Chapter 56 — Ritika's Tears

Ritika sat alone on the edge of the bed.

She couldn't stop crying.

Arnav's words kept echoing in her mind.

“I am one fool to believe that you accepted this marriage.”

“I regret falling in love with you.”

She pressed her hands against her face.

Ritika: Arnav...

Her voice broke.

Ritika: Why did you say that?

She tried to wipe her tears, but more kept falling.

Ritika: I never wanted to hurt you.

She looked toward the door through which he had left.

Ritika: I never wanted to go back to my past.

Her breathing became uneven.

Ritika: I only wanted to work again.

She lowered her head.

Ritika: Why did you think I wanted Pavan again?

She hugged herself tightly.

Ritika: He was my past.

A tear fell onto her hand.

Ritika: You are my present.

She closed her eyes.

Ritika: I was trying to build a life with you.

She remembered Rishi calling Arnav Baba.

She remembered Arnav holding her after she had cried.

She remembered their first kiss.

She remembered him telling her that she was his first and last choice.

And now those memories only made her cry harder.

Ritika: You said I was your wife...

Her voice trembled.

Ritika: Then why didn't you trust me?

She lay down slowly, pulling the pillow close to her chest.

Ritika: I didn't say anything because I was hurt, Arnav.

She cried into the pillow.

Ritika: I didn't know that my silence would make you believe something so wrong.

The room remained completely quiet.

Ritika eventually closed her eyes, exhausted from crying.

But even in her sleep, tears continued to slip down her cheeks.

She had never imagined that the man who had made her believe she could have a new beginning would be the same man whose words would make her question whether she deserved one.