MAHER POV
I stood in the dimly lit hallway, my fingers digging into the doorframe, barely breathing as I watched them.
Rudra and Isha sat on the plush couch, their hands resting between them, hesitant but inevitable. The air in the room was thick with expectation, the low hum of voices from their families muffled by the roaring in my ears.
And then, it happened.
Rudra reached for the engagement ring.
A lump formed in my throat as I watched his fingers hesitate, his grip tightening around the delicate band.
For a fleeting moment, I thought—Maybe he won't do it. Maybe he'll look up, see me standing here, and remember everything we had.
Maybe fate would show mercy.
But fate was never kind to lovers who weren't meant to be.
With a deep breath, Rudra turned to Isha, his face unreadable, and took her hand. His fingers—those same fingers that once traced my face with love, with longing—slid the ring onto hers.
A perfect fit.
Isha gasped, her eyes shimmering as she looked at him, a small, shy smile breaking across her lips. She was happy. She was in love.
And Rudra...
He wasn't smiling.
But he didn't stop this, either.
I stood frozen, my nails pressing into my palms, the pain a cruel anchor to reality. I had spent so long clinging to hope, whispering silent prayers into the night, wishing that somehow, some way, this engagement would fall apart. That something would break it. That Rudra would choose me.
But now, as the silver band rested on Isha's finger, I knew.
Hope had been a foolish thing.
The walls of my world were crumbling, piece by piece, yet the world outside this room remained unchanged. The night was still young, the stars still shone, the people still laughed. My heartbreak did not stop time.
And then, the final blow.
A voice, loud and clear.
"This is not just an engagement. Ten months from now, Rudra and Isha will be married."
The words struck me like a storm, knocking the air from my lungs. My vision blurred, the sound of clapping and congratulations blending into a distant hum.
Ten months.
That was all that was left before Rudra would belong to someone else completely. Before all traces of 'us' would be erased.
It was over.
Tears burned at the edges of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Not here. Not now.
Instead, I forced my feet to move.
One step. Then another.
I turned away from the sight of them, from the past I could no longer hold on to, from the love that was never enough.
This was destiny.
And it was time to let go.
With a quiet breath, I walked away, hoping that in another life, in another time, we wouldn't have to say goodbye.
(Rudra's POV)
The car ride back home was filled with laughter, chatter, and excitement—none of which reached me.
Simran and Ajay were practically buzzing with energy, their voices overlapping as they teased and congratulated me.
"So, Mr. Soon-to-Be-Groom, how does it feel?" Simran nudged my shoulder playfully. "Nervous? Excited? Or just in shock that you're finally getting married?"
Ajay smirked. "I think he's still processing it. Look at him, he's barely said a word."
I forced a small smile, not wanting to dampen their happiness. They were truly happy for me—for this engagement, for this upcoming marriage. My parents, my relatives... everyone was relieved that the day had finally come.
That I was finally settling down.
That Isha would be my wife.
That Maher would just be a part of my past.
The thought made my throat tighten.
I looked out of the car window, my reflection staring back at me, unreadable. I should be smiling. I should be feeling something other than this hollow ache pressing against my ribs.
Instead, all I felt was emptiness.
"Rudra?" Simran called, pulling me back to the present.
"Hmm." It was all I could manage.
Ajay chuckled. "See? He's already lost in thoughts of his soon-to-be-wife."
The word hit me harder than I expected. Wife.
Isha.
Not Maher.
I inhaled deeply, pushing the thought away. This was reality. There was no turning back. No more what-ifs, no more impossible dreams.
Maher and I had been over for a long time.
Now, I had to move forward. I had to accept that Isha was my future.
I had to learn to love the life that had been chosen for me.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I leaned back into my seat, staring blankly ahead.
Maybe, with time, the ache would fade.
Maybe, one day, Maher would just be a distant memory.
But for now, all I could do was pretend. Pretend to be happy. Pretend that my heart wasn't still stuck in the past. Pretend that moving on was as easy as everyone believed it to be.
And hope that one day, the lie would become the truth.
I stepped into the house with my parents, brother, and sister, their voices buzzing with excitement. They were still talking about the engagement, reliving every detail, but their words barely reached me. My mind felt heavy, like I was carrying something I couldn't quite shake off.
Without a word, I walked straight to my room and shut the door behind me. The quiet was a relief, but it did nothing to calm the storm inside me. I let out a slow breath and ran a hand through my hair before heading to the bathroom.
As the warm water cascaded over me, I closed my eyes, hoping it would wash away this strange restlessness. But it didn't. No matter how much I tried, the weight in my chest remained.
Stepping out, I grabbed a towel, drying myself off quickly. I walked to my wardrobe, pulling out my most comfortable clothes—something familiar, something that felt like home. After changing, I collapsed onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.
And then, before I could stop myself, my mind drifted back to her.
Maher.
The first time I saw her is still etched into my memory. It was a regular day, nothing extraordinary—until she walked in. She had no idea how she had unknowingly captured my attention. The way she laughed, the way her voice carried through the air—light, unburdened. And her eyes... there was something about them, something I could never quite put into words. They held a depth that pulled me in before I even realized it.
Back then, I didn't know what she would come to mean to me. How she would become a part of me in a way no one else ever had.
And now... now she was just a memory.
I exhaled, running a hand over my face. No matter how much time passed, some memories refused to fade. Some moments remained frozen in time, even when everything else had changed.
And maybe, just maybe, a part of me was still stuck there—with her.
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Hey Guys
I know this chapter consisting only of 1000 words , so please bear with it.
After 12 chapters the length of the chapter will increase.
"One more thing I want to tell you is that both Maher and Rudra have not moved on from each other, even after so many years. They still have feelings for each other and are still in love. So, in the starting chapters, it would be more about them trying to convince themselves to move on."
And we all know moving on from someone is difficult.
I hope you like the chapter.
If there is any grammatical error then do tell me.
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