~Never Forget.~

"You're a reminder of the hurt I couldn't mend," ~ Anonymous.

************

(Shimla, Himachal Pradesh - India)

Moving on takes numerous stages, but some humans don't heal even at the end of that long journey. They couldn't move on, they just couldn't make themselves blend into the process.

Aayush was one of those humans.

He couldn't move on. Wherever he went, just like a shadow to a body, his past followed him.

Drowned in isolation, his brown orbs looked at the moon, with solitary, mourning over the turns their---his and her---fate together had taken.

The loneliness.

Without her, he was feeling empty inside - a void within him which was solely inoculated with despondency.

The pain.

The feeling he wished she wasn't feeling at the very moment.

The self-loathe.

The hate he held for himself for not being able to do anything, anything to protect her.

The helplessness.

The sense of having no power, being dumped into the middle of an ocean and endlessly drowning, not knowing how to swim.

The fact that he was held hostage by Zaid in the same house, from where he abducted his wife.

All of them were unbearable.

Suddenly, at the mention of the word wife, a pang of guilt seemed to pierce his heart; she is no longer his wife. Hadn't he signed the divorce papers? He had divorced her. He had signed those papers when Zaid threatened him with her life and well-being.

The marriage wasn't important more than her life, so he didn't deny Zaid's demand.

Aayush closed his eyes, shutting away the sight of the beautiful moon and breathing deeply, feeling a knot in his throat.

The moon.

Oh, the moon - that beautiful white circular-lamp residing at a far distance, reminded him of her.

Because she was also far away.

The pain of separation from his other half was like a scent of the breeze----whenever he breathed, he absorbed that pain. He was living with being surrounded by that pain.

Is this separation the punishment for hiding his identity from her?

She didn't know who he really was, and maybe that's why she loved him.

He gulped, clutching the arms of his wheelchair. The particular thought left a bitter taste in his mouth.

His eyes opened, only to again uncover a path back to the moon - her resembler, before unwittingly, under his will, shifting upon the wheelchair, then upon his legs---it's been long since his plaster got removed, but still, his legs were showing inability in supporting him.

He knew the shock was going to last longer. It would take him long to get back on his legs, to forget what has happened, what Zaid had done, not only to his legs but to his life too.

Zaid did that to him.

"Be grateful that I'm only breaking them, otherwise right now, I want to kill you in a very horrible way."

That's what he had said when he broke his legs.

"I would have freed you from this burden of a life, only if. . . ."

He had said, moving on to painfully twisting his other leg while Aayush tried hard not to show the pain which was running through him, from having one of his legs broken.

"Only if you weren't this useful and important."

Just like him, his tone and words, both were devoid of mercy. There was no ounce of remorse on his face, no guilt of doing something so horrible to someone.

Inwardly, Aayush shuddered at the memory. Zaid has done something so nightmarish to him, and only God knew what kind of inhumanity he would have shown on Shravya.

Shravya.

He closed his eyes, shaking his head as tears began to form on his lashes.

She loved him, not even knowing who he truly was, or where he came from. She just thought of him as Aayush. Her Aayush, when the actual reality was something else.

He couldn't tell her his real identity.

He couldn't tell her that he himself didn't want to accept his real identity.

He has always wanted to live on as Aayush Agarwal, a cardiac surgeon- it was the identity he created for himself.

While Danish Singh, a businessman's son, someone's step-brother, a second heir to a rich household, it was the identity he was born with.

It was the identity he loathed.

It was the identity he wanted to run away from.

Danish Singh. Who he was?

He was a young boy who got kidnapped in his childhood because of the name of his family. The kidnappers mistook him as his step-brother Ansh Singh, the same Ansh Singh whom his mother just couldn't accept, the same Ansh Singh whom she hated with the sole of her being, presuming that he was shadowing her son's existence while not even having slightest of the idea that Danish was the one who has always wanted to hide behind Ansh's shadow.

He was a quiet child, difficult to approach, entirely opposite of what his mother has always wanted him to be.

She abused him mentally and physically, to get him into the shape of her perfect son, yet still, she couldn't shatter his carefree soul...the innocent soul who just wanted a normal, peaceful life, the soul who had no greed for the seat of the family's head---he never desired that position or the power and influence coming with it, because for him all those things rightly belonged to his Ansh bhaiya.

He never wanted to have what was Ansh's, which only made things harder for him.

Nonetheless, he still fought against the things, the identity his mother aimed to force on him.

The first time he went against his her words, was when he chose to study medicine instead of rebelling against Ansh for the position of the head.

Afterwards, when he left for London for his higher studies, everything started to fall in place. Suddenly, things were turning out to be in his favour - but at what price?

The price was the ruination of many lives.

Aayush Agarwal - his new identity was born from the end of his brother's life, upon the complete destruction of many peaceful lives.

His mother killing his step-brother, then his father torturing someone innocent in the fire of revenge---it all was a shock to him. He knew his parents weren't saints but he never expected something so horrible from them.

That's why, at the breakage of their deeds, and their company being on the verge of collapsing, he chose to turn his back on them.

He chose but couldn't make himself heartless enough to his awful parents.

"Why Ma?! Why did you do this? Why?!"

He had confronted his mother, for the first time with hate in his eyes.

"Your Ma did this for you, Danish."

That's how she had justified her wrongdoings. She - the woman who was cruelly trampled under the wrath of Karma.

"But I never asked for any of this."

The moment, he had said those words to her, loathe was becoming more apparent in his eyes. His mother, she had always done things for her own appeasement. He and his name was just a coverup of her actions.

"But I did this for YOU!"

