They were an unbreakable couple since school. Still, he cheated on her.
She loved him with all of her. Still, he broke her into millions of pieces.
She has no one except him. He has someone other than her.
She was tolerating bad behavior of his fami...
Tujhe yun sametkar rakhun Khud mein Ki tu bikhare bhi toh Meri hadd mein
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Lotus Garden was drenched in the pale light of early dawn. Dew clung to the grass like shattered glass, and the air carried that strange in-between stillness—half-night, half-day. Adair stood with his arms folded, staring at the empty bench as if it might give him answers before Lakkhan did.
A yawn cracked the silence.
"Paanch minute se teri saanse sun raha hoon..." Lakkhan's voice came from behind, lazy yet sharp. "Bolega bhi ya aur romantic hone ka iraada hai?" ("I've been listening to your breathing for five minutes... are you going to talk or just get more romantic with the air?")
Adair turned, eyes narrowing. "Yaar tu—"
Lakkhan raised his hands in mock surrender, smirking. "Kya hai??? Ek doctor ke liye apne liye time nikalna kitna mushkil hota hai pata hai na? Yahaan hawa khane se accha toh mai AC ki hawa mein so jaata." ("Do you know how hard it is for a doctor to take time for himself? Instead of breathing this garden air, I'd rather sleep in AC air.")
Adair exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through his hair. The smirk on his friend's face only deepened the ache pounding behind his ribs.
"Jokes aside, tell me honestly... jab main hospital mein tha... Mishti ne tujhe mere ilaaj ke liye paise diye the?" ("When I was in the hospital... did Mishti give you money for my treatment?")
The teasing drained from Lakkhan's face. His brow furrowed. "Pagal hai kya? Why would I take money from her?"
Adair's jaw clenched. "Par usne khud bola... ki usne tujhe diye." ("But she herself said... that she gave it to you.")
For a second, silence stretched between them, broken only by the rustle of leaves in the morning wind. Lakkhan tilted his head, studying Adair as though searching for a hidden punchline.
"Nahi yaar... aisa hota toh sabse pehle main tujhe bolta." ("No, man... if that had happened, I'd have told you first.") He paused, eyes narrowing in thought. "...Lekin—"
He rubbed the back of his neck, his mind clearly running down unfamiliar corridors. After a long moment, he stepped closer, his voice lowering. "Puri baat bata." ("Tell me everything.")
Adair's chest tightened as he began recounting Mishti's words from the night before—her broken voice, the strange confession, the way truth and fear tangled in her tone. With each sentence, Lakkhan's expression hardened, his smirk now replaced by something sharper, heavier.
When Adair finally fell silent, the weight of the story hung between them like smoke refusing to clear. "Yeh sab... kya hai?" Lakkhan's words broke out, stunned, almost disbelieving.
Adair gave a hollow laugh, but it cracked in his throat. "Mujhe pata hota toh main yahaan hota?" ("If I knew, would I be standing here like this?")
His hand dragged across his tired face. "Yaar, yahi soch-soch kar neend hi nahi aayi mujhe..." ("I've been turning this over in my head all night... didn't get a second of sleep.")
