Zoya looked ahead into the Stygian night, the stars obscured by the inky clouds, hugging her arms around herself. The cool breeze ruffled her hair...So it was proved...Aditya Hooda had been right all along...Yash did have an affair with Pooja, though investigations were on and there were certain suspicions regarding the mysterious nature of their accident, ...but what stood out for Zoya at that point in time was that Yash had indeed betrayed her...had mercilessly trampled over her unfaltering trust in him...
She could not even be mad at Yash, she was heartbroken and completely shattered, but she could not bring herself up to despising him for playing with her for almost more than a year.. it was against her nature to harbour animosity against anyone...and this was her husband, the one she had loved with all her heart, the one she had staunchly supported whenever anybody spoke anything ill about him...so how could she start hating him...
Everything fell into place now...why yash had bought everything in her name, the house in Mumbai, the company was hers, it was penance for him...the atonement for his deception of quashing her dreams, of turning her utopian world upside down...
"You are a fool, an idiot "Aditya's biting words came back to haunt her... it seemed like her whole married life had been a lie...
Aditya cleared the dues of all the workmen after the event was completed and looked around for Zoya...the rooftop wedding had been a roaring success but Zoya despite taking care of the event very successfully had not been her own self for the past 2 days, ever since Yash's best friend Nikhil had divulged everything to Zoya about Yash's affair, it seemed like someone had snuffed out the light in her eyes.
He had been unsparing with her from the very beginning punishing her for what... for something that he himself had gone through...betrayal at the hands of the love of his life...He sparred with Zoya, mocked her but she always came back with a repartee...but now it seemed she had given up and that bothered her immensely...
He opened the door of the roof and she sensed his presence...he saw her standing, her back to him looking up at the sky...the resounding tumult in her heart deafening even in the silence of the atmosphere...
He walked up to her...she heard his footsteps inching closer to her and a fury she had never thought capable of harbouring started bubbling inside her...
"Zoya!" he spoke softly almost a whisper...
She clenched her jaws tight, her tears obfuscating her vision...and tried to blink them back only for them to roll over and dampen her cheeks...
Aditya saw the vulnerability in her, all along this is what he had wanted, even trying to coerce her into believing and accepting his supposition but she had not given in...But today when she had been proved wrong it sliced his insides to see her so vanquished and completely devastated. Was he supposed to feel so strongly about the widow of his deceased wife's lover??...
He was confused about his reactions to Zoya...his internal battle that never seemed to stop was exhausting him...he no longer recognised his heartbeats, it seemed...
She turned sideways and looked at him...
"I thought you were celebrating somewhere" she said her pain evident in those beautiful brown orbs of hers...
"Zoya, listen"... he started.
"No , no, no... Mr Hooda, you should be celebrating you know...you were right, all along you were right...your wife and my husband were in an illicit relationship..."
She stared at him squarely now..." I was the dumb wife who thought his employees were calling him at the dead of the night asking about projects...I was the imbecile woman who thought her husband could do no wrong, he was the epitome of everything perfect!"
He closed his eyes, her anguish disconcerting her more than his pain...when he opened them his eyes were glassy too...
"Zoya listen, I was wrong about you ok...I was angry when I said all those things to you...You need to stop blaming yourself for what happened." he tried to put a comforting hand around her arm but she jerked his hands away...
"No, I need to know why he did it!!! What was it that attracted him to your wife..Why??? " she screamed hot tears running down her cheeks now...she slumped to the ground...he came and crouched beside her...
"There is never a reason for it ever Zoya! It is not always the lack of anything that makes a person stray...It had nothing to do with you and everything to do with him...Dont berate yourself for something he did"
She looked at him and saw him for what he was...a kindred spirit going through the same or even greater torment than she was going through... he had accepted the truth long back...how it must have hurt him to see that someone he had known forever to deceive him like that...and fresh tears, this time for Aditya and herself started rolling down her cheeks...
"We were not at fault? Right??!!" she said looking at Aditya though the blur of her tear soaked eyes... as if confirming from Aditya...
He nodded " No, we weren't. They fell out of love with us...and fell for each other" he gulped...
She squeezed her eyes shut ,whimpering now, as the hard reality of his words sank in...and then in a completely unexpected move she slammed into his chest, hugging him tight...the tears drenching his shirt...
She wanted for someone to hold her, to soothe her of the agony that seemed to splinter her heart into a thousand pieces...
He was so taken aback by this unexpected move...he froze unable to decide what to do, his hands dangling at his sides...
The woman who once upon a time cowered under his one tough glare was now clutching onto him as if her life depended on it...
He swallowed, and then tentatively touched arm patting her awkwardly...when she made no effort to move away he put that arm around her back and moved his other arm to her hair patting her gently...trying to calm her, telling her through his actions that he was there, she was not alone and she would never be alone again...
After what felt like an eternity, Zoya realised where she was, in Aditya's arms and she hastily moved away rubbing her cheeks with the back of her hand...
"Zoya, you taught me that it is completely fine to feel and express pain, to cry...So cry your heart out, but keep one thing in mind, when you come out of it, come out a stronger person...
She looked at him and then averted her eyes...She had found solace in Aditya's arms and it did not feel wrong for a moment...
He got up and moved towards the door, when he turned back, she looked at him.
He gave her a smile that warmed her heart and at the same time alarmed her of her reaction to that smile and his face..." I am waiting for you in the car...it's late, I will drop you home..."
He was gone and she stared at the place where he was standing not a minute ago, willing her erratic heartbeats to get back to normal...
Hii friends...this is another OS after the three shots that I posted sometime back...I hope you enjoy it...I have assumed a lot of things here so even if Yash does not turn out an adulterer don't throw tomatoes at me later...t is absolutely my imagination😆
love and hugs
Juhi...
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