Abhira 3.0 - Healing

SS - Abhi ki Akshu (Final)

A/n: Hello! Here's the final chapter for this short. Disclaimer, it's a long one again. Happy reading :)

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"Akshu...I'm sorry"

The words kept ringing in her ears as she stood frozen. She had never anticipated hearing them, the hope she once had lost years back. She looked away, unable to meet his pleading eyes. She knew he was being genuine, the remorse in his voice was evident. But she couldn't do this, not right now.

"You were just in an accident, you need rest." She started to withdraw her hands, but his grip only tightened, wrapping both his hands around hers. 

"No, I'm fine. I need to talk to you. Please Akshu, just hear me out. Just once, please." He implored, hoping she'd let him unburden his emotions.

She couldn't meet his eyes, knowing she'd lose. There was already so much going on inside of her, she didn't want him to further add to her dilemma. First with his accident and then seeing Abhir's affection towards him, she was afraid. Terrified that the façade she had put up, the walls she had so carefully built over the past 6 years would crumble. She had noticed visible cracks appearing already in her demeanor. But yet, seeing his condition, the desperation in his voice, she was unable to leave.

Sensing she was staying, he began talking. "Thank you", he uttered. "I need to apologize. You don't have to accept, I know I've lost that right, but you deserve an apology. When that truck hit me today, it's as if I was knocked with realization. 6 years ago, I made the biggest mistake of my life, something I'll always regret, and if I had died today, I would have taken it to my grave. Life is giving me another chance, and if I ever want to be able to live with myself, I need to make amends. That day, 6 years ago, I lost everything, my baby brother, my k...my kids."

She flinched at that last part. Kid...she corrected in her head, as she continued to look at their hands, unable to meet his eyes.

"I was completely shattered, hurt beyond belief. But in my grief, I failed to see yours. You were also going through the same losses. I failed to see your pain, your condition. Neil was your brother too, those were your kids too! At the time when you needed me most, I not only pushed you away, I added onto the hurt. I'm truly very sorry." He cried bitterly as he remembered how he treated her in their room, ashamed that he asked the woman he brought into his life with so much love to leave in that condition.

She wiped her tears, though they didn't seem to stop."I have felt guilty for N..Neil every day these past 6 years", she finally spoke. "A day hasn't gone by where I didn't wish to undo it, or take his place instead." He tugged at her hand, the thought of her dying unimaginable."Would you have done the same to Neil if he was in my place?" She asked. His grip loosened, as the gravity of the question hit him. 

"Would you have thrown him out of the house if I had died instead?"

He looked down, ashamed because they both knew that chances are he wouldn't have."You know, your outrage, the blames, the tragedy itself, it all hurt. But what hurt the most was you not only separating me from yourself, from the family, but you never looking back. I thought once your anger calmed down, you'd come for me, if not to accept me, then at least to see that I'm okay, but you never came. You even stopped answering my calls. You had said you loved me, but what kind of love was this Abhi? Where you didn't even care if I lived or died? Where you accepted us when everything was fine but discarded our relation the minute something happened?"

He looked at the anguish, the pain in her eyes as realization hit him yet again. As he recalled their entire story, he realized he had been impulsive numerous times. He had handed her divorce papers, not once but twice. He was also at a loss on what type of love this was.