It was for the best. It was better to step away and let her get on with her life. With him, she was doomed. Outside, she will at least be able to breathe freely.

Darsh paced frantically with each step, his resolve growing harder. He should have done this long ago. He should have gone with the annulment. To hell with her decision, to hell with her... whim. It was stupid to tear off that paper, a sheer act of impulsiveness that his wife was famous for. But they still had time to rectify that mistake.

“You are listening to me, right?” He glared at her accusingly. “You need to move on. You deserve better. There are other men in the world. Gaurav Dhaliwal is an excellent candidate, but there are many more who would be eager to fill in the shoes.”

Sure, it sounded like a perfect solution. All his plans were always perfect. Yes, they went somewhat awry whenever they involved his wife, but this time he was sure he’d got everything right. All he had to do was remove himself from the equation. Once his jinx was removed, her life would be set.

Shaking his head, he resumed his belligerent pacing.

“I’ll get another copy of the annulment for you to sign today. Our arrangement will remain the same. I’ll take care of the money matters as best I can and we’ll pretend in front of Dadaji all is well.” He waited for her reaction, but she didn’t even bat an eye. For the past hour, she was sitting there like a statue. He could as well be barking at a wall. Which was just as well - they tended to waste too much time arguing, and now was the time for action.

His brain whirred as if in fifth gear. It had been ages since he made a new plan. A perfect new plan that delivered perfect results. This was an ideal opportunity to get him going.

“Ajay and Paddy have scuppered off. Ajay’s in the US for an MBA. Paddy is gone for Navy training,” he followed this with a disgusted snort, “but I’ll make sure they pay for their sins.”

His wife shifted a little, but he wasn’t looking. He was in the zone now. In the perfect zone, to restore the status quo. He had to hit a reset button, go back to where it started and erase these past four months. It was the only way to fix things.

“That leaves only one candidate for our stalker. We both know who he is. I am going to see him today...”

“That’s not necessary.” In the end, Aditi got up to give him a calm look. She looked much collected; she, too, seemed to have made her decision. “Thank you for your help, but I’ll take over from here. And leave Ajay and Paddy to me. They are my culprits, not yours.”

*****

The rest of the day, Aditi spent packing. It was tedious to do the to-and-fro between his room and the guest room. Some of her stuff was downstairs, some upstairs. She had never settled, really. She had never found her place in this house.

She gathered her belongings and called for a taxi. Then left for Sonal’s flat. Darsh watched from his favorite spot on the steps, his one hand as usual stuffed in his trouser pocket. Clutched in his other hand was the annulment that they both had signed.

“I am sorry for this.” He said again as she climbed the steps down for one last time. “It didn’t have to be this way, but I know this is for the best.”

“Sure.” She gave a smile that made him wince. For the last time, she cast her eyes around - on the little house, on the small garden, on the man staring at her with shuttered eyes. In the corner, in a rubbish bin where she had thrown her broken dreams. She glanced at them and got into the car to give him one last look.

“This is it then. All the best, and have a good life.”

*****

“The bastard! I knew something like this will happen. I knew he was always after your money!” Sonal screeched, and Aditi looked up from her laptop.

“Don’t call him that, Sonal. He did what he thought was right.”

“Right, my foot!” Sonal gave her an exasperated look. “How are you so calm, Aditi? Are you not angry? Are you not..sad? Why are you so, so...” She pursed her lips, trying to find the right word. Aditi exhaled. She herself did not know why she was like this. There were no tears, no rage, no bitter feelings. Her heart was empty, devoid of any emotions. Her mind was numb and her brain was on autopilot. It was a surreal state, but at least she was functioning. And right now, she was grateful for it.

“I wish I could kill that bast...”

“Please Sonal, for the last time, no cursing.” Aditi got up and gave her friend a hug. Sonal was close to breaking down. “Listen, how about we go out? In fact, I have someone to meet. Would you like to come?”

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

*****

It was the second time in two days that Aditi visited Dr. Arindam Chatterjee’s nursing home. The last time she was on the first floor to see Vicki. This time, she took the elevator to the fourth floor. That was where Vivaan was, in room number seven. It had taken her husband less than an hour to trace him. It was from here that Vivaan had spied her when she’d come here to admit Vicki for the first time. She did not know Grandpa Raisingh too had chosen the same nursing home for him.

Come to think of it now, it should have been obvious. She should have thought of herself, if not for the other matters consuming her mind.

She asked Sonal to wait outside and entered. Vivaan was sitting on the bed, resting against a pillow. In his hands was his phone, and he was busy typing furiously. No wonder her phone hadn’t stopped beeping that day.

“Hi, Vivaan.” Aditi entered, placing the flowers and fruit basket she’d carried on the side table. “How are you?“

“You! How did you...”

“My husband is quite resourceful.” She smiled. His face turned puce.

“Really? Then where is he now? Left you alone in a wolf’s den, has he?”

