Pratham

As I run up the stairs—taking two at a time—to Yash's apartment in the city, the only thought consuming me is my need to see Nitya.

It's been two days since she left the house and each second of those two days without her have felt like an eternity to me.

The closer I get to the apartment, the faster my heart pounds. And when I finally reach there, my breath catches in my throat.

Not wanting to wait anymore, I bang on the door with a force, continuing to bang until it opens.

I see Yash standing on the other side of the door, glaring at me. "Nitya doesn't want to see you," he says before I can ask anything.

A surge of frustration courses through me. "You are capable of caring about what others want?"

He flinches slightly due to my jab, but doesn't back down. "I can't let you in," he insists, blocking the doorway with his body. "I don't want Nitya to get hurt."

"Are you fucking kidding with me right now, Yash?" I scoff, my anger flaring. "You really think I'll hurt her?"

"You already have." He steps closer, his face inches from mine. "You must have done something that has hurt her to such extent. I've never seen her this way before. I asked her many times, but she didn't tell me what you did. She only said she needed to get away so you could be happy in your life."

My heart clenches painfully at his words, but I don't back down. I can't.

I need to talk with Nitya. I need to clear her misunderstanding.

"I know I've hurt her. But I'm here to make it right."

"You had your chance with her and you ruined it," Yash says, his expression unyielding. "She has been through enough already. Just leave her alone now."

"Who the hell are you to decide that?" I yell at him, my voice shaking with emotions.

"I'm her brother."

"And I'm her husband," I counter. "You can't stop me from meeting her."

When Yash doesn't relent, I feel the anger rising within me.

"Move, Yash," I growl. "I need to see my wife."

He squares his shoulder, his stance firm. "Not if I can help it," he shoots back.

At his words, I feel a surge of rage building within me. "Get out of my way. Or, you'll regret it."

He doesn't budge. "I'm not letting you through. You have hurt my sister enough."

That's it.

With my patience running out, I swing the first punch to him that hits his jaw. He also counters, landing a punch to my shoulder.

As I'm about to swing again, I hear a voice.

"What are you doing?"

Nitya.

I immediately let go of Yash and turn to look at her. She is standing a few steps away from me, her eyes wide with shock, her hands trembling slightly.

Rushing to her, I cradle her face, leaning my forehead against her, breathing her in.

"Nitya," I whisper, my voice hoarse due to the surge of emotions swirling within me after seeing her.

We stay like that for a few seconds, but our moment breaks when Yash clears his throat.

Why is he still here?

My annoyance at him rises when Nitya moves back from me, not letting me hold her anymore.

Turning to Yash, I say, "Get out. I need to talk with my wife."

"This is my house," he hisses. "You can't tell me to get out."

"I really don't want t—"

"Stop it," Nitya interrupts me, shaking her head at both of us.

"Bhaiyya, can you please give us some privacy?" She says to Yash and I smirk at him, folding my arms over my chest.

His face contorts in irritation as he looks at me, but he doesn't say anything to me.

"Are you sure you are ready to talk with him?" He asks Nitya instead.

"Yes. I need to," she replies, and he nods at her.

Then, shooting me one last warning look, he turns and walks out of the apartment, closing the door behind him.

The tension in the room shifts after Yash is gone, but it's still thick, heavy with unspoken words and raw emotions.

For a moment, Nitya and I just stand there, facing each other.

"Why are you here?" She finally asks.

"I'm here for you, Nitya. I'm here because I can't let you go," I reply, my voice hoarse with emotion.

"You can't do this to me, Prathamji." She looks at me with such pain in her eyes that I take a step toward her, wanting to take her in my arms. But I stop when she takes a step back.

It pinches me when I see the doubt in her eyes, causing me to snap at her. "How could you, Nitya? After everything we've been through, how could you leave just like that?"

"I left because you broke my trust," she replies, her voice shaking with anger and hurt. "How could you continue to be with her even after telling me you wanted to start anew with me? How could you let her hug you? How could you—"

"I didn't break your trust, Nitya," I interrupt, my voice rising. "I was going to tell you about her."

She shakes her head, stepping back, moving away from me. "I don't know what to believe anymore. You say you were going to tell me. Yet, you were there, in your office, hugging her, listening to her about freeing yourself from the marriage you were forced into." Her voice cracks, but she does not stop. "Did you tell her you'll leave me? Is that why you are here? To finally end everything with me from your side too so you can be with her?"

"What kind of nonsense are you spewing?" I reach her in a few strides and clutch her arms, not letting her move away. "I won't ever leave you, Nitya. How can I when I love you so much? How can I ever think of ending anything with you when being without you just for a few days is enough to rob me of my breath? Why the hell would I ever want to be with her when you are the light of my life?"

I stop and freeze when I realize what I blurted out. I had decided to confess my love to her but I hadn't plan on doing it this way.

Nitya stares at me, her mouth slightly open, shock spreading across her face. "What did you say?" She whispers, her voice barely audible.

I take a shaky breath, my chest tightening with emotions. I pull her closer to me, gaze deeply into her eyes, and say, "I love you, Nitya. I let my past and guilt complicate things in such a way that I kept refusing to admit my feelings and to show them. But I have realized now. No guilt, no past, nothing, and no one matters to me more than you. I can't lose you. Not now, not ever."

Nitya

I stare at Prathamji, my heart pounding so loudly that I'm sure he can hear it.

The words he just said are the ones I have been longing to hear ever since I realized my love for him.

I want to believe him, I want to throw my arms around him, kiss him, and let all my pain dissolve in the warmth of his embrace.

But I don't because something inside me holds me back—a wall I can't quite break through no matter how much I want to.

The memory of them together in the office still haunts me. Her arms wrapped around him, her smirk when she saw me there, the way she had kissed his neck—it's all too fresh in my mind.

I swallow, trying to find my voice. "Why didn't you tell me about her?"

Prathamji's face falls and he looks at me with a mix of anguish and regret. "I thought I would first deal with her without involving you. And then tell you about her once she left for good. You've been through so much recently, Nitya. I didn't want any more stress to pile onto that."

"That's not how it works," I say, my voice low because I suddenly feel too tired. Sleepless nights, the pain, the tears, taking toll on me. "You can't decide what to tell me and what to hide from me."

"I know. I was wrong," he murmurs, running a hand through his hair. "I thought I was doing the right thing, but I've realized now that I only made things worse. Please, just give me one chance to make this right."

Although I want to say yes, the doubt still lingers, the uncertainty twisting my insides.

"I need to know about you and Sandhya before I can decide on that," I say, my voice firm despite the tears welling up in my eyes. "Tell me everything from the beginning."