Chapter 205 - I-I'm leaving...

(Flashback continues)

***

|Eshan|

Some people took relationsh.i.p.s too lightly when they gambled with it. The love between two people should never involve something like bets and all that bullshit with the third person. Because it just shows either overconfidence or the lack of trust. I would never give a place to these two terms in my life. Neither I would be overconfident, nor would I have a lack of trust. Matters of hearts should not be dealt with calculations. Calculations, planning, plotting results in the downfall of any relationship.

"I don't gamble with my relationsh.i.p.s," I said firmly. "If I see you again with my wife, I swear to god that I won't let you off," I replied, threatening him. I knew my threats would not work on him.

"You'll stop me from seeing your wife? Do you have the capability? You cannot even save her from getting hurt, and you dare to warn me. What a joke?"

***

(Flashback ends)

***

The knocking sound on the door broke me out of my reverie. Karan's words from that night still rang in my ears. He was right; I could not save my wife from getting hurt. How useless I was! I wiped the tears from my face.

I pulled myself from the chair to open the door. I knew who was outside of the door. Just as I pulled the door open, I found her standing outside of the door, fidgeting with her fingers, tears streaming down her face.

To me, she looked completely ridiculous. Though someone should not make fun of the crying person, how could I not feel disgusted at the mere sight of her?

Knowingly or unknowingly, she had sprouted the nonsense she should not have. I could not bring myself to forgive her. Somewhere, she had become a catalyst, and I had said those words to Innaya.

I folded my hands across my chest, staring at the woman before me.

I knew it had been almost a couple of hours to that ruckus she had created. If she wanted things to calm down, then she had to stay the hell out of my sight. But, then again, watching her aggrieved face, the scene of her crying in childhood, and me taking care of her flashed before my eyes.

I sighed as I calmed down myself. She was like a sister to me. I had often taken care of her in our childhood. For the sake of those childhood days, and the affection we had shared, I had to tone it down.

"What is it?" I questioned, toning down my voice to not frighten her.

"I-I'm leaving," Ayesha whispered, her voice was hoarse as if she had cried for a long time. She kept looking down at her feet.

"What?" Surprised, I uncrossed my arms. Somewhere, I had expected that but did not think she would make the decision so soon.

"I'm sorry for saying all that unnecessary stuff. I shouldn't have joked on that matter. I-I..." she hiccupped while wiping down those tears from her face.

For a moment, I compared her crying face to that of Innaya's. The feeling of wanting to comfort was absent with Ayesha. If Innaya was the one in her place, my heart would have broken at the sight of tears in her eyes. I could not have waited even for a moment before taking her in my arms, trying to calm her down.

I shook my head, wanting to throw those thoughts away. Why would I compare Innaya with someone? She was the only woman in my heart. No one could take her place in my life, and heart.

"It's okay, Ayesha. You don't have to leave. We'll are a.d.u.l.ts here. You know your fault, that's all that matters. Don't repeat what happened today. Then, we are all good," I replied, cursing myself in my heart. Why could I not ask her to leave? Why I had to remember the good memories we had shared? I was a fool.

Nonetheless, she was a woman, and I could not let her wander all alone in Mumbai when I knew she did not know the place.

"But," she weakly protested raising her head and looking at me with those teary eyes.

I shook my head. For some reason, I did not wish to engage in any conversation with her. So, exchanging a couple of words, I sent her downstairs. Perhaps because I had recalled Karan's words, or watched Innaya's breakdown, that I started feeling down.

I decided to order lunch from outside. Innaya's condition did not look good. Troubling her would not be good, and I did not want to cook for Ayesha. In the end, I ordered our lunch from the nearby hotel.

My feet automatically pulled me to the bedroom where I had left my wife. Staying alone meant remembering the past. My head has started to hurt because of all the stress clouding my mind. Before I realized, I was already standing before the closed wooden door. It was the only thing separating us physically. However, our hearts had been blocked because of the matter she was hiding.

Innaya's depressed, lonely figure was swirling in my mind. My fingers curled around the doorknob twitched while my mind debated to enter or not. I had hurt her with my words. Instead of retaliating, she chose to blame herself. She had hurt herself because of me.

Could I face her when I had caused her so much pain? Bringing Karan in our conversation, I was just letting him win. I sighed as I pulled away from the door. I needed to get myself together and give her some time.

Climbing down the stairs, I decided to wait for our lunch to get delivered. As I sat down, my mind went back to that conversion I had with him. I could not let Karan win. I could not let him create a distance in Innaya and my relationship. That day, I had called Innaya many times, but she had not received a single call of mine.

I had packed my stuff straight away, but all the flights were delayed because of the weather. For two days, I was stranded there. I had talked with Innaya a day later, but things just took a turn to worse when she chose to hide things from me.

It was that conversation that created this unseen boundary between us.