Thud

She heard and froze.

She slowly turned her head and saw a shocked Rishabh standing there.

He ignored his phone which fell on the ground and walked towards her slowly.

" You are leaving?" He whispered.

She turned away from him.

" Again?" He asked gulping.

She nodded her head in yes without looking at him.

" Why?" He asked with hurt in his voice.

She stayed silent because she can't tell him.

" Why Aadhya? What happened?" He asked again kneeling beside.

" Please tell me. Did I do something wrong?" He asked scared and she looked at him.

" No." She said looking away from him.

" Then? What's wrong?" He asked and sighed when she didn't reply.

" I am not gonna let you go this time." He said seriously making her look at him.

" I am serious Aadhya." He said with determination.

" You can't do that. If I want to leave then I can. No one and nothing can stop me.....not even you." She said seriously.

They looked at each other and she saw many emotions running through his eyes but she couldn't back out now. If she wants to keep him safe then she had to stay away from him.

" And nothing can stop me too. If I want you to stay you will stay." He growled at her making her stun.

" You can't. You don't have that right." She said coldly.

" Now talking about the rights....are we?" He chuckled bitterly.

" Look Rishabh.....I know what I am doing. If I want to move on in my life then I have to move away from here and most importantly from my past." She said not looking at him.

" Is that the only reason?" He asked.

" Yes." She said.

" No you are lying." He said and she stayed silent.

" Everything was going good and everything was perfect. Why do you want to leave now?" He asked frustrated.

" Everything was good? Everything was perfect? Who told you that?" She asked him angrily.

" Do you even have any idea how much I suffer daily? Do you even know I can't sleep at nights because of the nightmares I get? Do you even know how Aman struggles to sleep at nights because he saw his whole family dying in front of him and that still haunts him in his dreams? Nothing is perfect Mr. Malhotra..... everything was ruined and we are left with the consequences." She shouted at him angrily and tears fell from her eyes.

His heart ached looking at her pain.

" I understand Aadhya but......" She cut him off.

" No! You don't understand. No one can ever understand our pain. No one can ever feel what I went through. No one. You! You are telling me that you understand? How?" She paused and he just looked at her.

"Do you know how it feels when you get a call from someone telling you that your whole family met with an accident?"

" Do you know how it feels when you go running to the hospital only to hear that your whole family is dead?"

" Do you know how it feels when they hand you the things of your family saying that those were the only one they could save?"

" Do you know how it feels when you were asked to recognise the dead bodies of your family members?"

She dropped on knees sobbing vigorously.

" Do you know how it feels when you can't even recognise their faces because the bodies were burnt so much that you can't even identify them?"

" Do you know how it feels when you realise that no one is alive and you are the only left to do their funeral?

" Do you know how it feels when everything was snatched away from you and left with nothing but only guilt and pain?

She was a sobbing mess and Rishabh scurried down to her. He took her in his arms and rubbed her back muttering sorry in her ear many times.

He also cried along with her.

She was letting it out and he let her do that which is a good thing as all these  were pent up in her heart for many months.

" You don't know anything Rishabh. You have no idea how I survived all this. You doesn't know how you feel when everything crumbles down in front of you and you will be left with nothing but only pain." She cries softly into his chest holding him like her life depended on him.

" I couldn't help but feel guilty as somewhere I feel this is all because of me. I should have died not them. Aman should've had his parents today with him but he is stuck with me. I am so bad and I think my bad luck is responsible for everything." She says and Rishabh was shocked.

" You are not a bad luck Aadhya." He could only say that.

" No. Like I said you don't understand any of this and you will never. I want to protect Aman with my life and....." She trailed off looking at him.

He looked down at her frowning.

" And I want to protect you too." She whispered looking at him and tears trailed down her cheeks.

He stayed stunned for sometime.

It was a lot to take in.

He repeated her words in his mind many times and tried to understand what she meant. He gasped loudly when he understood what she meant.

" So you are leaving because you want to protect me?" He asked and she looked down.

" From what Aadhya?" He asked even though he knows her answer.

" From myself..... because all I will do is hurt you and I don't want to hurt you." She says looking into his eyes intently.

" You have never hurted me Aadhya and you never will. You leaving like this only will hurt me.....please don't leave me." He pleaded her.

She stared at him and got up suddenly.

" I have already made a decision and I am not going to change it." She said firmly.

" Not even if I wanted you to stay?" He asked vulnerably.

" No." She said and started walking away form him.

" Not even if I say that you meant the world to me?" He asked crying.

His heart was ripping away to shreds seeing her walking away from him.

" No." She said still stepping away from him.

" Not even if I say that I want to stay with you and Aman forever?" He asked sniffing.

" No." She said and tears fell from her eyes.

It's paining her so much hearing pain in his voice.

" What if I say I Love you and want to marry you and accept Aman as my own?" He asked finally and she stopped.

She turned towards him slowly and saw him crying.

" I Love you Aadhya. I didn't plan to tell you like this but I really love you and I can't live without you." He said more tears falling from his eyes.

