Neither Amyra nor Aditi is ready to forgive me, and now I fear my family’s reaction too. Whatever it may be, I know disappointment awaits me, and forgiveness feels distant. I cannot complain as I asked for this. Consequences are unavoidable. Karma always finds its way back.
The moment I reach Bajaj Mansion, my body trembles with nervous energy. Inside, I find all four of them seated in the hallway, engaged in conversation. As I approach, their voices fall silent, and their heads turn toward me in unison. I drag a sofa to the centre, sit down, and face them, my chest tight with apprehension.
“Thank you for agreeing to gather here,” I say softly, their eyes filled with curiosity.
“Can we know the purpose of this meeting, Reyansh?” Harsha Uncle asks, speaking for everyone.
“I have a few confessions to make about my life,” I reply. “I hope you’ll listen patiently and try to understand my perspective with an open heart.”
No one responds. I take their silence as permission, wiping the cold sweat from my forehead before continuing.
“I’ve been waiting for the right time to say this, and I believe today is that day. It’s been a month since I broke up with Aditi.” Shock spreads across their faces with wide eyes, parted lips, and quickly followed by rising anger.
“We thought you were a man who dishonour promises,” my father begins, “but never imagined you’d break hearts and relationships—”
“Dad,” I interrupt gently, “please let me finish everything I have to say. Then you can respond however you want. I ask for your patience.”
They fall silent, and I continue.
“My biggest regret in life is that broken promise, the one I dismissed as childish nonsense, but I was wrong. That promise was intertwined with my destiny, and I disrespected it by ignoring it. I was recklessly consumed by what I thought were feelings for Aditi, only to realize they were never genuine.” I pause, watching as confusion gives way to understanding on their faces.
“I was a clueless man, too blind to realise I had already been in love with my best friend all along.”
“What?” Their collective gasp sends a surge of anxiety through me, but I push forward.
“Yes. Despite dating Aditi for eight months, we never fell in love. I was emotionally unavailable. Even when I was supposed to give my girlfriend my full attention, my thoughts were always with Amyra. That’s when I understood I had made a terrible mistake, and my heart always belonged to Amyra. Rather than complicate things further or trap Aditi and me in a hollow relationship, I confessed the truth to Aditi. We mutually agreed to end it.”
I take a breath and look at their reaction before continuing. My father looked at me and asked, “Did you talk to Amyra?” The question, perhaps, is in everyone’s mind.
“A few days later, I confessed my love to Amyra after telling her about the breakup. She didn’t reject me, but she said it was too much to process and that she needed time and peace. That’s when she began distancing herself from me. I don’t have her answer yet, but I will wait. The real reason behind this gathering,” I conclude quietly, “is to apologise to all of you.”
Finishing my speech, I rise from the sofa and drop to my knees. Instantly, my family stands up in alarm.
“I know I’ve been negligent, not just in hurting and disappointing all of you, but also in giving Aditi false hope by asking her to date me. Please believe me when I say it was never intentional. I may have belittled my childhood promise, but only because I failed to see its value and couldn’t recognise my love for Amyra.
Being friends with her for so many years, I never realised when I fell in love or how she quietly became the centre of my world. That blindness led me to make terrible decisions.
Mistakes make us human, and I am no exception. I am not here to defend myself, only to explain that everything I did came fromconfusion. I beg for your forgiveness and hope for your support to fulfil my promise someday.” I join my hands and stand back up. Everyone’s expressions differ; my parents’ faces clouded with dismay, Amyra’s parents burning with anger.
“So you’re the reason both my daughters have been melancholic lately,” Harsha Uncle roars, “avoiding each other just to keep distance.” Guilt drags me down again as I realise Amyra and Aditi aren’t even on speaking terms because of me.
“I’m truly sorry, Uncle.” That’s all I manage to say before he looks away with a heavy sigh.
“You should have been more mindful of your choices, Reyansh. Because of you, our daughters’ lives are disturbed. Had you not made these mistakes, you and Amyra would have been happy, holding onto your childhood promise, and Aditi would have focused wholeheartedly on her career. Now they both seem lost, especially Amyra, who must be drowning in guilt, believing she caused her sister’s breakup—”
“But that’s not true,” I interrupt instinctively. “I made it clear that this breakup happened because of me, not because of Amyra. She never interfered in our relationship. Why would she blame herself? The fault is mine alone.”
I cut Neelima aunty off because neither Aditi nor I would ever blame Amyra. It has always been my feelings for her that disrupted everything.
“But Amyra might not think that way,” Neelima aunty continues calmly. “She’s likely buried under guilt for ruining her sister’s relationship and is probably ashamed to face Aditi. That’s also why she may have rejected you, believing accepting your lovewould go against her morals.” Her words send a dull ache through my chest.
For the millionth time, I regret dating Aditi.
How do I untangle this mess now?
“Neelima is right,” Harsha Uncle adds. “Amyra has always been protective of Aditi. Accepting your love may have felt like a betrayal to her sister, so she pushed you away.” For the first time in days, my mother speaks softly. The gentleness in her voice eases my tension just a little.
“But Mom, it’s not because of her—”
