Mere Dil Ko Tere Dil Ki Zaroorat Hai - AdiYa FF

Chapter 20 : Jealousy

"Arjun, how is Aditya? I suppose he told you everything!" Zoya asked, concern evident on her face.

Zoya had asked to meet Arjun because she was worried about Aditya. She was aware that life had already dealt him enough hard blows. In this state of vulnerability, she knew it was not good to leave him alone.

"Zoya, my brother is not well. He hardly sleeps at home and has taken refuge in alcohol! I've never seen him like this," Arjun replied, his voice trembling with emotion.

"Does he hate me?" Zoya asked hesitantly, her heart heavy.

"No, I think he's more angry at the situation," Arjun replied, his gaze full of compassion.

"Arjun, I want to help him. I know Aditya needs to continue his therapy. He was starting to get better with me, but I can't follow him anymore. We are too emotionally connected. Here's the card of one of my colleagues. Try to talk to Aditya and find a way to convince him," she said, determined.

"But Zoya..." Arjun began, worried.

"Arjun, you have to convince him. He doesn't even want to see me. We are the only people he has left in this world. There's also Pooja's mother. Aditya loves her a lot; you can ask her," Zoya insisted, her voice full of hope.

"Sakshi Aunt is not in town. She went on a pilgrimage after Pooja's death, and there's no way to contact her," Arjun replied, his face marked by anxiety.

"Okay, you know what you have to do!" Zoya concluded, determination in her voice.

"Zoya..."

"Yash... What are you doing here?" Zoya asked, surprised, her heart racing.

"I'll leave," Arjun said, getting up.

"Okay, fine. Think carefully about what we discussed and keep me updated," Zoya said before Arjun left.

"Zoya, how are you?" Yash asked, trying to take her hand, but Zoya slightly recoiled, avoiding contact.

"Have you thought about my proposal the other day?" Yash asked, hope in his voice.

"Yash," she said firmly, "regardless of what happened between Aditya and me, things between you and me won't change."

"And why not?" Yash asked, frustration piercing his voice. "You know I love you. You are the woman of my life. I know deep down you still love me."

"Of course I love you; I have affection for you. I'm grateful for everything you've done for me. But all these feelings are not enough to take such an important step as marriage," Zoya replied, sadness in her eyes.

"It's because of Aditya, isn't it?" Yash asked, pain in his voice.

"Yash... It doesn't do us any good to talk about this," Zoya murmured, her gaze evasive.

"If Aditya didn't exist, if you hadn't received that transplant, if you hadn't known it was Pooja's heart, would you still agree to stay with me?" Yash asked, trying to convince Zoya.

"Let's not try to ask ourselves if... if... if... The damage is already done. We can't change anything, just live with it," Zoya said, the sadness weighing on her shoulders.

"Zoya, I love you," Yash declared, his voice full of emotion.

Zoya turned her gaze away, unable to meet his eyes, and left the cafeteria, her heart heavy.

Days passed, and Zoya still hadn't heard from Aditya. She was getting updates about him from Arjun. The two grew closer, but what was even more striking was the growing connection between Arjun and Noor. A spark shone between them, and it pleased Zoya to see her cousin so enthusiastic.

Yash, for his part, was trying by all means to win Zoya back. With the pressure from his father, she was on the verge of cracking. Living with Yash didn't seem so terrible; they had been engaged for three years! He had always been good to her and her family. She told herself that her story with Aditya was definitely not real, trying to convince herself.

That day, Yash had invited Zoya to lunch. It was his birthday, and she had accepted. Zoya parked her car in front of the hotel restaurant, got out, and started rummaging through her handbag to get her phone. Suddenly, her bag fell to the ground. She bent down to pick it up, her belongings scattered on the floor.

"Are you okay, ma'am?" asked a stranger, approaching to help her gather her things. Just as he was about to stand up, their foreheads bumped. "Ouch!" they exclaimed in unison. Suddenly, their eyes met, and they stood there, frozen, as if time had stopped, their eyes locking in a deep connection for a minute.

