Rudran stood motionless, staring at the spot where Aarna had just walked away. The ache in his chest felt unbearable, his fists clenched at his sides. The cool evening air did little to calm his storming thoughts. He barely noticed his surroundings until he heard his mother's gentle voice.

"Nivedita, you must be tired from the journey. Go freshen up and take some rest," Roopa said, guiding the young woman to go down to their flat. Nivedita beamed, but her excitement dulled slightly when she noticed Rudran's distant expression. She hesitated for a moment, wanting to talk to him, but Roopa gave her a reassuring nod. Understanding that this was not the right time, she reluctantly went inside.

Roopa walked up to her son, standing beside him on the terrace. The tension in his shoulders was palpable, and she could feel the storm raging within him. She took a deep breath, knowing she had to say what she had been dreading all along.

"Rudra..." she began softly, "I know you're upset with me. I know you must be feeling betrayed. But please, listen to me. We didn't have a choice. Your grandfather's health has worsened. Vikas Anna and the whole family... they're desperate to fulfill his last wish. That's why they pushed the date forward. The engagement is happening sooner than expected."

Rudran turned sharply, his eyes filled with disbelief. "How soon?" His voice was quiet, but the restrained anger and helplessness made it tremble.

Roopa lowered her gaze. "Two weeks from now."

His heart pounded against his ribs. Two weeks. It felt like a death sentence. His mind flashed with images of Aarna's tear-filled eyes, her quiet acceptance of their fate, the way she had walked away from him. And now, everything was being sealed before he could even process it.

"Amma..." he whispered, his voice breaking. "You told me you'd give me time. You told me..." He swallowed hard, trying to contain the emotions threatening to spill over. "Why are you doing this to me?"

Roopa reached for his hand, but he pulled away, stepping back. "Rudra, I—" she faltered. For the first time, she truly saw the depth of pain in her son's eyes. She had always prided herself on understanding him better than anyone else, but right now, she felt like she had failed him.

"I will try to do something..." she murmured hesitantly, though deep down, she knew it was nearly impossible.

Rudran let out a bitter chuckle, shaking his head. "It's too late, Amma. There's nothing left to do."

Before Roopa could respond, a bright voice cut through the tension. "Bava!" Nivedita's voice rang out as she stepped onto the terrace, her face freshly washed alight with joy.
Roopa could not believe how fast Nivedita was back even washing her face and changing her clothes. She was finally understanding the depth of her mistake.

Rudran forced himself to mask his emotions as he turned toward her. Nivedita's eyes sparkled as she looked at him, admiration and excitement evident in every movement. "I can't believe I'm finally here! I've been waiting so long to spend time with you. Now that we're getting engaged, we have so much to catch up on!"

Roopa gave her son a pleading look, silently asking him to hold himself together. Rudran inhaled sharply, suppressing the turmoil within him. He didn't want to hurt Nivedita—she had always been kind to him, and none of this was her fault. But every moment in her presence felt suffocating.

Still, he forced a small nod, unwilling to cause a scene. "Yeah... we do."

As Nivedita beamed at him, chatting excitedly about their upcoming engagement, Rudran felt like he was drowning. His heart, which had belonged to someone else, was now caged in a fate he hadn't chosen. And the only person who truly understood his pain had just walked away.
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Aarna on the other side held her heart sobbing leaning on her apartment's door. The pain she refused to let out as though she was over it after that night came creeping in all together.

 The way she distracted herself while immersing totally in work and skipping food finally took troll on her pushing her to the sleep's embrace after around 40 mins of continous crying .
She slept near the door itself.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE:)
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