I look at her, and she waits for my response as I sit up straight. My face remains void of any emotion.
“Tell me,” she nudges me once more, and I break.
“Divorce.”
Her mouth falls open beside me, and I look ahead, dead serious.
“I would like to have a divorce.”
Reyansh Carter
When I was in my early teens, other kids at my school always used to say that I was the biggest asshole in the world.
And now, I agree with them. Because no way in hell would any sane man talk to the woman that they love—the one who after six years still makes their heart race, who still has them in a chokehold—the way I did this morning.
I am an asshole and a loser. Big one.
When I first saw Aisha in university, I felt my lifeless heart resurrect back to life. Before her, I had been in multiple relationships—ones that lacked meaning and love. I never felt as connected to any woman as I did with her. From the moment our eyes locked, I was done for. Too lost in her beautiful brown eyes and her fierce retorts.
For most of my life, I had been the confident, extrovert guy—one who walked into the room like he owned it. But Aisha was an exception. I couldn’t utter a single word to her when she was introducing herself to my group. It wasn’t till I saw other guys buzzing around her like bees that I gathered the courage to go up to her and ask her out.
What could I do? I was helpless. She hated men with every fiber of her being. Guys who had asked her out had been very sarcastically refused. I didn’t have the guts to get my heart broken that way.
I still remember the day I asked her out. I had asked my mom for tips, and she said to go follow my heart; if the girl refuses, then it’s her loss. But I couldn’t make her understand that losing her would always be my loss.
You don’t find women like Aisha in your life twice.
Yet I took my own words for granted.
One month into our relationship, and I had already started envisioning a life with her. One that was filled with puppies, books, food, and love. Little did I know that I would be the one ruining that dream soon enough.
Was getting married right after we graduated from university the reason for the bitterness that followed in our relationship? I don’t know.
I always knew I wanted to get married young. I didn’t want to make the mistake that my parents did.
I thought I was doing the right thing by getting married to the woman I loved. Maybe that was the mistake.
* * *
As I get into the building of my office—Carter & Co. Architects—I try my best to forget her sad face I was responsible for. But it’s so damn hard to get her out of my mind. She plagues me like a disease. One I will never want to get rid of.
Building Carter & Co. Architects from the ground up was my lifelong dream. Ever since I discovered my love for architecture, I have been obsessed with starting something of my own. I used to think that it was an unachievable dream, and I should just go via the safe route and start working under my dad.
It was Aisha who supported my dream. She was the one who pushed me to talk to my parents once we graduated. She is the only woman behind my success. The success that later took me away from said woman.
I walk in my cabin, ready to submerge myself in work—the only thing that I am good at doing—when I notice him sitting in my chair.
I roll my eyes at him, and he just grins, not bothering to get up from my chair even when I stare at him.
“Care to explain why you are here, Aarav Singhania?” I ask, my arms crossed at my chest.
Aarav Singhania—my best friend since childhood—has always been a pain in the ass. He was attached to my hip till we went to university, only for him to drop out later on to become a full-time content creator in NYC.
“I missed my best friend, so I flew down all the way from NYC to London,” he smiles before getting up to hug me. I grumble, not a huge fan of physical touch, before patting his shoulder, causing him to chuckle.
“Nice seeing you still alive,” he says as I drop my stuff on the other chair since I don’t think he is in the mood to leave my chair, as he moves to sit down there once again.
I frown. “You sound surprised. Why is that?”
