Part 4

Rudra POV

The garden was quiet. The night air carried a chill now, and the moonlight seemed colder, more distant, as if it too could feel the tension between Mehar and me. The space between us felt both endless and suffocating.

I was still trying to make sense of everything she had just told me, but my thoughts were interrupted by the shrill ring of my phone. My brother's name flashed on the screen, and a wave of panic hit me instantly.

I hesitated for a moment before picking up, my voice tight with frustration. "What's up?"

"Rudra!" My brother's voice was frantic on the other end. "Where are you? The ring ceremony's about to start, and you're nowhere to be found! Everyone's waiting for you."

I could feel my stomach drop. The weight of everything was hitting me at once—the engagement, the truth about Isha, the distance growing between me and Mehar—and now, the ceremony I had been dreading was right on top of me.

"I'm... I'm coming," I muttered, my voice almost hollow.

I turned to Mehar, who had been standing silently beside me. She hadn't said anything after we'd spoken, but I could feel the tension building between us. The weight of unspoken words still hung in the air.

I looked at her, unsure of how to leave, unsure of how to even say goodbye to her in this moment. But before I could make sense of anything, something in me snapped.

Without thinking, I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around her tightly, pulling her close to me. My chest heaved as I buried my face in her hair, my tears coming faster than I could hold back.

"I'm sorry," I whispered through broken breaths. "I'm so, so sorry, Mehar. I never wanted to hurt you. I... I never wanted this."

Her body went rigid in my arms, and I felt her trying to push me away, her hands weakly pressing against my chest. But I couldn't stop. The pain I had kept buried for so long—the pain I had tried to forget—it was spilling out now, and I couldn't stop the tears.

Mehar struggled at first, her movements almost angry, but gradually, she seemed to soften. She didn't pull away, not completely. Slowly, her hands fell to her sides, and she just let me hold her, even though I knew it wasn't right. Even though I knew this wasn't the way to fix anything.

The tears flowed freely now, and all I could feel was the suffocating sense of loss—the loss of Mehar, the loss of the future I had imagined with her. I had lost everything, and I didn't know how to go back.

Minutes passed in silence, with only my sobs filling the air. I could feel her warmth, her presence, and I didn't want to let go.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I slowly pulled back, still clutching her arms as I gazed into her eyes, my face wet with tears. I could see the confusion and sadness in her expression, but there was something else—something softening there, like she understood, but didn't know how to respond.

I reached up, trembling, and brushed a strand of hair from her face, my fingers lingering for a second longer than I should have. I didn't know what came over me, but before I could stop myself, I kissed her forehead gently.

"I love you, Mehar," I whispered, my voice cracking, "I'll love you forever, no matter what."

The words hung in the air, raw and desperate. My heart ached as I said them. I had never been this vulnerable with her before.

I saw the shock in her eyes, but I didn't wait for a response. I couldn't. I couldn't stay here anymore, not with everything falling apart, not with the weight of the decision that was already made for me.

I took a step back, my chest tight with pain. I turned away from her before she could say anything—before I could hear anything that would make this moment harder than it already was.

"I have to go," I said quietly, as if she would understand the meaning behind my words.

I didn't look back as I walked away, my heart pounding in my chest. The path back to the ring ceremony was unclear, but it didn't matter anymore. Nothing seemed to matter anymore. Not when I was leaving the one person I had loved, the one person I had ever truly cared for.

As I disappeared into the shadows of the garden, the sound of my footsteps faded, and all I could hear was the echo of my own broken heart.

AUTHOR'S POV

Rudra walked away from Mehar, his heart heavy with each step. His mind was a whirl of conflicting thoughts, but one thing was clear: he had to move forward. He had made his choice. The truth was, as much as he loved Mehar, as much as he felt drawn to her, she couldn't be his. Not now. Not ever. And so, he was walking into his future with Isha, the woman he was about to marry, even though every part of him wanted to scream that it wasn't right.

He couldn't let the past—Mehar—hold him back anymore. There was no going back, no undoing the past. But in his chest, there was a gaping hole, a pain that was so deep, it felt like he was carrying the weight of the entire world on his shoulders.

