Kiara's POV:

As I stormed out of the café, anger coursed through my veins like wildfire, consuming every rational thought in its path. How dare he? How dare he blame me for everything that went wrong? It's his fault, not mine. He should be the one apologizing, not me. The audacity of that man!

I fumed silently as I drove through the crowded streets, my grip on the steering wheel tight enough to turn my knuckles white. The noise of honking horns and blaring sirens only served to amplify my frustration, each sound adding fuel to the fire burning inside me.

Finally, I reached my home, my safe haven away from the chaos of the outside world. As I stepped through the front door, I was met with concerned faces – my elder brother, cousins, all of them looking at me with worry etched into their expressions.

"Why are you so late? And why weren't you picking up your phone?" my younger brother asked, his voice laced with concern.

But I had no patience for their questions, no tolerance for their worry. With a sharp angry reply, I brushed past them, my anger simmering just below the surface.

I made my way to my room, slamming the door shut behind me with a force that echoed through the house. Alone in the darkness, I let out a frustrated scream, the sound muffled by the confines of my room.

What was wrong with me? Why was I letting Aarav get under my skin like this? I prided myself on being strong and independent, yet here I was, reduced to a seething mess by a single encounter.

As I sank onto my bed, my mind whirled with conflicting emotions – anger, frustration, confusion. I couldn't make sense of any of it. All I knew was that I needed time to collect myself, to figure out what to do next.

Outside my room, I could hear the hushed whispers of my cousins, their concern for me palpable even through the closed door. Arjun, the eldest among them, tried to reassure them, his voice a calming presence amidst the turmoil.

"Give her some time," he said softly. "She'll be alright."

But as I lay in bed, the weight of the day's events pressing down on me like a gloomy blanket, I couldn't help but wonder if things would ever be alright again.

Kiara's POV ends..
.
.
.

Aarav's POV

Anger simmered beneath the surface as I stormed out of the café, my mind consumed by a whirlwind of frustration and resentment. How could she not see that I was trying to apologize? How could she twist my words into something they were not?

With each step, my anger only grew, fueling my determination to escape the suffocating weight of the confrontation. I needed to clear my head, to find solace in the familiar routine of my work. So without a second thought, I made my way to my office, seeking shelter in the familiar boundaries of my luxurious surroundings.

Pouring myself a drink, I sank onto the plush couch, the cool liquid offering a brief relief from the chaos raging inside me. With a frustrated sigh, I rubbed my temples, trying to dismiss the pounding headache that had taken root in my skull.

"This is why I never wanted to get married," I muttered to myself, the bitterness of my words echoing in the empty room. "No one understands me. No one could ever understand."

As I gazed up at the ceiling, a pang of longing pierced through the anger that consumed me. "You were the only one," I whispered, the words barely audible above the hum of the city outside. "After you, I could never love anyone else. Let alone marry them."

The truth hung heavy in the air, a bitter reminder of the love I had lost and the pain that still lingered in its wake. I knew I couldn't subject another person to the emptiness that filled my heart, to the shadow of a love that could never be replaced.

And so, with a heavy heart and a bitter taste on my tongue, I resigned myself to a fate of solitude, knowing that the only person I had ever truly loved was lost to me forever.

As the hands of the clock inched closer to 1 am, I found myself still settled within the walls of my office, the dim glow of the desk lamp casting long shadows across the room. It wasn't unusual for me to work late into the night, but tonight was different. Tonight, there was a heaviness in my heart that refused to dissolve, no matter how hard I tried to push it away.

Lost in my thoughts, I failed to notice the time slipping away until the shrill ring of my phone shattered the silence of the room. Startled, I glanced at the caller ID, recognizing my mother's number flashing on the screen. Guilt gnawed at my insides as I realized I had forgotten to inform her of my late hours.

Taking a deep breath, I answered the call, the weight of her worry evident in her voice as she questioned my whereabouts. "Aarav, where are you? It's past midnight, and you haven't come home yet," she asked worriedly, her concern palpable even through the crackling of the phone line.

With a heavy heart, I replied, "I'm still at the office, Maa. I'll be coming home soon." My words hung heavy in the air, weighted down by the sadness that lingered in the depths of my soul.

