Strings of Fate (Completed!) - Page 7

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The emptiness was overwhelming. Rhia couldnt recall another time where she felt so utterly fickle and hollow. Saagar had left without any good byes, which made it seem as if this entire situation was a horrible nightmare, that she would wake up the next morning and Saagar would greet her with his smiling eyes. But she knew that was not so. The last bonds that she shared with him had been severed, broken by Saagar himself. She remembered his words all too clearly. "Then I'm leaving tomorrow..." he had said. If that was true, then this had been their last meeting. He wouldnt be there tomorrow.
She moaned in agony. How was it possible to miss someone to such an extent that she was hurting physically? She had just got home from work, and Ritesh was coming in a few hours, yet all she could think about was HIM. The man who had entered her life just a few months ago and completely turned it upside down. Rhia was wrapped up in a blanket on her couch feeling depressed. She never thought that the pain of parting would be so intense. It hurt when she remembered his charming face, or when she recalled his voice, so velvety, so smooth and charismatic. It even hurt when she thought of his name. Saagar. Her safe harbor...gone.
She moaned again and felt the first tear slide down her cheek. Did he know the about the pain she was going through? Would he even care if he saw her writhing in his memories?
She repressed a sob and covered her face with the blanket. Die...she wanted to die. Death would be relief compared to this torture. The seconds changed to minutes, and the minutes changed to hours, and she was jolted by the bell. She realized that she had fallen asleep sometime. At first she remained stationary on the couch, then stirred unwillingly when the second bell rang. She gave herself a quick look in the mirror and groaned. She looked terrible. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying for the past hours, and her hair was a disheveled mess. It was too late now. She fixed herself up as best as possible, then opened the door.
A cold gust of air blew past her, and time froze momentarily. The face standing before her was so familiar, yet so strange. Ritesh viewed her in silence as well, as if he was having trouble scanning her from his memories. In only six months, the two had grown so apart that they almost felt like strangers.

Ritesh (with a weak smile): Hey Rhia...

Rhia (feeling strange): Hi...

Ritesh: Wont you let me in?

Rhia: Oh (blinking when she realized she was blocking the doorway) sorry.

She moved aside and he shuffled in with his bag. She proceeded to pick up the ones stacked outside and he was back in an instant by her side.

Ritesh: Its ok, I got them.

Rhia: No no, let me take one.

He let her pick up one of the lighter bags and smiled uncertainly. Rather than feeling like husband and wife, it felt like they were meeting for the first time. When the door closed behind them, they stood awkwardly in the main lounge feeling uncomfortable with the uncanny silence. Ritesh pretended to look around, but Rhia didnt even make an effort. She rubbed her arms and flashed a glance in his direction. He caught her look, then looked away. So much had changed. They didnt even know each other anymore over these past few months. It felt as if a wall had formed between them while they had been too busy with their respected lives, and now they could no longer reach out to each other anymore. In truth, Rhia felt completely detached from Ritesh. She felt about as close to him as she felt to some of her colleagues. At this point, there was not trace of intimacy left.

Ritesh (rubbling his hands together): Its good to be back

He scanned around the room and his eyes were focused. To Rhia, it felt like Ritesh was a visitor at her house. She was still trying to get used to the idea of them staying together. Again, she was surprised by how quickly their relationship had changed.

Rhia: You should make yourself more comfortable. Why dont you change and I'll fix up some dinner?

Ritesh (with a soft smile): You're cooking?

This time she had to smile as well. Ritesh knew Rhia's limitations in the kitchen all too well. Atleast something felt familiar.

Rhia: Well, its just some leftover daal from the restaurant, but its still somewhat home food.

Ritesh (smiling): Yeah, somewhat...I'll go change.

