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1037 Words
Aryan walked slowly upstairs the hallway toward Panchi’s room, each step heavier than the last. The silence of the corridor felt louder than any noise. When he reached her door, he stopped for a second, staring at it as if it held all the answers he was afraid to face.
His heart felt like it was being torn apart slowly, as if someone was ripping his skin from his body piece by piece not enough to kill him, but enough to make him feel every second of the pain. Aryan leaned his forehead lightly against the cold wall beside Panchi’s door and closed his eyes.
“Stay strong,” he whispered to himself.
But how?
How was he supposed to stay strong when he was already standing at the edge of breaking? His chest felt tight, his breathing uneven. For the first time in years, he felt weak not because of an enemy, not because of danger but because of love.
He couldn’t afford to break in front of Panchi. If she saw even a crack in him, she would shatter completely. She was young, emotional, stubborn. He needs to be steady. He needed to be the wall she could lean on.
And yet… all he wanted in that moment was the opposite.
He wanted to sit beside her, lay his head in her lap, and cry until there were no tears left. He wanted to forget he was Aryan , the one of the feared man of the clan, the one who never hesitated, never bent, never showed pain.
He had been raised to believe that men don’t cry. That fear is power. That emotions are weakness.
But inside him lived a heart a real, fragile heart that had learned to beat even in cruelty. And today, that heart was bleeding silently.
He raised his hand and knocked gently.
“Panchi,” he called softly.
No response.
He knocked again, a little louder this time. “Panchi… open the door. It’s me.”
Still nothing. The door remained closed, cold and distant.
Aryan knew she was inside. He could almost imagine her sitting on the floor, knees pulled to her chest, tears falling silently. He knew her too well. When she was hurt, she shut the world out.
His fingers slowly moved toward the keypad beside the door. He knew the passcode. She had told him once, laughing, saying he was the only one she trusted with it. With just a few numbers, he could unlock it and walk inside.
But his hand stopped midway.
He couldn’t do it.
He couldn’t break Neha’s trust.
Neha had not reacted like Kabir. She had not screamed, not humiliated him, not treated him like an enemy. Instead, she had tried to understand him. She had seen the depth of his love for Panchi. She had seen his pain. And even after knowing everything, she had spoken to him with dignity.
Aryan lowered his hand from the keypad.
Neha was more possessive about her family than Kabir ever was. Kabir reacted with rage, but Neha acted with control. She protected her people, even when it hurt her personally.
And Aryan knew one thing clearly he would rather break his own heart than betray the trust Neha had placed in him.
Standing outside her locked door, Aryan swallowed the lump in his throat and forced his voice to stay steady.
“Panchi… listen to me,” he said softly, yet firmly. “Even your tears can’t stop me from going to the Singh mansion. The decision has already been taken.”
There was silence from the other side, but he knew she was listening.
“I would rather lose you,” he continued painfully, “than say no to Neha. I owe her my life. She has done more for me than anyone ever has. I can’t turn my back on her now.”
His fingers curled into a fist, resting against the door.
“But that doesn’t mean I don’t love you,” he whispered. “I do. More than you understand.”
He took a shaky breath. “You’re still young, Panchi. In two or three years, someone better will come into your life. Someone your age. Someone who will make you forget all this… maybe even forget that you once liked me.”
Hearing his words, Panchi collapsed onto her bed as if her legs had given up on her. She curled into herself, pressing her palms tightly against her ears as though she could block out his voice, block out the truth. But his words kept echoing inside her head.
I’ll happily lose you… You’re too young… You’ll forget me…
A broken sob escaped her lips. She wanted to run to the door, open it, and scream at him. She wanted to tell him that no one could ever replace him. That no other boy, no other man, would ever take his place in her heart. That she would never allow anyone to enter her life the way he had.
But she stayed silent.
Because deep down, she knew her words wouldn’t change anything. Aryan’s decision was made. Her mother’s decision was final. Love wasn’t enough to fight them.
When she heard him say he would leave in an hour and wanted to see her one last time, her chest tightened painfully. One last time. The words felt like a goodbye forever.
She sat up slowly, clutching the quilt tightly in her fists. Tears kept rolling down her cheeks, but she wiped them away angrily. Crying wouldn’t stop him. Crying wouldn’t change anything.
And then, a dangerous thought crossed her mind.
If tears couldn’t stop him… maybe something else could.
Her eyes slowly shifted toward the table, where a fruit bowl rested quietly.
With trembling determination, she got down from the bed and walked toward it.
His voice broke slightly — but he didn’t let himself stop.
Aryan don’t know why feeling so restless, for a second he thought to go in and check on her but then he suppressed his inner feelings and turned his face. Seeing her would only make it hard for him to leave. So without saying anything he made his way down.
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