Once the door banged shut, Nandini's reverie broke. So far, she was only focused on how Shubham's eyes held accusation and disdain for her. Hence, when she realized that he had already gone out, she didn't waste a moment, calling after him, rushing towards the door. Utter silence followed once her screeches died down, echoing off the walls of the corridors, steadily getting feebler as she went further and further away from the rest.

Aditya had his gaze fixated on the fat drops of tears on Piyali's cheeks and the expression of disbelief marring her features. After what felt like eons to him, he edged closer to her. "Listen to me before you form any judgment, okay? Don't assume things because this was meaningless."

"Stay right where you are," Rishi yelled, standing in front of Piyali, shielding her as Aditya tried to reach out to the woman.

"Move back, Rishi. I have a lot of explaining to do." Aditya huffed. "And she will listen to me because I did nothing wrong."

Rishi held the guy's collar, glowering at him. "Nothing wrong, huh? How delusional can you be? Fuck off, Aditya Roy."

Aditya gripped Rishi's hands over his collar. Gritting his teeth, he muttered, "That's my fiancée. I need to talk to her, and I will."

"Oh, really?" Raunak sneered. "Where was this thought when you were so close to Nandini? Telling her how much you love her."

"All of it has an explanation," Aditya shouted.

"Explanation?" Shruti screamed. "Really? You have a justification for what you did? I never knew I had such a disgusting person as my friend."

Piyali was breathless as she heard Rishi, Raunak, and Aditya arguing, with Akanksha and Shruti screaming from time to time, scolding Aditya for the misdemeanor. For a moment, she felt her eyes getting blurry, and she had to use her knuckles to dab at them and wipe the tears dampening her orbs. Finally, she noticed the moistening of her cheeks, and she realized she was crying profusely. The reality was slowly and steadily sinking in her mind. Her boyfriend—the love of her life—was telling some other woman that he loved her.

The screaming grew intense, and she had to shield her ears with her palms. "Wait!" she yelled, and everyone fell silent instantly. Suspiring, she glanced at Aditya, who had been pleading to talk to her once. "Let me talk to him."

Rishi protested. "No, Piya. You don't need to talk to him after the way he cheated on you."

"I said I want to talk to him."

The firmness in her tone—only with a slight trembling in her voice—prompted all of them to part away, albeit reluctantly, as Piyali gestured to Aditya to follow her.

And off they went up the stairs and inside the room that she had hoped to call her own.

***

Nandini had to chase Shubham through the city, for he took his car and sped off. She had to follow him after hailing a cab, hoping he was heading straight for his apartment. And she thanked her stars when she unlocked the door to his apartment with unsteady fingers, succeeding only after five attempts of fumbling with the keys, getting impatient with each passing moment since she could hear loud crashing and clanking from inside.

She heaved a sigh of relief when she was finally able to swing the door open, and she was taken aback at the state of the apartment. Utensils and ceramic dishes from the kitchen were sprawled on the ground, the glass pieces broken and shattered. The cushions from the couch were strewn on the floor, the fabric and cotton shredded. The nightlamps were lying on the wooden surface of the floor, rolling from one end to the other, the bulb flickering a few times before ultimately dying out.

Treading over the unruly state of the house, she tried to go inside his room, for she could hear the pummeling of what sounded like his hands slamming against a wooden surface. She threw the door open, letting out a ragged breath, and a whimper escaped her lips when she saw the condition he was in. Bumping his fists into the walls, drawing blood from his knuckles, crumpling the sheets of the bed, ruining the orderly way in which the dresser was organized, every artifact littering the floor. Her palms flew to her mouth, and a squeal erupted from her throat when she saw his palm coming in contact with the broken shard of the mirror. "Shubham!"

"Don't!" he bellowed, rounding to face her, blood oozing out of his hands and from a thin gash on his cheeks. With his eyes bloodshot, his finger pointed at her, he shook his head. "Don't you dare give an explanation because I saw it. I heard it."

She wiped the tears on her cheeks. "Whatever you saw and heard was just a part of—"

"So, you don't love him?"

Her eyes went everywhere but at him, and her lips were pursed shut.

"Tell me, Nandini. Do you?" He came ahead to hold her by her shoulders as his gaze softened. "Yes or no. I will believe in whatever you say. I promise."

