Sameera's POV:
The door felt heavier than it should have. Like everything behind it… mattered too much. I pushed it open slowly. And stepped inside. The room was quiet.
Too quiet.
Daksh was sitting on one of the bean bags near the corner, scrolling through his phone absentmindedly—but the moment he saw me, he straightened instantly. His eyes softened.
"She came…" he murmured, more to himself than anyone.
My gaze had already found him.
Saharsh.
Lying on the bed. Still. Asleep.
My steps slowed as I walked towards him. Tears had already started falling... I didn't even realize when.
Daksh's voice came softly from behind me.
"Doctor gave him a heavy dose… he needs rest. He'll probably be out for a few hours."
I nodded faintly, though I wasn't sure if I actually responded. Because all I could see…
Was him.
Janvhi and Aryan appeared at the door, exchanging a glance before quietly pulling Daksh out. "Let's leave them alone," Janvhi whispered. The door clicked shut behind them.
And suddenly… It was just us.
Me.
And him.
I moved closer, sitting down beside him on the edge of the bed. For a moment… I didn't say anything. I just looked at him.
The dark circles under his eyes.
The faint tiredness on his face.
The way his brows were slightly furrowed even in sleep… like even his dreams weren't letting him rest.
And it broke me. A soft sob escaped my lips before I could stop it. "I did this to you…" I whispered.
My fingers trembled as I slowly reached out… hovering just above his hair. As if touching him might break something. But I couldn't stop myself. I gently ran my fingers through his hair. My other hand moved to his face… cupping his cheek.
Warm.
"I'm so sorry…" my voice cracked. "I'm so, so sorry, Saharsh." Tears blurred my vision as they kept falling, dropping onto his hand. "I made you go through all of this… because I couldn't trust you," I whispered, my thumb brushing against his cheek. "You didn't deserve that… you didn't deserve any of this pain."
"I never want to see you hurt… especially not because of me." I leaned closer, my forehead almost touching his. "I don't want to be the reason for your pain…"
A silence followed.
Heavy.
Filled with everything I couldn't fix.
"I'm sorry…" I repeated, softer this time. My fingers tightened slightly around his hand.
"I love you."
The words came out like a confession. Like something that had always been true… no matter what.
"I love you… and I always will."
I leaned down slowly. Pressed a soft kiss to his forehead. Then his eyes. Lingering for just a second longer… as if trying to memorize him.
And then— His lips. A gentle, trembling kiss... Full of everything I couldn't say.
I pulled back slowly, my breath uneven. My heart… heavier than it had ever been. "I will always love you…" I whispered one last time. And before I could change my mind—
Before I could stay—
I stood up. Took one last look at him. And walked towards the door. Every step away from him… Felt like I was breaking all over again.
The moment I stepped out of his room, the guilt hit me again. The weight in my chest that just wouldn't go away. I walked faster… almost rushing toward the door, like if I stayed even a second longer, I wouldn't be able to leave at all.
"Sameera—"
Janvhi's voice stopped me.
I didn't turn immediately. I couldn't. But she came in front of me anyway, blocking my way, her eyes scanning my face—worried, searching.
"What happened? Are you okay?"
Something inside me snapped.
"No…" my voice trembled, tears spilling instantly, "I'm not okay."
Daksh stepped closer, confused. "What do you mean—"
"This is all my fault," I said, shaking my head, my hands trembling. "He's like this because of me."
"Sameera, no—" Aryan cut in quickly, "this is not your fault. Gauri is the reason for all of this—"
But I kept shaking my head.
"No… no, it's me. It's always me."
"Sam—" Janvhi gently held my face, forcing me to look at her. "Hey… look at me. It's okay now. Everything is cleared—"
"No, it's not okay, Janvhi!" my voice broke louder than I expected. "It's not!"
She froze.
"What…?"
I let out a shaky breath, my chest rising and falling unevenly.
"I'm really not okay…"
The words came out softer now.
