Love or Revenge

Chapter 48 in Alternate Universe

After 10 Years

In Canada, Zoya came down the stairs from her room that morning. They have moved to Canada with Grace and Arjun after that incident happened 10 years before. She was wearing a white-laced Salwar Kameez with light blue dupatta and bottom, it was the one Aditya gifted her on her 1st birthday after their marriage. He always asked her to wear the dress, but she hesitated as she loved wearing sarees for him. Now, this dress has become very special to her, so she started to wear it only on special occasions.

She was preparing breakfast and lunch. When she noticed that the time was 8.30am, she hurried to the living room and said at the top of her voice. "You're late... come down fast...".

She went back to the kitchen to check the stove. As there was no reply and she didn't see him at the dining table, she switched off the stove and again called, "Adi... You're getting late... come down baby...", while she placed the breakfast plate and lunch bag on the dining table.

Winter has started and cold air hit her from the balcony. It has started to snow now. She went near the balcony and closed the door while covering herself with the woolen scarf over her.

Her mind drifted to that incident that happened 10 years before. On this same day, she went to see Harshawardhan at his construction site to get her final revenge. With the building on fire on every side, she would have taken her revenge with Harshawardhan, that day she would have brought peace to her parents and as well as to her. Finally, their soul would have rested in peace. But everything was ruined when Aditya showed up while she was about to pull the trigger on Harshawardhan.

If he hadn't showed up there or if Harshawardhan didn't use Aditya as his bait or if she doesn't have to choose between Love or Revenge. Her life would have been different.

                                                                                      ***

That day flashed right before her eyes on the snow. Zoya stood up and raised the gun at Aditya. Aditya was shocked to see Zoya with a gun pointing towards him. But, before he could form a sentence in his mind, Zoya said, "Aditya... You didn't know how much I love you..." tears started to roll down on her cheeks. Aditya could see the dilemma on her face. She continued, "I... I can't live without you, and I can't live with you... After what I have done to you... to your family and to your friends... But I had to do everything for my parents... for all the atrocious things these people had done to them... I know..." she sniffled her nose and said, "I know... I don't deserve you, Aditya... I love my parents and will always love them forever..." she swallowed her pain.

"Here today... I'm standing in right front of you... and I never thought that a day would come for me to choose between my parents or my love... Others took my father's money and his life, but Harshawardhan paved the way to them to do a horrible thing to my mother before killing her. So, I don't regret for what I have done to the others or what I'm going to do to your father..." Aditya notices the honesty and clarity in her eyes as she continued, "I know, you loved me immensely before knowing that your father is the one who killed my parents... But I can't forgive him, because my parent's soul will rest in peace when I finish him for his doings... I understand that by doing so, I may lose you forever and for hurting you... and the guilt of hurting you would kill me for my whole life".

"If I forgive him for my love... then my parents' may never forgive me, and I can't forgive myself for letting him slip out of my hand. Also, I know I would regret my whole life for letting him go. But... but... If you accept me and my love, then I would happily live with that regret my whole life... and I know my parents' will understand and eventually be happy for their daughter being happy and will find peace knowing that I found my love and happiness in you and the life I deserved. I want to be with you till my last breath... Before you came into my life, nothing mattered to me... except for my revenge on the people who killed my parents. But... Everything that matters to me... now... is just... "YOU". I Love you, Aditya... I Love you unconditionally, irrevocably...", Zoya wiped her tears and hesitated before asking him, "Will you accept my love and me, even after knowing everything about me?"