Destined For Each Other

Have you ever loved someone? Have you ever felt butterflies with your lover’s touch? Were you super excited when you were getting your partner for a lifetime? Namrata also felt that she found her better half when she met Armaan. She felt the butterflies in her stomach when he kissed her for the first time. When his hand brushed her skin, it made her shiver. But she never thought in her mind that she would have to face this. She never thought that her love would give her a wound for a lifetime. She never imagined that her love, her husband, would give her the worst pain of her life. She was in love with Armaan, but she never thought that she had to do something like that out of love. She would be confronting the man of her dreams for cheating on her, and that too, with the person she couldn’t even imagine. Her heart was bleeding with pain, but she couldn’t express it. But today she has to. She has to tell everyone how their relationship is standing on a brink where no one can stop their relationship from breaking up. Currently, she is standing in the living room with Raj, Shlok, and Tabassum, who reached out when they learned that Namrata had decided to call off her marriage with Armaan. "Armaan, why the hell aren’t you saying anything?" Raj’s voice echoed in the room, his frustration apparent. He had flown back from the US only that morning, and the first thing he heard was that Armaan and Namrata were having serious issues with their marriage. Seeing the situation, there was no way he could stay away, not when his best friend’s marriage seemed to be crumbling. "Yes, man, at least tell us something. We want to help you." Shlok’s tone was softer than Raj's, but the concern in his voice was quite evident. He had heard from Sheena that Namrata wasn’t even picking up her calls anymore. Armaan was getting frustrated with it with every passing second. All eyes were on him, waiting for answers. He ran his hands through his hair, glaring at his friends. "Seriously? You’re all blaming me? For God’s sake, why don’t you understand? I haven’t done anything!" He tried to defend himself. His voice was louder now, his frustration palpable. He turned to Namrata, who stood motionless near the couch. Her face was not showing any expression, but her eyes were filled with unspoken questions and that was piercing Armaan’s heart. He pointed at her in frustration. "I don’t know why the hell she’s behaving like that." Namrata’s silence only deepened with the tension. "Namrata, babe, please... what’s wrong?" Tabassum’s voice was a plea. She walked towards her with a worried face. She turned around Namrata so that she would be facing her and asked again, hoping to get some response. Namrata, who had been holding everything in, suddenly broke. Her tears came without warning, a lone tear escaping before she collapsed onto her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. "He cheated on me," Namrata cried out, her voice cracking with anger and frustration. "He cheated, Tabassum." Her words hit the room like a punch. Everyone was shocked to hear her. Even Armaan’s face turned pale. Everyone turned to Armaan. Armaan himself was shocked, and his body froze the moment he heard Namrata. "He’s been fooling me for months," she said between sobs. "He’s having an affair with Natasha." Tabassum knelt in front of her and pulled her into a hug. Her loud cries were evident that she had been hurt so badly. "Namrata, no, this can’t be—" Tabassum tried to defend Armaan but Namrata fell into her friend’s arms, her sobs growing louder. "He’s meeting her behind my back. He’s sharing my time with her," she choked out, her voice filled with betrayal. Shlok stepped forward. He whispered. "What?" Namrata wiped her tears with the back of her hand. Her face showed the pain she had been dealing with. She added, "Yes, I’ve lost everything." She turned back to Armaan, her eyes were blaming him. "Out of everyone... you were the one who chose to betray me." Her voice was calm but was carrying the weight of a thousand heartbreaks. That was when Armaan finally got out of the shock. He had lost his patience. He said, "Have you lost your mind? What the hell are you talking about?" Hearing him, Namrata stepped closer to him. She looked straight into his eyes and asked with a cold tone, "Really? Now I’m the crazy one?" "Tell me, Armaan, where were you last night?" She questioned, leaving Armaan shocked. She was accusing the love of her life of cheating and this thing was not only breaking Namrata’s heart, but Armaan was also out of words. He tried to speak, but no words came. "Tell me," She continued. Her voice grew colder, "wasn’t Natasha in your bed the night you were in Lonavala?" He tried to touch Namrata and speak, "Namrata, listen—" but she stepped back. Her face was showing disgust and Armaan was in pain seeing her like that. She spoke, "Wait. Just wait." Without another word, she ran towards her bedroom. The silence in the living room was suffocating. Everybody was so silent that even they could hear each other’s heartbeat. Soon, she returned holding an envelope in her hand. "I’m lying, right?" Her voice dripped with sarcasm. She pulled out a set of photographs with her trembling hands. "Then explain these, Mr. Armaan Malhotra." With that, she threw the photographs in his face. They scattered around the room like shattered pieces of glass. The photographs had Armaan and Natasha in a compromising situation. Armaan looked down at the floor, and he was not able to look at anyone else now. The room went still. Raj, Shlok, Tabassum, all of them stared at the photographs. The disbelief and confusion were clear on their faces. All of them turned to Armaan and their silent stairs were asking him only one question, "Why, Armaan?"