Omkara stared at his brother and wife bickering with each other. His lips rose to a curve as their banter turned to an amiable conversation. They amazed him. How could people love each other so immensely!

Oh! He too had someone who loved him. The tense of that sentence made his heart twist in an unknown pain. Gauri Sharma; that was his definition of love. No one could love like her. She loved him and when she did, she loved with a passion.

May be, that passion overwhelmed him. Or may be, he was just scared of loving her the same way. Whatever it was, he had crushed that reality under the weight of his misunderstandings.

She never tried to claim any rights. Everytime he pushed her away, she would hold on, protecting him from one or the other havoc. And he, being the arrogant man he was, took her for granted, every single time.

I regret meeting you. Those were the words she said before she left. Why wouldn't she! After all, he had made life a living hell for her. He accused of things, called her names and yet, she stood with him through thick and thin.

But when he repeated all at once, she lost her cool. She gave up on him. That day was fresh in his memory.

"You are a characterless woman who goes to any extent for money!"

It all started with a light conversation. Shivaay and Rudra were teasing Om about his feelings for Gauri. Gauri had smiled at that and made a sad comment "He isn't even sure about my place in his life. Pyaar to door ki baat hai!"

"You're saying as if it's my fault!"

There started a verbal spat. Omkara had called her all the undignified words while she stood there, tear stricken with a blank face.

"Ho gaya aapka?" She asked to which he gritted his teeth. "What are you saying Om?" Shivaay exclaimed at his brother.

"Rehne dijiye Bade Bhaiyya!" She said with a smile this time. "Why waste time on something that has seized to extinction long back!" She then went to his room and came back with a small bag.

"I don't owe you any explanation. Still, I would like to say something. I loved you. And I regret it. I never stayed here for money. It's your choice to believe or not to believe that. Everytime I tried to leave, one or the other thing stopped me. Not this time. Good bye Omkara Singh Oberoi. And thank you for the lovely family and harsh lessons!"

Omkara stood silent. He didn't find anything wrong. She turned her heels and walked away but stopped halfway. "I regret meeting you!" She said that in pure distaste. As much as he wanted her to leave, it hurt when she did.

It was after that Shivaay explained everything to him. After hearing everything, he was ashamed. You could've asked me once Om! What made you think that I wouldn't do a background check on someone who claimed to be your wife?

Right now, his eyes turned misty as he watched his brother play with his wife and baby. No, he was not jealous. The sight just made him miss her. If things were different, it could've been them.

He did try looking for her. And he succeeded. He met her yesterday, at an orphanage. After almost one and half years of yearning, he saw her.

She looked more confident. They talked. They talked for the first time. Because as far as his memory took him, it was always heated arguments before. She didn't show any sign of grudge. She was happy with her life. And her happiness didn't have anything to do with him anymore.

"You love her a lot, don't you?" It was Shivaay. He just smiled and looked away. "I do. I always did I guess." His voice had an ache in it.

"Bye Shivaay. I've got a painting to complete." He stood up and walked away in a bid to mask the tears that were threatening to fall down from his eyes.

As he walked through the corridor, the conversation from the previous day played in his mind.

"I never stood a chance, did I?" He asked, rather stated with a sad smile. She mirrored his expression and shook her head softly.

"That's the sad part - you did once!"

At the end, it was just silent silences.

Hey all! This shot is the result of reading the first two chapters of "My Nepenthe" by souji28. I haven't even reached halfway but after reading the first two chapters, my mind was stuck on it and hence this happened!

Hope you all liked it. Do tell me your views. Criticisms are openly welcomed.

Sorry for errors if any.

Thank you for reading.

Stay safe. Be happy ✨.