Namaste
Chapter 27

Abhimaan carefully carried Tanushree in his arms, her fragile frame feeling lighter than ever. As he descended the stairs, her parents hovered in worry, but she stared blankly into the distance, her face void of any emotion. Gently, he laid her on the bed, tucking a pillow behind her head. 

Her mother knelt beside her, holding her hand tightly. “Laado, why? What were you thinking? How could you even—” she choked up, unable to finish her sentence. 

Her father placed a trembling hand on her shoulder. “Beta, talk to us... please.” 

But Tanushree didn’t respond, didn’t even blink. She looked through them as if they weren’t there. 

“Can I have a moment with her? Alone?” Abhimaan asked, his voice soft but firm. 

Her parents exchanged hesitant glances, unsure whether to trust him, but eventually, they nodded and stepped out of the room. 

Abhimaan let out a heavy sigh, pulling a chair closer to the bed. As he glanced down, he noticed a deep scratch on her ankle, blood trickling down. His chest tightened at the sight. He looked around, spotting a first aid box on a nearby shelf. 

“You’re hurt,” he murmured, kneeling beside her. 

Tanushree remained unresponsive, her gaze fixed on the ceiling. 

He opened the box, took out antiseptic and cotton, and gently reached for her foot. As soon as he touched her ankle, she flinched and pulled her leg back. 

“Please, Tanu,” he pleaded, his voice breaking. “Let me clean it. It’s bleeding.” 

Still, she refused to look at him. 

Abhimaan swallowed hard, his hands trembling as he tried again. “Had I come a moment later… I would’ve lost you. I would’ve lost you both. Why would you do that? Why, Tanu?” 

Her eyes glistened, tears pooling but refusing to fall. She stayed quiet for a moment longer, before finally whispering, her voice cracked and broken, “That would have been the best…..Where did I go wrong?” 

His hands froze, the cotton slipping from his fingers. 

“What have I ever done to you to treat me like… like a piece of crap?” she continued, her voice rising slightly, her pain finally spilling over. 

He tried to speak, but she didn’t let him. 

“You could’ve just said it, Abhimaan! That you didn’t want to marry me. That you were ashamed of me—of my education, my family’s financial background.” Her voice broke further as tears streamed down her face. “You could’ve just said you didn’t want me. That you were already in love with someone else. Someone who fit perfectly beside you. Someone like her.” 

Abhimaan’s throat tightened as he listened, guilt crashing over him like a tidal wave. He reached out to touch her hand, but she pulled away, clutching the sheets like they were her only lifeline. 

“Tanu… I—” he began, his voice shaking, but he couldn’t find the words. 

Abhimaan sat frozen, his hands limp on his lap, words stuck in his throat. 

Tanushree’s voice trembled, each word laced with years of bottled-up anguish. “Do you know what people in your circle call me? Gawar. Gold digger. Illiterate. They whisper it at parties, snicker behind my back. And you? You don’t even defend me. You see me the same way they do, don’t you?” 

Abhimaan’s head shot up, his lips parting, but she didn’t give him a chance to speak. 

“You think I’m nothing more than a bed warmer or a gold digger after your money. Don’t you?!” Her voice cracked, tears spilling as her pain turned to anger. “But you know what? I always thought you were worth it. All the insults, the humiliation—I told myself it would be okay because I believed in you.” 

Her voice dropped, softer, trembling. “But then… I got pregnant. And I thought… maybe, just maybe, you’d care. That you’d see me differently now that I’m carrying our child. But what did you do?” She laughed bitterly, shaking her head. 

“That day, when you disappeared during our reception… I covered for you. I lied for you, told everyone you had an urgent work call. But you? You were with her, weren’t you?!” Her voice rose, her chest heaving as the memories spilled out. “And when I saw the nail marks on you, you dismissed it like it was nothing. Like I’m nothing.” 

Abhimaan’s face paled, guilt flashing in his eyes. 

“I bought a few art supplies—something small to make myself happy. But you? You called me a gold digger. Me! Meanwhile, she—your Sophia—has your black card, wears that expensive ring you gave her, flaunts it like a trophy.” 

She clenched her fists, trembling with rage. And then, suddenly, she slapped him. The sound echoed in the room, sharp and piercing. 

“How dare you?” she spat, grabbing his collar with both hands, her eyes blazing with fury. “How dare you crawl into bed with me after you’ve been with her?!” 

Her grip on his collar tightened as her voice broke, but her resolve didn’t waver. “Yes, I’m poor. Yes, I’m not educated like your friends. But that doesn’t mean you can treat me like dirt under your shoe. I’m not a doormat, Abhimaan. I have self-respect. I deserve better than this. Better than you.” 

Her hands slowly let go of his collar, and she stepped back, wiping her tears with trembling fingers. The silence that followed was deafening, and Abhimaan couldn’t bring himself to look her in the eye. For the first time, he truly understood the depth of the damage he had caused. 

Tanushree stepped back, her breaths uneven, tears streaming down her face. Her voice, though trembling, carried the weight of her finality. “You know what, Abhimaan? You’re deserving of someone like Sophia. She’s your match in every way—selfish, shallow, and deceitful. You don’t deserve me.” 

Her words hit him like a blow, but before he could respond, she turned, opened the bedside table, and yanked out her engagement ring and nuptial chain. Without hesitation, she threw them at him, the clinking sound echoing in the tense silence of the room. 

“Take these,” she said, her voice cutting through the air. “Take your promises, your lies, and your guilt, and get out of my life. Forever. Never come back, Abhimaan. Never show your face to me again.” 

Abhimaan stared at the ring and chain lying on the floor, the weight of her words sinking in. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Tanushree didn’t wait for him to say anything. She turned her back to him, her shoulders shaking as she held herself together. 

“Go,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Just… go.” 

Unable to argue, unable to fix what was shattered, Abhimaan picked up the ring and chain with trembling hands. He cast one last look at her, hoping for a chance to explain, to apologize, but the cold wall she had built around herself left no room for him. 

Without another word, he walked out, leaving behind the woman he had hurt beyond repair.

Tanushree stood by the window, her trembling hands clutching the frame as she watched Abhimaan walk to his car. The early morning light cast shadows over his figure, but she could still see the heaviness in his steps. As he reached the car, he stopped for a moment and turned, his eyes locking with hers. 

Guilt and remorse filled his gaze, pleading for something—an ounce of forgiveness, perhaps, or a chance to make things right. But Tanushree’s face remained unreadable, her tears long dried, her heart steeling itself against him. 

She didn’t move, didn’t blink. Her silence said everything. 

Abhimaan sighed, a deep, shaky breath that seemed to carry his regrets with it, and got into his car. The engine roared to life, and moments later, he drove away, disappearing down the road. 

Tanushree stood there for a while, staring at the empty street. The stillness of the morning felt deafening, but her mind was calm for the first time in weeks. She wasn’t numb anymore; she was done. 

Done with the lies, the humiliation, the pain. Done with sacrificing herself for someone who didn’t see her worth. She knew now that she would never allow Abhimaan Rathore near her heart again. 

He had broken her once, but that was it. From this moment forward, she promised herself she would rebuild—not for him, not for anyone else, but for herself and the child she carried.

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