“Yes, Mom?”
“If you have hurt her too much, you best believe I will stand by her side in filing a divorce.”
I gulp the lump forming in my throat. I just hope it doesn’t come down to that.
“Yes, Mom. I understand.”
She hangs up on me after that, and my shoulders slump down.
What my mom doesn’t know is that if I have hurt her to the point where I can’t get my wife, my Aisha, back, I will end my life myself.
Because my life would be worthless without her anyways.
Aisha Kapoor
Inever knew our ceiling would be so interesting, but apparently it is. Because for the past hour all I have been doing is stare at it as if it were carved from gold and diamonds.
Reyansh didn’t come in after dropping a bomb on me that both of our moms are coming to see us tomorrow. At first, I thought he was lying to make me stay. I was like 90% sure he was, but again, what will he get from making me stay one more day when I will leave eventually?
At least, that’s what I keep telling myself because I know if my strength wavers and all the pep talks I have been giving myself fail, I will go and fold right back into the arms of the man who has hurt me countless times.
I was so close to losing my control when he was close to me in his car. His forehead resting against mine and his warm breath hitting my tender skin was enough to make me weak. I have always been weak for intimacy with him. Even a touch of his fingers makes me melt.
But I need to remember that this could all be his potential guilt. If he loved me enough, he wouldn’t have jeopardized our relationship.
But if I loved him enough, wouldn’t I have done so too? The distance between us wasn’t created in a day or abruptly. It happened when we stopped regarding each other in those smallmoments where we should have instead held each other’s hand. It happened when we let our ego get in between our relationship, and now it’s crumbling down to dust.
I toss and turn all night, my eyes hurting from holding back my tears, but I don’t let them fall.
Not yet, at least. Besides, I will have plenty of time to cry in the next coming days.
* * *
My alarm manages to wake me up on time for once, and I get up groaning. I don’t know how or when I fell asleep, but my neck hurts, most probably from the weird position I took while sleeping.
I lower my feet on the rug below, staring at it as if it is the most interesting thing in the world. Truth is, I have no energy in me. I don’t want to even leave the comfort of my bed, the comfort of the house we built with love. But knowing I will have to sooner or later breaks my heart slowly and slowly, shattering me into a fragile mess.
I get up from the bed, my eyebrows furrowed when I hear a familiar voice outside.
My heart races as I rush out of my room, my mind not believing it to be true.
“Why is your house so empty, Reyanshbeta?” I hear her questioning, and my heart leaps out of my chest.
Of course, it is her.
“Maa,”I move towards her, my feelings taking over as I hug her, ignoring how she must be tired from such a long flight. But she is here, and that’s all I want.
That is all I wanted all along.
She hugs me back, her arms tightening around me, and suddenly I am the little girl who was leavingMaafor the first time. Tears in my eyes, but I don’t let them fall.
She still doesn’t know my decision; she doesn’t even know what has happened between us. I am not even ready to tell her the truth yet.
Because she is just as attached to him as I am. She sees a son in him that she never had, and I know and hate the fact that our divorce will impact her so much.
“Aisha,” she says softly. “Let me breathe,beta.”
I chuckle as I pull away, and she smiles warmly at me. The lines beside her eyes wrinkle as she smiles, and I almost forgot how beautiful my mother is.