"I cry all the time… over nothing… over everything," I whispered, my voice cracking. "And I don't even recognize myself anymore."
Their expressions changed. From confusion… To worry.
"It feels like something inside me is cracked," I said, pressing my hand against my chest, "and I don't know how to fix it." Tears blurred everything. "I try to be strong… I try to hold myself together… but I feel so fragile… like one small thing and I'll just—" my voice broke, "shatter completely."
Janvhi's grip on me tightened.
"I'm tired… Tired of feeling broken. Tired of carrying this ache everywhere I go. Tired of hurting people…"
"Sameera…" Janvhi's voice softened, almost pleading now, "what are you saying?"
I laughed weakly through my tears. "I had a huge fight with my parents before meeting you guys. They want me to get married… they had already called a guy home."
Janvhi's eyes widened. "What—"
"I could have handled it better," I continued, shaking my head, "I should have… but I couldn't. Everything just came out. Years of frustration… all at once."
My voice dropped. "I don't want to be like this…"
Silence.
"Saharsh… He has always loved me. Trusted me. Understood me…" My lips trembled. "But when it came to me…" I closed my eyes, tears slipping out, "I couldn't even trust him enough to listen." That truth burned. "I don't want to be with him like this."
Janvhi's grip loosened slightly.
"What do you mean…?"
I stepped back. Away from her.
"I'm leaving."
"Leaving?" Aryan frowned. "Leaving where?"
"I don't know," I whispered honestly. "I just… I can't stay here."
Janvhi shook her head immediately. "No, Sameera—"
"Just tell him…" my voice broke again, but I forced the words out, "tell him I can't do this anymore."
Their faces fell.
"We can't be together."
"Sam—stop—" Aryan tried to step forward.
"And tell him not to look for me," I added, my voice barely holding together. "Not to contact me."
Janvhi grabbed my arm. "Sameera, you're not thinking straight—"
"I am," I said, even though my heart was screaming the opposite. Tears streamed down my face as I pulled my hand away. "I'm just… choosing what's right for him."
And then, before I could break completely—
Before I could run back to him—
I turned. Walked out.
"I'm breaking up with him…" I whispered, more to myself than anyone else.
And this time…
I didn't stop.
Saharsh's POV:
Sleep didn't feel like sleep. It felt like falling. Like slipping through something I couldn't hold onto—like her.
I saw her… I swear I did.
Her fingers in my hair, the way she always touched me like I was something fragile, something hers. Her voice—soft, breaking—saying things I couldn't fully hear but somehow felt.
And then…
She walked away.
Again.
My eyes snapped open. My chest rose sharply as if I had just been pulled out of water. For a second, everything blurred—the ceiling, the light, the ache in my head—but one thing was loud and clear.
Sameera.
I pushed myself up instantly, ignoring the heaviness in my body, the dull throb in my temples.
"She was here…"
My voice came out rough, almost desperate.
Daksh, who was sitting beside me, straightened immediately. "Bro, relax.
How are you feeling first? Are you okay?"
"I'm not okay," I snapped, already swinging my legs off the bed. "I need to find her. It wasn't a dream—I felt her. She was here, Daksh. She touched me… and then she left. I need to go—"
I stood up too quickly, the room slightly spinning, but I didn't care. Nothing mattered except finding her. I moved toward the door.
Daksh got up quickly, trying to hold me back. "Saharsh, listen—"
But I was already stepping out.
I saw Janvhi. Standing in the living room. For a second, hope rushed through me so fast it hurt.
"She's here?" I asked instantly, my voice almost breaking. "Janvhi, where is she? Please—just tell her to meet me once. Just once. I'll explain everything. I need to talk to her—"
She didn't respond. Just… looked at me. And something in that silence felt wrong. Cold. Heavy.
Then she spoke.
"She's left you, Saharsh."
Everything inside me stilled. The words didn't hit immediately. They just… hung there.
"What…?" I let out a hollow breath, like I hadn't understood. "Did she—did she say that?"
Janvhi's voice softened, but it didn't make it hurt any less.
