PUNARVIVAAH - ARRANGED TO LOVE (L&M #3)

SHOT 30

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE AND COMMENT GUYS! MANY READERS DIDN'T GET THE NOTIFICATION OF THE PREVIOUS UPDATE. SO I HAD REPOSTED IT LAST NIGHT. IF SOMEHOW ANY OF YOU MISSED THAT AGAIN, PLEASE CHECK OUT SHOT 29 TOO BEFORE READING THIS CHAPTER..

Third person's pov!

Vaiga felt a splitting headache when she woke up the next morning. She felt as if someone was sitting inside her head and banging on her skull with a hammer.

She felt her eyes puffed up with all the crying at night.

She looked at the empty space beside her and sighed. She had no idea when she had fallen asleep after all the crying. And now, waking up without Kriti beside her..

She shook her head and got out of the bed and then out of the room. She hesitantly got into the bedroom she had been using earlier and saw that Abhay and Kriti were fast asleep. Kriti wasn't wearing the same dress as she had been wearing last night, probably Anjana Maa changed her after a leaky diaper, she thought.

Without making any noise, Vaiga walked towards the wardrobe and took a simple salwar set from the cupboard and hurried towards the washroom. She wanted to take a quick shower and leave the room before Abhay woke up.

The water from the shower was lukewarm, but Vaiga didn't mind. She wanted to get out of the room as soon as possible. She shampooed her hair hurriedly and rinsed it off, quickly lathering soap on her body. She stepped out of the shower and began to dry herself, her movements quick and automatic. She quickly pulled her salwar on and got out of the washroom.

Her hair still dripping wet, Vaiga stood in front of the mirror, vigorously drying her hair with a towel. Her reflection showed her exhaustion, the bags under her eyes more pronounced from the previous night's tears.

"What the hell are you doing in my room?" Abhay's groggy voice cut through the silence.

Startled, Vaiga's eyes widened, and she turned to face him, her heart racing. Her gaze involuntarily fell upon baby Kriti lying next to Abhay, who was getting a bit restless in her sleep, probably hearing Abhay's gruff voice,

Following her gaze, Abhay's eyes widened in alarm. Realisation dawned on him; he wasn't in his room.

Panic surged through him as he scrambled to sit up, his mind a foggy haze from the previous night's drinking.

"Oh God... What did I do?" he murmured, his face paling with horror.

"I can't remember anything from last night. Did I... Did I come into your room and..." His voice trembled as he continued. He couldn't finish his sentence, the shame evident in his eyes.

"Dev ji, I slept in the next room. Everyone knows you were here with Kriti last night. It's okay." Vaiga, sensing his distress, quickly reassured him.

A sigh of relief escaped Abhay's lips as he took in her words. His gaze lingered on Kriti for a moment longer, his pain and longing evident in his eyes, before he quickly got out of the bed.

"I am so sorry, Vaiga," Abhay apologised, running a hand through his dishevelled hair in frustration. "I didn't mean to impose or make you uncomfortable. I didn't have any wrong intentions, I swear."

"I understand, Dev ji. It's okay." Vaiga nodded, understanding the turmoil he was going through.

Abhay took one last glance at Kriti, his heart aching, before turning his attention back to Vaiga.

"Thank you for understanding," he murmured, his voice laden with gratitude and regret.

Without another word, he quickly walked out of the bedroom, leaving Vaiga alone in the room, still reeling from the unexpected apology from his side. He had always looked arrogant. She hadn't expected him to apologise.

As Abhay stepped out of the bedroom, he felt a heavy weight of guilt and shame pressing down on him. He couldn't believe he had lost control to such an extent, his actions leading him to wake up in another woman's bed, even though it was next to his daughter.

He made his way to the living room, where his mother was sitting, her eyes filled with concern and worry.

"Abhay.." Her voice was laden with pain. Her worry over her son's life.

"I am sorry, Ma," Abhay whispered, his voice breaking as he tried to hold back his tears. "I lost control last night. I am so sorry for causing you all this worry and pain."

Anjana, her heart aching for her son, wrapped her arms around him, holding him close.

"It's okay, Abhi. We all make mistakes. The important thing is to learn from them and move forward."

As Abhay tried to regain his composure, the sound of a door opening caught their attention. Vaiga walked into the living room, her gaze avoiding Abhay as she made her way to the kitchen.

"Go freshen up and come. We need to talk." Anjana said and Abhay sighed realising there must have been important decisions made last night after the way he behaved.

He quickly took a shower and got out and he received a call from Shravan. He picked up on the first ring.

"Shravan.."

"Are you sober now?" Shravan asked sarcastically and Abhay sighed.

"Yes. Tell me.." Abhay said softly.

"Great. Get ready quickly. You have an appointment with Dr Anuj Kapur at eleven in the morning." Shravan said and Abhay's eyes widened in disbelief.

"A doctor? For what?" Abhay asked in confusion.

"He is a psychologist, Abhay. It's high time you opened up completely to someone. And you need professional help at the moment. Else, the guilt would eat you up." Shravan said and Abhay sighed. He didn't argue, because he also realised this was the right step to take.

He needs help. He needs to move on for his daughter's benefit at least.

"I will be ready by eleven.." Abhay said and hung up the call.

When he went down for breakfast, his parents also said the same and he realised it must have been the decision they took last night. The atmosphere had gotten tense and Siddhu spoke up to ease the tension.

"Bhai, the new game launch is scheduled for next Friday, right?" Siddhu asked and Abhay nodded.

"Well, I heard that the GameBytes are also launching their new game on the same day." Niranjan said.

GameBytes were their rival company. The Agnihotri's Gaming sector 'Retro Arcade' always had an upper hand over GameBytes. And that had made GameBytes a big rival. The rivalry isn't merely professional. The Gowdas, who own the GameBytes are evil people too. They would go to any length to win. The consecutive failures the last four times have made them very angry and there are chances that they might do something to ruin Retro Arcade.

"I am keeping an eye on them, Papa. Our launch would be a success. Don't worry.."

"Don't take them lightly. Stay alert, Abhay.."

A/N

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SF❤️