Renaming Destiny : Apsara To Myla

London

Apsara's POV

"Welcome to London!", a woman dressed in formal outfit greeted me with a bright smile after the car ride to my aunt's place while a few others took my belongings from the car behind ours. I replied with a small smile and walked behind my aunt who was instructing something to a tall, bald man who kept nodding to her words. I saw a mansion, with its pristine white walls and arched windows, ornate wrought-iron balconies and perfectly manicured hedges hinting at Italian influences.

As I stepped inside, the cool marble floors and high ceilings greeted me. Soft, natural light filtered through the large windows, making the whole place look majestic. The gentle scent of fresh flowers was in the air making me suck a deeper breath just to enjoy it. The decor was very minimalistic with shades of white, beige and brown everywhere. "Umm.. Apsara, this is Natasha", my aunt's words distracted me from the beauty of her house. She showed the woman who greeted me earlier, "She is my personal assistant. If you do not get to speak to me because of any emergency, you can inform it to her. She'll bring it to me. Ok?", she turned to Natasha and said, "Show her her room. Make sure to be with her. I'll go get those idiots", she said and walked out of the house only after giving me a supportive pat on my shoulder. 

I looked at Natasha who had a formal smile again on her face. I followed her as she walked upstairs and looked at the paintings on the wall. Finally, she stopped in front of a door and said, "Everything you need is inside, mam. Just ring the bell beside the bed if you need something else", I nodded and she left. I sighed and opened the door of the room and stepped in. As expected, the spotless white walls of the room had minimalistic decor in either white or brown. I removed my shoes and walked in. 

There was a bed against the wall on one side and a huge TV right opposite to it. The stairs beside the bed lead to a door which I guesses was for a closet. The space under the stairs had a desk and book shelf where many books were placed. Behind the wall with the TV, was another door and I opened it to find a bathroom with a shower and a bathtub too. I walked to the bed and sat down. I sighed and fell back on the bed as the 10 hour long journey started to show its effects. I rubbed my eyes and looked at the ceiling. 

I wondered what was going on back in India. I wondered if my parents were sad because I was gone, or if Varun missed me. I wanted to talk to them somehow and go back to my country but my aunt was right. I needed to give them some time to forget everything that happened and forgive me. I stood up and decided to go freshen up. After a relaxing shower were I wept while cursing at my fate, I walked out and went to the the suitcases placed near the bed to find something to wear. I wore the first thing my hands touched and walked back down with a mismatched night suit.

I tied my hair up and my stomach rumbled noisily. I walked out of the room and down the stairs to see the house empty. I walked around the house to find the kitchen and finally found it but was surprised to see Natasha snoring with her head on her folded arms on the dining table. I slowly walked past her and looked for something to eat in the fridge. My eyes widened when I saw the fridge which was packed with many vegetables and fruits. There was not one junk food in sight. Woken up because of the noise I was making, Natasha stood up and looked away to correct her appearance. "I'm sorry, mam. It was a hectic night shift for me last night. I did not know when I passed out here", she smiled sheepishly. "It's ok. I don't care about it", I whispered.

I forced a smile and looked away to grab some fruit to eat it, "You can call me Apsara. You are older than me. There is no need to be so formal", I said as I searched for an apple or something. I had no idea how to cook anything and I did not want to burn down that beautiful house for my hunger. "Ok, Apsara. Your aunt had to leave to pick her son and husband from the airport. So she asked us to take care of you. The cook has made some pasta for you. If you would like to have something else, I'll give her a call. It will be ready in no time", she picked up her phone but I stopped her and told her pasta was ok. 

I sat down at the table and a woman dressed in blue served the creamy pasta on a fancy plate and kept it in front of me. I thanked her and started eating. The food was very delicious but my mind was too occupied to talk about it. "I hope you like it, Apsara", Natasha said as she did a little jump on her heels. I smiled and put my face back in the plate to have some more. "You don't have to be so formal, you know. Sit down", I said. She hesitantly sat down beside me and smiled. "You should have some. It's really good", I said. She immediately said she had already had her lunch and thanked me.

Just when I was about to finish, she got a call and walked away to attend it. I walked out of the kitchen with clean hands and saw my aunt walk in with two men behind her. "That is no reason to take a leave, Marc. You know how hectic things can be during this time of the year", she scolded the older among the two men and I guessed that was her husband. "But, Mamma, you went to India too. So you do not get to scold us", the boy complained. "I was in India for a business meeting. Not for a family gathering", she said angrily but as soon as her eyes fell on me, her eyes softened and she smiled while walking towards me. 

"Did you eat something, Apsara? You should be resting, dear. It was a long flight", she said while cupping my cheeks. I nodded and told her I wasn't sleepy. "Let me introduce you to my family, then", she held my hand and walked me to the men. "This is Marco, my husband", she said. I smiled and shook hands with him. "It's nice to finally meet you, Apsara", he said with a thick Italian accent. "And this is our son, Enzo", she pointed at the younger version of her husband and I extended my hands for a hand shake and he smiled while saying, "Finally someone from my mother's side of family".

They laughed while I stood there looking at them not knowing what to say or do. Then we sat down and they talked about work and other stuff. But I was in no mood to listen to anyone. I said I wanted to sleep and went to my room. I picked a random book from the shelf and started reading it and spent a few hours like that. It soon turned dark and I did not bother to go down for dinner. Even after a few hours into the night, I couldn't sleep. I walked out of the room and went downstairs to see no one in the hall. I figured they were all asleep and decided to sit outside for a while. I opened the door leading to the swimming pool and a lawn and looked around for a while. The tall, bald man from earlier walked to me and asked if everything was alright. I nodded and told him I just couldn't sleep. He asked me to call him if I needed something and walked away leaving me alone. 

I sat on a stone bench near the lawn and folded my legs up. I remembered how mercilessly my family had thrown me out and immediately teared up. I knew I deserved every single moment of pain I was going through for going against my father's orders. I cursed at myself and put my head down in my palms and sniffled. I heard someone's approaching footsteps and lifted my head up to wipe my tears. I looked at my uncle who had a neutral expression on his face as he sat on the bench beside me. "I'm sorry I woke you up", I said as my voice shook a little. "No, I had to get some work done. It's a busy season for the fashion industry right now. There is no time to rest", he laughed. "You work in the fashion industry?", I asked wiping my tears. "Yeah. I own a fashion agency here in London", he replied.

We were quiet for a while until he spoke, "You know, Apsara, when Karishma spoke to your mother about us, she had immediately rejected our relationship. Karishma had lost her parents just a few months before she broke the news to them and your mother disowned her sister for her falling in love with a foreign man", I nodded. "And what happened with you was not any different. They wanted to control your life but when you decided to make a decision for yourself, they revolted and threw you out. Just like they did with my wife", I looked back at him shocked. "Yes, Karishma used to live with them. You were just a baby when their parents died in a plane crash. And after their death, she had moved in with your parents. Then she told them about us, but they made her choose in between them and me", he said. That explained why she was never allowed to be spoken about at our home. 

"Apsara, I do not know you well yet. But all I have to say is, you need to understand that you are your biggest friend and enemy. It is on you who you want to be to yourself. It is not easy to forget everything as if nothing happened. But I'm just saying that you have the power to pick yourself back up and live happily", I smiled and thanked him for the kind words. We sat in peaceful silence until my aunt walked out and hugged him from behind. "Couldn't sleep, Apsara?", she asked. I hummed and stood up. "I will keep what you said in mind. Thank you. I really needed it", I said and walked away after smiling genuinely at them. 

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This was more like a filler chapter. But the next one is going to be real good!

Get your tissues ready

Lots of love💗