Finally, they stood up, an awkward tension hanging in the air. "Hello," said Aditya, breaking the silence.

Zoya was about to respond when Yash arrived, interrupting the moment.

"Wow, Zoya... you're already here... very pretty and very punctual," he said, a forced smile on his face, poking at Aditya. "Hey, Aditya, you're here, hello..."

Aditya didn't react. But when he saw Yash put his hand around Zoya's waist, it made him green with jealousy. Zoya, for her part, felt embarrassed by the situation, but she could do nothing and say nothing.

"Let's go," Yash said, leading Zoya toward the hotel restaurant, leaving behind an Aditya burning with jealousy and anger, his heart heavy with unspoken feelings.

Aditya had finally decided to follow Zoya and Arjun's advice by resuming his therapy. But could it be that this wasn't the real reason? Perhaps he was simply looking for an excuse to spy on Zoya and Yash. The image of the two entering the hotel that day continued to haunt his mind, like a shadow that refused to leave him.

———————

Zoya found herself in the private service elevator, lost in her thoughts, when the door suddenly opened. Aditya, late for his first appointment with his new psychologist, was running at full speed to catch the elevator. He had missed the last public one and had no choice but to dive into the private one, not caring who he might find there.

"Aditya...?" Zoya asked, surprised to see him.

"Zoya...?" Aditya replied, his heart racing.

A heavy silence settled in the elevator, charged with unspoken words and tension.

"I..." they began in unison, before cutting each other off.

"You first," Zoya insisted, breaking the ice.

She noticed the floor number Aditya had pressed. "I'm glad to see you're doing better and that you're ready to go back to therapy," she said, trying to bring a note of encouragement.

"And I'm glad to see you've moved on," Aditya retorted, anger and frustration mingling in his voice.

"Yes, I'm trying, and you should consider doing the same," Zoya replied, her tone firm yet compassionate.

This response only served to further inflame Aditya's anger. The elevator doors opened abruptly. "Don't forget to send me the invitation to your wedding," he said angrily before slipping away.

"Uh... wedding?" Zoya stood frozen, contemplating Aditya's remark. *He thinks I'm going to marry Yash? But why?* She wanted to stop him, to set the record straight, but Aditya had already disappeared, taking her doubts with him.

---

"Hello, Mr. Hooda."

"Hello, doctor."

"Please have a seat; can we begin?"

Aditya had finished his session, which had gone rather poorly. For him, there was only Zoya who could understand him. He couldn't stop thinking about her words, about her assertion that she had moved on, and about the memory of Yash sliding his hand around her waist. *She never loved me,* he told himself inwardly, frustrated and bitter.

As he was about to take the elevator, a voice called out to him.

"Hooda Sir... Hooda Sir!"

"Yes, hello, ma'am. Who are you?" Aditya asked, confused.

"I'm the nurse from the lab who performed the tests for you and your wife. You never came to pick up your results."

"Just so many things have happened in my life," Aditya replied, fatigue and sadness evident on his face.

"I'm really sorry for the loss of your wife. You can come to my office to collect your results."

"Okay, after you!" Aditya said, curiosity piqued.

In the lab office, the nurse handed him an envelope.

"Here are your results."

"Thank you," Aditya replied as he opened the envelope. The medical terms seemed so distant, almost foreign to him. "Can you explain this to me?" he asked, disoriented.

"We took a sample for a spermogram, and your results are perfect. You have no issues. The problem was more with your wife, who suffered from PCOS. I assume her treatment worked since she picked up her blood test results confirming her six-week pregnancy."

Aditya paled, his heart tightening. "Thank you, doctor. I have a question: does this mean my sperm was used for something other than the test?" he asked, anxiety rising within him.

"No, your wife was not impregnated with your sample. You can retrieve your sample or request it to be destroyed. Once again, I'm sorry for your loss."

"Okay, thank you. I'll be going," Aditya said, his mind filled with confused thoughts.

