Lag Jaa Galey

The wait that broke her

**Chapter Twenty Five: The Wait That Broke Her**

Riya hadn’t expected the cold, dismissive reaction from her parents. She had always believed they would understand her, that they would want to see her happy. But now, sitting alone in her room, staring at the ceiling, the realization hit her like a punch—she had done nothing wrong. She hadn’t hidden her feelings or lied to them. She had been honest, vulnerable, and open. Yet, all her honesty had earned her was isolation, distance from the one person who made her world feel alive.

Every night, she asked herself over and over: *Where had she gone wrong?* What was so wrong about loving someone like Kabir, someone so kind and gentle? She didn’t have the answers. All she had was the guilt that gnawed at her for not telling Kabir why she’d suddenly vanished from his life, for leaving him confused and hurt. The thought of how she had left without a word haunted her, building a weight in her chest that refused to lift.

As the weeks passed, sadness deepened, turning her once bright world into a dull shadow. School, which had always been her sanctuary, now felt like a burden. Her grades slipped, and her enthusiasm for learning evaporated. The joy she once felt walking the halls of her old school, where Kabir had been by her side, was gone. Everything seemed hollow without him.

Despite her father’s anger and strictness, Riya never stopped asking. Each month, she would gather the courage to approach him, to plead for just one chance to see Kabir. Each time, her father’s face would harden, and each time, her hope would shatter against his refusal. But Riya was stubborn. She refused to give up. The only person who understood her persistence was her brother, Shekhar. Quietly, behind their father’s back, Shekhar supported her, helping in her search for Kabir, though they always came up empty.

Years passed in a blur of birthdays that came and went, each one a reminder of the growing distance between her and Kabir. But Riya became adept at hiding her sadness. She learned how to smile and laugh with her family, even when her smile never reached her eyes. Her father, for his part, remained blind to the depth of her despair—until he couldn’t anymore.

Her requests, unwavering determination, and heartbreak wore him down. After years of watching his daughter grow quieter, seeing the light fade from her once bright eyes, he finally gave in.

“Fine,” her father said one evening, his voice soft, filled with a sorrow of its own. “If being with Kabir is what will make you happy, then I won’t stand in your way anymore. You can find him. You can be with him.”

Riya was stunned, standing in the living room, her heart hammering in her chest. She had fought so long for this moment, and now that it had arrived, it felt surreal. Her father had finally given his blessing—after all these years. The dream she had clung to for so long seemed within reach again. But there was one truth she hadn’t yet realized: *Time doesn’t wait*. Not for anyone, not even for love. Sometimes, when it’s too late, it’s just too late.

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**Chapter Twenty Six: The Search Begins**

The very next day, with Shekhar by her side, Riya returned to their old school to track down Kabir. Her pulse quickened as they reached the office. When she gave the staff his name, they found Kabir’s old records, his address listed as if time hadn’t moved forward at all. But when the staff member handed her the information, the words that followed shattered her heart.

“Kabir left this school the same year you did,” the woman said, her tone almost casual. “He never came back.”

Riya froze. He had left? The same year? Panic bubbled inside her. All those years, she had believed Kabir had stayed, waiting for her, wondering where she had gone. But now, knowing that he had left too— it felt like the ground beneath her feet had shifted.

The next day, with the address in hand, Riya and Shekhar set out to find Kabir. Hope flickered inside her as they navigated the streets, imagining what she would say when she finally saw him again, what his face might look like after all these years. But when they reached the house, all of her hopes came crashing down.

Kabir wasn’t there. He had moved long ago.

Riya’s eyes filled with tears as she stood outside the house, staring at the door that had once been his. The future she had spent years dreaming of—the reunion she had clung to—vanished before her eyes. He was gone, and she was too late.

Shekhar placed a hand on her shoulder, pulling her into a comforting embrace as her tears fell freely. “It’s not over,” he whispered. “We’ll find him, Riya. We will.”

But deep down, Riya felt the crushing weight of defeat. She had convinced herself that once her father gave in, everything would fall into place. But now, that hope was shattered.

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**Chapter Twenty Seven: The Longest Wait**

Months went by, and depression clung to her like a shadow. She stopped trying, stopped believing that she and Kabir were meant to be. But Shekhar never gave up. He continued to take her out, dragging her along on trips to different places, hoping that by some stroke of luck, they would find him.

Then, one day, in the middle of a crowded funfair, fate struck. There he was—Kabir, smiling, walking hand in hand with a woman. Riya stopped dead in her tracks, her heart hammering in her chest. It was him. After all these years, she had finally found him.

But the joy of seeing him again was short-lived. As her eyes moved to the woman beside him, she saw the way they laughed together, the easy, familiar way their hands intertwined. It was Seema.

Riya’s world collapsed in that moment. Kabir had moved on. She had imagined this moment so many times—the way he would look at her, the way they would smile and rush to each other. But reality was cruel. Kabir wasn’t waiting for her like she had been waiting for him. He had found happiness with someone else.

His smiling face was like a knife to her heart, twisting with each passing second. He looked happy—happier than she had seen him in all those years at school. And suddenly, Riya understood—she had been too late.

Seema was the one keeping him happy, not her. Kabir had moved on. And the life she had imagined, the love she had believed would come back to her, was gone.

She watched them from afar, frozen in place, her heart breaking all over again.