"Life was too hard on me and now I am broken. Crushed. Smashed. Bleeding."

A wedding is one of the most exciting and unforgettable experiences of a person's life.

There is so much effort and hard work done by the family into planning the special event and making it incredible. Family, friends, and loved ones share the couple's joy, standing by their side as they exchange vows to support each other through highs and lows and spend the rest of their lives together.

And Atharva's wedding wasn't any different. However, unlike others, Atharva wasn't thrilled; there was no emotion of nervousness, excitement, or happiness throughout the wedding and not even the next day at the reception party. For him, everything was soulless. He did not even bother to glance her way.

In Hindu tradition, several auspicious rituals and ceremonies followed the wedding and were considered to be very meaningful. One of which was to cover the face of the bride with a red veil called ghoonghat, while the bridegroom wore a sehra, a veil made of a curtain of flowers and pearls on the wedding day to prevent them from having a view of each other's faces. He could have seen Aahana while applying the vermillion to her forehead during the sindoor daan, or when tying the mangalsutra around her neck, but he made sure to keep his gaze fixed on the parting of her hair and the knot of the sacred thread. Then came the wedding night, where Atharva chose to stay at his office rather than return home. And although they had their wedding reception the next day, he avoided her at all times ​and pretended she was not there.

With that, a week had passed already and there was no interaction between Aahana and him, all because of his routine of going home late at night after she was asleep and leaving the house early in the morning before she was awake.

He was quite happy that Aahana hadn't bothered or questioned him. He still got to live his life the way it was before and that was all he wanted.

Glancing at his watch, he stood up from the chair with his keys and walked to the elevator, down to his car, and drove off to his house. It was 2:00 AM, so he knew she wouldn't be awake as usual.

He pulled into the driveway and unlocked the door to his house before entering inside.

Everything was silent, and he heaved a sigh of relief.

Loosening his tie slightly and unbuttoning the top two buttons of his shirt, he went straight to the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water from inside. Gulping down the water, he relaxed as the cold liquid soothed his throat.

Placing the now empty bottle on the table, he made his way to his room, stopping dead in his tracks when he heard her voice. His whole demeanor changed and his muscles tensed instantly.

"We need to talk, Atharva."

"Yes?" he asked, not bothering to turn around, very well knowing how the conversation was going to end.

"Mister, I am here," she said, her voice dripping with annoyance at his rude behavior. Just because he was rich, it didn't give him the right to be a spoiled brat and treat her like she was nothing.

His jaw twitched, and he took deep breaths to settle his nerves before turning around to where she stood.

"What?" Atharva looked everywhere but at her.

She didn't reply for a moment, simply staring at him, waiting for him to look right at her.

He didn't.

She felt a lump form in her throat, and she swallowed hard.

"Go to sleep," she finally said, shaking her head in disappointment.

He stood there in silence, now looking at the space where she stood. His hands balled into fists at his sides, and he felt immensely guilty to have put the girl in such a position. He didn't deserve her; she didn't deserve this. She could be so much happier, but he destroyed her life when she had done nothing to him.

He chanced a glance in the direction Aahana had disappeared one last time and walked into his room, silently closing the door behind him.

Changing into his sweatpants, he switched on his laptop to get some work done, but his mind was occupied with her soft voice. He hadn't missed the underlying hurt in her words. And as hard as he tried to concentrate, he just couldn't.

Finally, after a while, he was able to finish a few of the important files and by the time he was done, it was dawn already. A yawn escaped his mouth and he quickly set his alarm, switched off the lights, and slipped under the covers. Soon, he was pulled into a deep slumber.

******

Atharva felt like he hadn't even achieved a wink of sleep when he heard the horrible alarm ring against his ears. Grumbling and cursing, he shut it off and rolled out of the bed, another headache forming behind his eyes.

His shoulders ached and his head throbbed, making him clutch his hair tightly between his fingers for a few minutes inside the bathroom.

After showering, he felt slightly better, but he needed his coffee. He knew that only the bitter taste of it could heal him.

Quickly pulling on his work clothes, now that there was a female present in his house, and he didn't want her to see him wandering around the house like a naked mad man, he hurried to the kitchen, only to still at the doorstep.

Aahana was standing there, her back facing him.

His eyes widened, and he let out a breath through his nose, considering to flee. But he didn't want to disrespect her, so he shuffled inside and took a seat at the kitchen stool, far away from her.

"What do you want to eat?" she asked, without turning around.

Keeping quiet, he pulled out his phone and scrolled down the screen to check the rank of his company worldwide like he always did.

A defeated sigh left her lips, and she spoke no more. Carrying the tray of pancakes and coffee, she moved towards him and placed it on the table.

"Why are you awake so early?" Atharva finally asked, trying to sound casual when internally he was shaking.

She was shocked to have heard him speak finally. Taking a step back, she looked at him to find him still engaged in his phone, but she answered, "I wanted to make breakfast for you."

His fingers paused on the screen, and he didn't know how to reply to that.

Taking his silence as a cue, she continued to speak, her voice a quivering mess. "I know we are strangers, but can't we get to know each other?"

He swiftly shut his phone and put it inside his pocket. He so badly wanted to turn to look at her, but he didn't. He couldn't. So all he did was grant her another silence as he had his breakfast.

Waiting for his answer, she stood there expectantly but when she knew he wouldn't, tears pooled in her eyes, and she whirled away from him in the direction of the counter.

She poured the coffee into her mug, her lips pressed together into a tight line to not let out any noise.

He relaxed, having more distance between them, and after finishing his last bite, he carried his plate and mug to the sink and washed it. Placing it inside the cupboard, he finally turned towards her.

He couldn't see her face but her shoulders were shaking. He hoped she wasn't crying. He didn't know why but he didn't like it. He wasn't worth her tears.

"I'm sorry," Atharva whispered with utmost sincerity. "It's better for us if we never interact with each other."

She couldn't stop herself anymore once he left. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks, and her body wracked with uncontrollable sobs. She left the plate of breakfast untouched on the counter and ran to her bedroom, abruptly falling on the bed and burying her tear-stained face in the pillow, seeking for comfort she so desperately needed.

She tried to gain control of herself but it felt impossible, so she let it out.

She didn't understand him a bit. He never gave her the chance. It confused and infuriated her at the same time. He was so distant and she didn't know why. She hadn't even done anything to him.

She remembered how he never looked at her and more tears gathered in her eyes.

She understood their marriage had been arranged by their parents, who were long-time friends, but couldn't they turn this union into love? When her father showed his pictures to her, an immediate attraction sparked within her. Beyond his undeniable good looks, there was something else about him that she couldn't decipher, and she wanted to know more. She firmly believed that love could blossom from such a connection if they took the time to get to know each other. Little did she realise that he held no such intentions.

That day, she didn't bother to get up from the bed, despite the growling of her stomach. She didn't want to starve herself to death but her tears wouldn't stop falling. It was the first time she had felt so broken, that too for a man she didn't know.

She felt angry at herself for agreeing to this marriage, for believing in fate, for waiting for her true love, her soulmate, when in actual all this was utterly absurd. She realized there was nothing like that.

Her thoughts were modern but her heart had always been traditional.

She had got numerous proposals in school and college, but she accepted none. She had no boyfriends, never allowed a man to even hold her hand, all the while saving herself for the one. She wanted to shower all her love and care only to one man and be his forever. And now when she got the chance, she couldn't help but think how wrong she was.

After several hours, she didn't know when she had fallen asleep with a heavy heart and swollen eyes.

Do comment if you like the story so far! ♥️