INFATUATED

Chapter-38 : Crestfallen

Shayba's P.O.V.

He left me.

Abir really left me.

At our wedding stage.

The thought took several minutes to proceed in my head. Everyone from both of our families and friends and colleagues is here and all of them just witnessed how the groom abandoned me on the freaking wedding stage!

I was still standing, I felt like I would faint. Is this really happening with me? Someone please tell me it's a dream. Annaba was the first person to catch my hold before my knees could break down. I don't have a single ounce of energy left in me now. There is a lot of chaos going around me but I couldn't even hear what they are saying.

Abir's mom was there standing in the middle of the hall, constantly calling someone, maybe his son, but he most probably didn't pick up. She looked utmost frustrated too, but obviously not as bad as me.

Next, I didn't know what was happening. All I remember is that I was pulled down from the stage by my mom as she made me stand before Abir's mom and shouted whatever that came to her mouth. She humiliated her, pulled the ring out of my finger and threw it at her. I saw his mom pleading and trying to tell me how she had no idea at all about her son's behavior and then again my mom screaming. Then my brother guarded me to our car, let me in, my family got in too and we headed to our home. This is not happening. It's all just a dream and I am going to wake up from it very soon. Abir can't abandon me on our wedding stage, he can't. He was looking forward to our marriage even more than me. It can't be true!

But the nightmare never ended. I reached home, my sister and cousins were there to help me get out of my wedding attire. I don't know when my eyes got clouded and tears started rolling down my cheeks. Annaba hugged me tight and I let out everything that was clouded inside my chest choking me up. It can't be. It doesn't feel right at all. I need to call him. Right now. He definitely owes me an explanation. Who is the person he left me for? I obviously have the rights to know.

I brushed up the tears and took up my phone and called him. But he seemed out of network. Is his phone switched off? I never felt so hopeless and rejected before. I went inside my washroom and cried. Then I performed ablution, fell in sujood and cried again. I was at the first stage of grief. Denial. It can't be. Abir can't do that to me.

Abir's mom called my mom when she was standing beside me. I heard mom shouting in anger, "What sorry?! What kind of behavior is this?! If you didn't want this relation from the beginning, you could have just told us! Why would you embarrass us in this manner?!......." and she went on and on. She screamed at the phone and blurted out everything that came to her mouth. If this happened anytime except now, I would have stopped her. But now? I don't even have the urge to. I feel numb.

My head started to ache as I forced everyone except Annaba out of the room. I just can't handle human beings right now. And for some weird reasons, those tears never seem to stop. I sat by the window trying to think again where everything went wrong, but couldn't find one single loophole where I could blame myself. Where did I fail him? He knows how I am. He most definitely does not have any problems with my perspective or religious views. Then why would he humiliate me in the nastiest way possible? My eyes didn't stop flooding with tears for the whole night. Annaba also stayed awake with me, sitting in another corner of the room leaving me to grieve alone as she knows I wouldn't like company right now. She cried too.

Sleep was long gone. I replayed the video in my head again and again. How everything was going on. How he rushed to me to utter some words I never even once in my dream thought of hearing.

"Annanba?"
"Hmm?"
"The guests couldn't eat, could they?"
"Sis, stop thinking about that!"
"They came and left without eating." I sniffed. How can I stop thinking about that? It's my own marriage that broke. I spoke again ater a while.
"My classmates would be happy at least."I sneered as I recalled how vicious they became when I broke the news.
"Ignore them. Ignore what they may think. They never wished wellness for you anyway."
I kept quiet.
Then after few minutes I asked again, "When you girls went to meet Abir, did he seem unhappy or sad or worried?"
She kept quiet for some moments. "He did."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I think so. He is always so jovial and full of energy and fun. But he wasn't at that time. I thought he was nervous like you too. I thought it was wedding jitters. I couldn't understand sis! I really couldn't! I'm so sorry!" she broke down in tears. Why is she feeling guilty for no reason? It's not her fault.