Torn Heart's

chapter 18

For the first time I got 10 votes,usse Khushi mai double update 😭😭

How would you feel if you discovered that the person you loved with all your heart had not cheated on you but had married someone else only because of you. He was caught between two worlds,on one side was Prisha, who had been part of his past, and on the other side was Ridhima.

He gripped his steering wheel tightly as he drove

"Have you lost it, Arjun.Do you even know what you have done.How could you just leave.Ridhima was there when you had no one, she helped you to get out of that difficult phase"his friend shouted him.

"You tell me, Karan, what option was I left with. It's easy for you to say that I just left Ridhima alone there. But do you know the turmoil I’m going through.Just imagine yourself in my place. The girl you loved, the girl you loved with everything you had, the girl who was your whole world—she betrayed you. And then you find out she did it all to protect you. She went through all of that just to save me. I feel like I’m the reason her condition worsened. And now, you’re telling me that I just left Ridhiman alone.I know Prisha was my past but I am the main reason behind her pain,her suffering”Arjun shouted,he was blaming him self for everything

"Just go and visit Prisha,clear out everything otherwise this pain kill you from inside"his friend suggested

Soon he arrived at Maya's apartment, he parked the car and hesitated for a moment before knocking on the door. Maya opened it, her surprise seeing Arjun.

“Arjun, what are you doing here” Maya asked

“Priyank visited today and told me everything.He revealed the whole truth about what happened with Prisha. He also mentioned that she’s staying here. I need to talk to her"Arjun said

Maya moved aside and let Arjun inside. Arjun saw Prisha playing with Avni.

“Avni, come with me. I will show you something,” Maya said, taking Avni with her.

Prisha looked down, unable to meet his gaze, and was looking everywhere but at him.

“Prisha, why did you not tell me anything” Arjun asked.

Prisha was confused about what he was talking about.

"Priyank told me everything"Arjun said making her shocked

"Prisha, why didn't you tell me everything.We could have figured something out."

Prisha's eyes were brimming with tears,"I wanted to, Arjun, but it was too late. I was forced into all this"

"So, all this time, while I was trying to understand why you left, I never imagined you were trapped in a situation like this. Why didn't you fight back? Why didn't you reach out for help"

Prisha wiped away a tear, "I tried, Arjun. I did.But have no idea about my family.I didn't want to drag you into my mess"

Arjun's heart ached as he listened "But if you had told me earlier, maybe we could have figured out a way. You should have trusted me to handle it. I could have been there for you, ."

"Do you think it was that easy, Arjun. You have no idea what my family has done to me. Remember when your mother was in the hospital. She lay there for over an hour with no doctor attending to her. It wasn't because the doctor was busy or on his way. It was because my father wanted to show me what he could do. He was demonstrating his power, making me suffer just to prove a point........It's easy to say I should have fought back when you don't know the full extent of my struggles. I tried, Arjun. I was trapped in a situation where every move I made was monitored, every decision controlled. My family’s power was suffocating me."

Arjun’s eyes were filled with regret as he looked down,and whisper. "I am really sorry, Prisha. I’m the reason behind all your pain. Only because of me did you end up marrying Shekhar, and I..."

Prisha interrupted  "It was in my destiny to get married, Arjun. Even if you hadn't been in my life, my parents would have forced me to marry Shekhar"

Arjun struggled to find the right words"Prisha, I..."

Prisha cut him off, saying "I know, Arjun. I understand that you have moved on and that you love Ridhima. To be honest, I don't have any feelings for you anymore. The only thing I care about now are my children.And please don't blame yourself for all this shayad humare kismat mai ek dusra ka ek hona tha he nahi"

Arjun looked at her. "Thank you for understanding. I wish things had been different"

Prisha nodded and said"We both have our paths to follow. I hope we can find some peace in the journey ahead."

"I hope we will remain as friends," he said. The idea of being just friends with him was unbearable, yet she knew she couldn’t reveal her true feelings. Not now, not when he was about to start a new chapter in his life.

She wanted to scream, to tell him that she couldn't just see him as a friend, that her heart was breaking at the thought. But instead, she forced a smile

"Yes, we can be friends like before. And... congratulations on your new journey." She could hear the crack in her own voice as she said those last words, but she quickly masked it

"Thank you, Prisha," he said, stepping closer to give her a friendly hug.

As Arjun walked away, Prisha stood silently, her tears falling freely down her cheeks. She wanted to call out to him, to stop him, to hold him and tell him that she still loved him

She stopped herself from calling out to him, knowing deep down that Ridhima had become his support system, helping him heal from the pain she had caused unknowingly. It wasn't right for her to ask him to leave Ridhima, especially when she saw the love he had for her in his eyes.

Maya hugged Prisha tightly and asked her, "Why did you let him go, Prisha"

Prisha's eyes filled with tears as she replied, "Mohabbat thi, isliye jaane diya. Zid hoti toh main nahi jaane deta. I wanted him to be happy, even if that meant I had to let him go."

"But what about your happiness, Prisha. You deserve to be happy too."Maya asked her

Prisha smiled faintly through her tears, "Uppar walah meri zindi mai khushiyan bhool gaya hai shayad daina"

Ridhima  sat alone in her room, tears streaming down her face "What if Arjun chooses Prisha" The mere thought of it was killing her from the inside.

She knew deep down that Arjun loved Prisha, and a part of her understood that if he chose Prisha, it wouldn’t be wrong. Prisha deserved all the happiness in the world after everything she had been through. But what about her. Didn’t she deserve happiness too

Ridhima wanted to be selfish for once in her life. She wanted to see Arjun by her side, to have him choose her. But the fear gnawed at her,what if his true happiness lay with Prisha.

_______________________________________
Stay tuned for next chapter