His Solace

The Awaiting Change

Two months later:

Arjun was settled in the chair of his cabin. His face was pale, etched with grown beard. The dark circles under his eyes were the evidence of his sleepless nights. His eyes were cold, devoid of any emotions. It seemed like he lost some weight too.

His gaze was fixed on the marriage contract in his hand but his mind was somewhere else, caught in a whirlwind of questions.

How did she suddenly get to know about the marriage contract and about him being a mafia?

She already gave him the answer to this question but he knew there was something she was hiding, something she wanted to tell him but couldn't.

Why did she go to the cliff without telling him?

Why did she point her gun at him?

Why was she complied to kill him?

Why did she sacrifice herself?

How did Alfonso Russo appear on the cliff all of a sudden?

Why did she save Alfonso Russo, the reason for her parents'death, miseries, pain, nightmare?

These unanswered questions lingered in his mind, gnawing at him relentlessly. He needed to find the answers to his questions. But how?

It's been two months since he lost her and he still couldn't find the answers. The answers to his questions were buried deep inside Nandini's heart. And nobody except Nandini could answer them.

Why didn't she tell him anything? Did she not trust him enough?

But this question wasn't his main concern right now. Right now, his main concern was to find his lady, to make sure she is safe.

It's been two months and he still couldn't find her. Nandini's family and Shreeja still have no idea about the cliff incident. Arjun had woven a web of lies to prevent them from facing the harsh reality. Her parents were easier to convince with his lies than Shreeja. She was really hard to convince but he eventually did.

He knew that telling them the truth was inevitable but he wanted to do it after Nandini is found. He wasn't ready to face them yet.

His phone rang breaking his chain of thoughts, grabbing his attention. He picked up the phone, pressing it to his ear.

"Boss, your meeting has been scheduled in Pune." The man on the other side informed.

"Cancel it." Arjun replied instantly without giving too much attention to it.

"It's really important. Many successful businessmen will be there. We have already cancelled it three times." The man tried to reason making Arjun huff in frustration.

"Fine. Send me the timing and other details of the meeting." Arjun commanded and hung up the phone without waiting for a response.

He dialled Kartik's number right away. After two rings, Kartik picked up the call.

"Arrange my private jet for Pune for tomorrow morning." Arjun said and hung up the call without giving Kartik a single chance to speak.

In the evening, he made his way to his mansion. The car halted in the parking area. Arjun sat there inside the car silently for a few minutes.

After a few minutes, he sighed and went towards the main door of the mansion.

His gaze darted towards the garden where Nandini once used to spend time, admiring the flowers and enjoying the peaceful ambience. Today, the garden seemed incomplete, the flowers longed for their admirer's touch.

He entered the mansion and looked around the empty hall. Whenever he came back, she used to approach him to welcome him back with a cheerful smile. But she was no longer there.

He went to the terrace where she used to practice her vocals, where they spent some of their most cherished moments, where they confessed their love for each other.

He went downstairs and a maid approached him asking for dinner.

"Let's have dinner, Arjun." Her voice echoed in her mind. He remembered the way her wife mode used to get activated if he tried to skip meals.

He refused to have dinner, having no appetite left.

He made his way to Nandini's room. He stood outside, staring at the closed door. Thoughtlessly, his fingers traced the wooden door. His touch was so gentle that it seemed that it wasn't the door he was touching but his fragile wife. His fingers slipped down to the doorknob but he couldn't twist it. His heart pounded against his ribs. He withdrew his hand from the knob.

Since the cliff incident, not even once he entered her room. He couldn't muster the courage to step inside the room, every inch of which held her trace, her memories, her fragrance. In fact, every corner of the mansion was a painful reminder of the loss he faced but her room had a significance that no other corner held in his heart. He knew he would break down if he stepped inside the room and it was better if he left.

He went to his room and lied down on the bed staring at the ceiling with a blank expression. His body craved her warmth in his arms. He missed the serene feeling of sleeping with her in his arms.

His heart clenched at the cherished moments he once spent with her that seemed a distant memory now.

He closed his eyes trying to find an escape from the reality but sleep remained elusive.

Bhavya observed Arjun's actions since he returned to the mansion. She noticed his behaviour everyday, understanding his plight.

To some extent, she shared a part of his plight. Nandini was not just the wife of her boss, she was much more than that. She was a friend with no ill intentions, just love, a woman who never allowed her to feel that her status was any lower than her, a woman who showered her with affection.

She remembered how difficult it was for her to cope up with the loss of her friend. She couldn't interact with anyone for days, spending days mourning for her loss.

She could feel how deeply it affected Arjun. Once again, the ruthless mafia was back, the man who showed no emotions, the man who was heartless.

But the facade couldn't overshadow the man Nandini loved. No matter how hard he concealed his emotions, it couldn't change the fact that he felt....he felt every emotional very deeply. No matter how hard he tried to seem heartless, the soft organ inside his chest always betrayed his facade, pounding everytime he looked at her photos, aching every time he remembered her loss.

He had to leave for Pune the next morning. Little did he know that something big awaited him, something that had the capability to heal his wound or break his broken heart further.