Chapter 25: A Love He Refused to Bury
885 Words
Arjun stayed at the Sharma house.
At first, it was supposed to be temporary—just until his strength returned, just until he could walk properly without assistance. That was the excuse Lina gave herself.
But days passed.
And Arjun stayed.
He woke up every morning to Savriti’s cooking, to Lina’s quiet movements around the house, to the warmth he had lost the day he chose doubt over love. The Sharma house was not grand, not cold, not ruled by silence like his own home—but it was alive.
And Arjun felt it.
Lina pretended not to care.
She made sure to keep a safe distance, speaking to him only when necessary, reminding herself again and again that this was the man who had humiliated her publicly, who had called her a criminal, who had divorced her without hearing her truth.
Yet… every night, when she heard his footsteps in the hallway, her heart betrayed her.
---
The news reached Shalini within days.
Arjun was alive.
Arjun was discharged.
Arjun was not home.
He was staying at that woman’s house.
Shalini crushed the newspaper in her hand, her face darkening with rage.
“So it is her again,” she said coldly. “That woman never knows when to leave.”
Her daughters exchanged uneasy glances.
“Mother,” one of them said carefully, “Arjun almost died. Maybe this—”
“Enough,” Shalini snapped. “She ruined my home once. I will not allow her to do it again.”
But something gnawed at her.
Arjun had not called.
Had not visited.
Had not even asked about her health.
For the first time, Shalini felt something unfamiliar.
Fear.
---
Meanwhile, Arjun was doing something no one expected.
He stopped hiding.
One morning, as Lina was scrolling through her phone absentmindedly, her screen suddenly flooded with messages.
Have you seen the news?
Is this true?
Arjun Malhotra is serious?
Confused, Lina clicked on a link.
Her breath stopped.
“ARJUN MALHOTRA CONFIRMS HE IS PURSUING HIS WIFE AGAIN.”
There he was, standing confidently before reporters, no hesitation in his eyes.
“I made mistakes,” Arjun said into the microphones. “Big ones. I doubted the woman who stood by me when the whole world turned against her.”
Cameras flashed wildly.
“I divorced her without justice. I humiliated her when I should have protected her.”
Lina’s fingers trembled.
“And now,” Arjun continued, “I am openly, publicly pursuing my wife again. Whether she forgives me or not is her right. But loving her… that is my duty.”
The reporter asked, “Does this mean reconciliation?”
Arjun smiled faintly. “That depends on how much pain a man can undo.”
---
The internet exploded.
Some mocked him.
Some praised him.
Some called Lina weak.
Others called her powerful.
Lina shut her phone off.
Her heart was pounding too loudly.
That evening, she confronted him.
“You’ve lost your mind,” she said, standing before him. “Do you know what you’ve done?”
Arjun looked up calmly. “I told the truth.”
“You made it public,” Lina said sharply. “You dragged me into the spotlight again.”
“I stood in the spotlight alone,” Arjun replied. “I didn’t say you forgave me. I said I was trying.”
Lina clenched her fists. “And did you ask me before doing this?”
“No,” he said honestly. “Because last time I asked people before trusting you… I lost everything.”
Silence stretched between them.
Then Arjun stood, his voice low but steady.
“I’m not asking you to come back to me today. Or tomorrow. Or even this year.”
He looked at her with raw sincerity.
“But I will not hide my love for you again. I owe you that much.”
Lina turned away, afraid he might see the tears burning her eyes.
---
That night, Shalini watched the news replay again and again.
Her son—bowing his head, admitting fault, choosing Lina over reputation.
Her hands trembled.
“This time,” she whispered bitterly, “she has truly taken him away.”
Her phone rang.
It was Arjun.
For a long moment, Shalini considered not answering.
But she did.
“Mother,” Arjun said calmly, “I am alive because Lina never stopped caring. And I will not abandon her again—no matter who stands against us.”
Shalini’s breath caught.
“You are choosing her,” she said.
“Yes,” Arjun replied. “I already did once. I just realized it too late.”
The call ended.
Shalini sat in silence, her pride cracking, her control slipping.
---
Back at the Sharma house, Savriti watched Lina quietly as she sat alone.
“You still love him,” Savriti said gently.
Lina swallowed. “Love doesn’t erase wounds, Mother.”
Savriti nodded. “No. But it tells you whether they are worth healing.”
Outside, Arjun stood by the gate, not daring to enter Lina’s space, waiting—patient, determined.
For the first time, Lina understood:
Arjun was no longer chasing her for forgiveness.
He was standing still…
Ready to pay the price for the love he almost destroyed.
- Writer