“A wolf that is paralyzed,” she commented calmly. “And I paralyzed it myself. So I have nothing to fear.”

His eyes turned to slits as his chest heaved rapidly. For a moment, both were on that old bridge, on the fated night of her engagement.

“Then why are you here now? To gloat on my condition?”

“I am here to wish you well.” Her voice was calm. Vivaan snorted.

“Really...Aditi. And why is that? You talk as if you are...” He narrowed his eyes. “Are you going somewhere?” He looked around as realization dawned on his face. There came his maniacal laugh that Aditi was so used to. Luckily, it did not have the same effect on her anymore.

He laughed and laughed until tears rolled from his eyes.

“The bastard left you, didn’t he? I told you not to trust him. I told you, but you didn’t listen.” He wiped his face with the edge of his shawl. “You would have done better with me, Aditi. We would have been so happy.”

“We would never have been happy, Vivaan. One can only be happy with a person who loves them.”

Silence stretched as their eyes met. A lot was conveyed. That she didn’t love him, had never done. That Darsh didn’t love her, had never loved her. And that Vivaan too didn’t love her in the real sense, or he would not have resorted to those texts.

He blinked and looked away. She smiled and took out the tiffin box she had packed for him.

“What is this?”

“Kheer. And okra fry. It’s not how Nehal makes it, but I have tried my best.”

“I never loved Nehal.” His tone was belligerent.

“I know. But she loved you truly.”

“If you are here on behalf of her...”

“I am not here on behalf of anyone, Vivaan. I am here to see my childhood friend, who once used to pull my hair, and I pushed him into the swimming pool; who once tried to hurt me and I hurt him back. Now the scores are settled. I want to go back to where we were before. That is - if you are willing to let go.”

There. She had said her piece. They talked some more. She inquired about his treatment and offered the help of Sonal’s dad. Towards the end, he went quieter - to the point that he just sat with his eyes closed. She patted his hand and got up.

“Keep in touch, Vivaan. I’d like to know how my friend is faring.”

*****

“That was nice of you,” Sonal passed a dry remark as they took a cab back to her flat. “Wasn’t he also the one who killed butterflies to scare you?”

“He was.” Aditi shook her head, staring out of the window. “But I want to forget the bad parts.”

“Amazing.” Sonal was her sarcastic best. “So what next now? Going back to Palampur to sign everything to your uncle? Your Dadaji’s property is in Darsh’s clutches. Why not donate your mother’s too and be done with it?”

That wasn’t a bad idea, Aditi mused. She did need to go to Palampur to see her Dadaji. She might as well give a lump sum to her uncle to settle him for the next few months. Her husband...err, her ex-husband would not entertain his habits, nor would her Dadaji. She also needed to see someone else. That was the next task on her list.

“Yes, I am going to Palampur but just for a quick day trip. It’ll be good to be back...and I’ll also get to see Aron.”

*****

The next day she was in Palampur sitting at the bedside of her Dadaji. She couldn’t believe how much he had diminished in the last two months. His fingers shook, and he could hardly feed himself. He used it as an excuse to refuse to sign cheques for her uncle, but she knew it was serious.

“Don’t worry. It’s just life.” He smiled and caressed her face. Her eyes filled as she clutched his shaking hand in hers.

“Stop fighting with Chachu, Dadaji. Just let him do what he wants. You know he loves you.”

“Too late for that,” Balwant smiled. “Fighting with Ravi is what keeps me alive.”

“By the way, where is your husband?” Balwant frowned. “Why isn’t he too near my sickbed? You haven’t fought with him, right?”

She gave a coy smile. “He is busy, Dadu. And yes, we did have a little fight, but we’ll sort it out.”

“Good girl.” Balwant smiled contentedly, then dozed off. Aditi tucked him in, then got up to meet the others.

*****

It took her ten minutes to see the others. Saying hello and signing a cheque took that long. Mohit was away on a site, so she couldn’t see him. She told Nehal of her visit to Vivaan, but the girl was quiet. She looked subdued, but her face did not have that longing pain anymore. Aditi was relieved. Maybe Nehal was finally over him. The girl needed to move on. Everyone needed to move on. Staying in the past, clutching to old shadows, never did anyone any good.

Next on her list was Aron. Here she spent a long time. He too had missed her. The stables also brought her some other memories - of a certain someone who’d promised her lifelong happiness. She smiled fondly as she remembered it all. It felt like a child’s play, like little children playing house and going their separate ways when it was home time. Now the play was over and the actors had dispersed. And the stage was left empty. Bared to the bones.

*****

It was late afternoon when she knocked on Kanta Chachi’s door. Chachi was obviously overjoyed but narrowed her eyes the moment she took in her state.

“This is going to be hard,” she said as she let Aditi in. “You look just like your mother when she was carrying you. And it was hard for her too.”

***** *****