With another smile he was off to the bathroom. With a guitly conscience, she wished that Ritesh had been a friend instead. He was a great guy, and someone she could always rely on, but now, anything more more seemed unnatural. Rhia sighed and proceeded to move his bags to their room. Their room. She shuddered when she saw the bed. The last time she had shared a bed with someone was when she had slept with Saagar. She had slept with another man. This realization jolted her to the core and she felt dizzy. "Oh no, not his name...not the memories," she grabbed at her head desperately. The guilt and intimate memories mixed together and swarmed her mind. She was gonna fall!
She grabbed onto the wall and forced her eyes closed, forced her breathing to relax and her heart to return to normal. Just then her phone rang. Feeling somewhat shaken, she made her way to the phone and picked up.

Rhia: Hello?

Silence greeted her on the other line.

Rhia: Hello? Hello?

This time, she could hear someone breathing. SHe lowered her voice and focused.

Rhia: Is someone there?

Her eyes narrowed, and she concentrated on the breathing. The realization struck hard.

Rhia (breathlessly): Saagar?

The breathing stopped on the other line, yet she could still feel him there.

Rhia (heart beating faster): Saagar! Saagar is that you?

She looked behind her shoulder at the bathroom door, and was comforted by the sound of the shower running. Ritesh couldnt hear. She gripped the phone harder till her knuckles turned white.

Rhia (in a fierce whisper): Saagar talk to me plz...say something...

His breathing was irregular now, like he was trying to hold back.

Rhia (crying softly): Dont do this. Plz dont do this. Saagar we can work this out. We can work something out, just talk to me.

She though she heard a whisper, but she couldnt catch it properly, and the phone went dead.

Rhia (whispering): Saagar? Damn it!

What had he whispered? With a stab of pain, she realized that he had whispered three words. "I love you."

Ouch. This is so sad.

Continue soon. 😳

Thanks! More coming soon! Almost ending guys, hold on 😊

2 months later

She never heard from Saagar again. It was almost as if he never existed, as if he never invaded her life, never made her dream, never made her feel. Her life more or less settled into another routine...yet it was not the same as before. Ritesh and Rhia continued their life from where they left off, but they found, to their dismay, that the past was in shambles. They had to pick up the pieces and rebuild from scratch. But no matter how hard they tried, it just never felt the same again. An essential part of their relaionship had been destroyed somewhere, and its absence constantly nagged Rhia in the back of her mind. The wall that had erected itself between them remained just as solid, just impenetrable. No matter how hard she tried, she could never reach out to Ritesh from within, and neither he to her. When she thought about it, she grimly observed that they were living the lives of two puppets who tried to appear happy, but it was all a facade.
She didnt understand. She thought that Saagar's absence would make everything better. She would forget him, and move on. But that was not the case. Instead, she found herself dreaming about him often. The dream was always the same. He stood before her in his signature suit, gazing at her longingly with his hands in his suit pockets. But every time she tried to reach out, he would move away.
All of this did not go unnoticed by Ritesh. He was not blind to her empty eyes, the way she sometimes lost her thought, or began to stare into space. It was as if she was there with him physically, but mentally and emotionally, she was lost. This behavior pushed him into the recesses of his mind, deep into the matter that was a tangled mess. And for the first time, his eyes opened up to a reality that had been staring him right in the face all this time. Through the course of a week, Ritesh made a final decision.
One late evening, when the two of them sat silently on the dinner table, Ritesh brought up the topic that Rhia had been dreading the most.
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Ritesh: Rhia can you plz pass the rice?

She pushed the bowl towards him, and then busied herself by shifting the leftover rice on her plate. Her appetite had been non-existent lately. Again, he observed her plate for a second before speaking.

Ritesh (casually): So…how's work?

She stiffened. This was unexpected. They had not talked about work ever since they got back together. And work entailed a name that still pained her when brought up.

Rhia (stiffly): Its good.

Ritesh: Really? (Piling on his plate with rice) And how's everyone in it?

This time she looked up at him with a sharp glance. He looked back, eyes wide, face innocent. What was he playing at?

Rhia: Good I guess.

Ritesh: That's nice, and (looking at her out of the corner of his eyes) how's Saagar?

Her insides froze, and she felt that familiar surge of pain stir within her heart where she had repressed it so long ago. Ritesh noticed the color drain off her face as she fought to remain visibly neutral.

