𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐒 : 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝓑𝓻𝓲𝓭𝓮𝓼

𝟏𝟐. 𝐕𝐀𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐇𝐈 𝐈𝐒 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆

┌──❀*̥˚───❀*̥˚─┐

CHAPTER 12
└───❀*̥˚───❀*̥˚┘

ＲＥＣＡＰ

Her heart sank as she realized what had just happened. That keychain wasn't just any keychain; it had been a gift from her someone very special, something she had treasured for years. The sight of it broken into pieces felt like a dagger to her heart.

Samrat, who had initially been laughing, fell silent as he realized what had happened. He watched as Avantika's expression shifted from playful to devastated. She dropped to her knees, frantically gathering the broken pieces, her hands trembling as she tried to collect every tiny fragment.

"Avantika..." Samrat began, his voice soft and filled with regret.

♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢

But Avantika didn't respond. She was too focused on picking up the pieces, even though some of them were so small that they were almost impossible to retrieve. In her desperation, she didn't even notice that some of the sharper pieces had cut into her fingers, leaving small drops of blood on the floor.

Samrat's heart ached as he watched her. He wanted to say something, to apologize, but the words seemed to get stuck in his throat. He had never seen Avantika like this-so vulnerable, so hurt. And it was all because of him.

After what felt like an eternity, Avantika finally collected all the pieces and placed them carefully into a small box. She stood up, her face now a mask of stoic composure, but her eyes betrayed the pain she was feeling.

Without a word, she walked out of the room, the door slamming shut behind her with a loud thud.

Samrat remained frozen in place, guilt and regret washing over him. He knew he had crossed a line, but he didn't know how to make it right. For a moment, he contemplated going after her, but he hesitated, unsure of what to say.

It wasn't until several minutes later that he finally gathered the courage to follow her. He found her on the terrace, sitting on a bench and staring up at the moon. Her face was devoid of emotion, her usual warmth replaced by a cold, distant expression.

Samrat approached her cautiously, unsure of how she would react to his presence. He sat down beside her, his eyes fixed on her face, hoping for some kind of reaction. But Avantika didn't even acknowledge him. She just continued to stare at the moon, lost in her own thoughts.

The silence between them was heavy, filled with unspoken words and unresolved tension. Samrat felt a pang of guilt in his chest, but he didn't know how to bridge the gap that had suddenly formed between them.

After what felt like an eternity, Samrat's eyelids began to grow heavy. The emotional weight of the situation, combined with the late hour, was taking its toll on him. He fought to stay awake, but eventually, he succumbed to sleep, his head nodding forward as he dozed off beside her.

An hour later, Samrat was jolted awake by a soft sound. He blinked groggily, realizing that Avantika had fallen asleep as well, still sitting upright on the bench. Her face was peaceful, her earlier distress now replaced by the calm of sleep.

Carefully, so as not to wake her, Samrat reached out and gently lifted her into his arms. She stirred slightly but didn't wake up, her head resting against his chest as he carried her back to their room that clearly casted the result of her over exhaustion and dedication to her work. He laid her down on the bed, tucking the blanket around her before climbing in beside her.