Rithvik was leaving the hospital after his emotional confession to Ashvin, the memory of Dayana's withdrawn face still a painful weight. He took the main stairwell, preferring the grind of the steps over the slow, confined space of the elevator.
He stopped dead on the landing between the second and third floors.
Standing there, talking quietly on her phone, was Amulya.
She wore a simple cotton dress, and though her eyes were shadowed, the sharp edges of trauma seemed slightly softened. She ended her call and looked up, her gaze landing directly on Rithvik. The recognition was immediate, a jolt of awkward, heavy history.
"Rithvik," she said, her voice thin.
He nodded, unable to summon anything more than a dry, "Amulya."
The silence that followed was dense with all the unsaid pain and accusation of the last eight months. It was Amulya who broke it, taking a hesitant step closer.
"I… I saw your mother earlier. She said you visit Ashvin often," she murmured, her eyes dropping to the floor. Then, she raised them, and Rithvik saw a deep, honest remorse he hadn't expected.
"Rithvik, I'm really, truly sorry," she whispered, her voice cracking slightly. "I was a mess. After… after what happened. I just couldn't process it. I needed to blame someone, anyone, to make sense of why the world broke like that. And you got caught in it. The missed calls, the distance, it was easy to lash out at you. I'm so sorry."
The confession was like a crushing weight being lifted from his shoulders. The guilt didn't vanish entirely, but the razor-sharp edge of responsibility finally dulled. This was the absolution he hadn't dared to ask for.
"Thank you, Amulya," Rithvik replied, feeling a sudden rush of vertigo. "I needed to hear that."
She gave a fragile, watery smile. "I still feel for you, Rithvik. Not love, not the way I feel about Boovan, but… the bond. The closeness we had."
Rithvik's composure, which had been stretched thin by his guilt, snapped instantly, replaced by a fierce, protective urgency. His love for Dayana, which he struggled to express, found an unexpected, powerful outlet in this moment.
"No, Amulya. You don't," he said, his tone firm, leaving no room for sentimental lingering. "What you feel is familiarity, not attachment. And what I feel for you is relieved guilt—nothing more."
He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a low, serious register. "You're engaged now, Amulya. You're going to be married in six months. And I've been married for almost eight months. I love my wife. Deeply. You and I only dated at the time because we used it as a shield to avoid all the people interested in us. We were best friends wearing the mask of a couple."
He paused, letting the truth of their history settle. "When you said you liked someone else—Boovan—I let you go, easily. Because what I felt for you was affection, not possession. You said I loved you then, and I know I tried. But the real, soul-deep love? That is with Dayana."
Rithvik's gaze was unwavering, his intent clear: he was protecting his current life. "Now, when you have a home, a fiancé, a future, you're saying you still have feelings for your ex? Amulya, I have to be honest: your words make me wonder if you were really just a best friend at the time, or if I misinterpreted that bond too. Please, don't say things you shouldn't. Your words can hurt my wife, and I will not let anything hurt her. I won't have the past endanger my present."
Amulya flinched, chastened by his intensity. She looked at his resolute face, seeing not the old, agreeable Rithvik, but a man fiercely devoted to his marriage.
"I understand, Rithvik," she said softly, stepping back. "You're right. I'm sorry. And… I hope Ashvin wakes up soon."
She turned and continued down the stairs. Rithvik watched her go, the adrenaline slowly receding. The guilt was gone, replaced by a profound sense of relief and a clarity he hadn't possessed in months: his wife was the only thing that mattered.
He finally had the truth, the key to explaining his turmoil to Dayana. But now, the problem was back where it started: finding the words.
Now that Rithvik has a clear head and a clean slate with his ex, how should he try to bridge the gap with Dayana.