Aisha's feet felt frozen to the ground. The world around her blurred into a haze as she watched Ranvir kiss the woman in his arms....the same woman who had mocked her, who had made her feel small, who Ranvir had always dismissed as 'just a friend.' But there was nothing friendly about the way his lips moved against hers, the way he held her so possessively.
A part of her wanted to scream, to confront him, to demand answers, but her body betrayed her. The pain that gripped her chest was suffocating.
"Aisha?"
She barely registered Rishi's voice before her knees gave way. She collapsed onto the cold pavement, staring blankly ahead, her face eerily emotionless. Rishi was beside her in an instant, crouching down, his hand reaching out but hesitating just before touching her.
"Aisha, what happened?" His voice was low, careful, as if afraid she might shatter at the slightest touch.
She blinked, but the tears that threatened to spill never came. She forced herself to breathe, to pull herself together, even as her heart felt like it was being ripped apart. Without answering, she pushed herself up and turned on her heel, walking away.
"Aisha, talk to me," Rishi pleaded, following close behind.
But she didn't. She didn't need words. She needed proof. Proof that this wasn't just some cruel misunderstanding.
Reaching the car, she yanked the door open and slid into the driver's seat. Her fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly, knuckles turning white. Rishi barely had time to react before she started the engine.
"Aisha, wait!" He hurried to the passenger side, opening the door and getting in just as she pulled out onto the road.
The air in the car was thick with tension. Rishi stole glances at her, trying to read her face, but her expression was blank, detached. It terrified him more than if she had been crying.
"Aisha, where are we going?" he asked cautiously.
She didn't answer. Her eyes were locked on the car ahead of them....the sleek black car Ranvir was driving, with that woman still beside him.
Realization dawned on Rishi. She was following him.
"Aisha, don't do this," he said, his voice firm. "This isn't going to end well."
But she didn't listen. She pressed harder on the accelerator, the car speeding through the dimly lit streets. The city lights flashed by in streaks, but all Aisha could see was the man she had loved for so long, slipping further away with every mile.
Rishi clenched his jaw, concern etching deep lines on his face. He had never seen her like this. She was always so composed, so full of warmth. But now, she looked hollow....like a ghost of the woman she used to be.
"Aisha," he tried again, gentler this time. "You don't need to do this. You already know the truth."
But Aisha wasn't looking for truth anymore. She was looking for an end.
Ranvir's car pulled into the driveway of a high-end hotel. Aisha's breath hitched as she watched him step out, hand-in-hand with the woman. They walked through the grand entrance as if they had done this a thousand times before, as if they belonged together.
And then, just to twist the knife deeper into her heart, she saw him at the reception desk, booking a room.
The confirmation was a death blow.
Aisha's hands trembled on the steering wheel. Her chest ached, her head spun, but she wouldn't break....not here, not now.
Rishi watched her closely, ready to stop her if she did something reckless. "Aisha…"
She finally turned to look at him, her eyes dark and empty. And for the first time, Rishi wasn't sure if he could pull her back from the edge she was standing on.
She took a sharp breath, gripping the steering wheel tighter before suddenly pulling the car into an empty parking space across the street. Without a word, she flung the door open and stepped out, her heels clicking against the pavement as she marched toward the hotel entrance.
"Aisha, stop!" Rishi called, rushing after her. He grabbed her wrist gently but firmly. "What are you going to do? Walk in there and confront him?"
Her lip trembled, but she lifted her chin defiantly. "I just… I just need to see it with my own eyes."
"You already saw enough," he said softly, his voice full of unspoken pain.
She swallowed hard, blinking rapidly. "Then why does it still feel unreal?"
Rishi sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. He had never felt so helpless before. "Because you love him."
The words made her shoulders sag. A silent tear finally slipped down her cheek, but she wiped it away quickly as if refusing to acknowledge her own weakness.
She took a step back, wrapping her arms around herself as a cold breeze hit her. "I feel so stupid," she whispered. "Like the last person to get the joke."
Rishi's heart clenched. He wanted to tell her she wasn't stupid, that she had only ever loved too deeply, too loyally. But he knew words wouldn't fix anything right now. So instead, he did the only thing he could....he stepped closer and wrapped his jacket around her shoulders.
Aisha looked up at him, her eyes full of unshed tears, and for a brief moment, she leaned into his warmth. It was fleeting, but Rishi held onto that moment, hoping that one day, she'd realize he was the one who had always been there.