Renaming Destiny : Apsara To Myla

Say It

Apsara's POV

I was in my suite still not having the courage to walk out when I heard a knock on my door. I sighed and walked to get the door and was shocked to see Aniket Bhaiyya and his mother on the other side of the door. I saw her eyes well up with tears and her palms move up to cup my cheeks and then I completely broke down. "Apsara...", she whispered. I lifted my head up and looked at her with teary eyes. I had missed her a lot after leaving India. She had always been kind and affectionate towards me. She pulled me into a tight hug while letting her tears fall and I held Aniket Bhaiyya's hand while he caressed her hair with his other hand. 

She pulled away and wiped her tears from the end of her dupatta and asked me, "Did you ever miss me, huh? You just vanished forever", I chuckled at her angry tone and brought her into the suite with me. I made her sit on the couch and poured some water for her. "We saw your interview, Ap-", Aniket Bhaiyya corrected himself, "Myla. You made us proud", I smiled at his words and sat down beside his mother. I did not know how she felt seeing me in her son's arms and slowly started, "Aunty, about what you saw downstairs, I-", she silenced me. 

"I know what I saw, my dear. You both were inseparable since childhood. I knew you both won't be able to stay away for long", she cupped my cheeks, "Now, leave all that. Tell me how you are. I buy fashion magazines just to see you, you know?", I laughed at her words and looked at Aniket Bhaiyya. "She is a great fan of yours, Myla. She has each and every picture of yours in secret".

"I'm flattered", I laughed. We were quiet for a few moments until I remembered I had not yet wished him. "Oh! And congratulations, Bhaiyya. Ashwin told me about your wedding", I said. He smiled and said while standing up from his seat, "Thank you. Wait, let me go get her". He came back after a few moments and I was speaking to his mother when I heard their footsteps. I turned around and saw Ashwin, Aniket Bhaiyya and his wife walk into the suite. I looked at Ashwin who was still red. 

"Myla, this is my wife, Prasiddhi. You may-"

"Apsara?"

"Prasiddhi?"

I looked back in shock at the woman who was my senior in school and was a good friend of Ashwin. I looked back at Ashwin in shock. "You could have told me!", I scolded Ashwin and ran to give Prasiddhi a hug. I pulled away and was talking to her when Luca and the others walked in. As soon as he saw Aniket Bhaiyya, he read it all wrong again and started yelling at him in Italian. I stopped him and said it wasn't him too and that there was another brother to them. My other cousins joined us and I introduced them to each other. 

"Forgive me if I'm wrong to say this, mam. But we do not like your son. Not one bit", Isabella said. I bit on my lips while they spoke to each other. "I always thought Apsara was in love with Ashwin. When she suddenly took Adarsh's name, I was stunned myself. I did not even know what to do", I looked at her in shock and then at Ashwin. "And to stay away from her all these years were torture. We were happy she finally found you all, but we had lost her forever that day and it still haunts us".

We saw my mother walk in and her eyes softened when she saw Ashwin's mother. They greeted each other awkwardly and my mother turned to Aniket Bhaiyya and said, "You have a beautiful place here. It's amazing to see greenery everywhere", I widened my eyes in shock. I looked at Ashwin and he knitted his eyebrows, "You did not know Bhaiyya owned this place? I had told you that he ran a hotel in Paris". 

My mother said, "The celebrations are about to start. Luca, get them and join the others soon", she turned to Anuradha aunty and said, "Please forgive us, we are in a hurry. It's Myla's brother's wedding today. So there is a lot going on. Please join us this evening with your family for the reception. We'll expect you there", and they all left one after the other. Ashwin stayed back and I closed the door when it was only us. "I'm sorry, Apsara. I was surprised to see you here all of a sudden and completely forgot about the others", he said running his hand through his hair. 

I asked him to take a seat and drank some water while he looked at me with a concerned face. I sighed and started, "Ashwin, first of all, it's Myla", he hummed in a questioning tone, "My name is Myla. All of my documents say so. Everyone I know call me that. Secondly, I am not angry at you or anyone else today. I am shocked is all. But I can feel the walls that I had built around myself for 8 whole years slowly fall apart and make me vulnerable again. It was all smooth until I stepped in India and since then everything has been really confusing and weakening for me".

He stayed quiet and listened to me, "I don't like who I am when I think about them. I can feel my past crawling up to me all over again. And I can't afford to be depressed or weak now. I probably have 3 more years until some other models steals the spotlight and I will be reduced to just another model from London. It has been this way for a long time in the industry and it will continue to be so. So, I need to make the most out of what I have right now".

As if knowing what I was trying to say, he straightened up and took a deep breath, "I do not want to see or hear from anyone who knew me in the past, Ashwin. I don't want to lose my power. I don't care if you call me selfish for this, I do not want to be in the same room as them again", I said and looked away to wipe my tears. He stood up and walked to me. "Say it. I know there is more", he whispered. I looked up at him and slowly stood up while speaking in a brittle voice, "It was all okay until it was only you, Ashwin. But it is too early for me to accept them all again", I took a deep breath, "I do not want you to contact me again, Ashwin. I want to be left alone. I'm sorry-", he pulled me into a hug and I felt wetness drop on my shoulders. We stood like that for a few minutes and I broke into tears when I felt him cry. 

I heard him suck in a deep breath and pull away too soon and he slowly placed his lips on my forehead. "I would never hurt you. Even if it meant killing myself slowly everyday, I really don't care. You won't have to worry about them. They'll be gone by tonight. J-just- take c-care of yourself for me", he said and strode away from me without turning back. I collapsed on the couch when I heard the door close behind him and let out my sobs. I did not want to lose him but the life I had built for myself seemed more important to me than my past with his family. 

I spent a few more minutes alone and freshened up real quick and joined the others. On my way, I saw all of them walk out of the hotel while the younger ones laughed happily. I recognized a few of them but I was sure they didn't remember me. I looked away and my eyes fell on Ashwin who's back was turned towards me as he spoke to the receptionist. He walked away without looking back and I felt a lone tear roll down my eyes to see him walk away with his family. 

I walked inside the hall to see the celebrations had already started. Sienna was upset with me for not being around to get a few pictures clicked. I lied that I felt unwell and she let it go. The party was a super hit. Many people from Hollywood and many colleagues of my parents and even mine were present there too. I was cheering for the others as they danced when Isabella pulled me to the bar to get a few drinks. I don't know what took over me and went along with her.

I lost count of how many drinks I had that night. I did not know if I was drinking to celebrate my brother and my best friend's wedding or to console my sad heart. And the worst part was that I had no idea what I had done until I woke up the next morning with the worst hangover ever.

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The next chapter will be so fun!!

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