I could sense the worry in my mother's voice as she pressed for more information, but I couldn't bring myself to share the chaos that churned within me. Instead, I offered her reassurances that I would be fine, that there was nothing to worry about.

But as I ended the call and turned off the lights, the emptiness of the office seemed to echo the emptiness I felt inside. And as I made my way home in the stillness of the night, I couldn't shake the feeling that something fundamental had shifted, leaving me lost in a sea of uncertainty.

Aarav's POV ends..

As Aarav entered the familiar confines of his home, he was met with the sight of his mother sitting anxiously on the sofa, her eyes searching his face for answers. He could tell she had questions, but she chose to remain silent for the moment, opting instead to invite him for dinner.

However, Aarav declined the offer, his mind preoccupied with thoughts that he couldn't bring himself to share. He retreated to his room, the weight of his emotions threatening to engulf him as he changed out of his work attire.

Just as he was beginning to settle into his room, there came a knock on the door. Aarav opened it to find his grandfather standing on the other side, a stern expression etched upon his weathered features.

Dadaji's scolding cut through the silence of the room like a knife, his words laced with disappointment and frustration. "Yeh koi samay hai aane ka. Teri maa kabse intezaar kar rahi hai. Ye phone kis liye hote hain. Ek phone nahi kar sakta tha?"

Feeling the weight of his grandfather's gaze upon him, Aarav stepped aside, allowing Dadaji to enter the room. As Dadaji settled himself on the bed, Aarav remained standing, his chaos laid bare for all to see.

Seeing the sadness etched into Aarav's features, Dadaji's tone softened as he gently prodded, "Kya hua, putar? koi pareshani hai?"

Unable to hold back any longer, Aarav sank to the floor beside the bed, resting his head in Dadaji's lap as he poured out his heart. "I can't marry her," he confessed quietly, his voice tinged with anguish.

Confusion flickered across Dadaji's face as he questioned, "Why, putar? Kyun nahi?"

Aarav's response was simple yet profound, laden with the weight of his unspoken grief. "I can't. I don't want to be with anyone else. I am unable to love again."

Dadaji listened patiently, his heart aching for the pain he saw reflected in his grandson's eyes. With a sigh, he offered words of wisdom born from a lifetime of experience. "Jo beet gaya vo beet gaya, putar. Ab tujhe aage badhna hoga. Kab tak aise rahega? Aur Kiara bohot acchi ladki hai. Tu use mauka to deke dekh, vo tujhe samjhegi bhi aur tujhe pyaar bhi karegi. Lekin uske liye tujhe usko ye mauka dena padega, tujhe samajhne ka."

With those words of encouragement, Dadaji wrapped his arm around Aarav's shoulder, offering silent solace and support.

Dadaji's voice softened as he continued, his words a gentle reassurance amidst the storm of Aarav's emotions. "Putar, har ek insaan ki zindagi mein kuch na kuch bura waqt aata hai. Par usse harke, humein aage badhna chahiye. Tujhe apne aap ko doosri baar pyaar karne ka mauka dena chahiye, putar. Shayad Kiara teri zindagi mein ek nayi khushi lekar aaye. Usko ek mauka de, aur dekh kaise teri zindagi mein nayi raunaq aati hai."

Aarav listened intently to his grandfather's words, feeling a glimmer of hope begin to stir within him. Dadaji's wisdom had always been a guiding light in his life, and now, faced with the prospect of a future he hadn't dared to imagine, he found solace in his grandfather's words.

With a sigh, Aarav nodded slowly, the weight of his decision lifting ever so slightly from his shoulders. Perhaps Dadaji was right. Perhaps Kiara was the ray of light he had been searching for in the darkness of his past.

As Dadaji enveloped him in a warm embrace, Aarav felt a sense of peace wash over him, knowing that no matter what lay ahead, he would always have his family by his side.

And with that newfound sense of resolve, Aarav made a silent vow to embrace the future with an open heart, ready to discover the joys that awaited him on the path ahead.

With a final reassuring smile from Dadaji, thechapter drew to a close, leaving Aarav to contemplate the possibilities of afuture filled with love, hope, and the promise of a new beginning.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x