Everything felt unreal at that time.

He just stood too shocked to do anything.

He tried to process the whole situation and when he did, reality has slapped hard on his face.

Everything was a lie.

He felt like he had been stabbed in the heart and tears fell from his eyes.

The pain he is feeling right now is beyond words.

It was the worst feeling ever.

He felt betrayed.

He looked up when he saw his father looking at him stunned and behind him was Aadhya looking pale.

" This was the truth you were hiding from me?" Rishabh asked and his father nodded his head in yes helplessly.

Rishabh chuckled bitterly.

" I will leave you two to talk.....and Rishi please listen to her." His father said and left from there.

Aadhya on the other side felt like she would collapse at any moment.

The look on his face reminded her of something.

It was awefully familiar.

And when she realised what is was, she sat thumped on the floor.

It was the same look that she has daily on her face.

Pain.

Seeing him like that she felt hate for herself as she was responsible for his state.

The look of pain combined with betrayal on his face was so painful to watch.

Tears fell from her eyes and she looked down guiltily.

She looked at the ground where a boquet of lillies and chocolates sprawled on the floor.

What's more scaring was his silence.

" Please say something." She whispered and he looked at her.

" Yell at me, scold me.....but please don't be silent." She pleaded looking at him.

His heart constricted with pain looking at her so broken.

But no word came out of his mouth.

He was in too much shock and in pain to say something.

" Sir.....please....." She pleaded with tears.

" No.....don't call me Sir.....atleast not now when I know who you are." He said shaking his head at her.

She looked down blinking her tears trying hard not to cry.

" I...I..." She tried to say.

" You don't need to explain anything to me. I know it's not your fault.....it's just that you didn't had any faith in me.....you didn't trust me with the truth.....I understand." He said and tears fell from his eyes.

His tears pierced her heart and she got up immediately from the ground.

" No! I trust you.....I trust you more than anything in this world....and I have also decided to tell you the truth myself but as always fate was against me and now you came to know about it by yourself." She said.

" I am sorry.....I am so sorry." She cried trying to hold his hand but he moved away from her.

" Please give me a chance....." She asked as he was walking towards the door.

" I need some time....." He said and walked out of her house leaving her to cry.

She sobbed hardly falling onto her knees.

She got up hurriedly when she heard Aman from outside and wiped her tears.

" Mumma I bought so many snacks!" He exclaimed but stopped looking at her red and tear stained face.

" Mumma, why are you crying?" He asked holding her hand.

" I am not crying beta." She said sniffing.

" Don't lie mumma, please tell me what happened?" He asked again worried.

" I just remembered something that's it.....I am alright now." She smiled at him.

" Don't worry mumma, I am here with you....." He said hugging her and she hugged him back.

She looked at Harish who was looking concerned at them and smiled slightly. He knew something has happened as he saw Rishabh storming off in his car but he didn't ask.

******

Rishabh walked into their house as his family has arranged a get together in his success before tommorrow's party. He wanted to be alone at this time but he can't ignore his family because of his personal problems.

He saw his family and Neetha's family talking seriously. Everyone greeted him and he excused himself to his room to freshen up. After sometime he came downstairs and went to drink some water.

At that time he heard someone crying in the kitchen, he frowned and peeped into it to see Neetha crying hugging his mother.

" I love him Aunty.....I cannot live without him, I tried being just freinds with him forgetting about my feelings but I couldn't. I love him so much aunty...." She sobbed covering her face.

Rishabh was shocked to see his friend crying like that as he had never seen her cry. She was one of those girls who makes others cry but now looking at her like that he felt bad.

He was hurting her.

He was hurt himself because of a girl and a girl is hurt because of him.

" Rishi!" He heard her..

" Rishi I love you so much.....why don't you love me?" She asked with teary red eyes.

" I...I....always saw you as a friend." He said.

" I know but why don't you give me a chance.....give us a chance?" She asked.

He wanted to say that he loves someone else and at the thought of her itself his heart ached.

Now he understood what's a heartbreak and what's a heart ache means.

" Please Rishi.....I seriously tried to be just friends with you but I can't control my feelings....." She said and he stayed silent looking down.

" Atleast give me a chance and we will see if it will workout or not. If it doesn't workout then I don't have any problem, atleast I will not have any regrets later in my life that I didn't try for it." She said and he looked at her.

" Try to understand Neetha, it will not workout as I am not interested in relationships now.....and I am not in a right mind right now and it will only end up hurting you....." He said frustrated.

" Still, I want to try it....even though it hurts me, I don't care. I just want to give us a chance.....please agree." She pleaded with tears.

" Neetha....." He said painfully.

" Please Rishi.....I don't care if it hurts me or you breakup with me.....but please agree......" She begged him.

" Rishi, a girl who is happened to be your freind is pleading you.....please agree beta, you didn't agree for any marriage proposals I brought but atleast please don't say no to her beta." His mother also pleaded him.

His mind is exploding with various thoughts.

Aadhya

Neetha

His mother.

