𝟏𝟗𝟒𝟔 ：𝑬𝒌 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒎 𝒌𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒂 ✓

𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘟𝘐𝘐𝘐. 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘓𝘪𝘦

Manjari's POV

I don't know what overcame me-I was confused, hurt, and furious, all at once.

I saw HIM with her.

Some GIRL. A stranger to me, yet someone he clearly knew well.

She wrapped her arms around him, her touch lingering in a way that made my stomach churn. And then-she kissed him. Not on the lips, but on his cheek. A simple, fleeting touch, yet it shattered something deep inside me. It felt as though someone had reached into my chest, gripped my heart with ruthless hands, and crushed it into a thousand irreparable pieces.

The world around me dulled. The warmth, the laughter, the joy I had felt just moments ago-drained, vanished, as if it had never existed.

I had never imagined him with anyone else. I had never thought I would have to. And yet, here he was, standing before me, holding onto another girl, while I stood frozen, drowning in a pain I didn't understand.

But why?

Why did it hurt this much?

Why did the sight of him with someone else feel like my very soul was being ripped from my body?

And then, the realization hit me with a force so powerful it stole the breath from my lungs.

I was in love with him.!

Edward. The boy who had unknowingly claimed my heart.

The tears spilled freely now, blurring my vision, making it impossible to look at him any longer. I had come here for him, hoping to share in the happiness of this day. Instead, I had received the cruelest gift imaginable.

On my birthday.

A hand clasped mine, grounding me. Gauri. She looked at me, her eyes filled with silent sympathy, understanding my heartbreak without needing a single word. Without hesitation, she led me away, away from the agony, away from him.

Inside the washroom, I gripped the sink, staring at my reflection through tear-clouded eyes. I barely recognized myself. I looked... broken. As if all the light within me had dimmed. My lips trembled as I tried to hold back the sobs threatening to consume me, but I failed. The pain was too raw, too overwhelming.

I let go.

I buried my head in my arms, and I cried.

Gauri was beside me in an instant, wrapping her arms around me, her warmth a small comfort in the midst of my storm. She held me tightly as I sobbed into her shoulder.

When my cries finally subsided, she cupped my face gently, wiping away the remnants of my sorrow. Her eyes met mine, and in them, I saw reassurance. Strength.

She was telling me I would be okay.

I didn't feel like I would be, but I nodded anyway.

She carefully wiped my tears with a tissue, smoothing away the evidence of my heartbreak. When she was done, she took my hand and led me out of the washroom.

I stopped just at the door, hesitating.

She turned back to me, her expression soft, blinking at me as if to say, I'm here.

I looked at her for a long moment before finally following.

~~~

Edward's POV;

When I heard her name-Charlotte-my entire body went still.

I turned toward her, confusion knotting my brows. But then-Manjari.