Kesha arrived at Shikha's house that night. As usual, Shikha was deeply missing Mohit. She was lost in thoughts of him, repeatedly checking her phone for any calls, but there were none. Disappointment washed over her. Observing Shikha's somber mood, Kesha moved to the couch and looked at her sympathetically.

"Shikha, what's wrong? Missing Mohit?" Kesha asked.

Shikha snapped back to reality and replied, "Yes... He hasn't called me even once since yesterday. How can he be so busy? I'm his wife; he should have called me at least once."

"Come here, Shikha. Sit with me," Kesha said, patting the seat next to her.

Shikha went over and sat beside her. "What's going on?" she asked.

"You love him so much. You can't live without him, can you?" Kesha observed.

Shikha looked down, a single tear escaping her eye. Kesha noticed and said, "Hey, don't cry, dear. He'll be back. I'm sure he misses you just as much as you miss him."

Shikha buried her face in Kesha's neck and began to sob uncontrollably. "I don't know, Kesha. I just want him with me. I can't stay without him. Why did he leave me alone here?"

Kesha cupped Shikha's face and said, "Shikha, stop crying. If Mohit finds out, he'll feel terrible. He'll come back. Piyush is also away and hasn't called me either. But see, I'm fine. Although I miss him too, crying won't bring him back."

Shikha nodded, "But he could have called me at least once."

"Shikha, you both are so sweet. You love each other so much. But you need to take care of yourself. Don't make yourself sick. Please, don't do this," Kesha pleaded.

With that, she made Shikha eat something and helped her get to sleep. Three days passed with no sign of Mohit. Shikha felt utterly broken, yearning for him, and was consumed by anger, frustration, and sadness. She waited for him day and night.

On Sunday, Shikha was at home while Kesha chose to stay at her place. Shikha lay on her bed like a lifeless body, her eyes wet as she stared at the window. Just then, the doorbell rang repeatedly before Shikha roused herself and slowly went to the door. She wiped her tears and opened it, surprised to see Mohit standing there with a smile. He stepped forward and hugged her tightly.

Shikha stood stiffly, fuming with anger, not returning the hug. Without breaking the embrace, Mohit said, "I missed you so much. Did you miss me?"

"Let go of me, Mohit, right now," Shikha said sternly.

Mohit was taken aback. He looked at her with confusion. Shikha pushed him away, breaking the hug, and ran toward the room. Mohit, worried and perplexed, left his bag by the door, closed it, and followed her. He entered the room to find Shikha standing by the bed, sobbing and gasping for breath.

"Shikha, what's wrong? Is everything alright?" he asked, but before he could finish, Shikha threw a pillow at him.

Mohit raised his arms to shield himself, completely shocked and unable to understand Shikha's behavior.

"What is this madness?" he exclaimed as Shikha threw another pillow at him.

"SHIKHAAA... HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?" he shouted.

"Yes, I've lost my mind," Shikha retorted.

Mohit softened his tone. "Okay, what happened? Tell me... I'm here."

"You're here? Where were you, Mohit? You left me all alone. Not even a single phone call. You didn't even tell me you were leaving. Did you ever think of me?" she sobbed heavily.

"No, Shikha, I missed you a lot. I said I'd call you if I got a chance, but I never did," he said, moving closer to her. "It was a mess there... You know I love you."

"Love me? You never loved me, Mohit. If you did, you would have called me at least once," she cried.

"Alright, I'm sorry. I won't do it again. Look at what you've done to yourself," he said, opening his arms for a hug. "Come here."

Shikha took three steps back. "Just go away. I hate you, Mohit."

"Come on, I'm sorry. I missed you so much," he pleaded, lowering his arms. "I have a surprise for you. I'm sure you'll love it."

He left the room, retrieved a box from his bag, and returned. "Look, I brought you a new phone," he said with a smile, trying to placate her.

Shikha took the phone and threw it against the wall, shattering it into pieces. Mohit's eyes widened, and he was now seething with anger.

"Shikha... What on earth was that? Have you completely lost your mind? That phone costed me a lakh. How could you do that?"

"I don't want your phone or your money. I don't want anything from you. And your money... wait," she said, going to her cupboard and pulling out her cheque book. She wrote a cheque and threw it at Mohit. "Here, take it. And never show me your money again," she said, her anger boiling over.

She began to head towards the living area, but an infuriated Mohit grabbed her arm, pulled her back, and pinned her against the wall.

"What do you think you're doing? Do you think I'm your servant? Just because I've been patient doesn't mean you have the right to insult me. And you think you can show me money? I earn more than you. And now you say you don't need me... then why this anger, these tears? You couldn't stay away from me, could you? You went crazy without me. First, you ran away, and now... admit it, Shikha, you LOVE ME TOO. I know everything—how much you cried in my absence. Kesha told me everything," he said, his voice softening as he saw her tears.

"I admit I was wrong. I shouldn't have left you alone. But what you did today... I'm stunned. If you don't need me, fine... I won't intrude," he said, leaving her and walking out of the room.

Shikha sat down and cried bitterly, while Mohit was also deeply disturbed.

In the evening, Shikha came out of the room and saw Mohit lying on the couch, possibly asleep. She went to the kitchen and started preparing dinner. After setting the table, she approached Mohit, who was still lying there.

With a great deal of hesitation and courage, Shikha called out, "Mohit..."

There was no response.

"Mohit, get up. Come on, have some food. I know you haven't eaten since morning," she said, tears welling in her eyes.

Mohit got up, saw her, and then made an angry face before starting to walk away.

Unable to control herself, Shikha grabbed his arm, pulled him towards her, and hugged him tightly, sobbing. Mohit did not return the hug.

"I'm sorry, Mohit. I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have acted like that. I don't know what came over me. I'm so sorry," she cried. "You left me alone like this. I was so worried about you. I was desperate for you, Mohit. Please forgive me."

Mohit's demeanor softened, and he hugged her back. "Shhh... Shikha, stop crying. I understand. If I were in your place, I might have reacted the same way."

Shikha held him even tighter.

"Please, never do this again. I love you very much. Only I know how I managed without you. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me," Mohit said.

Shikha looked up at him and said, "Promise me you will never leave me like this again."

"Promise. I will never do it again. But please, now smile. I'm hungry," Mohit replied.

Shikha smiled. "Let's go."

They had dinner together and fell asleep in each other's embrace.

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