Love Reborn

Chapter 3 - The betrayal

He clung to the hope that she was simply busy in her new job....

Until the day he decided to surprise her with her favorite coffee and his warm smile, only to get shocked by the sight that made his steps faltered, his heart sank. Through the glass door he saw her, Navya, his love, his world, was chatting to a stranger, their faces inches apart, sharing a laugh and a moment that was screaming familarity.

Swastik's mind struggled to process the unexpected sight.
Who was that man? Why did Navya seem so comfortable with him? Why were they so close?
The air stuck in his lungs, making it hard for him to breathe.
The distance between them, the silence, it all made sense now.

As he stood there frozen in shock, Navya caught his eyes, their gaze met and time stood still. Navya's face burnt with a sudden flush as she hastily looked away.
She quickly excused herself from the stranger and hurried towards Swastik. But he turned and walked away, unsure of what to do Or what to say, all broken by the sight. He felt his heart heavy, weighed down by a mix of emotions of sadness, anger and betrayal.

Swastik's mind now became a tangled mess, unsure of how to process the revelation. Had all those laughter-filled moments, those sweet talks, her affection nothing but mere facade. Had Navya been deceiving him all the time Or was he just too blind in love to notice the signs.
The questions swirled in his head.

Navya was following Swastik, calling out his name but he didn't stop, he didn't want to face her now, he could not.

"Swastik, Swastik please stop, let me explain" She shouted, her footsteps echoed in the street, but he didn't stop.

Finally he stopped at a small park, collapsing on a bench, as if the weight of his emotions had become too much to bear. Navya finally caught him. She knelt down in front of him.

"Swastik please talk to me, I can explain-” Navya begged,

But Swastik cut her off, his tired and dead voice came out, " Who was he, Navya? The man who was so close to you that-", his voice trembled, "who was he? "

Navya hesitated, her eyes roaming around the park but couldn't meet Swastik's. "He..., he is Aryan, the CEO of 'Birla Enterprises'. He is just my boss-"

His cold gaze met Navya's, "just a boss? "

"I know this looks bad Swastik, but you need to understand that Aryan is a powerful man in my industry and he, he can open the door of success for me-"

Swastik chuckled bitterly cutting her off, now this was making sense, "So its all about success, isn't it" He spat with disgust. "You are willing to sacrifice our relationship, our love just to achieve your goals, right? "

" I am getting it now", Swastik said, his voice laced with pain, "I am just a mere student, still chasing my dreams but you've found someone successful, someone who can be your stepping stone to success, right".

"It's not like that Swastik, I just want to achieve success and he can open the door of success for me. I need it Swastik, I need to be successful. "

"More than you need me? " He asked, his voice cracked.

Swastik looked at Navya's eyes searching for the answer,for the love they once they shared. But all he saw was cold, hard determination for success.

"So, that's it, you are willing to throw away our relationship, you don't need me now, "he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

" Swastik see, its not about needing you less, it's about needing this more. My career is everything for me and I am not throwing away our relationship, I am just taking a chance on myself ", Swastik felt a pang in his chest but Navya continued, " And if you can't support me then I think we are not meant to be".

Swastik felt his heart ache,
"Support you? I have always supported you Navya. But it seems like you needed status, power and success more than anything"

Navya's eyes flashed with anger and defensiveness, but he continued.
"I thought I was more than that to you, I thought our relationship was something real, something beautiful. But I was wrong. You've made it clear, what you want and it's definitely not me" He paused.
"And you know what the worst part is? ", his voice dripping with sarcasm," That I still love you, even after all this, I still do"

"You are not understanding me Swastik but I know what I need to do and for now it's better for both of us to separate our ways" She said, her voice determined with a hint of sadness.

"I am leaving, Swastik. I need to focus on my career and I can't do that with you holding me back" She said.

Swastik's heart shattered into a million pieces. Navya started leaving. He felt like the weight of his emotions were crushing him. Yet, he sat there frozen, unable to move or speak. His eyes followed her, Navya's figure began to fade.
He wanted to call her out, beg her to stay but his voice stuck in his throat. She faded away leaving Swastik alone with his thoughts, all broken.

The pain was suffocating him, making it hard for him to breathe. He felt lost and alone.
His pain reached a boiling point, he unleashed a heart wrenching scream. As the scream faded away, his body started to shake uncontrollably with the painful sobs.
That night air was filled with the sound of his cries echoeing off the walls as he wept uncontrollably. His cries was beyond control and he kept crying the whole night......

Present.

A lone tear slid down Swatik's cheek as the memories of that night flooded back to his mind. His mind was consumed by the thoughts of Navya and the what-ifs of their past, which were still haunting him.
As he sat there, lost in the thoughts,
A soft voice whispered beside him. "Seems like you are really broken, aren't you".........

Hi everyone...
Hope you liked this part.....✌
Stay tuned for the next..... ❣️