She cried in pain.

Who is this man?

A god or what?

He is an angel disguised as human.

Her Angel.

" Please don't cry." She pleaded him.

" Then don't leave me." He said stepping towards her.

" I will ruin your life." She said hating herself more than anything as she was responsible for his state right now.

" No you will not." He said wiping his tears with his arm.

" You can get any girl Rishabh. You don't need a broken girl like me, I will only give you pain and tears like I am giving to you now." She said between her sobs.

" I don't want anyone. I want you. I love you and will love you forever even if you give me pain." He says standing in front of her.

" I don't want you to stuck with a girl like me." She says and her lips quivered.

" I am not stuck with you but you are stuck with a boy like me." He says which made her chuckle lightly but it made her cry too.

" You may want it but I am not willing to give you anymore tears and pain." She said determined wiping her tears.

" You will only ruin me if you leave me." He said and tears trailed down his cheeks.

" Please stop crying Rishabh." She says painfully.

" I can't if you leave." He says.

" Please Rishabh you are making it difficult for me. Please understand.....I need to get away and start a fresh which is good for both of us." She said and walked outside of the gate leaving him in his misery.

He stood rooted in his place while watching her driving away from him and he didn't know what to do.

******

Rishabh needs to go to the hospital and do the formalities for his father's discharge which is tomorrow. He sadly went to the hospital and completed the formalities.

He then went to his father's room and talked to him about Aadhya.

His father looked sad and defeated.

His father felt bad as she still blames herself for everything and he told Rishabh that he will talk to her once. But Rishabh knows that she will not change her decision as she looked so determined.

She didn't stay even after he confessed his love for her and he didn't had any hope that she will stay if his father asks her to stay.

Somewhere he knows that his father will not force her to stay as at the end of day it's her life and it will be her decision to stay or not.

How can he stop her?

He need to think fast as he may not have much time left because he doesn't know when she is leaving.

He dialled Harish's number and waited for him pick the call.

" Harish! Do you know that Aadhya is leaving?" He asked hurriedly.

" Yes Sir, baby ji informed me about it just now." Harish's sad voice came in his phone.

" Did she tell you when she is leaving?" Rishabh asked.

" Yes Sir, tomorrow." Harish said and Rishabh was shocked.

" Tomorrow?" He whispered in shock and didn't hear anything what Harish was saying to him.

What's happening?

What's happening to his life?

Suddenly everything in his life is crashing down.....in front of his eyes and he is not able to do anything about it.

What would he do?

How would he stop her?

******

Aadhya couldn't stop thinking about Rishabh's crying face.

God! it pained her so much to see him like that.

His eyes.

His face.

His tears.

These were all she could see.

Is she doing the right thing?

Is she wrong?

He told her that he loves her.

She smiled sadly with tears.

How badly she wanted to say it back that she also loves him!

But she can't.

After hearing his confession, she wanted to stay but what if it ruins his life.

Being with a girl like her is not the best feeling.

It will only create problems in his life.

And she always would want best for Rishabh.

She cannot be selfish.

If she really loves him, she should let him go.

Many thoughts were swirling around in her mind but she couldn't forget the nightmare she had about the Rishabh's accident in it.

Whatever it is, she is doing it for him.

Yes, it's for him.

It's best for him.

His safety is more important to her than any other thing in this world.

******

She was nervous to go inside but knocked on the door with her trembling hands.

She went in and saw Mr. Malhotra sitting on the bed gloomily.

" Uncle, You called me?" She asked without looking at him.

" Yes. Heard you are leaving?" He said.

" Yes." She said looking down.

" Can you tell me why?" He asked.

She gulped looking down at her hands.

" I have to go. It's best for us." She said still not looking at him.

" Who is the 'Us'?" He asked and she looked at him.

He saw pain, tears and vulnerability in her eyes.

"It's Aman, me and....." She trailed off.

" Rishabh. Isn't it?" He asked and she nodded meekly.

He sighed loudly.

" I know you don't want me to leave but if I stay here, Rishabh is getting too attached to us which is not good for him and I also want to move on in my life but if I stay here, I wouldn't be able to." She said.

He looked at her with a new found respect.

" Your father would have been proud of you." He said proudly and she smiled at him sadly.

" You are not only thinking about Aman and yourself but also Rishabh's. I don't know what is right or wrong but I know that I won't stop you if you don't want to stay here. I failed your father and I couldn't keep the promise that I have made to him to care of you. You have made your decisions and I won't spoil it." He said and she looked at him.

" You didn't fail him uncle. You took care of me.....of us. You had kept your promise. You were the rock and support to me from the time they all were dead. If it weren't for you then I probably would have been dead by now." She said with tears.

" But you are leaving that means I failed." He said sadly to which she felt bad.

" I am scared of Rishabh.....he won't be able to bear." He said blinking back his tears which made her cry.

" I am Sorry." She said and walked out of the hospital room quickly.

If she stayed for a minute also then she would have to change her decision of leaving.

.
.
.
.
.

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

Please share your views about the chapter.

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