"Yes."
A pause.
"She came here… when she heard you weren't well."
My heart clenched.
"She came?" I whispered, almost to myself.
"I don't know what she felt seeing you like that… but something broke inside her," Janvhi continued quietly. "She said she can't do this anymore. She told us not to follow her… not to find her."
Each word felt like it was being carved into my chest.
"It was… like a final goodbye."
My vision blurred. Not because I couldn't see— But because I didn't want to.
"She… said that?" My voice cracked now, completely giving in.
Janvhi nodded, her expression serious, almost pained.
"And there's more, Saharsh."
I looked up.
"Her parents… they were trying to get her married."
That. That broke something deeper. Something that didn't scream… just collapsed. For a moment, I didn't say anything. Didn't move. Didn't breathe properly. Just stood there, trying to process how everything had slipped through my fingers without me even realizing.
Janvhi looked at me one last time.
"She's already going through too much. Please… just leave her alone for now."
And then she walked away.
Silence filled the room.
Heavy.Suffocating.
Daksh came closer, placing a hand on my shoulder."Bro…"
I let out a shaky breath, running my hand through my hair.
"She was going through all of this…" I finally spoke, my voice low, uneven. "Her parents… marriage… everything…"
A small, broken laugh escaped me.
"And she didn't even tell me."
Daksh frowned slightly. "Saharsh—"
"She's like that," I continued, almost like I was explaining her to myself.
"Sensitive. She feels everything too deeply… and hides it all even deeper."
My jaw tightened.
"I asked her so many times if she was okay." A bitter scoff. "Told her she could tell me anything."
My hands clenched.
"I didn't push. I didn't force her." My voice hardened. "Because I thought she might break."
"I stayed quiet… even when she accused me. About Gauri." My eyes darkened. "I didn't even get a chance to explain."
Daksh shifted slightly but didn't interrupt. "I kept thinking… she's scared. She's emotional. She reacted like that because she's afraid of losing me."
A humorless smile tugged at my lips.
"And now what?" My voice rose, the frustration I had been holding in finally spilling out. "She just decides to leave me?"
I let out a harsh breath, shaking my head.
"Who the hell is she to decide what's good for me and what's not?"My voice turned sharper, edged with something raw."Did I ever ask her to make that choice for me?"
Daksh stayed silent.
"She didn't trust me enough to tell me what she was going through…" I swallowed, my throat burning. "Didn't trust me enough to even try and fix things…"
My hands curled into fists.
"But she trusts herself enough to walk away? To forget all those memories of us in one night like they were never made?" A hollow, disbelieving laugh left me. "To just… end everything like it meant nothing?"
I dragged a hand over my face, pacing a step back.
"I gave her space, stayed quiet because I thought pushing her would break her."
"And in the end?" I looked up, eyes glassy but burning. "She didn't even give me a chance." My jaw clenched hard. "Not to explain. Not to fix things. Not to fight for us." Each word came out heavier than the last. "Nothing."
Silence pressed in again—but this time, it wasn't empty.
It was loud.
"Now she wants me to stop loving her?" I let out a sharp, almost bitter laugh. "Like it's some switch I can just turn off?"
I shook my head, anger laced with disbelief.
"How do you just… stop loving someone you planned everything with?" My voice dropped, breaking at the edges. "How do you unlearn them like they never happened?"
A long breath—but it didn't steady me.
"She can leave me, fine." I nodded once, like I was forcing myself to accept it. "She can walk away if that's what she wants." My fingers tightened painfully. "But she doesn't get to decide how I feel after that." My voice turned firm, almost stubborn. "She doesn't get to tell me to stop loving her like it's that easy."
"She wants no contact…" My lips pressed into a thin line. " She wants a breakup—"
My voice dropped, quieter now… but heavier.
"Then breakup it is."
Silence.
Then, almost like a confession dragged out of me—
"But to keep loving her... Or to hate her."
A faint, broken smile.
"She doesn't get to decide that, it would be my decision."