At last, she had yelled, already standing deep in the chasm of insanity.

Soon, following after, the news of her suicide didn't come unexpected because she had lost her sanity the day she tainted her hands with Ansh's blood.

After her death, for the first time, Aayush dared to demand something from his father, the man who has always considered him just a backup. Just a second chance if his first chance couldn't grant him success.

"Show me your face only when you're needed."

That's what his father believed.

And accordingly, Aayush was never needed.

Because such circumstances never occurred, Ansh always lived up to his father's expectations. He was never a disappointment whereas Aayush was never given a chance to prove himself in something he was a genius in---something which was in the field of medicine, not business.

Because of this, Aayush became worthless in his father's eyes.

When he demanded freedom from his family's name, he never thought that his father would agree.

"Take whatever is left, money, property papers, anything. But leave before they come for you."

His father had said to him when their company, their reputation, everything was crumbling under the feet of Karma, and their lives were literally becoming a mess.

Even till the last moments, his father didn't explain himself nor did he apologise to him, yet left something priceless for Aayush; before bidding the world goodbye, he granted him freedom, freeing him from the name of the family, which now was in ruins.

It was how the story of Danish Singh ended---at the end with his family, identity, everything thoroughly erased, destroyed.

Thereafter, there was no reason for him to stop and look back at the past...until he met her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The blindfold against Shravya's eyes made it impossible for her to discern her surroundings, but she could smell though - the fresh, clean air that came with the night sky, and the crisp scent of the wet grass underfoot.

She was in the garden, behind the mansion.

Her steps were cautious and slow as she tried to rely on her senses as much as possible, not wanting to depend on Zaid, who at the moment, was holding her hand, leading her to only God knew where.

"We're almost there," he murmured, his voice a whisper against her ear before he retreated, leaving a burning sensation on her skin while being persistent to not mind that spectacle, she nodded.

She couldn't understand why her body was getting so much vigilance recently, or why was he whispering things so softly in her ear as if they were some kind of secret. But somehow, despite her inability to fully grasp what he was implying, she chose to reckon upon the situation.

It was almost midnight. She was almost asleep in her room when suddenly Zaid had entered her room, his persona weaved with an odd enthusiasm, which was new to her.

He said he wanted to show her something beautiful and when she agreed, she least expected to follow him with a blindfold on.

"Are we there?" Shravya uttered, halting her steps a bit. It was too much. The irritation of sleepiness was earning the worst of her patience.

"Not yet."

He sounded like he was smiling. Was he trying to play around?

"Stop messing around," Shravya hissed in annoyance. "Can't you see it's midnight? I'm going back to my room."

She wanted to remove the blindfold but he squeezed her hand a bit tighter before giving a light tug, wanting her to continue walking. "Just a little more and we'll be there."

Huffing, still a bit unsure, she followed him blindly, until what it seemed like another session of night's silence and the nature's noise, she felt him stopping, his grip loosening around her hand.

Then, all she could hear was his footsteps as he moved, leaving a cold, bare space beside her.

"Here," he said softly into the darkness, shifting behind her and taking off the blindfold, which made Shravya feel relieved but abruptly amazed by the sight before her eyes.

The emptiness of the dark sky was greatly overlooked because of hundreds of sky lanterns flying over, covering the void, claiming the sky as their own.

"Happy Birthday, Sona."

Her frigid body was engulfed in a warm embrace by him, who was still standing behind her.

A sense of incredulity overrun her. Shravya blinked once, twice, too dazed. It was her birthday?

She didn't remember honestly when was the last time she celebrated that day. It's been so long that now, even the memories of her birthday appear blurry as if not enough valuable to be kept intact on the wall of her mind.

Her heart warmed up before soaring with emotions when he took one of her hands in his and gently raised them together, towards the sky.

With goosebumps dancing on her skin and tremors assaulting her being, Shravya watched as the lanterns voluntarily floated around, lighting up the dark sky in a soft glow.

Some lanterns went past them, moving gracefully and brightening the surroundings.

"What a memorial day it will be. It's your birthday, and today we're getting married too." Shravya felt a gentle touch on her cheek, which turned out to be Zaid caressing her face with the back of his hand before allowing it to move further---deliberately reaching down, securely around her waist, and turning her.

She looked up to face him, the glow absorbing them gave no way to the darkness, making it impossible for her to hide her treacherous movements as she stood rooted, her eyes seizing in the sight of his features---his hair, his chin, his moving lips saying something...

"I'll never forget this day."

His gaze met hers, and she looked away from those perilous dark voids.

"Me too," she whispered, returning her eyes back to the sky. "I will never be able to forget this day ever again."

The magnificent sight of the lanterns reflected in her equally gorgeous hazel orbs which Zaid was eyeing as unknowingly, a ghost of a smile slowly uplifted his lips, flawlessly.

~You just don't know it yet but you love me and I love you the same.

One day we'll have a pretty wedding and I'll be your everything.

We'll be together, yes forever, we will never ever part.

Oh, you don't know it yet but baby I've already got your heart.~

If you like the chapter then please do follow me PanchiVerma (for Instagram you can check the link on my bio)

Q - So, how was the chapter guys?

Half of you expected Aayush to be a bad guy just because his mother was bad, and he's Danish Singh.

Lol! Your reaction was so hilarious in the last chapter. Seriously, sometimes I pity you all. Hahaha. 😂

Btw, thank you so much for being so patient with my super late updates. I really love you all ❤️

Anyways there is something I want to tell you all - DON'T MISS NEXT FEW CHAPTERS!

I'm going to reveal a big secret about Zaid ;)