As Aditya lifted his gaze to meet Anushka's, his heart seemed to reach an absolute halt, his breath caught in his throat, drowning his Adam's apple in a suffocation that prevented him from even making a sound.

Like a man depraved, desperate for the last morsel that would satiate his hunger that'd spanned for months, he rose, jumping swiftly over the desk, cuffs clanging as he did, yanking his body back to the table that was cemented to the ground; he was so close, so damn close but yet so damn far. With trembling hands, he reached out, his fingers brushing against her cheek as if to confirm that she was real. "Zoya," he breathed, his voice barely a whisper. "You're here. You're alive."

Anushka gasped at his touch, flinching at the trail of warmth his finger pads scattered over her cheek and jaw, her brown orbs widened as a lone tear slid down his stubbled cheek and into the dip of his chest.

"I knew it, I-" he shook his head, a raucous laugh reverberating from his lips, "I knew you wouldn't leave me, my Zoya" he framed her face with his hands, a smile on his face that lit up the room.

For a mere moment, she was caught off guard by the intensity of his reaction, her heart aching with a strange mixture of sorrow and longing. No one had ever looked at her with such raw emotion, such desperate hope. For a fleeting moment, she allowed herself to believe in the impossible and she found her eyes shutting on their own accord and her face further nuzzling into his touch.

"Everything I said" he grimaced, "I was so stupid, so, so stupid, I know you would never cheat on me, I was caught in the moment, you know me, act first and think later". He captured her face in a hold ensuring her eyes met his so she'd see the sincerity in his eyes "I am so, so sorry, baby".

Like ice-cold water had been poured over her, Anushka froze, slowly, she peeled his hands away, dashing away how much she missed the warmth as she did. Stepping back, she looked away from the longing in his eyes that she knew matched her own. "I am not Zoya, my name is-" she stopped herself at the look on his face.

Ignoring her words, he ran his eyes over her, hands reaching out to close the distance but never quite getting there. "Don't be silly" he almost wanted to laugh. "Of course you are Zoya, my Zoy-" the name hitched in his throat as he noted her bare throat, the chain he'd given her to signify their vow to one another was nowhere to be seen.

Following his gaze, she looked down, unconsciously her hand ran over her neck as she did, as if she was searching for it too.

"Get out" he roared, turning away from her.

"Mr Hooda?" Her voice was low, confusion marring her tone.

"What?" He seethed, "You didn't hear me? I said" he spoke through gritted teeth; "Get out!" Aditya shoved a hand through his black hair, gnawing on his lip in frustration as he did. God, he knew he'd said some stupid things, but for her to remove the one and only sign of their marriage like it didn't even matter to her was just a little too much to take.

Her heart shattered at the anguish in his words, his anger a painful reminder of the depth of his grief. She saw the torment in his eyes, the desperate need for closure and understanding. Tears welled in her own eyes as she reached out to him, her voice trembling with sorrow. "I'm not going anywhere, Mr Hooda" she insisted, her words a fragile thread in the silence of the room.

Spinning on his heel, he clenched his fists "Why do you keep calling me that? Huh?" Frustration darkened his face. "Mr Hooda" he mimicked childishly, "You always call me Aditya, so what's changed now? Is it Rajveer? IS IT?" His eyes were bewildered, frenzied in their madness.

The woman recoiled, her eyes wide with fear, her hands trembling at her sides. A faint sheen of sweat glistened on her forehead, betraying her unease. "Rajveer? I, I don't follow" Her head shook sideways as if trying to make some sense of the mess. "I am not Zoya" she spoke defiantly now, "My name is Anushka and I am your Lawyer".

As Aditya's desperation collided with the harsh reality before him, frustration surged through his veins like wildfire. With trembling hands, he ran them down his face. "Why do you keep lying?" he demanded, his voice raw with emotion. "I know it's you, Zoya. Stop pretending."

Anushka's heart broke at the pain in his voice, the depth of his longing tearing at her soul. "I can't," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the tumult of his emotions. "I can't be someone I'm not, but I'm here, Mr Hooda and I'll do everything in my power to help you".

But he refused to listen, his anger fueling the flames of his despair. "Why won't you admit it?" he demanded, his voice rising with each word. "Why won't you just tell me the truth?" Then as if it all clicked, he reached for her, tugging her closer so she bound into his chest, his mind raced, his emotions in turmoil. How could this woman look so much like Zoya but not be her?

No.

No, it wasn't possible.

