"You want Arsh, don't you? That is why you are proposing to me. How convenient isn't it? Taking away my belief on marriage and asking my hand in the same?" mused Neysa, tearing her gaze away from him and looking at their children playing happily.
Arsh was an introverted child since his birth. Be it hunger or happiness, it was his set of expressive eyes which voiced out his emotions rather than his actions and seeing him rejoicing and enjoying himself filled in immense guilt in Neysa's already heavy heart. She was aware that the kids did not deserve a fate like their parents had chosen for them, but she could bring herself to trust the man whom she loved and the father of her children.
"Took away your belief on marriage? Nisha, I genuinely love you and my proposition is based on my feelings for you not because that will give me the custody of Arsh," explained Adhrit, moving in front of her while she turned her face away in frustration.
She hated herself for punishing her children for mistakes of their mother's and father's. But she could not help but hate him more for breaking her internally in multiple ways through guilt in every step of their relationship.
"Mohini was your companion for fourteen years. Remember the time you reiterated the length of that duration to me? After fourteen years of togetherness, you realized that you never loved her- your best friend in the past, your only girlfriend and your wife of eight years," pointed Neysa, her face set into stoic emotion.
"Neysa, you are different, this," Adhrit said, pointing to the space between them,"this is different. How can you assume in that manner?"
"What is the surety that you would not realize that what you have for me is not love? When you were not sure of your past or present, how can you assure me of the future? The man who is not sure of his first love, how will he give the right to someone as his last love?" she questioned, setting her heart into stone and forcing her heart to ignore her teenage heartfelt fantasy of receiving a proposal from Adhrit Solanki.
He felt destiny mocking at him when Karma bit him hard. He had questioned Mohini's love innumerable times in the past few months when he had himself never loved her. The all-consuming fire which ignites when one's beloved questions the very love directed towards them had engulfed Adhrit into its unmerciful embrace. He writhed, whimpered and wallowed in the emotion he had plunged Neysa into numerous times as the fate he had bestowed on Mohini caught up to him.
"It is proof which you need, isn't it?" prompted Adhrit, his voice cracking and feeble enough to cause a flicker of concern in Neysa's teary eyes.
"You call it proof, Adhrit, and I call it assurance but as they say actions speak louder than words so can you do anything to assure me of your good intention and love?" replied Neysa, hoping that the destiny is merciful enough to unite the lovers which it had brought close.
"So be it, Nisha. You taught me how to love in the truest sense. I might be a bad husband but definitely neither a bad lover nor a bad student. I promise you, I will convince you of my intentions and feelings and win your hand," vowed Adhrit, cupping her chin and looking deep into her eyes, searching for any trace of the unconditional love which floated in those hazel orbs which made him feel alive every time he has had the privilege to look at them.
Involuntarily and instantaneously, she felt herself gravitating towards his warmth. The upheaval of thoughts which he incited ensured that her body and soul elicit the same response to their proximity every time, but her mind took the reins away before she could find her solace in his arms.
The sane part of her reminded her of his errors, forcing her to pull away from his grip, against her will. Whether it was her mind trying to ease her guilt or trying to build up her hatred as a defense mechanism, she knew not but she was sure that if Adhrit's love was true, her mind would surrender with any hesitation and peace would finally be hers to cherish.
Her unconscious yet conscientious rejection was just the push Adhrit needed in the right direction.
"You get custody of both the children, Nisha. When I had thought in the beginning that I will raise them up alone, I had already taken away maternal affection from them through my decision. When that is not wrong, leaving both the children to the mother also wouldn't be wrong since I am sure that you will be able to care for them much better than me," announced Adhrit, his eyes stuck to the pair of blessings which had landed in their lives.
Neysa's maternal instinct and her selfishness regarding the same prevented her from arguing with the father. She did not want him to step back and take away the children from her. She had lost enough in the course of winning her self-respect and she had no wish to lose further for the sake of etiquette.
Adhrit's walkout plunged her into more than just loneliness; a storm of myriads emotions threatened to take away every bit of her sanity and living force, but she knew that she was anchored to the mortal world due to the two chains that bound her with their wobbly hold.
The Next Day, "Sona, Adhrit's parents have come here. They are seeking your hand in marriage for Adhrit. They are not ready to accept any explanation or argument. I think you should come down and speak to them," said Neysa's father, unknown to the fact that Neysa had stopped listening out of shock after his first few words.
Memories spiraled her consciousness into their midst as she reminisced the words of Swati during her stay in Shillong.
--FLASHBACK--
"I don't remember the last time I have seen Adhrit speaking to his parents last time. Their final civil conversation and meet was during his marriage. After that, Adhrit got to know that his father made Mohini's father sign a permanent contract with the Solankis and he swore to never speak to them. Although they had been very wrong on different levels, they surely loved their son a lot. They never stepped into their own house ever again since their son had left them nor did they take any other decision with respect to their company. They abandoned everything and started living in a village with almost no facilities. Feelings, they are truly weird and make people do even weirder things," narrated Swati, a whimsical smile dancing on her lips.
--FLASHBACK ENDS--
The mere fact that Adhrit had reached out to his parents for her sake after years was overwhelming to say the least. He had abandoned his biggest dream and embraced his worst enemy, and Neysa felt bliss of an unimaginable ecstasy filling her senses and her nonchalance and facade melted out of her eyes.