Her lips quivered for a moment. "Yes," she mumbled.

He stepped back, respiring rashly.

Her hands went ahead to hold him, but he swatted her fingers away. "At least listen to me," she said, slumping her shoulders.

"Don't, Nandini." His voice turned hoarse as he collapsed on the bed, holding his head in his hands. "Just please don't say anything else that will hurt me further. Anything more than this will be so damn agonizing. Just don't speak."

She controlled her sobs, gulping her saliva, and kneeled in front of him.

A feather-light touch landed on his wrists, and he was forced to look at her, his nose reddening, flaring. "Leave me alone."

She sniffled, wiping the lone drop of tear that had escaped his eyes. "Listen to me, Shubham. Please."

He looked away. "Is there anything left? You were fucking confessing to him when we are engaged." He scoffed. "Tell me one thing. Did you plan to continue your affair after our wedding?"

The accusation in his tonality put her to shame, and she ducked her head down. "Of course not, Shubham. And there was no affair. I... I... Please don't say such a thing." Her sobs intensified with each passing moment, her grip firmly placed on his wrists as he made no attempts to go away from her. Neither did he want to hold her hand.

"How?" he whispered—desperate, pleading. "Why?"

"Shubham..." She licked her lips. "Please."

He sighed deeply. Shutting his eyes, he waited for a moment before pushing her away from him, springing up. "Is this some kind of a joke to you?" he screamed. "You were the one who came to me, asking if we could commit to each other. I didn't go to you. I didn't propose to you either. You were the one, hoping we could get married in summer."

She was intimidated by the way his face had contorted in rage. "I... I was the one, Shubham. Because I want to get married to you."

"Oh, shut the fuck up." He grasped her arms and pulled her upright, his palms clenching over her skin. "What kind of a sick game are you even playing with me?"

She tried to wriggle out of his hold, gasping. "You are hurting me," she said in a weak voice.

"Do you think I fucking care at this point?" He pulled her closer, their noses nearly touching as he stared at her moistened orbs. "You..." He scoffed again. "I thought you are honest, innocent, upfront. But the girl standing in front of me is..."

She shut her eyes, weeping profusely, helplessly. "Please..." She felt him lean closer, their foreheads touching. Her eyes snapped open, and she whimpered when she saw the tears in his eyes, the pain, the melancholy, the quivering of his lips. "Shubham..."

"Can you tell me something?"

"Anything."

"Did you two... did he..." He shook his head, breathing raggedly, an expression of disgust creeping on his face. "Did you and him..."

"No." She sniffled. "I did not cheat on you, Shubham. I would never do that. I did not."

He snorted. "But you love him, right?"

She rolled her lips inward, unable to respond to him.

"Right!"

She swallowed, cautiously bringing her palms to cup his cheeks. "I have no words to express how utterly sorry I am."

"I never expected anything from you, Nandini. Never." He allowed her to wipe his tears. "I never expected you to commit to me. You did. I never expected you to get married to me. You did. For me, I always wanted to just love you limitlessly, without any conditions. And I did. I was so loyal to you throughout our relationship. I loved you without asking for anything in return. After we were engaged, the only thing I wanted was loyalty from your side, which I never thought you wouldn't deliver. The Nandini Basu I knew in college was so upfront and honest. What has happened to you? When did you change this much?"

The helplessness in his voice caused a massive sob to escape her mouth. "I am still the same Nandini. It was just... Things happened. And I am not denying the fact. But believe me when I say that I love you so much, and I want this wedding to happen. I want to spend my life with you. Only you."

Chortling humorlessly, he stepped back, perching on the edge of the bed. "Can you leave me alone for a bit? I just need some time to think this through."

"Won't you listen to what I have to say?"

"What do you have to say?" he snapped. "Some senseless, nonsensical justification? Didn't I ask you what was brewing between you and him? What did you tell me, Basu? You told me that he is just a friend."

"He is just a friend," she squeaked.

"Oh!" His brows shot up, and a sarcastic intonation found its place in his voice. "I had no clue you are supposed to confess your undying love for your friend. I am so sorry, Nandini. I might not be this forward and perhaps I am not this modern. Perhaps I don't understand the nuances of friendship these days, huh?"

She trembled under the deathly glare thrown at her. "I will give you some space. I will be in the living room, waiting for you. Until and unless you listen to me and we sort this thing between us, I am not going anywhere."

