PATHS OF HEART

26

Anuj, Anupama, and their little daughter Anika strolled through the park hand in hand. The sun was shining warmly above them, and the soft breeze carried the sound of children's laughter in the distance. It was a beautiful afternoon, the kind that felt almost too perfect to be real.

Anika was excited, her tiny legs moving quickly as she pointed at the swings and slides in the children's area. Her happiness was infectious, and Anupama couldn't help but smile at their daughter's joy. For the first time in a long while, she felt a sense of peace, a momentary escape from the tensions and heaviness that had shadowed their lives for the past months.

Anuj, walking beside her, was also smiling. He seemed more relaxed than she had seen him in weeks. The walk was exactly what they needed—a moment of normalcy in a world that had been anything but.

"Look, Papa! Swings!" Anika squealed, tugging at Anuj's hand and pointing to the playground.

Anuj grinned. "You want to go on the swings, Anika?"

Anika nodded eagerly, her eyes wide with excitement. Without a second thought, Anuj picked her up and headed toward the swings, leaving Anupama a few steps behind, smiling softly as she watched them. This was what she had always dreamed of—a happy family, simple moments of joy that made all the struggles worthwhile.

But as she approached the swings, something caught her eye—someone, rather. At first, Anupama thought she was mistaken. She blinked, her steps faltering as her gaze landed on a familiar figure sitting on a nearby bench. The woman's long hair cascaded down her back, her posture elegant as always. Even from a distance, Anupama could recognize her.

Niharika.

Her heart immediately clenched in her chest, and the world around her seemed to shift. Anupama's breathing became shallow, and her steps slowed. The sounds of the park, the children's laughter, the rustle of the trees—all of it began to fade into the background as her focus narrowed to the woman sitting on that bench.

It had been so long since she had seen Niharika, but the memories came flooding back with brutal clarity. The betrayal. The heartache. The night she had found out that Anuj, her husband, had been with Niharika while she had been pregnant with their child, alone and vulnerable back home.

She had been four months pregnant at the time—an incredibly delicate period in her pregnancy. While she had been dealing with the aches, the nausea, the sleepless nights, and the hormonal swings, Anuj had been in Singapore for a business trip. At least, that's what he had told her.

Anupama had trusted him completely. She had never questioned his loyalty or love. But everything had come crashing down when she discovered the truth.

Anuj had slept with Niharika. His ex-wife.

The news had shattered her. The pain was unbearable, the betrayal incomprehensible. She had felt as if her entire world had been ripped apart. The love, the trust she had built with Anuj—it had all crumbled in that one moment. She had confronted him, and he had broken down, confessing everything.

He had told her it was a mistake, that he had been overwhelmed, that it had meant nothing. But that hadn't changed the fact that he had broken their vows, that he had betrayed her at a time when she had needed him the most.

Anupama had forgiven him eventually, not for his sake, but for the sake of their unborn child and the life they had built together. But the scars of that betrayal still lingered. The wound had healed over time, but the memory of it, the pain of it, was something she could never fully erase.

And now, seeing Niharika here, in this park, brought everything rushing back with a force that nearly knocked her off her feet.

"Anupama?"