He made his way back to the ceremony, each step dragging him closer to the reality he had never fully embraced. His brother and the others were waiting for him near the altar, their faces a mix of expectation and excitement. But there was one person missing—Isha.

Rudra glanced around, his eyes scanning the room, and then he saw her. Isha was standing off to the side, looking out of place. Her smile was forced, her eyes holding an emotion he couldn't quite place. She was trying to hide it, but Rudra could see through the facade. She was... sad?

Her lips twitched into a smile as she caught his gaze, but there was something beneath it—a sadness, perhaps a question she wasn't asking, or maybe a fear she wasn't admitting.

Rudra's heart sank as he walked toward her, wondering what was going on in her mind. He had never been able to figure out Isha. She was so polished, so perfect on the outside. But what lay beneath that surface? What did she feel? What was she thinking?

"Isha," Rudra said softly, trying to keep his voice steady despite the heaviness in his chest.

She looked at him, her eyes narrowing slightly, as if she was still unsure whether to speak her mind or keep quiet. Finally, she took a deep breath and nodded, a smile slowly pulling at her lips.

"Are you ready?" she asked, her voice light, almost too light.

He didn't answer immediately. He could only nod, unsure of what to say. His eyes drifted briefly to the spot where Mehar had been earlier, and for a moment, he could still feel her presence, like an unspoken thought that clung to the air. But then, he turned back to Isha.

"Yes, let's do this," he said, though the words felt hollow in his mouth.

They sat down next to each other, the exchange of rings approaching. The ceremony continued, but Rudra's mind was far away. Every time he tried to focus on Isha, all he could think about was Mehar. Her face kept haunting him. The memory of her pain, her tears, her silent surrender—it was all there, a part of him he couldn't escape.

As Isha held out her hand, waiting for the ring, Rudra's hands shook slightly. He slid the ring onto her finger, his mind still lost in the memory of Mehar's eyes. He couldn't help it. He felt like Mehar was watching them, as though she were standing right there beside them, her presence filling the space, even though she wasn't.

He pulled his gaze from Isha's hand and looked at her face. She was smiling now, her eyes warm, but there was a subtle tightness to her smile, something uncertain about the way she looked at him.

For a moment, it felt as though time had slowed down, as if the entire world was holding its breath. Rudra hesitated, but he didn't have the luxury of time. He had made his choice.

Taking a deep breath, he reached for Isha's hand to place the ring on her finger. But as he did, the thought of Mehar was so loud in his mind, it almost drowned out everything else. Mehar's face, her voice, the way she had looked at him earlier—it was like she was standing there with him, watching them exchange the rings.

He blinked and focused on Isha's hand, fighting the overwhelming emotion that swelled up inside him. This was the moment. His future was being sealed. He couldn't let himself falter, not now.

The ceremony continued in a blur. Rudra exchanged the rings with Isha, his heart heavy, as if a part of him was slipping away, lost to a past he couldn't bring back. As he pulled away, he forced himself to look at Isha.

Her smile was bright now, but Rudra could see the faintest flicker of doubt in her eyes, the hint of something more than just a simple, happy bride.

For a moment, their eyes locked, and Rudra was struck by the realization that maybe she too could sense the tension, the weight that hung between them. The distance between them felt endless, and yet it was clear—both of them were standing at the precipice of something neither of them could truly control.

"Rudra..." she started softly, but before she could say anything more, Rudra swallowed hard and turned away. He couldn't do this. Not right now.

He had to walk away.

With every step he took, leaving Isha and the others behind, the part of him that was still tied to Mehar felt like it was breaking all over again. But there was nothing left to do but follow through. He had made his choice, and there was no turning back.

And though he might have married Isha, a part of him would always remain with Mehar, caught between the love he had never let go of and the life he felt he had to live.

Hey guys 

I hope you like the chapter . 

So what are your thought in Isha??

What do you think , Is she some evil lady or some innocent one who will get hurt after seeing Rudra and Isha closeness ??

Let's see what happens next.