Rhia (with an effort): I dunno…

Ritesh (curious): You don't know?

Rhia: Yeah…(taking a deep breath) he doesn't work here anymore.

Her voice spoke volumes. Ritesh noticed the slight tremor when she revealed the last fact, and this time, all his doubts were erased.

Ritesh (clearing his throat): Rhia, we have to talk about something.

She tensed up. There it was; the subject she had been trying to avoid. There was no ignoring it now. Her heart sped up in apprehension as she waited for the big question.

Ritesh: Rhia…

Yes, yes I slept with him, she screamed inside her head. Yes, I love him. I'm sorry I couldn't help it. I'll accept whatever punishment you give me. Punish me now.

Ritesh stood up and walked around the table to her side. She clenched her fist and watched him fearfully with withheld breath. Getting down on one knee, he took her hand and held it gently as he looked right into her eyes.

Ritesh: Rhia, this isn't working out.

She stared at him. Confusion dribbled into her mind. First of all, this was not what she had been expecting him to say. Second, it wouldn't register in her mind. He noticed her expression and gripped her hand tightly.

Ritesh: I think we both know…have known for a while now. But we just chose to overlook it. Our relationship is dead Rhia. There's nothing left…

All she could do was look squarely into his face and breathe. She had to concentrate on breathing, because she felt as if she would crumble at any moment now. He realized that she was not in a state to talk, and continued, as gently as he could.

Ritesh: We both knew that it had died a while back, but we both wanted to give it…give us, a second chance. Its like a dead baby Rhia. We've been carrying this dead child this entire time. You're with me, yet you're not. I cant live like this. Neither can you. I don't want us to compromise with our lives. You understand me?

This time, she was able to nod slightly, but her eyes were still unfocused, as if she was trying to grasp his words. This was too unexpected. She wasn't ready for this.

Ritesh: I don't know what went wrong. I wish I could figure it out, go back, and fix it before it happened, but I cant. We cant change the past, but we can help the future. We're not happy. Maybe it was moving away. I thought we could handle the long distance relationships but sometimes…there are distractions.

This time he looked straight into her eyes, and she lowered her head. She knew all too well who he was alluding to.

Ritesh: Rhia its ok, look at me. Just look at me. I don't blame you. (she forced herself to look at him) I always got the hint that there was someone else in your life, but honestly, I cant point fingers at you. How can I make accusations at you, when I may be in the same boat?

Her mouth fell open in surprise. She was astonished to find him gazing at her helplessly, with guilt stricken eyes. She finally found her voice.

Rhia: So all those times that you said you were busy, you…(she trailed off)

He nodded and lowered his eyes this time. She waited for the anger to come, but surprisingly, she felt…better. Good. She felt as if a burden had been lifted off her shoulders. Knowing that Ritesh had fallen into the same path as her, made the same mistakes, helped ease the guilt that had been plaguing her for the past two months.

Ritesh (speaking fast): I met her at work. You were so far Rhia. I tried so hard to reach out. But you were so far.

Rhia (speechless): Don't…its ok. I understand.

She did. She understood far too well those irresistible forces that had torn them apart. She never thought that relationships could be so complex, so intricate. But now she did.

Ritesh: I just need to know. (in a whisper) Is it him?

Rhia (feeling numb): It was. Not anymore.

Ritesh: I'm sorry…

Rhia: You?

Ritesh (with a small laugh): I told her I needed to save my marriage.

As they gazed at each other, a comfort developed between them, based on a deep understanding of each other's weaknesses.

Rhia: What do you want to do?

Ritesh: We tried working it out, but I don't think its meant to be Rhia. We really tried (covers her hand with his other one) And I'm proud that I ever shared a relationship with you. I look back at those days with a smile. (after a pause) But now...I think I should go back to New Delhi.

Panic bubbled up her chest. She wasn't ready for this. Ritesh was leaving her. Saagar had already left her. She had nobody now. She was all alone. She grabbed at his arm.

