Aisha stepped out of the hotel, her heels clicking softly against the wet pavement. The moment she crossed the threshold, the sky seemed to open up, and heavy raindrops poured down, drenching her within seconds. But she didn't notice. She didn't care.
She walked forward aimlessly, her body moving on instinct rather than thought. The streetlights flickered above her, their golden glow distorted by the rain cascading down her face. Her soaked dress clung to her skin, but the chill in the air didn't reach her....not compared to the ice spreading within her.
Without thinking, she lowered herself onto a wooden bench by the pavement, rain pooling around its edges. Her hands rested limply in her lap, her head tilting back as she stared up at the endless night sky, blurred by tears and raindrops alike. Her thoughts screamed louder than the thunder rumbling above.
Where did I go wrong?
Her mind swirled with memories....every moment she had given to Ranvir, every ounce of love she had poured into their relationship. And yet, this was how it ended. He had chosen someone else. He had betrayed her again and again, and she had let him. What had she not given him? What had she lacked?
Aisha's fingers curled into fists, her nails digging into her palm. Her breathing was uneven, her heart aching with a pain she couldn't put into words.
Was I not enough?
She had given Ranvir everything....her love, her loyalty, her soul. And yet, it had never been enough. Was she not beautiful enough? Not exciting enough? Was it because she loved him too much? Was she suffocating? Too clingy? She had spent years trying to be the perfect girlfriend, the perfect woman for him. And still… he had chosen someone else.
She thought about the girl in that room. The one who had been tangled in Ranvir's embrace, the one who had made him forget their years together. Aisha's stomach twisted painfully as an ugly thought crept into her mind.
Maybe she was prettier. Maybe she was sexier. Maybe she was better.
Aisha clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. For the first time in her life, she felt ugly. Worthless. As if everything she was....everything she had built....meant nothing.
She barely noticed the figure standing a few feet away, his gaze locked onto her through the curtain of rain. Rishi had followed her silently, watching as she broke apart, piece by piece. His heart ached at the sight of her like this....so lost, so defeated.
He wanted to go to her, to shield her from the cold, to tell her she was beautiful, to remind her that she had never lacked anything. But he knew that right now, she wasn't ready to hear it.
So, he stayed back, letting her grieve in the rain, knowing that when she finally looked up, he would be right there, waiting.
Suddenly, Aisha whispered under her breath, barely audible over the rain. "Why, God? Why did this happen?"
She slowly got up from the bench, her steps unsteady, and began walking toward the road. Her mind was numb, her vision blurred, her body moving without direction. She didn't see the headlights. She didn't hear the tires screeching against the wet pavement.
But Rishi did.
In a flash, he ran toward her, his heart pounding with fear. "Aisha!" he shouted, his voice raw with desperation.
Just as the car came dangerously close, he grabbed her arm and yanked her back with all his strength. They both stumbled, falling to the ground as the car sped past, splashing water around them.
"Aisha, what the hell are you doing?!" Rishi's voice was sharp, his hands gripping her shoulders as he shook her lightly, forcing her to look at him. "Are you out of your mind?!"
That was when she finally broke apart.
A wretched sob tore from her lips as she collapsed against him, her body trembling violently. "Rishi… where did I go wrong?" she whimpered, her hands clutching onto his shirt as if he was the only thing keeping her from falling apart completely. "Why wasn't I enough? What did I do wrong?"
Tears streamed down her face, mixing with the rain as she wept uncontrollably, her chest rising and falling with each shaky breath. Rishi felt his heart shatter at the sound of her pain, at the way she clung to him like a lost child searching for comfort.
He wrapped his arms around her tightly, his voice soft but firm. "Aisha, you did nothing wrong. Do you hear me? Nothing."
But she didn't stop. She kept crying, whimpering like a wounded child, pouring out every ounce of pain that had been suffocating her heart for so long. And all Rishi could do was hold her, shielding her from the world as she shattered in his embrace.
"Why, Rishi?" she cried, her voice breaking. "Why did he do this to me? What did I lack? Was I not pretty enough? Not good enough? Not smart enough? Tell me, where did I go wrong?!"
Rishi's heart clenched as he held her, letting her cry, letting her pour out everything she had buried inside. "Aisha…" he whispered, his own voice thick with emotion.
"I did everything for him! I changed myself! I forgave him every time he hurt me! I stayed even when he treated me like I was nothing!" she sobbed, gripping his shirt tighter. "And still, he wanted someone else. Still, I wasn't enough. Why, Rishi? Why wasn't I enough?"
Rishi cupped her face gently, forcing her to look at him. "Listen to me, Aisha. You were always enough. He was the one who wasn't. You gave him love, and he didn't deserve it. This isn't your fault. None of this is your fault."
She shook her head, tears spilling endlessly down her face. "Then why does it feel like it is? Why does it hurt so much?"
"Because you loved him with everything you had," Rishi whispered, his thumb brushing away a tear. "But love isn't meant to be one-sided. He failed you, Aisha, not the other way around."
Aisha let out a broken sob, her body trembling. Rishi pulled her into his arms again, holding her close as she cried, letting her break apart in his embrace. He wished he could take her pain away, wished he could shield her from all the hurt she had endured. But all he could do was be there, to hold her together when she was falling apart.
And as the rain poured around them, soaking them both, Rishi silently swore to himself....he would never let her feel this way again.