"Aur kya expect karte ho mujhse? Is sab ke baad bhi tumhe lagta hai ki tumhare parents mujhe accept karenge?" Jiya's voice cracked as she confronted Sameer, her eyes brimming with anger and pain.
Sameer stepped closer, trying to hold her hand. "Mujhe thoda waqt toh do, Jiya... dekhna, main sab thik kar dunga."
She yanked her hand away, her movements sharp and filled with bitterness.
"Aur kitna waqt, Sameer? Kal tumhare gharwale ladki dekhne ja rahe hain tumhare liye. Tumhe lagta hai woh log humare rishte ko kabhi accept karenge? Tum khud mujhe bataya tha ki tumhare family kitne strict hain, inn sab cheezon ko lekar." Her voice trembled with the weight of reality.
Sameer desperately tried to reason with her. "Kya tum mujh par bharosa nahi karti, Jiya?" His tone was almost pleading.
Jiya looked at him, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Nahi... ab bharosa nahi hai, Sameer." Her words hit him like a thunderbolt, leaving him frozen in disbelief.
Sameer took a step back, his hands dropping to his sides. His lips parted as if to argue, but no words came out.
Wiping her tears, Jiya looked away, her voice heavy with finality. "I can't see you with someone else Sameer nor I want to say any hurtful words to you.Isliye behtar hai... we should break up. It will be better for us."
Before Sameer could process her words, she removed the proposal ring he had given her years ago. Placing it firmly in his palm, she whispered,
"Goodbye"
His vision blurred as he stared at the ring, his mind refusing to accept what had just happened. He watched helplessly as Jiya walked away, her retreating figure a painful reminder of the love slipping through his fingers.
Sameer lay on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. The weight of Jiya's words and the suffocating expectations of his family crushed him. What could he do? His family had drawn an unyielding line-love marriages were a taboo, a betrayal of their culture.
As he wrestled with his thoughts, his mother, Sabita, entered the room. Her presence was as calm as always, but Sameer could sense the unspoken tension.
"Tujhe yaad hai na kal jaana hai unke ghar? Jaldi so jana," she said softly, her tone almost indifferent as if the arrangement was just another mundane task.
Sameer didn't respond. Instead, he grabbed a pillow and buried his face in it, signaling he didn't want to talk. Sabita stood quietly for a moment, observing her son's frustration, her motherly intuition telling her more than his silence ever could.
She sighed and sat beside him, her hand gently caressing his hair. "Beta, tujhe pata hai na hamare ghar mein love marriage allowed nahi hai," she whispered, her voice carrying an almost apologetic note.
His body stiffened at her words, but he said nothing, the silence stretching between them like a chasm. After a while, his muffled voice broke through the quiet.
"Aapko nahi pata pyaar karna kise kehte hain... aur jab woh chhod kar chali jaati hai, toh kaise lagta hai." There was pain in every syllable, raw and unfiltered.
Sabita smiled faintly at his outburst, her gaze softening. "Tujhe abhi bhi pata nahi hai ki asli pyaar kisko kehate hain... aur woh bhi shaadi ke baad."
Sameer sat up, his irritation evident as he ran a hand through his hair. Her words only added to his frustration, a boiling anger he couldn't express.
"Right now I am not in the mood to argue mom..so just leave me alone" His voice cracked, his vulnerability slipping through the cracks in his anger.
Sabita stood up, giving him a long, understanding look. She knew her words wouldn't console him now, but she hoped that someday, he'd understand. Without another word, she left the room.
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