Rhia (desperately): No…plz no.

Ritesh (firmly yet gently): Rhia we have to do this. I've thought a lot about it. I would've loved if it worked out, but it didn't. We both gave it our best shot. And now I want to take the steps to ensure that we always think of each other with respect and admiration, with the best of wishes. Before our relationship fails miserably, Rhia I want us to part on a good note. You understand?

She understood, of course she did. What he said made perfect sense, but she was afraid. Afraid of loneliness that would envelope her as soon as he left. She would suffocate in its deadly grasp.
She didn't even realize that she had started crying until she felt her vision blur. Ritesh reached out and hugged her. It was an embrace filled with understanding and security, but nothing more. She knew he was right, but she was so very afraid.

Ritesh: I promise, I will ALWAYS be there for you. Whenever you need a friend, just call me up and I will be right here with you before you know it.

She hugged back, sobbing without caring now. No matter what they had endured, they had been together for so long, that such a drastic change killed her. She was being selfish. She knew she didn't feel anything for Ritesh above friendship, yet she still wanted to keep him close just for a sense of security. She knew it, and so she forced herself to understand.
Ritesh let her sob for a while as he comforted her. When she was finally able to regain her composure, they both settled into a comfortable silence as they cleared the table together. After a long time, the silence wasn't awkward, but soothing. It really did feel like tons had been lifted off her conscience and shoulders. As Ritesh left the dining room to go to bed, he glanced back in her direction one last time.

Ritesh: I know it hurts a lot right now, but with time, you'll understand why I did this. And you'll thank me. It wont hurt for long…I promise.

She smiled back and watched him leave the dining room. The evening had been one of most significant moments of her life. Tonight, she had lost her husband. Tonight she had gained a new friend.Edited by desigal90 - 15 years ago

oh i knew it i knew he was with another girl i just hope rhia is able to stop saagar in time

cont karo na plz i want more u have me addicted post rite now

Saagar's already left Superstar. But lets see what happens 😉
Workin on the next part.

I edited my previous update, it was missing a part. Read it again, it may make more sense

oh that was sad i hope she gets to see saagar and tell him wat happened

Six months later, Rhia's life settled into a vastly different routine. Within these few months, her life had taken a completely new turn. Her divorce with Ritesh had been a bitter sweet experience. Bitter, because it was an end to a beautiful relationship. Yet still sweet, because they parted with high regards and good feelings.
He shifted back to New Delhi, where he began his life afresh, leaving Rhia to also begin from scratch. Without his belongings, she found she had ample room to fill up, and busied herself with redecorating her apartment. A lot of changes were made around her, and not just within.
Work also became a comfortable second home. In short, life was going at a soothing pace and everything seemed to be working out perfectly. Being single, she found out, was a lot easier in some ways. She had no other commitments apart from her profession which suited her just fine.
But despite all these settling changes, something was missing. Sometimes, late at night, the loneliness would seem endless. She was living a comfortable lifestyle, yet there was no excitement in her life, nothing to look forward to. In short, there was no motivation.
With time, Ritesh's phone calls began to lessen, which was fine with her. He had moved on in his life with Simran, his colleague at work. She was amused by the fact that she did not even feel a hint of jealousy when he told her about Simran. In fact, she was genuinely happy for him. This just reassured her that whatever decisions they had made had been right.
There was one other issue that still remained unresolved, a name that still caused her a hint of pain whenever mentioned. No matter how hard she tried, Saagar remained permanently carved upon her heart and soul. Many times she had thought of calling him up, of telling him about all that had happened to her. But each time, something held her back. Saagar had left eight months ago. Who knew if he even remembered her? Maybe he had moved on as well, she thought with a broken heart.
Countless times, she thought she caught a glimpse of his face in the crowd, or heard his voice calling out. But every single time, it turned out to be her imagination.
It was best to just continue on with her life without disrupting others'. After a very long time, Rhia felt in control once again. And she had no intentions of risking another painful encounter that would once again crumble her heart to bits. Love really did hurt…