ABHIROHI OS

Shadows of Love [5]

The clock ticked in the silence of the room, but for Abhimanyu, time seemed to stand still. He paced back and forth in his living room, each step heavier than the last. His thoughts were consumed by the sight of Aarohi earlier that day-the cool, distant look in her eyes that cut deeper than he could have imagined. He couldn't understand it. How had he gone from being the person she once loved to the stranger she seemed to see him as now?

ABHIMANYU (to himself, voice shaky) I hurt you, Aaru... so badly...

His mind replayed every moment-the way he had betrayed her trust, the lies he had told, the promises he had broken. He had failed her in ways he could never forgive himself for. And now, after all this time, he was back, standing in front of her, desperately wanting to fix the mess he had made of their lives.

He sank into the couch, his head in his hands, his eyes filling with unshed tears. His heart ached as the weight of his guilt consumed him. His thoughts shifted to what could have been, to the life they could have shared, if only he hadn't made those disastrous choices.

ABHIMANYU (softly, through tears) I should have never let you go, Aaru... I should have fought for us... for you...

But it was too late for regrets, wasn't it? He had let her slip away, and now she was a shadow in his life-a person he once called his everything, now nothing more than a distant memory, a painful echo of what could have been.

ABHIMANYU (vowing, his voice firm) I'll make it right, Aaru. I'll make it right. I'll do whatever it takes to earn your forgiveness... and to build the life we should have had. I'll create the family I always wanted with you. I'll never give up.

He wiped his tears away, his resolve hardening. He couldn't change the past, but he could fight for a better future. A future where he and Aarohi could rebuild what they had lost. Where he could prove to her that his love for her had never faded, that he had always loved her, and that he had always regretted the pain he caused her.

ABHIMANYU'S INNER THOUGHTS (a flicker of hope in his heart) If I can make amends... if she can see the sincerity in my heart, maybe... just maybe... we can be happy again.

But he didn't know what he would be walking into. She had closed herself off from him completely. She had built walls around her heart to protect herself from the damage he had done. He was a stranger to her now, and that thought broke him all over again.

IN . AAROHI'S HOME - NIGHT

Meanwhile, in Aarohi's home, the weight of the day pressed down on her like an invisible force. She sat on the floor, playing with Ruhi, her daughter's laughter the only thing that could momentarily ease the turmoil in her heart. Ruhi had no idea of the storm brewing inside her mother. Aarohi smiled softly as Ruhi showed her a drawing she had made, the innocence in her daughter's eyes bringing her a fleeting sense of peace.

AAROHI (gently, her voice strained) This is beautiful, Ruhi... just like you.

Aarohi kissed her daughter's forehead, her eyes misting over as the love she felt for Ruhi swelled inside her. Ruhi was her world-her reason for waking up every day, her reason for fighting. She had promised herself that no matter what happened, she would protect Ruhi from the cruel world, from the man who had once promised her everything and taken it all away.

As Ruhi continued to play, Aarohi's thoughts drifted back to Abhimanyu. She couldn't ignore the pull he still had on her heart, the years of love they had shared, and the scars his betrayal had left behind. Her heart throbbed with the memory of their moments together-their laughter, their dreams, the love that she had once felt so real from Abhimanyu's side.