| 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕃𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕀𝕟 𝕄𝕪 ℕ𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕖 |

Prologue

Time
>>>>———— 💫 ————<<<<

Time, Diya watches it run from her as she keeps her eyes on her wristwatch. Approaching the court for the final hearing of her divorce settlement, she realizes how much time has left her, how less time she has left. She realizes she should have done this very early. She wonders why she didn't take the decision earlier. She regrets the wasted time and energy spent in a relationship where both of them couldn't provide more than the friendship that once gave them the confidence that they could do this. She now knows that she should have listened to her intuition. Now everything she thought she had too much was as if they were mocking back at her, for underestimating her life.

Diya takes a deep breath  as she takes the stairs of the court without even waiting to see her soon to be ex-husband but she could clearly hear the loud thuds from his shoes following her. She had learned to memorize it to know his state of mind. Now, she knew that he was unpleasant too, much like her. To have ended the marriage, which both of them never tried to keep alive.

Diya?

Despite the fact that she doesn't turn, Diya hums.

Ippo kuda namba idha stop panlam

( We can stop this! Even now!)

Diya doesn't say anything, she stays silent. Dhruv runs his fingers through his hair in frustration and sighs. 

I know I didn't try enough but we can't simply give up like that. Adhuvum inime nee thaniya irukuradhu innum kashthama irukum. 

Diya couldn't believe that they were having this conversation now. They had a deal, she tells him the truth, he agrees to her, and they peacefully separate for both of their benefits. But Dhruv just seemed to be having second thoughts from the beginning itself. He was still trying to figure out why it had to end this way. But Diya had already made up her mind. She was done, she was not going to change her mind and she was not going to let him change his either.

She slowly turns around and faces him, Their eyes met, carrying the weight of a shared history, but it was clear that their connection had long since faded.

You need someone to be with you, Diya. You can't handle it alone, this isn't a joke.

Dhruv's pleading gaze searched Diya's face, desperately trying to dissuade her from taking this final step. He knew the depth of her secret, a darkness that had lingered within their relationship. But Diya, always strong-willed and fiercely independent, refused to let fear dictate her path any longer. 

Diya's eyes softened with a mix of sympathy and determination. She understood his fear, but she had already faced worse trials in her life. This, she knew, was the right path for her, even if it meant venturing into the unknown alone. In a voice tinged with quiet resolve, Diya gently replies,

I've handled worse

And she turns away from him to make it in time, she had very few of it. 

With a heavy sigh and a final longing glance, Dhruv accepted the inevitable. It was time to release the hold they had on each other and allow each other to find their own paths, even if it meant leaving behind the familiarity they had grown accustomed to.

And so, with the signing of divorce papers and a bittersweet farewell, Diya and Dhruv began their separate journeys, forever bound by the memories they had shared but now free to embrace the futures that awaited them.