This is the moment I once dreamed of for years, something I had striven to forget, when he started dating my sister. And now, he’s awakening the emotions I buried deep within me. The urge to reciprocate his love, to surrender and fall into his arms, feels dangerously tempting. But on the other side, guilt burns through my mind like fire, the guilt of being the reason behind his and Aditi’s break-up.
If only he were not so confused! If only he hadn’t dated my sister! Our lives could have been simpler, calmer, and happier.
And I can’t erase the emotional torment of the past few months, the sleepless nights, the constant anxiety, and the way my peace slowly slipped away. I still remember the ache of seeing him with Aditi, the quiet heartbreak that followed me every time.
Reyansh has done with his confession and is looking for a response. But how should I respond? I am not very clear as to what would be a proper response. It is a sensitive matter, andI can’t forget everything that happened, nor can I be desperate and shamelessly accept the man who just broke my sister’s heart while claiming he loved me all along.
How will I even face her now?
Reyansh has messed up everything. He should have been more mindful, more careful before creating this chaos in our lives.
For now, I only need silence. Time to think, to breathe, to process without making impulsive decisions as he did. I may love him beyond reason, but that doesn’t mean I can forgive mistakes that wrecked three lives. I would rather stay away from him than become the reason for my sister’s disappointment.
I don’t know if I’m right or wrong, but I can’t accept him, at least not now. It feels unbearably wrong. Maybe we all need time to look back, to reflect, and to choose better.
“Ames.”
His whisper pulls me back to reality. And I finally speak the truth my heart has been holding onto, the truth that needs closure.
“I’m sorry, Reyansh. It is a surprise for me to hear from you that you loved me all along but did not realise it when you announced you wanted to date Aditi. You have been dating Aditi for the past eight months, and now you say you had a break-up. I don’t know how poor Aditi is feeling right now. All this is too much for me to take in. I’m not in the right state of mind to think and make any decision right now. Maybe, after a few days, I don’t know. Right now, I need space… and peace. Just leave me alone.”
Without waiting for his response or watching his reaction, I walk out of the cabin, head straight to my cubicle, and sink into my chair, my eyes burning as fresh tears blur my vision.
Everything feels unreal. The future looks hazy, uncertain.
If we were meant to be together from the very beginning, why does our journey feel so painfully repelling?
I just hope time gives me the answers soon.
Chapter 34
Reyansh
I am no longer able to concentrate on work. It feels as if my mind has lost the ability to function properly ever since Amyra distanced herself from me. For almost a month now, she has been so absent that she has practically turned invisible in my life.
I remember her saying she needed space to find her peace after I confessed my love. I hoped she might change her mind soon, and that hope stops me from seeing her uninvited. I’ve already hurt her, affecting her morals and her sister, so I respect her wish for distance. But I feel lost without her. Since we now work at different branches, I can't even see her from afar.
Most of my messages go unanswered, and I get only short replies. It seems like Amyra is drifting away, and I can’t accept that. My desire to see her grows stronger each day.
Along with this pain comes the guilt of my broken promise, her hurt feelings, and my decision to date her sister, which ended after eight months. My past actions tear me apart, leaving my heart broken. But hasn’t Amyra known me since childhood? Shouldn’t she know I never hurt her intentionally? I understand her love for her sister, but in a life this short, shouldn’t she allow herself to choose her own happiness too?
Why can’t she move past my relationship with Aditi and see beyond it? Didn’t she notice the depth of love in my eyes? Didn’t she hear the desperation in my voice when I asked her to be mine?
There is one thing, though, that I noticed in her response. She didn’t reject me the way she rejected Karan. She never said she didn’t see me that way or that she wasn’t interested in a relationship. She said it was too much to absorb at once, that she couldn’t decide in such a fragile mental state and needed peace. That meant she may have acknowledged my love, perhaps even considered the idea of us, but stopped herself because of my dating history.
She didn’t deny her feelings outright. She was simply overwhelmed. Something else is weighing her down, something holding her back from accepting me.
Is she hiding something from me? Or have I been blind enough to miss something all along?
A wave of exhaustion washes over me as I open my chat with Amyra. Two blue ticks stare back at me, seen in the morning, unanswered till evening. Hope, I realise, is the only thing keeping me from breaking down.
I glance at the clock and realise it’s time to leave. I have arranged a meeting today with my parents and Amyra’s parents at Bajaj Mansion, the day of my confessions. I am going to reveal my breakup with Aditi, my feelings for Amyra, and how I regret my reckless decisions in life.
I planned this meeting days ago and sought Aditi’s consent, but she insisted on postponing it. Her admission to a university abroad has been confirmed, and she is leaving India thisweekend, in just three days. She wanted the truth revealed only before her departure, unwilling to stay in the mansion surrounded by sympathetic glances from her uncle and aunt. I rescheduled the meeting for today. It also helps that Amyra is currently out of the city, meeting a client in another state. She returns tomorrow night, and I wanted this conversation to happen in her absence.
Though we work in different sub-brands, she at B&T Wellness and I at B&T Luxe Living, I have always kept track of her through discreet updates, unable to stop myself from knowing where she is and how she’s doing.
I exit my cabin, walk toward the parking lot, and drive straight to Bajaj Mansion.