***

Piyali motioned at him to sit down on the recliner chair the two of them had picked the previous day. Perching herself on the bed, she said, "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Gulping hard, he blurted out, "I like eating parathas."

Her brows furrowed, and her empty eyes went to him. "What?"

He let out a sharp breath and went ahead to kneel down in front of her sitting form. "I mean... I like parathas."

The scowl on her face deepened. "Is this the time to discuss parathas?"

"What I mean to say is... I..." He blew air out of his mouth. "Forget that. I swear, Piya. Hurting you was never my intention. That was the last thing on my mind."

"Hmmm." She bit her lips to prevent the sob from emanating out of her mouth. "I shudder to even imagine how you hurting someone would feel like."

He cursed under his breath, raking his hand through his hair. "It was not what it looked like."

"You said you are in love with her. Right on her face. What else do you have to say for yourself?" she said, springing up, tears spilling out of her eyes. "Do you have any idea how utterly heartbreaking it was to watch my man say that to someone else when I was right behind you?"

He tried to hold her by her shoulders, but she resisted, shaking her head, pushing him away, screeching, flailing her arms and legs, slapping his chest, sobbing inconsolably as the dam of tears finally tore through her. And he let her take all her anger out on him unflinchingly, holding her steady as she continued with her onslaught.

"I am so sorry," he whispered with his arms around her waist when she was finally tired of yelling incoherent words, finally fatigued of smacking his arms and chest, and she was on the verge of collapsing on the ground.

"Leave me," she muttered, her voice coming out croaky and heavy.

"I know you think I am the biggest jerk on the planet, but you have to listen to me."

She scoffed, sniveling. "Listen to you speak about your love for her? That girl..." She gritted her teeth as a surge of aversion for the other woman hit her. "I so fucking hate that girl. She... she tried to snatch you from me. She... she..."

"I swear she didn't do anything of that sort, Piya. We were..." He bit his lips. "I... I don't know how to explain this to you."

"That bitch! That freaking woman... no... not a simple, sweet girl she pretends to be." She grimaced. "Nandini Basu is a fucking who—"

"Piyali." He sealed her mouth with his palms, his lips drooping. "Don't demean her like this. She doesn't... she didn't do anything of that sort." His heart broke furthermore when he saw the despondency and melancholy in her eyes. More so because he was currently busy defending Nandini instead of pacifying the woman he had hurt the most. Cursing under his breath, he stepped back. "Tell me what I can do to fix this."

"Fix this?" Her lips quivered. "Do you really think you can?"

He rubbed his palms over his face, censuring himself for being so reckless and for doing the very thing he had tried circumventing. He hurt one and all, and he really had no idea how to set things back to where they were. Exhaling heavily, he said, "Tell me what I can do to fix this."

"You tell me." She collapsed back on the bed. "Was she really so good that you are willing to leave me?"

"Wh-what do you mean?" He frowned, hunkering in front of her again, watching her slumped shoulders and feeling as helpless as she was. Taking her hand in his, caressing her skin, he mumbled, "And I am not willing to leave you, Piyali. That thought never crossed my mind."

She ignored his words, gaping at the way his fingers had entwined with hers. A sob escaped her throat. "Was she better than me, Adi? When you slept with her?"

He abandoned her hands and stood up. "Fuck! No! I didn't..." He fumbled for words. "I never... She and I... Never, Piya. I never crossed my limits."

Unshed tears shone in her eyes. "Perhaps she was better than I ever was."

He firmly held her shoulders. "Listen to me, Piyali. I have never cheated on you. That's... I didn't cheat on you."

"Emotionally you did." She sneered, wiping her nose. "So, you did cheat on me. Stop lying. At least now when the truth has come out."

He shut his eyes in exasperation and stepped back, watching her weep and sob from time to time. He ached to engulf her in a warm hug, but she resisted every time, pushing him away, cursing him and Nandini for breaking her heart. He was left with no other option than console her via his words since reaching out to touch her was no longer on the table. The sky lightened outside, but her broken heart didn't show any signs of healing. Both watched the sun come up the horizon, hearing the way Rishi was banging at the door, asking Piyali to come out as he intended to take her away.

