Advika's POV

When I came to know that Dad built this resort for Mom, I was actually surprised.

I mean, I know that he is still head over heels for her, but he built this beautiful resort for her so that she could stay comfortably while he was here for business purposes. He didn’t want to leave his family behind, and that’s why he built this property.

According to Shravan, Mom made him what he is today.

As today is the last day of us being here, I decided to explore the entire resort because I am not sure I will ever get this chance again.

I was wandering around when I suddenly came across a room. My curiosity piqued, and for some strange reason, I couldn’t stop myself from opening it.

As I pushed open the door, my jaw dropped at its beauty. The color theme of the room was pink and blue, giving it a dreamy and playful vibe.

The walls were painted a soft pastel pink on one side and a calming sky blue on the other, divided by a whimsical white border with little stars and clouds painted along it. On the pink side, there were shelves full of stuffed animals, bears, rabbits, and even a small, worn-out elephant that looked like it had been someone’s favorite. On the blue side, there were toy cars, rockets, and colorful puzzles neatly arranged on a wooden rack.

It wasn't hard to assume to whom this room belonged.

The twins.

But what caught my attention was three beds lined up side by side.

Before I could think more about it, I heard commotions from the back, which made me turn around.

"What are you doing here?"

My ears instantly turned red. I gulped hard out of fear. I am sure Shravan would get angry at me for entering his room without permission.

"I was ... Just ..."

"Exploring" he completed my line.

I nodded.

When I was expecting an outburst from him, he shoved his hands in his pants pocket and walked to me while tilting his head. He didn't seem much bothered. Walking to his side of the bed, he sat on its edge and picked up his car, testing it on the small table.

At the moment, he looked like a small, curious child.

"You know I bought this car from Mumbai only. I cried a lot for it" he chuckled "Mom didn't let me buy it but in the end, Dad bought it for me"

I could see a genuine smile playing across his lips as he talked about his childhood, especially his father.

My heart aches when I see such a drift between him and his father.

"Your father used to fulfill all your wishes. Isn't it?" I asked.

He nodded, placing the car back in its place.

"Mom didn't want to ruin us. She doesn't want us to know that we can have everything we want. She always give us only those things that we need. It was Dad who used to shower us with all the expensive gifts, asking us to keep it hidden from mom's eyes" he chuckled.

With a soft smile playing on my lips, I walked to him and sat beside him.

"Shravan, can I ask you something?"

He nodded, his eyes moving on the walls of his room as if revisiting his old days.

"Ummm... You are two siblings, right?"

His head turned to me. He blinked at me as if I had asked some absurd question. I licked my lips before asking, "Then to whom does that bed belong?"

Shravan looked at the bed, over the shoulder. I wasn't sure whether he would answer it or not; I just tried my luck.

"The bed belongs to our younger sister," he said.

Younger sister?

He has one more sister. I have never heard about her never before.

Maybe she is abroad, studying? Maybe...

"Where is she?" I asked.

Shravan sighed heavily before looking at me. I can see the pain in his eyes that he was trying to hide.

"She is no more"

Oh!

"I am sorry," I mumbled, and he looked away. "How did she die?"

"Because of a person you could least expect," he mumbled in his mouth, but the silence between us allowed me to hear it.

His fists clenched tightly, jaw clenched and eyes closed as he inhaled deep breaths to control himself.

"Wh- who?" Before I knew that word was out of my mouth.

His eyes shot open, and his head snapped at me. His eyes, dark and cold, met mine.

"Don’t delve into my past. You know the reality of our relationship. This isn't the same story where you dig into my past and fix me."

Suddenly he stood up and left. His words were ruder and colder than ever.

I looked down as a lone tear escaped my eye. Maybe I thought a lot about us because of the few moments we spent together.

~~~~~~~~

(AT SINGHANIA MANSION)

~~~~~~~~

Third Person POV

"We are getting late, Atharva!" Shreya said, trying to push her husband back, who was standing there, blocking her way with his arms on either side of her.

"And you are the reason for it!" he stated.

"Me? How?" she asked, surprised.

"I am asking for a kiss. Give me that, and we will be going!" he said with a wide smile that always made Shreya's heart flutter.

"I have already given you three kisses, kukkad!" Shreya said, putting her hands on her waist.

"And I am asking for one more!" he said, his face now wearing a puppy-dog expression.

"You know, our kids are twenty-six years old! Have some shame!" Shreya rolled her eyes.

"So what?" Atharva asked, shrugging. "I am asking for kisses from my own wife. And why are you dragging age into this? We are still young. Looking at us, no one would guess our kids are twenty-six. So just shut up and kiss me!" Atharva said with a smirk.

