expected you to at least ask me." Each word he spoke felt like a shard of glass, piercing through the fragile bond between us.

"That time I didn't know what to do, still I couldn't explain myself," I admitted, speaking from the depths of my heart.

Out of the blue, he asked me, "Do you know how we first met...?" His unexpected shift in conversation left me bewildered.

I Although I was well aware of how we first crossed paths, I chose to let him steer the conversation in the direction he desired. I didn't want to add any further strain to our already complicated situation.

"I can tell what you're thinking, why I switched the topic so abruptly," I nodded in agreement. "Maybe you'll understand what our relationship truly means, and possibly trust me a bit more in the future..."

His words cut deep, stinging like a bee. Quietly, I muttered under my breath, feeling the sharp pain.

"We've known each other long before our engagement. I've always been calm and reserved, not one for too much chatter, while you're the opposite. Before our engagement, you'd always talk to me, even when I didn't respond. You'd giggle and run off when I told you to be quiet. When I didn't reply, it wasn't because I was bored, but because I didn't know how to respond. I thought you understood me. I can't say it was love, but I found happiness with you."

His words struck me like a bolt of lightning. I had no inkling that he harbored such sentiments about me. Every word he spoke resonated with raw emotion.

"But when our engagement was announced, I was happy because I was marrying someone who understood me. But then you started acting differently, hardly talking to me like before. When you did, it was always complaints about how rude and irritating I was. I thought maybe you were unhappy about the engagement or didn't want to marry me. So, I started distancing myself from you. It seemed like we both despised each other. But I remained the same, before and after the engagement. It was you who changed us."

His words left me shell-shocked, wounded, and, most significantly, deeply disappointed in myself. How could I have acted so selfishly without considering the impact of my actions on his feelings? I was completely oblivious to the emotions he had been concealing all along.

"After every encounter with you, I always thought about what's my fault that I can't able to express myself... I was born as an introvert. Is this a mistake? and I don't have anyone to ask what should I do...? How can I make you believe that I don't hate you, I'm happy with you but nobody was there to tell me what should I do.."

I was overwhelmed with a sense of worthlessness, feeling as though tears could well up in my eyes at any moment.

"Then one day, you reached out to me and offered friendship. I was genuinely elated - finally, I thought, we could connect on a genuine level. This time, I had someone who could assist me, even though Pihu didn't consider me a friend, but I did. So, I sought her help. She advised me to start expressing myself, sharing my thoughts in just one or two lines, while leaving the rest up to you. I followed her guidance, and it seemed like we were getting along well, until today."

After a long pause, he continued, "I believed that you were beginning to understand me again, but I was mistaken. You never attempted to understand me, to talk to me, and most hurtful of all, you didn't even try to indirectly inquire about me. Is it really so difficult to communicate with me?"

Upon finishing his words, he left the room, leaving me behind in an emotional turmoil. As his words lingered in my mind, a single tear trickled down my cheek. The pain was excruciating - discovering that I had hurt someone unintentionally.

I found myself shattered and struggling inwardly as I grappled with his words. Why do I always act foolishly and trust blindly when it comes to my own relationship? Is it so difficult to have an open conversation with him? Is it so hard to ask him about his past relationships or how he truly feels about me? Is it really this challenging to discuss our relationship openly?

The answer was a resounding "No"... because nothing is impossible, but I never made the effort.

Tears continued to stream down my face, but suddenly a lurking fear crept into my heart - "Did I destroy our relationship?"

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To be continued...

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