Reclaimed Legacy

(14) - The Breaking Point

Ruhi sat alone in her room, staring blankly at the window. It had been weeks since the disastrous wedding, the day everything had unraveled before her eyes. Armaan's voice echoed in her mind, clear as day: "I love Abhira." His words had ripped through her like a blade, shattering the world she had so carefully constructed.

How could he love someone else?

It didn't make sense. Abhira wasn't anyone special—not to her, at least. She hadn't even known much about Abhira before her marriage to Armaan. But the moment Ruhi heard that confession, the floor beneath her feet gave way. Armaan wasn't supposed to fall for her. He was supposed to marry her, Ruhi, just as it had always been in her mind.

Armaan's betrayal came out of nowhere, like an unforeseen storm. He had been her everything, the man she molded her life around. She had built all her decisions on staying close to him, even agreeing to marry Rohit when it seemed like the only way to be near Armaan. She had convinced herself that she could make things work with Rohit, but her heart had never been in it.

But then Armaan married Abhira. And that was the moment everything fell apart. I gave my marriage to Rohit a chance, but I couldn't handle seeing them together.

She had kept a close watch on Armaan and Abhira's relationship, growing more anxious with each passing day. When she learned their marriage was only temporary, Ruhi had felt a strange sense of relief. A year, that's all it was. Armaan will come back to me. But her relief soon turned to fear when she noticed how close Armaan and Abhira had become. She watched them carefully, dreading the day they might fall for each other.

Her fear had driven her to desperate measures. That's why I exposed Charu's affair. The scandal had hit Abhira hard, but Ruhi thought it was justified. Abhira needed to be out of the picture. I needed Armaan back.

And when the truth of their contract marriage came out, and everyone had turned against Abhira, Ruhi believed it was finally her time. The stars had aligned. She had even convinced Vidya that her marriage to Armaan was meant to be. Armaan had been distant, yes, but she had chalked it up to the wedding stress.

But as the wedding day drew closer, Ruhi couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Armaan had been evasive, his eyes always elsewhere, but she ignored it. He'll learn to love me again. Once we're married, everything will fall back into place.

She had even asked him, during one of the wedding functions, if he still loved her. His answer had crushed her. He didn't deny it outright, but his words carried the weight of change: "Everything has changed in the past year, Ruhi."

That was the moment she knew deep down that Armaan no longer loved her. But Ruhi, always determined, had brushed it aside. I'll marry him, and he'll come back to me, she had convinced herself.

But then, the wedding fell apart. Armaan refused to marry her, standing before everyone and declaring his love for Abhira. How could he love someone else? Her heart ached, shattered by the realization that Armaan had never truly been hers. His love for Abhira wasn't something she had ever anticipated, and it wrecked her to her core.

After the wedding fiasco Ruhi stayed inside the Goenka house only for days, her heart in pieces. No one from the Poddar house had contacted her yet—not Armaan, not Rohit, no one. But she knew it was only a matter of time. She was still legally Rohit's wife, and the thought of going back to that life filled her with dread. I don't want to face him. I don't want to be with Rohit.

She had married Rohit for Armaan. But now, Armaan was gone, and Rohit had returned. The anxiety gnawed at her every day, growing worse with each passing moment.