Shreya leaned forward, and instead of kissing his lips, she kissed his nose.

"Butterfly, stop teasing me," Atharva said, irritation creeping into his voice.

"Kukkad, don’t you think you’re becoming too clingy?" Shreya asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Butterfly, don’t you think you’re becoming too stingy with your kisses?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Wives complain when their husbands don’t give them attention, and here’s my wife!"

She chuckled, and wrapping her arms around his neck, pulled him closer. She loved teasing him, especially when he was craving attention.

Leaning in, she was about to kiss him when someone suddenly barged into the room.

"Gotcha!"

Both of them jumped back, putting a safe distance between them, their ears burning red.

"Adi ke Bache!"

Atharva scolded Aditya, who burst into laughter.

"Control yourself, Athu! You’re going on your hundredth honeymoon! You can continue there!"

Shreya, whose cheeks had turned crimson red, immediately excused herself from the room.

Outside, she found Prem and Anupriya talking to Arya. Shreya smiled and hugged Anupriya warmly. Atharva and Aditya followed behind, Atharva swatting Aditya on the head as he teased him relentlessly.

"Adi, behave yourself!" Prem scolded, but his eyes twinkled with amusement.

"Sorry, Dad, but it’s too much fun teasing these two lovebirds!" Aditya quipped, dodging another playful slap from Atharva.

Anupriya chuckled and shook her head. "Even after all these years, you two still behave like newlyweds."

"And what’s wrong with that?" Atharva said, wrapping an arm around Shreya’s shoulder and pulling her close. "Keeps the spark alive!"

Shreya shook her head and pushed him slightly away.

"Arya, take care of yourself, okay? Shravan and Advika will return tomorrow. Make sure she feels comfortable at home, alright?"

Arya nodded, though her mind was already preoccupied with thoughts of Aditya. She hadn’t yet had the chance to talk to him, and it weighed heavily on her.

"Take care of yourself as well. Have a safe trip," Arya said softly.

They bid their goodbyes, and the two young-at-heart couples departed for their one-month-long tour.

Arya stood there, watching them leave, her gaze fixed on Aditya. She silently hoped he would look back at her, but he didn’t spare her a single glance, which broke her heart more than ever before.

The boy who once wanted her photograph 24/7 when they were apart now couldn’t even look at her when they were standing mere feet apart.

Aditya pulled out his sunglasses from his collar, slid them on, and began walking toward his car with an air of indifference. Arya felt her chest tighten. His cold demeanor hurt more than she had imagined, but then Advika’s words echoed in her head:

"Talk to him, Arya. Be clear about your feelings. You deserve to know where you stand."

Gathering her courage before it slipped away, Arya called out, "Aditya!"

Aditya paused mid-step and turned around. Arya exhaled deeply, her legs moving toward him before her mind could second-guess her decision.

"I wanted to talk to you about something," she said, her voice trembling slightly.

"Be quick, Arya," Aditya said, his tone detached. "I’m getting late. Dad and Uncle have left, and Shravan hasn’t returned yet. I have a lot of things to look after."

Arya licked her lips nervously, her eyes searching his face. She wanted to meet his gaze, to read his emotions like she always could, but the sunglasses blocked her view, adding to the distance between them.

"Where am I, Aditya?" she blurted out, her voice barely above a whisper. "Where am I in your life? Don’t I matter to you anymore? What about all the promises you made to me? It’s been a month since we’ve talked. At least tell me what’s between us—what’s left."

Aditya's body stiffened and he immediately looked away. He was ignoring Arya because he wasn't ready for all these questions. He then draws a deep breath and looks at Arya.

"There is nothing in between us anymore"

Arya stepped back, stunned. His tone was cold, which Arya had never heard before, not at least for her. His words feel like daggers to her heart, ripping it into millions of pieces.

"Why Aditya?" Her voice shook as she gulped down the emotions. "Why are you doing this? If there’s something wrong, tell me. We can fix it. We always fix things together,"

She has always been so strong, but at the moment, she was breaking. She broke so many hearts, she left her university, she took every decision of her life according to him only to get rejected in the end?

"It’s better this way, Arya," Aditya says in a low, almost breaking voice. "You deserve someone who can give you the love, attention, and time you need. I… I can’t be that person anymore."

"That’s not for you to decide!" Arya snapped, her voice rising with frustration. "I chose you, Aditya. I still choose you. Why are you giving up on us?"

Arya was actually expecting an answer from Aditya, but all she got was a long, deafening silence.

"We... We have no future together"

Arya opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, he turned around and left her alone.

Arya collapsed down, crying her heart out, completely and utterly broke.

~~~~~~~~~~

Arya doesn't deserve this 😭

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