One year later:
Delhi, India
"Triiiiiing Triiiiing" There goes the annoying alarm, Anaira thought and snoozed it.
" Anu, don't you want to go to office? Wake up. Its getting late beta." It was Anaira's mom.
"Five more minutes mom, please." Anaira mumbled in sleep.
"Don't tell me later that you're late because I didn't wake you up." her mom said and left the room.
She woke up after sometime and it was 8.15 in the morning. She got ready by 9 and rushed to the office. She told her mom that she will have breakfast at the office and asked her to pack it.
She sat in the car hurriedly and told the driver "Kaka, please drive fast. I don't want to get scoldings from dad."
The driver responded "Okay, beta ji." and sped up.
*****************
At the office:
"Anu, there's no other way now. You have to go to Mumbai to handle this project."
Anaira was expecting this. She didn't want to go to Mumbai. She had left something behind in that city and she was not sure if she was ready to face that again. But her dad didn't know that.
"No dad, there must be some other solution. I am very new to this and I don't think I can handle this project."
She tried reasoning with her dad. But everyone knew her capabilities and were very well aware that she will be able to take this responsibility.
"No Anu, we know that you will be able to do this. Is there any other reason why you don't want to go there? " It was her dad again.
She didn't want to argue with her dad any further on this. She knew she had to go. Her brother Anuj was supposed to handle this but his wife Sneha was pregnant. After they got the good news they decided that Anuj will not go as he needed to be there for his wife. Sneha going along with her husband was not an option either as she needed someone to take care of her when Anuj would be working.
Anaira thought for a while and told her dad she is ready to go to Mumbai. But only she knew how much scared she was. Going to Mumbai meant that she will have to face HIM. She was still suffering from the pain he had caused her.
**********************
Anaira's house:
"Anu, I'm so sorry you have to go and it's all because of me." Sneha told Anaira. They were sitting in the garden having chai.
"Bhabhi, what are you saying? It's nothing and the most important thing here is your pregnancy. Nothing else matters now." she said.
"But Anu, are you ready to face him again?" Sneha asked.
"Yes bhabhi. I have moved on completely. It doesn't matter to me anymore and he will be as good as a stranger." she said.
"I know how much you were hurt. I have seen you silently weeping Anaira. Now if you say you're completely over him, I can't believe you." she said.
"I will have to prove it bhabhi. I have to prove it to myself as well." she replied giving a sad smile.
But she knew that it wasn't going to be as easy as she had said it. She was still not over him. The immense pain that he had caused her was still there. She was learning to live with that pain now.
She still didn't understand why he did that. His words were etched in her mind. She tried to hate him for accusing her of things that she had not done. But she couldn't hate him no matter what.
When Anaira had come back from Mumbai, she was completely broken. She hardly spoke to anyone. On Sneha's persistence she had told everything that Aditya had done.
Sneha had been very supportive to her the whole time. She always tried to cheer up Anaira whenever she was sad.
Anaira had cried for months. She had even tried calling him once from a different phone just to listen to his voice but, it had not got connected. Later she vowed never to try contacting him.
When she was back from Mumbai, another thing that she had to deal with was her parents asking her to marry Rishi. Both Rishi and Anaira had explained to their parents that they're just friends and also about Rishi dating Dia.
Rishi was now working on to set up his software firm. He was currently in Mumbai working with his friend on their startup. Rishi's dad wasn't happy with his decision but eventually he had to give in. But Rishi had refused to take any help from his dad. He and his friend had started the company with a small investment of their own. They were looking for big investors now.
On the other hand Anaira's mom wanted her to get married. But she had asked her parents to give her sometime.
She didn't know how she could marry someone else when he was still in her heart. She was tired of giving excuses to her mom.
She had tried hard to forget him. Though she was able to distract herself with other things, forgetting him completely was not happening.
Anaira's heart ached and her tears flowed endlessly and the pain only increased whenever she thought of him. That was almost everyday. She cried herself to sleep most of the nights.
Initially when she had come back, she was a complete mess. She didn't eat properly and all she did was to sleep. His memories wouldn't haunt her in the sleep at least, that's what she thought. But he even appeared in her dreams.
She had fallen sick for few days as well with all the crying and starving. Her mom had cried seeing her daughter in that condition. That's when she had decided to stop with all this self pity and self destruction. She started working on her body and mind. She didn't skip meals and had started doing yoga and meditation to control her mind as well. She started working in her dad's company and kept herself busy.
She still kept in touch with Simran and Nishant. But never told them anything about her and Aditya. She never asked Simran about Aditya but Simran herself had mentioned few times about him being away most of the time. She had told that Aditya is mostly working from the US now.
On the other hand, Aditya mostly stayed away. He made himself completely busy with setting up their business in the US. He was hardly ever home. He missed Anaira and when she walked out on him that day in the office something didn't seem right. It pained too much seeing her go away like that. But he always kept himself in check thinking she cheated on him.
The project she was going to work on in Mumbai was a joint venture by Kapoor's and Sharma's. Aditya's dad and her dad had made this deal. She had met Aditya's dad quite a few times in the past year, of course her dad was partnering in business with them. She wanted to ask him how Aditya was, if he's happy now after hurting her. But she couldn't bring herself to do it.
She was going to leave for Mumbai in a week and she had to stay in a hotel for initial few days as the apartment that she stayed in before was occupied now. Rishi and his friend were staying there working on the startup.
It was decided that Anuj was going to stay there with Rishi and his friend. But with the turn of events Anaira was going there and she couldn't stay with them there.
Anaira didn't want to trouble them asking them to vacate the apartment so suddenly, they were already struggling with the new business. Rishi had told her that as soon as they find an investor and a new workspace they will vacate the property. It might take a month or so, he had said.
Anaira told him that it's okay and they don't have to rush anything as she's okay to stay in the hotel or she might as well find a new apartment after she goes there.
Anaira thought that may be going to Mumbai might give her the answers that she hadn't found yet. It might give her a closure. She decided to face him and show him just how strong she is. 💪
Will she be able face him? Only time will tell that!!
END of Chapter 24!!!!
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Lost N Found
Romance"Anu, there's no other way now. You have to go to Mumbai to handle this project." Anaira was expecting this. She didn't want to go to Mumbai. She had left something behind in that city and she was not sure if she was ready to face that again. "No...