He looked at Neetha's hopeful face and his mother's pleading looks. He remembered how everything with Aadhya turned out and he thought he cannot hurt a girl by rejecting straight on her face and especially when that girl is his friend.

God! He was stuck.

" Rishi please....." Neetha's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

" Okay." He said sighing defeatedly.

Both the ladies hugged him happily.

" But promise me, when this will be over......you should be fine with our breakup and we should be back being just friends." He said seriously.

" Why you sound so sure that this will not workout?" She asked him frowning.

" Because I know." He said confidently.

" Oh! I will change that and I will woo you in no time." She also said it confidently.

" That will never happen." He dismissed that thought.

His mind and heart only belongs to Aadhya.

" You will see Rishi." She said.

" I know what will happen but you should stay on your words." He said and she sighed nodding her head in yes.

" And also remember one thing, I only agreed for this because of your persistence and not because I am really interested in you." He said sternly looking at both the ladies.

Thought his words hurted Neetha, she agreed as she wanted this and agreed to this.

******

She gulped the lump formed in her throat and looked around. She contemplated whether to go inside or not. She took a deep breath and walked inside to see people standing there in groups.

It's a bad decision, she shouldn't have come here. She is not even sure if she even gets a chance to talk to Rishabh here. Some people from the office smiled at her and some people just ignored her.

She thought of talking to him in the office only but Rishabh didn't come to the office. She knows she will not be comfortable in the parties but she didn't want to lose this chance of talking to Rishabh.

She stood afar from everyone and looked for him but he was no where to be seen. She thought of waiting for some more time and sat in a corner away from everyone.

He was not interested in this party anymore as he was drowned in his own misery.

He regretted agreeing for Neetha's persistence of them dating. He felt like he is cheating on Aadhya even though they are not in a relationship but he didn't know how he gave in.....maybe because he was angry on Aadhya.

He groaned loudly for the nth time and got ready for the party. He was very late to the party and he didn't care.

He was missing her.

But he can't go to her as he was still angry on her and he needs time to again talk to her.

He doesn't want to say things to her when he was angry which might hurt her even more and so he let it be.

He doesn't know what he is going to do or how he will be going to the office from now onwards as he came to know about the truth now. He grudgingly started driving towards the party venue and he is getting a bad feeling about this.

Aadhya was looking down at her phone to see it's already past 9 pm and she wanted to go home to be with Aman.

" Hey!" She heard and looked up to see Neetha standing there grinning at her.

" You are Rishi's PA right?" She asked.

" Yes." She replied.

" Why are you standing so far? Come inside....all your staff are inside." She said.

" No, I am fine here.....I just came to talk to Sir." She said.

" Is it important?" She asked.

" Yes." She said.

" Oh, but he is not here yet." She said.

" Okay then, I will talk to him in the office tomorrow." Aadhya said and started to leave.

This place is suffocating her.

" Hey! Won't you be there until the announcement of our engagement?" Neetha asked excited.

" Engagement?" Aadhya frowned.

" Yes! Mine and Rishi's." She said happiness oozing out of her and Neetha went away when someone called her.

Aadhya stood rooted in her place.

He is getting engaged?

But he said that they both were just friends.

And here she thought he liked her.

And he promised her that he wouldn't leave her.....leave them.

Tears slipped out of her eyes and she walked out quickly before anyone sees her.

Her heart shattered all over again.

Harish looked at her shocked when he saw her coming out of the hotel crying.

" Baby ji....what happened?" He asked worried.

" Nothing Harish ji....can we please go to the graveyard?" She asked him.

" But baby ji....it's too late now....." He said shocked.

" Please, I am missing them and I want to see them." She said sobbing and he made her sit in the car.

He drove to the graveyard and stopped the car at the gate.

" Are you sure baby ji?" He asked.

" Yes.....I will be back in few minutes." She said getting down the car.

" Wait! I will go and talk to the guard first." He said and ran inside.

She went inside looking for her family and stopped when she spotted them.

Harish couldn't leave her alone and so he also stayed inside but stood a little far from her.

She slumped onto the floor before them and sobbed hardly.

" I lost him mumma.....I lost him." She cried.

" I lost all of you and now I lost him too...... I am such a bad person." She sobbed.

" I lost him....." She cried in pain saying this repeatedly.

Harish's heart ached looking at her like that and he understood that somehow Rishabh is related to her pain.

" I miss you all so much......" She whispered looking at them for one last time and got up only to fall down.

Harish ran towards her and called out for her. She didn't respond and he panicked when he understood that she fainted. He picked her up in his arms and walked to the car carefully. He made her sleep in the backside of the car and he swiftly drove to the hospital where she usually takes the treatment.

And on the other side in the party, Shiv Malhotra wasn't happy with the decision of his son. He stood there glumly and looked at his son who was looking so distracted.

He was so much disappointed at his son and at that time only, he gets a call from Harish. His breath hitched when he heard about Aadhya and walks out quickly leaving the party.

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To be Continued.........

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Stay Tuned..........