Vidyut's POV
Vidyut stared at his phone, the message from Aarohi still fresh in his mind. She wanted to meet tonight. After all this time, after all the distance, maybe this was a chance to truly connect.
But deep down, he knew things weren't as simple as they seemed. Aarohi never talked to him about what she was going through. Not once. And he didn't want to push.
That's why he turned to Vaani.
He found her at the college library, tucked away behind a stack of books.
"Vaani," he began hesitantly, "can I ask you something?"
She looked up, eyes wary.
"It's about Aarohi... I don't know what's really going on with her. She won't talk to me."
Vaani's gaze sharpened. "You want to know because...?"
"Because I care," Vidyut said quietly. "And I want to help, if I can."
For a moment, Vaani was silent. She'd been suspicious of him at first, wondering if he was genuinely concerned or just trying to control Aarohi's life. But there was something different in his tone — something honest.
Slowly, she nodded. "Alright, I'll tell you what I know. But you have to promise me you'll be patient with her."
Vidyut nodded eagerly.
Vaani leaned in and spoke softly. "Aarohi's under a lot of pressure — her father expects things from her that she doesn't want. She want to make her dream of being a lawyer and she is but her biggest sadness is that her father don't support her dream. And... she feels trapped. She won't say it, but I can see it."
Vidyut absorbed every word. This was more than just a tough exam or a bad day — it was something deeper.
"Thank you," he said sincerely. "I'll be careful. I don't want to push her away."
Vaani gave him a small, knowing smile. "Then just be there. That's all she needs."
After a few days
It had been a few days since their quiet dinner at Twilight, and though things between them had become more civil, Aarohi still kept her walls up — not in anger, but in silence. Vidyut respected that. He didn't push.
But the stillness in his own heart was beginning to crack.
That evening, he sat alone in his study, staring at an old photograph on his desk — one of him as a boy, arms tightly wrapped around a little girl with bright, tear-streaked eyes..... Payal
The knock on the door jolted him from his thoughts.
It was Aarohi.
She hesitated in the doorway.
Aarohi noticed the distant look in his eyes. "Vidyut, you've been quiet tonight. Is everything okay?"
He forced a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Just tired," he murmured.
She stepped inside and closed the door gently behind her. For the first time, she saw him not as the bold, sharp-tongued Vidyut who cornered her into a life she hadn't chosen — but as someone who looked... hollow.
"I brought you tea," she said, placing the cup on the table, her voice softer than usual.
"Thanks," he replied, not reaching for it.
Then, something broke in him.
"I used to bring tea for my sister," he said suddenly, his voice low and unsteady. "She was always crying... hiding in her room after one of his outbursts."
Aarohi didn't respond. She sat down across from him
"My father..." Vidyut continued, forcing the words out, "He didn't like weakness. If Meera spilled a glass of water, he'd yell. If she got less than full marks, he'd hit her. And if I defended her—"
He swallowed hard.
"He'd take it out on me. Lock me in the basement for hours. Sometimes all night."
Aarohi's breath caught. She hadn't expected this. Not from him.
"You reminded me of her, Aarohi," he said, finally meeting her eyes. "The way you stood in a room full of decisions made for you... The way you looked at your father, unsure whether to fight back or fold."
"I didn't marry you to trap you. I married you because I thought I could protect you — do what I couldn't do back then. I thought maybe... maybe you'd feel safe. Yaa i know what i did to marry you was unexplainable but that time i wanted you to be my wife because i wanted a wife like you like you stood up against me you made me admire you."
Aarohi sat frozen, the cup of tea now forgotten between them.
"My mother used to say, 'If a woman leaves her home for you, you build her a safer one.' I thought I was doing that. But maybe I just brought you into another kind of cage."
A single tear escaping down his cheek. "I just... I just want to protect you. "
Aarohi stood and moved around the table, enveloping him in a hug. "You already have. And you always will."
In that embrace, they found solace, understanding, and the promise of a future where they would face whatever came together.
YOU ARE READING
Hateship
Romance"where are you going ?" he asked "not your concern " she answered he grabs her wrist "you are not going anywhere until you answer my questions......what were you doing here? and why?" he said "if you already know what I was doing why are you aski...
