He thought the worst day of his life had just began after he walked out of the court, post signing his divorce papers.
She had been waiting for the best day of her life since nine months now, she just didn't know when it would be.
His worst day coll...
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The court room was as silent as it could be, with both their lawyers standing beside them, but everything seemed to have frozen around him as he watched Preeti uncap the pen and lean forwards to sign the divorce papers. Once she was done, she took steps back, and tilted her head to look at him, and Vivek found himself mechanically moving ahead to pick up the same pen, to sign the same papers that were supposed to seal their fate.
And just like that, they were done.
Three years of their marriage ended with a few stamped documents being submitted in the court.
The grounds of their divorce had been sited as 'irrevocable mutual differences', and even the six month deadline didn't do them any good, if anything it pushed them further away from each other.
As the lawyers moved forwards with the papers, Preeti looking at Vivek and took a deep breath. She knew he was a good man, but he wasn't good for her anymore, and she didn't want a compromise in the name of a relationship for her entire life.
"Knowing you had been a pleasure Vivek, I would never deny that. Being your girlfriend and lover was beautiful, but I can't say the same about being your wife. I hope you would understand that, and not hold bitter grudges against us, and our relationship", she extended her hand, and Vivek found himself shaking it, but he could not manage to speak anything. He was scared if he did, he would begin crying, and that wasn't something he wanted to happen, atleast not in that moment.
Preeti stared at him, reading the restlessness in his stance like a pro. She knew he didn't want the divorce, but she could not stay in an unhappy marriage anymore. She could not let his family step on her self respect every day, and she didn't want to hold only bad memories of their relationship, moreover she was afraid that if they didn't split now, even the beautiful reminders of their love, their courtship and their initial married life would also be overshadowed by the arguments, the baseless accusations and their rage, and she didn't want to forget the love they had.
Those were few of her most treasured memories in life. She would hate for them to fade away because of the dust of hatred settling over it.
Vivek watched her turn on her heels and walk to her parents, who smiled at her before her dad wrapped her arm around her, and her mother held her hand, as they walked out of the court room. He could see her brother and sister-in-law waiting for them. As the family walked out, Vivek's eyes fell on his family standing by the other door. He could clearly see the scowl his sister had adorned at Preeti's retreating figure, and also the cloud of disappointment all over his mother's face darkening as he took his steps towards them, his father nonchalant, like always - it only made him walk slower.
"This is why I say love marriages don't work out. He humiliated all of us all those years ago by choosing a girl on his own - without paying heed to the backlash we had to face by our family and society, and now this tag of divorce on our family name. I don't know what to say anymore", Vivek blocked their voices out as he walked past them, not answering to anyone calling him from behind. It was suffocating him - everything that was happening around and he desperately hoped that some fresh air would help him breathe better, atleast a bit so that his lungs won't feel like they have been overworking themselves.