Panic began to claw at his chest, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps. "But... you look just like her," he insisted, his voice trembling with desperation. "Are you hurt? What happened?" Ignoring her protests, his hands drew upwards to grab her shoulders. He pulled her closer, his eyes scanning her face for any sign of injury. "Are you hurt?" he repeated urgently, his voice thick with emotion. "Did he hurt you?"

Her breath caught in her throat, her body tensing under his touch. She tried to step back, but his grip on her shoulders tightened, his fingers digging into her skin. "I-I'm fine, Mr Hooda," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

Regardless of his efforts, he couldn't shake the nagging sense of unease gnawing at his gut. He stared at Anushka, his eyes burning with intensity. "Why do you keep denying it?" he demanded, his voice rising with frustration. "You're Zoya! You're supposed to love me! Why are you pretending to be someone else?" His words hung in the air like a heavy weight, the room falling silent save for the pounding of his heart and then, in a burst of anger and despair, Aditya lashed out, flipping the table in front of him with a violent shove. "Tell me the truth!" he roared, his voice echoing off the walls. "Tell me why you're doing this to me!"

Throwing herself against the door, she bit back a scream, recoiling further, she shut her eyes tightly, willing all of this to be a nightmare she'd soon wake from. Her breath came in shallow gasps, her eyes wide with terror as she struggled to find her voice. "I-I didn't mean to upset you," she stammered, her words barely audible above the pounding of Aditya's heart. "I just want to help you, Mr Hooda, I swear."

Though her words seemed honest, he couldn't bring himself to disbelieve that which he saw in favour of that which he heard. His eyes narrowed with suspicion, heart pounding in his chest, each beat echoing the tumultuous storm raging within him. "Do you want me to go down for your murder?" he asked, his voice trembling with a mixture of hurt and accusation. "Why would you come in here and show me you're alive, only to ask me to believe your words over my own eyes?"

Tears welled in Anushka's eyes, her hands trembling at her sides as she struggled to contain her emotions. "Please, Mr Hooda," she pleaded, her voice barely a whisper. "I know this is difficult to understand, but you have to trust me. You have to believe that I'm here to help you, no matter how impossible it may seem" she recoiled further, her back pressing against the cold, unforgiving wall.

But Aditya's mind was a whirlwind of doubt and confusion. His thoughts raced, each one more frantic than the last as he tried to make sense of the impossible situation before him. "Help me?" he repeated, his voice laced with bitterness. "How can you help me when you won't even admit who you are? When you won't even acknowledge the truth?"

"I need you to try to tru-".

His resolve had hardened like steel, his trust shattered by the cruel twist of fate that had brought him face to face with his past. He glared at her, his eyes ablaze with anger and betrayal. "Trust you?" he scoffed, his voice dripping with venom. "How can I trust you when you won't even trust me with the truth? Tell me the truth!" he roared, his voice echoing off the walls. "Tell me why you're doing this to me?"

Unable to take anymore, she twisted her body, yanked open the door and ran, his shouts calling her a name she had never gone by ringing out no matter how far she got or how fast she got there.

***

Aditya lay on his narrow bed in the dimly lit jail cell, his body racked with sobs that seemed to emanate from the depths of his soul. Tears streamed down his cheeks unchecked, tracing a path of despair and anguish. His eyes, once filled with warmth and vitality, now seemed dull and lifeless, reflecting the crushing weight of his circumstances.

Outside his cell, the world bustled with activity, oblivious to the torment consuming him from within. But within the confines of his cold, lonely cell, he was adrift in a sea of pain and confusion, his mind a whirlwind of shattered dreams and broken promises.

He curled into himself, his hands clutching at the thin blanket beneath him as if seeking solace from the unforgiving reality of his situation. Memories of happier times flooded his mind, each one a painful reminder of all that he had lost.

Zoya's laughter echoed in his ears, her smile etched into his heart. But now, she was gone, torn from his life in the cruellest of ways, leaving behind a void that seemed impossible to fill and the worst part, he couldn't work out if he would have preferred her to actually be dead so she wouldn't haunt him like a ghost, alive and breathing in physical form yet the woman he'd loved was nowhere to be found, a memory at most.

As the hours passed and darkness descended, Aditya's cries gradually subsided, leaving behind a hollow emptiness that seemed to stretch on for eternity. He led there, eyes unblinking as he stared at the ceiling, his breaths ragged and uneven, his heart heavy with grief. "Toh phir aao, mujhko satao" he sang, voice monotone, "Toh phir aao, mujhko rulao" Turning on to his back, he shut his eyes "Aa bhi jao, aa bhi jao, oh aa bhi jao".

Oooh fast update! I'm so enjoying writing this and I truly hope you're enjoying reading it!