Khushi looked at chandhini's smiling face. Megha's words rang in her ears that chandhini didn't ever do anything without advay's permission. khushi leaned her head against sofa and watched as advay tried to catch chandhini's eye again and again but failed. Was this guilt? she looked at her son again. Did he bully chandhini? No, her heart answered. Her son never could do it but the situation they had faced, it was not normal. What was the real reason chandhini wanted divorce?

Arnav tapped her on shoulder,'' where are you lost?''

Khushi gave him a sheepish smile as she tried to hide her worries from him,'' Just tired due to work pressure.''

arnav knew she was hiding something but he didn't press her for any details. There relationship was based on mutual trust. she will share when she was ready.

..................................

Advay watched chandhini going toward her room and followed her to her room,"Tiny I want to talk to you."

Chandhini became weary," About what? I said what I wanted to say last night. Why are you behaving like this? Is this some new ego game of yours? Now that I have said that I don't want to be in this relationship. You want us to work it out."

Advay," Tiny please, why are you doing this?"

Chandhini closed her eyes as she said," why? You are asking me this question? You always told me to get divorce, you always told me that this relationship was forced on you and if this relationship was going to work, it was because of me. And I am tired of the burden of this responsibility. " Her voice became heavy due to un-shed tears,why didn't he ever listen to her?

Advay watched her perplexed," don't cry. I didn't mean it the way it sounded. I am sorry. I know I have done many stupid things. I..."

Chandhini sniffed as more tears fell on her cheeks,'' I know you don't give importance to anything I say but at least now at the end,try to listen what I am telling you. We are not compatible.''

Advay moved forward and pulled her in his arms," sorry tiny, really sorry. I am sorry for all the time I didn't listen but we are compatible. We lived together for four years."

Chandhini tried to push him away," No, don't touch me. Don't come near me.I tried to live with you, it was all my stupidity that I tried to make something work which was not meant to be."

Advay didn't let her go,"Our marriage was not supposed to happen, that it happened shows that it was written in stars for us. I am sorry tiny, in my ego I made you suffer. I am sorry. I am really sorry. you were willing to give me a chance before you fell ill, why not now?Tell me why are you this angry? I apologized already for what happened. Tell me how can I make it right."

Chandhini started to cry harder now,'' That makes it worse that you don't even think you did anything wrong. You treated me so badly and now you are asking me what you did wrong? Am I so cheap, so worthless?."

Advay hugged her closer," who said you are cheap or worthless? you are my strong beautiful loving wife who forgives my every stupid thing. I am sorry, I am really sorry about everything. Just give me one more chance. Please. I beg you, I really love you."

Chandhini just felt all her rage and anger boil out and she hit him as many times as she could and then she hugged him and cried. The biggest irony was that she felt better after hugging him.

Advay hugged her as his own tears rolled down his cheeks," Sorry. I am really sorry. Forgive me please."

She kept crying. He picked her up in his arms and carried her into her room. He sat down on bed still holding her.

Chandhini cried for a long time and he cried with her. When her heart finally felt lighter,she still leaned against his chest.Absorbing his scent. A water drop fell on her cheek,she raised her head to realize that he was crying with her. His eyes were red. Her heart hurt to see him cry, it was not fair. Even after everything still she could not see him sad. She hid her face in his chest again.

Advay's arms were starting to hurt but he didn't want to let her go. Chandhini closed her eyes and took in his familiar scent. Slowly she went to sleep.

He realized that she was asleep and gently laid her on bed. He kept staring at her tears still falling from his eyes.

......

chandhini woke up and let out a yawn. Her eyes were bit gritty. she laid on her bed as she thought about what had happened last night. she sighed. she needed to be strong. If she went back to him then it will show that she didn't respect herself. if she had spoken against his first atrocity then things wouldn't have reached this level. 

she opened her eyes intending to get up when her eyes collided with his eyes. he was still here. sitting on bed looking at her. The redness around his eyes showed the tale of his sleepless night.

advay,'' you woke up.''

chandhini looked away from him as she tried to control her rapidly beating heart,'' why are you still here?''

advay,'' I thought that I should let you know my favorite bed time activity. I usually go to sleep before you wake up.''

He grabbed a bit of her hairs between his finger tips,'' sometime you slip away at night and never come back and I wait for you whole night.''

Chandhini digested that bit of information.

Advay,'' tell me what you want me to do except for divorcing you and I will do it. I am ready to take any punishment you deem fit.''

chandhini felt the bitterness of that word,'' I am not you advay singh raizada, I don't punish other people. I forgive you everything because of your parents. They really treated me well. Now, I just want to live my life.''

advay,'' My parents? aren't they your parents too? Between the two of us who is the one with whom baba always sided? who is the one for which ayi never set any rules? None of us was allowed to sleep late or do whatever we wanted. It was you in which everyone's heart beat.''

he was quiet for a moment,'' You feel that I betrayed your trust but I felt same tiny. I felt same, you were like a daughter, a sister and I was forced to accept you as a wife. If I became a little mad, then can you not judge me so harshly?'' Tear fell down from his eyes,'' My whole life I did what you asked me. The moment you came into my life, I did what you wanted. I had asked you just one thing and you even refused me that. I raised you as much as baba, ayi and veer did. do you know how it feels when people think of you as a loose character. I respected you and our relationship and you.....I am not saying I am right, I share equal blame but this is too big of a punishment. If you want some time away from me then I will give you that but only as temporary solution.I love you, I care about you and I never wanted you to be sad.''

chandhini,'' such big words you speak but they are nothing but a lie. when you love someone than you try to ease their suffering but you saw my condition but you heaped more and more burdens on me. You controlled me and my life and I don't like that. you are not the man I loved.''

Advay closed his eyes,'' That's what I said tiny, when you confessed your love to me first time then I told you. I am not what you think I am because our relation is different but you didn't believe me. Now, is the real test. if you love me then accept the real me. I am not a prince charming, I am a living, breathing human being full of flaws and ego. and if you do, then I promise you, I will try my best to be the man you thought me to be....please, give me a chance.''

chandhini looked at the face which was most beloved yet the most hated face to her,''You took veer away from me. Tell me how I am supposed to forgive you for it? how I am supposed to forgive you for the humiliations I suffered because of you?''

Advay,'' Tiny, what you did to me, if I had done to you, he would have killed me. He was angry at you because you broke his trust. Just like you are angry at us now for breaking your trust.....and what humiliations?''

chandhini tried hard to not cry,'' you let everyone believe that I am a gold digger. People spoke badly about me and my parents. You insulted me in front of servants and then, that day you knew it was my exam but you just left.''

advay,'' who said anything against baba and ayi? why didn't you tell me? and I never insulted you in front of the servants but yes, I made it clear that they had to listen to me first and I am sorry about it. I was trying to discipline you. Also, I never left you. You know your university is in opposite direction to the airport. That's why I asked other driver to take you to university as I really needed to reach airport on time.''