तुम क्या जानो मैं खुद से शर्मिंदा हूं,

छूट गया है साथ तुम्हारा, फिर भी जिंदा हु..!!!

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The next morning, Adyant descended to the breakfast room, his thoughts still consumed by Veda's silence as the flashbacks of last night continued to haunt him. He had barely slept, his mind racing with thoughts of her as he felt suffocated and disgusted by himself for what he did to Veda the previous night.

As he entered, his gaze fell upon Veda, and his breath caught.

She wore a stunning red saree, its entangled embroidery shimmering in the morning light. The matching red blouse accentuated her porcelain skin, and her dark hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall.

Adyant's heart skipped a beat as he couldn't look away from her any longer.

Something inside him stirred, it felt as if a long-forgotten emotion unbreaking inside his chest.

He felt...

Drawn to her.

Attracted to her.

Hungry for her.

The realization shocked him as he couldn't help but freeze in his tracks.

When had he ever felt this way about Veda?

He couldn't remember.

It wasn't the first time in all these days when he felt this unfamiliar and strong emotion within himself

Adyant's eyes lingered on Veda's face, searching for a glimmer of warmth, a hint of her old self but her expression remained aloof, her eyes fixed on the newspaper.

"Good morning," he ventured.

Veda nodded curtly.

"Morning."

Her silence was killing him and the words from last night were breaking his heart, shattering it and burning it into ashes.

Adyant felt his regrets coming to haunt him down as he recalled the previous night.

Just one night made Veda distant again, ruined their progress and made her silent once more.

Flashback to last night -:

Veda entered the bedroom in a hurry as she looked at Adyant, her expression unreadable.

"Adyant, can I ask you something?"

He looked up, his gaze meeting hers as his eyes softened.

"What is it, Veda?"

"One of the women from today told me about your... argument. Why did you fight with them for me? Aapko aisa kuch karne ki koi zaroorat nahi thi."

Adyant's expression darkened as he listened to her words.

"They were disrespecting you, Veda. I won't tolerate anyone speaking ill of my wife."

Veda's eyes widened but she quickly composed herself.

"Why do you care? you thought the same way about me, didn't you? That I'm an uneducated, low-class village girl? Aapko kya farq Parta Hai, Adyant?"

Adyant's jaw clenched.

"Farq parta Hai. Biwi ho tum meri. I admit i was wrong to call you those things earlier but that doesn't mean that everyone has the right to speak against you." He roared possessively.

"Wrong?" This time Veda's voice rose as well.

"You called me those names, Adyant. You made me feel worthless. And now you're defending me? Why?huh...just why? Dikhana kya chahte hain app? Are you trying to prove yourself like a loving husband who cares for his wife when in reality this relationship is nothing but just a burden to you! Yeh Rishta khokla Hai, Adyant. Aur ab hamara dum ghutne laga hai iss khokle rishte ko nibhate-nibhate. I feel so suffocated Adyant, I feel as if this marriage is choking me, my happiness. It's taking away my everything. Can you see it? Can you see my pain? Can you, Adyant Singh Rathore, Boliye? Jawan dijiye! Aap dekh saktey hain kya?" Veda spoke, all of her anger and pain bursting out finally, her questions made Adyant's heart clench in pain.

Adyant stood, his face twisted in pain, anguish and guilt as he heard Veda's painful and anguish charged voice which was breaking his own heart into pieces.

"Adyant's voice dropped to a whisper, he didn't know what to speak to Veda right now.

" Don't say this Veda. I....I think that I care about you now, Veda.

"Thank you for caring about me, Adyant but you don't have to do that for a low class burden like me." She spoke, her words bleeding with pain and anger as her mocking smile broke his heart.

Her words stung his heart as the night ended in a silent memory of pain which they both felt from inside.

Back to the present-:

Adyant's gaze drifted back to her saree, the vibrant red igniting a fire within him.

He wanted to reach out, to touch her, to feel her warmth and caress her soft skin.

But Veda's silence was a barrier, a wall he couldn't break, no matter what he do oe says.

Adyant's frustration grew.

Why was she doing this?

Why was she pushing him away?

He needed to break this silence.

He needed to talk to her.

To hear her affectionate voice.

Adyant suddenly had this urge to do something, anything to bring Veda back to him.

To make her see him again.

To make her talk to him again.

He didn't knew why he was feeling this desperation to see the glimpse of old veda but he wanted her back to what she was with the deepest part of his chest.

Maybe a part of him missed the way she would look at him with those gentle eyes, the way she cared for him and the way she would long to feel his touch.

Adyant missed everything.

(A/N: Great Lmao! Adyant's character development is a complex, slow-burning process for me tbh guys haha!)

Adyant's absence from Veda's side felt foreign, a nagging sense of loss and pain he couldn't shake. He missed the warmth of her smile, the gentle touch of her hand and her gentle eyes.

For the first time, Adyant realized he'd taken Veda for granted.

Her unwavering care had been his warm blanket and now it was slipping away.

Even if she did something wrong

As night descended, Adyant's restlessness grew. He wandered the empty halls, searching for solace and peace.

His heart felt heavy with emotions and he felt suffocated inside the huge mansion.

In the shadows, he caught glimpses of Veda's laughter, her eyes sparkling with joy and happiness.

Memories he'd long suppressed surfaced inside his mind as he reminded everything about her.

Their first meeting, her shy smile.

Their wedding day, her radiant happiness.

The birth of their children, her tears of joy.

Adyant's heart swelled with longing.

But soon all those memories were replaced with the melancholic pictures of Veda which continued to swirl inside him like an unwanted presence.

Their first night when he had made her cry for the first ever time.

The times when he had hurt her over and over again.

The time when he made Veda's siren eyes well with tears.

The times when he insulted her as if she meant nothing.

The times she lost her smile all because of him and his harsh words.

For the first time, he saw Veda as more than just an unwanted presence.

He saw her as a person.

A person he'd hurt.

A person he'd lost.

He, the man who once used to think that Veda holds nothing in this marriage realized that she holds all the strings.

His heart clenched into pain as realization hit him hard.

He had taken Veda for granted. Instead their marriage chance he had hurt her over and over again.

He had made her feel worthless till she couldn't take it anymore.

You, you have made her like this. You never tried to understand her, you heartless jerk. His insides screamed at him as the pain inside his chest intensified multiple times.

Her hollow eyes, devoid of any emotions, haunted him inside as he closed his eyes to get rid of Veda's brown eyes.

A lone tear escaped his eyes as he thought of all the time he had shattered the vows of their marriage again and again.

Instead of making her the happiest woman alive, he had inflicted pain on Veda.

He had failed as a husband and now he was left with regret, loneliness and memories which continued to haunt him till he couldn't breathe anymore.

His heart now yearned for the very love he'd once disregarded.

It wasn't until Veda's love slipped through his fingers that Adyant realized its true value and now all he was left with was guilt and regret.

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