But Piyali was listlessly sitting on the bed—on her and Aditya's unused bed—raking her palms over the slight creases of the sheets, reminiscing the sweet moments he had spent with her. Once upon a time, he belonged to her and only her. She was the fool to invite Nandini to dinner, hoping a new friend would bring good news for her, trying to provide the other girl with comfort and familiarity. But she was a fool. She unknowingly brought doom into her life.

Only when the sunlight flitted through the windows did she stand up, alerting Aditya too as he gaped at her, expecting a response.

"Do you really love her?" she said, steeling her voice and her heart.

His lips parted. "I love you, Piya."

"But you are madly in love with her. As you told her." She twiddled with the bangles around her wrist. "I get it."

He couldn't look into her eyes anymore as he had his gaze glued to his feet.

She had made a decision, and she voiced it out after wiping her tears with the end of her saree. "Mr. Roy, this wedding is happening. My family is too excited about the wedding, and it has to happen. Do you get it? Nandini can go to hell for all I care. I don't care if you love her. I don't care if she wants to live in this house." She glared at him. "We are going to go with this the same way we had planned."

"Of... of course, Piya. I... Yes, the wedding... I mean... I will do whatever you ask me to."

Her brows shot up. "Are you sure?"

***

Shubham didn't even realize he had been sitting in his bedroom through the night. In between, Nandini had returned with a box of first aid, wiping the blood off his hands, wrapping a bandage around his wound after dabbing a foul-smelling medicine over the gashes, weeping incessantly, mumbling incoherent apologies as her words came out jumbled. With each passing moment, his heart continued shattering into bits and pieces, and he was rendered breathless. She didn't love him the way she loved Aditya, but she wished to marry him nonetheless. The mere thought tore through his entire body—each vein, each artery—until it physically pained him in his chest. The understanding that he had been betrayed, lied to, and cheated on finally sunk in.

He watched as the sun peeked from beyond the horizon, and he could hear the shuffling from the living area. Much to his surprise, Nandini was indeed still there, cleaning the hall, sweeping the broken shards of the night bulbs, and discarding them in the trash. Once she caught sight of him, she tried to rush to him as tears formed in her eyes yet again.

"Wait right there," he muttered. "I need to talk to you."

She halted in her steps, controlling her sobs with much effort. "Yes," she whispered.

"What do you want to do after this? Do you," he gulped, "wish to go to him?"

"I don't want to break up, Shubham," she said weakly. "That was not my intention. I love you. I don't want to go to him. I do love you."

He sneered. "Just not the way you love him, right?"

She shut her eyes in despondency. Carefully holding his hands, she said, "You tell me what I need to do to fix this, and I promise I will do it. Whatever you need."

His mocking gaze landed on her face. "Whatever I need?"

The quirk of his brows, the slight tilt of his head caused apprehension to rise in her mind. With a shaking voice, she said, "Anything you need."

***

Aditya's lips parted in shock when he listened to Piyali's demands. "You want me to do what?"

"Never meet her again, Adi. I should have stuck to what I told you over the Thanksgiving trip." She rolled her tearful eyes. "I should've never assumed everything would be okay. I should have never been this secure about us. I dug my own grave by trusting you this much, didn't I?" She let out a watery chuckle. "My own damned grave."

He took a sharp breath. "You want me to..."

"Can't do it?" she taunted. "And you expect to fix things between us? You expect I would not break up? I would still marry you. I would still live in this," she let her eyes roam the room, "house which she so 'fucking wants to live in'."

His palms balled into fists, but he remained silent.

She sneered. "Can't do it, huh? You can't be away—"

"Done, Piya." He donned a weak smile. "I promise I will never meet her again. Never. Whatever you say, I will accept it."

The sadist smirk on her face grew wider. "Really? Wow! Should I applaud?"

***

Nandini sniffled, leaning her forehead against his hands. "Please, Shubham. One last time. Let me meet him one last time, and we will never meet again. I promise."

He huffed, extricating his hands from her grasp. "And why should I give you and him that bit of satisfaction either?"

She bit her lips, more tears brimming in her eyes. "Because I promise to keep my word till my last breath. I will never ever go back to him, search for him, meet him, or even talk about him. After today, he will be a closed chapter in my life."

He cupped her cheeks. "And you will keep your word?"

She deliberated for a moment. "Yes."