The Silent Betrayal

1. The Ignored Heart

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Taani paced back and forth in her room, her heart heavy with confusion and hurt. It had been days since Rey started acting distant. He wasn’t answering her calls properly, and every time she tried to meet him, he made some excuse about dance rehearsals or hanging out with the team.

“Rey, humesha dance ke saath busy rehta hai, but what about us?” she whispered to herself, her voice cracking. She clutched her phone tightly, scrolling through the messages she had sent him — messages that remained unanswered.

Earlier that week, Rey had told her something she never expected to hear. He wanted to break up. At first, she thought he was joking. Their relationship had always been full of love, care, and deep understanding. But then he had said it again, this time with a coldness that shattered her world.

“Taani, I think... humein break lena chahiye. It’s not working out.”

Those words replayed in her mind on a loop, stabbing her heart each time. She hadn’t slept properly in days. She couldn’t concentrate on anything. Her mind kept drifting back to Rey, the person she thought would stand by her, no matter what.

“Kyun Rey? Why are you doing this? Kya sach mein humare beech sab khatam ho gaya hai?”

Taani’s mind kept replaying the moment over and over again. The breakup had been swift, cold even. Rey had said things about her needing to focus on her career on becoming more independent. But Taani didn’t want that. She wanted a simple life, to be a good wife to Rey, to support him in his dreams. Was that really so wrong?

The past few days had been unbearable. Rey had broken up with her out of the blue, and no matter how much she tried to understand why, she couldn’t. She felt lost, abandoned, and confused. Rey had always been her anchor, her safe place. Without him, she didn’t know who she was anymore.

The dance hall buzzed with energy as the D3 team rehearsed their routine for the upcoming competition. But amidst the rhythm of feet hitting the ground and the beats of the music, Rey’s mind wasn’t on the dance. His thoughts were tangled in something far more personal—his plan to push Taani away, to make her more independent. It had seemed like the right decision, but now he wasn’t so sure.

Rey wiped the sweat from his forehead as he paused the rehearsal, signaling a break. His friends were too busy catching their breath and hydrating to notice his inner turmoil. Rey tried to stay focused on the rehearsal, to push the thoughts of Taani’s heartbroken face out of his mind. But her eyes, filled with pain, haunted him.

Taani… The name alone felt heavy in his chest.

Sharon, sensing something was off, approached Rey. "Rey, rehearsal mein toh tum physically present ho, but mentally, you’re somewhere else. Kya chal raha hai?"

Rey hesitated before answering. He looked around the room, making sure no one else was listening, and then turned back to Sharon. "Sharon, I… I’m not sure about this plan anymore."

Sharon raised an eyebrow. "What plan?"

Rey sighed, frustrated and conflicted. "The plan to break up with Taani. It was supposed to make her focus on her career, to help her realize that she’s capable of so much more than just being a housewife. But ab lagta hai maine kuch galat kar diya."

Sharon gave him a long, understanding look. She knew Rey’s intentions were good, but she also knew that Taani was shattered by the sudden breakup. "Rey, tum jo bhi kar rahe ho, it’s for her betterment. Agar Taani sirf housewife banne ka sapna dekhti rahegi, she’ll never realize her true potential. You did this for her not for yourself."

"But Sharon," Rey interrupted, "Taani ko jo dukh ho raha hai na, woh dekh ke… I can’t take it anymore. I never wanted to hurt her like this."

Sharon took a deep breath and placed her hand on Rey’s shoulder. "Mujhe pata hai, Rey. But think about why you’re doing this. Also she can't always depends on you in future you also have career ahead in dance. I know how much dance is Matter to you but still she lied about your identity to her taauji (uncle). She knows you will feel hurt and I think she needs to understand.

Rey bit his lip, unsure but wanting to believe in his decision. He knew Sharon was right—Taani had always relied on him, and while her love was genuine, it had become her entire world. He wanted her to build a life outside of him, to be someone with her own dreams and aspirations. Still, the guilt weighed heavy on his heart.

"I hope you’re right, Sharon," Rey said quietly.

"I am. Aur ab, tum rehearsal pe dhyaan do," Sharon smiled encouragingly. "Distraction se achha kuch nahi hoga."

Rey nodded, trying to shake off the feelings of guilt and self-doubt. He signaled the others to restart the rehearsal.

On the other side Taani had tried reaching out to Rey multiple times since the breakup. She’d texted him, called him, but every time, he found some excuse not to talk. He was too busy with dance rehearsals, too tired, too preoccupied. It was breaking her heart.

With a deep breath, she opened her phone again and stared at Rey’s contact. She had sent him a message earlier, but it was still unread. Desperation gnawed at her. She needed to talk to him, to understand why this was happening.

Rey, please. I need to know why you’re doing this, she thought, her thumb hovering over the call button. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she pressed it.

The phone rang once, twice, three times, and then…

Call ended.

Taani stared at the screen in disbelief. Phir se?

She grabbed her bag, stuffed her books into it, and headed out the door. She reached the college and everyone was staring at her while some of them gossiping and making faces at her.
She saw Rey and Sharon were going towards the canteen and she thought can talk with him and follow them, she was about to approach but suddenly stopped herself as she listened her name in their conversation. Rey and Sharon continued their talk without knowing that the poor soul  listened their conversation with tears.

At canteen:-

Sharon, noticing Rey's distraction, walked over again. "Rey, kya yeh distractions kabhi khatam honge?"

Rey shook his head. "I don’t know, Sharon. Taani ke bina sab kuch ajeeb lag raha hai. Main usse pyaar karta hoon, but I can’t keep holding her back."

Sharon crossed her arms. "Toh ab tum kar kya rahe ho?"

"I don’t know," Rey admitted, feeling lost. "Main usse contact nahi kar raha hoon, lekin... it’s killing me inside. I can’t see her like this."

Sharon gave him a firm look. "Rey, you have to stay strong. Agar tum ab pighal gaye, toh yeh poora plan fail ho jayega. Remember, you’re doing this to help her grow not to hurt her."

Rey nodded, but he couldn’t shake the guilt gnawing at him. "Lekin Sharon, agar yeh sab galat ho gaya toh? If she never forgives me?"

"She will," Sharon reassured him. "Lekin sirf tab jab woh apni life ke decisions khud le payegi. Give her that space. Trust the process. and she loves you so trust me she will definitely forgive you"

Rey took a deep breath, trying to regain his focus. He knew Sharon was right, but it didn’t make things any easier.

Taani listened their conversation with tears filled eyes and left to the fire exit and kept questioning herself. Kya maine kuch galat kiya? Why did Rey push her away like this? She couldn’t figure out what had gone wrong. All she knew was that she had gone from being his Taani to being nothing in his life. Rey was treating her like she was just another face in the crowd.

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