Love In Vengeance

CHAPTER- 39

Aditya stepped into the bathroom, his movements sluggish, as if the weight of the truth he'd just learned had seeped into his bones. He turned the shower knob, and the water came down in a steady stream, warm at first, then growing hotter as he stood beneath it, hoping the scalding heat might wash away the confusion and ache gnawing at him.

His hands pressed against the cold tiles in front of him, his head hanging low. The water cascaded over his body, making the path from his head to his abs, his muscles tensed up. The storm of thoughts swirling in his mind. Vartika is his daughter. He had a daughter, a girl he'd unknowingly loved, and cared for, without ever knowing she was his.

Not listening to anyone he was ready to trust Shivalika, he had a belief in her which she broke. He thought Vartika was not his daughter, He thought she had moved on with someone else when he got to know she had her daughter, He never expected that she was his. He fought with everyone because of a lie. How could Shivalika keep something so monumental from him? didn't her heart ache for once? The question echoed in his mind, but he couldn't bring himself to feel anger. He had no strength left for it. He could only feel the deep, hollow ache of betrayal of a life he should have known but never did.

Steam filled the bathroom, but it only seemed to fog his mind more. He rubbed his face, water and tears indistinguishable as they mixed together. His heart twisted painfully. What was he supposed to do now? Pretend the hurt wasn't there? Pretend he feels nothing? Pretend that She is not affecting him? Vartika's face flashed in his mind, her voice trembling with regret.

The words replayed in his head.

"Will you come with me, Vartika?" Aditya asked Vartika who was sniffing, Shivalika looked at him in horror. He is ready to take their daughter with him. He didn't even talk to her about this.

"I want to come with you... B-But I want Mumma too, I don't go anywhere without My mumma." Vartika told him that because she is a kid, Yes, she wants to live with her father but she needs her mother, She ain't living without her mom. She can't live without her a single day, If she doesn't see her then she turns everything upside down until her mom comes back to her.

"This is not the right place, Aditya. I promise I will bring Vartika to your home, even if it's hard for you to trust me again, but this time trust the mother of your daughter"

The words echoed in his mind. He was all ready to bring Vartika with him, but she already couldn't digest all these things that happened today, She was upset and somewhat scared of what was going to happen again. She was scared of losing her parents, the father she got to know about for the first time, Everything was hard for her to believe, She needed time. Even though He didn't trust Shivalika anymore but He agreed only because of his daughter, Her puffy face was too much for him, and He couldn't see her like this. Even he needed to clear his him. Immediate action would have caused many problems. He has to deal with all this very smartly, he doesn't want his daughter to get hurt, He only cares for her now, unlike Shivalika who is thinking about all the sides.

Aditya leaned his forehead against the wall, letting the hot water burn against his skin as if hoping to cleanse the memories, the confusion, and the heartache. But it stayed, lodged deep within him. The truth was too much, too fast, and now he was left with only questions and no idea how to answer them. For the first time in a long while, Aditya felt utterly lost. He was desperately waiting for tomorrow.

On the other hand, at Chauhan's Mansion, The house was filled with uncomfortable silence, Shivalika's parents were upset and Angry with Yash and Shivalika both. They were still thinking about how can they stop Aditya from taking Vartika's custody. But After Aditya left, Neither Shivalika came downstairs nor they wanted to talk to her. Especially, Arjun did go to talk to Shivalika even after Chandrika's insistence. Arjun's mind kept recalling her conversation with Yash that he overheard. He didn't talk to her, he came back silently, he was still in his deep thoughts.