Ep 2

Niyati

"It wasn't the alcohol that made me reckless. It was the freedom of not feeling... just for one night."

I was wasted.

For the first time in my life, I had alcohol. Before tonight, I used to think drinking was a sin. A crime. Something people did when they had no self-respect left. But now... now I get it.

Now I understand why someone would want to drown in a bitter liquid that burns your throat and numbs your soul. Because tonight, my heart has been shattered into pieces so small, I'm not sure I can ever put them back together.

Raj left me. He didn't just leave me-he abandoned me at the mandap, in front of hundreds of eyes, in the middle of sacred rituals. One moment I was ready to start forever with him, and the next, I was standing there, alone... in silence.

It wasn't just the abandonment. It was the reason he gave that pierced deeper than any blade.

"I never loved you."

Those four words ripped through me like fire through dry leaves. Four years... four entire years, I gave him everything-my love, my trust, my soul. And he didn't love me? Not even once?

How was I supposed to handle that?

I staggered my way to Marine Drive, half-dragging my saree, the red and gold fabric soaked with ocean breeze and broken dreams. My jewelry jingled with each step, echoing like cruel reminders of the wedding that never was. My vision was blurred, not sure whether it was the alcohol or the tears-or maybe both.

But when I saw him-Raj-sitting there, staring up at the sky like the world had broken him too, something inside me cracked even deeper.

Why did he look so lost?

Wasn't he the one who left me? The one who told me I looked like an 'aunty'? The one who walked away for a model who was supposedly pregnant with his child?

Why did he look like he was the one betrayed?

Suddenly, something took over me. Maybe it was the alcohol. Maybe it was heartbreak. Maybe it was just love-twisted and pathetic love-but I wanted to feel him one last time.

I wanted him to see what he was about to lose forever.

I reached him from behind, grabbed his collar, and spun him around. His eyes widened in shock as I leaned in and touched my lips to his. My first kiss. It was clumsy, unskilled... but honest.

I didn't know what to do next. I just waited. Waited for him to take control, to hold me, to tell me he still felt something.

But instead, he tried to pull away.

My heart dropped.

No, please... not again.

Desperate, I grabbed his hands and placed them on my waist. His touch was warm. It made me shiver, made me melt. I wrapped my arms around his neck and deepened the kiss.

"I love you," I whispered in between the kiss.

And then... he responded.

His grip tightened. His lips moved in sync with mine, hungry, fierce, passionate. Like he wanted to forget the world. Like, for a moment, I wasn't someone he didn't love-but someone he needed.

I lost myself in that kiss. My fingers slid into his hair, and I kissed him like I was starving, like I was drowning and he was my only breath. Every fiber of my being screamed that this was right-that this was love.

When he finally pulled back to let me breathe, I whispered, broken and breathless, "I love you, Raj. I really do."

And just like that... he froze.

His eyes lost the fire. His hands dropped. I could feel the moment slipping away again, like sand through my fingers.

Panic bloomed in my chest.

No. Please, no.

I grabbed his face with trembling hands. "What happened? Don't stop now. You want this, right? I-I won't back out this time."

His brows furrowed, but I kept speaking, desperate to stop the distance that was creeping in again.

"You think I'll change my mind like before? I won't. I promise. I'm ready... I'm ready to give you everything. You can have your way with me."

I bit my lip, trying to hold back tears.

"I know this is what you've always wanted... and I was the one who kept saying no. But I'm not saying no now. Please, just don't leave me again."

My voice broke, and my throat burned. Not from the alcohol this time-but from the fear of losing him for good.

"You can do anything, Raj. Anything. Just don't walk away from me again."

I couldn't even look at him properly. I felt so exposed, like I was standing in the middle of a battlefield with no armor, begging to be spared.

Was I pathetic? Maybe. But love does that to people. It reduces you to your knees, makes you beg for things you once believed were beneath you.

I wiped my face and took a shaky breath. Then, with trembling fingers, I reached for the pin holding my saree in place over my chest. I unclipped it, letting the cloth fall, revealing my vulnerability in the most literal way.

And yet... his reaction stunned me.

He stepped forward-slowly-and held the saree's edge. Gently, he wrapped it around me again, covering me with quiet precision. I looked up at him, confused and broken.

"Why?" I whispered. "Why are you covering me now? There's no point."

"Utter one more word," he said coldly, "and you'll regret it."

His voice wasn't the same as the one I'd known over the years. It wasn't irritated or cruel. It was deep. Quiet. Almost... pained. But firm. So damn firm.

And then, without warning, he pulled me into his arms. Tight.

His warmth enveloped me completely, and something about the way he held me made the pain crack just a little. I shut my eyes and let myself melt into him. His scent, his heartbeat, his breath near my ear-it drowned out everything else.

For the first time in hours, my heart wasn't screaming.

I didn't even realize when sleep came over me. But I slept. In his arms.

And when I woke up... I wasn't in his arms anymore.

I blinked.

I was lying on a soft bed in a room I didn't recognize. The morning light filtered through thin curtains. The ache in my heart returned like an old friend.

Where was I?

And more importantly...

Where was Raj?

A/n How's the chapter? Hope you guys like it. Don't forget to comment and vote.

Love you all💗

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***