Aditya was elsewhere, pondering the revelations the lab had just given him. How could Pooja be six weeks pregnant when he had been away for three months? He remembered that period very well. When he learned of Pooja's pregnancy, he hadn't questioned the situation because he knew he had donated his sperm for analysis and insemination. But now, he realized that the sperm had not been used.

*If this child isn't mine, then whose could it be? No, Pooja couldn't have cheated on me again. Why would she do that to me? There must be another explanation,* he wondered, anxiety gnawing at him.

Flashback: Three Years Ago

"Pooja, can you go get us more popcorn?" Aditya asked, his eyes glued to the screen.

"Why can't you go by yourself?" Pooja replied, annoyed, without looking up from her phone.

"But Pooja, I'm watching *KKHH*! You know it's my favorite movie of all time, and my favorite scene where Kajol is about to catch the train is coming up soon," Aditya said, pouting like a child.

"Aditya, you've already watched this movie over 500 times! You know all the lines by heart. This movie is over 20 years old!" Pooja exclaimed, frustration in her voice, fiddling with her phone impatiently. She felt irritated that he interrupted her moment of peace.

"Come on, Pooja, please," Aditya pleaded, putting on a puppy-dog face.

"Okay, fine," she finally replied, getting up from the couch where they were sitting, accidentally dropping her phone behind her. "With sugar or honey?"

"With honey, sweetheart!" he replied, still focused on the screen.

Suddenly, Pooja's phone started ringing, interrupting the silence. "Pooja, your phone is ringing!" Aditya shouted, exasperated, remaining in the living room.

"Let it ring, I'll be there in a minute!" she called from the kitchen, not rushing.

The phone kept ringing, and Aditya, annoyed by the interruption, grabbed the phone. He was about to turn it off when two messages came in. Without meaning to, he read them: "Hey baby, I'm really happy about what happened between us yesterday. Can we meet again? I already miss you."

Aditya's world collapsed. Anger flooded his face, and his heart tightened. At that moment, Pooja came out of the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn in hand.

"What's going on? Why do you look like that? Did Kajol's train crash? Don't tell me she's dead," she joked, unaware of the storm brewing.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to turn off your phone because it was ringing louder and louder, and I read your messages," he said, handing the phone to her with a dark look.

At that moment, Pooja realized what had just happened. "Aditya, it's not what you think! Believe me!" she cried, but he turned his back on her, his heart heavy with betrayal.

"How long, Pooja?" he asked, anger and pain mixing in his voice.

"I don't have an affair, Aditya, you have to believe me! This guy is just someone I met at my book club. He's interested in me; he's been harassing me. Since you're often away, we've just talked from time to time. It's just a flirtation without consequences, Aditya, you have to believe me," she pleaded, panic in her eyes.

"Now you're going to put your flirtation without consequences on my back! You're just unbelievable!" he retorted, his voice trembling with rage.

"I can understand that you feel lonely when I'm not around, but you never told me. We talk every day, we've known each other since we were 12, you're my best friend. Why are you hiding things from me?" he exploded, frustration overflowing. "It's only been two years since we got married, but our friendship didn't start yesterday."

"If you assure me that nothing happened between you and this guy, I will believe you! But if I find out you cheated on me, I will never forgive your betrayal," he said, heartbroken, before leaving the room, leaving Pooja alone with her regrets.

End of Flashback

No, she couldn't have done this to me. She assured me it was unimportant to her. I can't think that of someone I've known forever. The pain of betrayal gnawed at him, and the happy memories of their friendship mingled with anger and confusion. Aditya stood there, lost in thought, wondering how everything could have changed so quickly.

There was only one person who could answer his questions. Aditya immediately headed toward that person, his heart racing.

"You? Get out of here! What are you doing in my office? Security..."

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Hi guys, I hope you're doing well! And that you're still interested in the story. Have a great start to the week! Thank you for the likes, votes, and comments; feel free to recommend the book. More twists and turns are coming in the next chapters. I think there are about ten chapters left before the end, so get ready for what's coming!

Be lenient, I'm not a writer.