DESTINED TOGETHER

Chapter 63 - Moving forward

Akshara's eyes fluttered open as the soft evening light filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow on her tear-streaked face. She took in the wet traces on her pillow, realizing she had cried herself to sleep again—the second time that week, the second day in a row. Sighing softly, she turned her back to the window, grabbing her phone first. Digging her face into the pillow, she checked the time. 4:30 pm.

She let out a bitter chuckle. She had fallen asleep around 3 and woke up just an hour and a half later. Her sleeping schedule was a mess, just like her new eating habits. She had no appetite and couldn't bring herself to eat anything, not even her favorite cranberry toasts. When her father made them for her the day before, she had to make up excuses for not eating them. Lying had never been her forte, so her plain "my stomach is upset from excessive traveling and jet lag" must have been totally unconvincing.

How could she explain to her dad that the last thing Abhimanyu Birla had fed her before trampling on her heart was a cranberry toast, and she would burst into sobs at the dining table if she tried to eat one?

Groaning, she buried her face deeper into the softness of her pillow. Since she had come back home two days ago, past 11 pm, after sobbing her soul out by the empty lakeside for hours, she had barely left her room. She had sneaked in, thankful that everyone in her family was asleep except for her BadiMumma. Her excuse of "I'm completely drained, BadiMumma, let me go sleep!" had been enough to avoid questions, even though she had spent the night wide awake, staring at the ceiling after a long shower where she'd ended up crying anyway.

In the past one and a half day, she had only left her room three times. She had skipped breakfast and yesterday's lunch, only coming out for last night's dinner and today's lunch because she was forced to. She had managed to lock herself up and laze around for most of the time, but she knew it wouldn't do anymore. Her BadiMumma would be calling for her any moment now, and there would be no escaping it.

"Akshu!" At the sound of her name, she huffed and kicked her legs, hoping for at least another hour of solitude. "Akshu, get up from your slumber now, or I'll empty a bucket of water on your head."

She snorted. Slumber? What slumber? She'd barely slept a wink in the last two days. Her body felt heavy and drained, she was dehydrated, and she had no more energy to cry. Her mind tortured her with a relentless loop of her once most cherished memories, now like shards of glass cutting into her heart with every recollection. What alarmed her most was the emptiness she felt and how she was becoming used to the constant ache in her chest.

Heaving a deep sigh, she pushed herself out of bed, her movements slow and deliberate. She walked to the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face in an attempt to wash away the remnants of her tears. Today, she couldn't afford to laze around in her room like she had the day before.

She had desperately tried to come up with the silliest excuses to avoid attending, but her family was adamant that she shouldn't miss Parth and Shefali's wedding. According to her BadePapa, aside from it being the first wedding of the Birla family, her presence was necessary because it was a gathering of other influential members of society.

Mimi had even teased her about wanting to ditch the function to sneak out on a date with Abhimanyu. If only she knew. If she could, she would've gladly ditched the wedding to stay home, because the mere thought of seeing Abhimanyu again after that day made her heart wrench in silent agony. All she wanted was to curl up under her comforter and sob loudly.

But the last thing she wanted was to make her Papa doubt something so she gave in. Her father was finally beginning to bond with BadePapa, the genuine peace and happiness on his face proving it. She'd be damned if she took that precious smile away. Moreover, she didn't want to create any issues between the Goenka and Birla families, especially with Parth Bhai's wedding on the horizon.