Aaryan might not admit it but it hurts... It hurts like hell when he looks at Simran and the realization hits that she would never be his. He would never be able to have the love of the only girl he has ever fallen for.
And he hates his own heart for calling out her name in every beat...
It wasn't the right time, neither was the right person. Maybe he was insane... Wasn't he always been?
And about Simran... She knew it. She witnessed it in his eyes. The man was so in love with her... Still is... Maybe forever will be...
That terrifies her.
Both of them were successful in keeping their little secret away from Meghna and Anirudh but Simran was afraid that sooner or later Anirudh would find out.
And she didn't want to be a villain who broke his younger brother's heart when it happens. She needs to clear her part.
And Aaryan deserves to know the truth...
So she decided to unfold her story in front of him. Only for him...
"You shouldn't do this if you are not comfortable Simran..." said Aaryan not masking the kindness in his words. "I understand... And I do respect your decision."
"I know... " smiled Simran. If there is anyone in this world who can understand her then it is Aaryan.
"But that doesn't mean you don't deserve the truth... "
Aaryan exhaled. He was curious about her past but wasn't sure how it could affect him.
But Simran had faith in him. Aaryan wouldn't trade it for the world...
So he decided to stay.
"As you can guess, I never had a normal childhood." Said Simran at the beginning of her narrative, while Aaryan nodded his head being attentive.
"Being the only heir of Malhotras, I was raised to be tough... Strong, powerful, superior... Cruel too... It wasn't easy neither did I want it. But it seemed like the only way to get accepted by my father. To prove to him that I am the best offspring he could ever have despite being a girl... I believed I could buy his love by multiplying our shares and rising his worth. I am pretty sure that you have heard some disturbing facts about me and most of them are true, I admit that. I am no saint. I did things that made the lives of many miserable and I know mere regret can not change the past but..."
"Don't think about yourself like that... You are nothing like your Father..."
"Ooh, Aaryan... Let me complete..." said Simran with a reassuring smile. She was nothing like him. And neither could she ever be.
Because unlike Akash Malhotra the girl had loved someone other than money...
"He was a dance instructor in the studio. My boring days were filled with conferences and dead files but they slipped into gracious nights where we found each other in dance moves. We were never a loud couple but the passion was insane. No one knew but we were so in love. When I was with him I felt it was okay to be myself. For the first time in my entire life, it felt like it was possible to love myself because he did. He looked at me with constellations in his eyes and touched my soul... Both the beautiful and the ugly... We knew we were footing on a knife tip but it was worthy. We cherished each other in secret and believed in forever until..."
Cold tears started to make their way through Simran's face and Aaryan was afraid he would never be able to clear them away.
"I lost him. One morning I woke up only to find out that I lost him forever. Away from home in an accident. I couldn't even kiss him goodbye because no one knew who we were to each other. And just like that the version of Simran Malhotra that I had ever loved also died that day..."
They both shared a moment of silence.
"Time passed but it couldn't heal me. I grieved in silence because didn't want anyone, especially my father, to find out my memories of him. It was too beautiful that I was afraid he might destroy them. I was shattered but my father called me lazy. And I guess that's what cut the last string and made me free..."
"My anger and sadness... my madness... I channeled them into my father. I knew he was the reason behind my sins and my self-hate swore that my lover had to pay for my wrongs with his life. As the CEO of Malhotra Industries, I was aware of the filthiness and where should I dig for more but... Honestly, it wrecked me. It was huge... Beyond my imagination. I found out about F4 MEDICARE and you know the rest of the story..."
Aaryan glared at her with wild eyes. He didn't know what to feel or what to say.
"I am so sorry..." he whispered, head low.
"For what, loving me?"
"No no... I didn't mean that..."
"I know Aaryan..." She smiled even though she was in tears.
"You loved me selflessly and I will be forever grateful to have you in my life. But you deserve someone who can treasure you and choose you over a heartbeat... And as long as I can't even love myself how could I pledge to be that someone?"
Aaryan knew she was right but he was ready to wait.
"I need time... I need to find myself again before finding love... This open wound needs to be cured. No matter how much time it takes..."
Yes... She was right again. And he doesn't care about the time. Days or months or years... He doesn't care. He was ready to wait.
"And Aaryan... I need you to promise me that you won't wait for me."
Aaryan's heart skipped a beat. He was ready to wait but...
"Simran I..."
"I know you are but I don't want you to... Believe me, it would be easier this way..."
Aaryan didn't say a word. He wasn't sure about that.
"Aaryan... Please..."
He wasn't sure but he would do anything for her. So he swore.
"I won't wait for you, Simran. I promise that..."
***********
Geetha couldn't solve the puzzle. Akash knew about Varun. But how is that even possible?
"I know you are confused and probably angry that I fooled you all," said Akash.
Geetha examined her husband's face and she figured out there were more to come.
"Do you remember what I did when our daughter planted those cheap wildflowers in our luxurious garden when she was five or six? I threw them away because they didn't deserve to be rooted in Malhotra's land..."
Yes, Geetha remembers that... How could she ever forget that...
"Well... Being the fool that she is, Simran made me do it once again. This time the unworthy thing was a man and she planted him in her mind. She called him love so made him vanish from her life..."
Geetha's heart dropped into her stomach. She wished to kill the man in front of her with bare hands. He deserves no more seconds in this world.
"But I kind of regret that, you know... The murder was considered as an accident. A couple of people died along with my target so it won't look suspicious. Rest in peace to those unlucky ones but I should have been more specific... This time it wasn't intentional but I guess the universe doesn't want me to let Varun Prathap Deshmukh live in peace..."
For the first time in today's conversation, Geetha watched Akash's face getting darker and his breath getting heavy.
He murmured under gritted teeth.
"Or perhaps... As they say... Karma really is a bitch..."
YOU ARE READING
And Then He Came (ATHC)
Fanfiction"Their path was filled with darkness. He had only two options left with him... One was to surrender in front of fate and suffer all the pain... And the next was to fight... He chose the second because he was unable to experience another loss...That...
