CHAPTER 3 : HEARTBREAK

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Chapter 3: Heartbreak

Ruhi's heart raced as she confessed her feelings to Arjun, the weight of her words hanging heavy in the air between them. But instead of the warm embrace she had hoped for, his smile faltered, his eyes clouded with uncertainty.

"Ruhi, I..." Arjun began, his voice trailing off as he struggled to find the right words.

Before he could continue, a sudden realization dawned on Ruhi, a chilling certainty that sent a shiver down her spine.

Arjun's smile faded, his expression turning somber as he took a step back, his gaze averted from hers.

"I have to tell you something, Ruhi," he said, his voice tinged with regret. "I'm... I'm in love with someone else."

Ruhi's heart plummeted, her breath catching in her throat as the world around her seemed to spin out of control. She had known deep down that this was a possibility, but hearing the words spoken aloud felt like a dagger through her heart.

"I... I don't understand," Ruhi stammered, her voice barely a whisper as she struggled to comprehend what Arjun was saying.

Arjun's eyes met hers, filled with a mixture of guilt and sorrow. "Her name is Siya. We've been dating for a while now, and... I'm sorry, Ruhi. I never meant to hurt you."

The words hit Ruhi like a physical blow, knocking the breath from her lungs as tears welled in her eyes. She had poured her heart out to Arjun, bared her soul in the hopes that he might feel the same, only to have her hopes dashed in an instant.

"No," Ruhi whispered, her voice choked with emotion as she turned away, unable to bear the sight of Arjun's betrayal.

Arjun reached out to her, his hand hovering in the air as if unsure whether to touch her. "Ruhi, please... I never meant to hurt you. I value our friendship more than anything."

But Ruhi couldn't bear to hear any more. With a broken sob, she turned and fled into the darkness, her heart shattered into a million pieces.

As she ran, the tears streaming down her cheeks, Ruhi couldn't help but wonder if she would ever be able to piece herself back together.

Ruhi collapsed onto her bed, her body racked with sobs as the weight of Arjun's betrayal crushed her spirit. In her trembling hands, she clutched an old photo album, its pages filled with memories of happier times, of moments shared between her and Arjun that now felt like cruel taunts.

As she flipped through the pages, tears blurred her vision, turning the images into a hazy blur of joy and pain. There they were, laughing and smiling, their faces illuminated by the glow of friendship and love. But now, those smiles felt like a distant memory, a cruel reminder of what could have been.

With a heavy heart, Ruhi closed the album and set it aside, her thoughts turning to Siya, the girl who had stolen Arjun's heart. She remembered the way Siya had always looked at her with thinly veiled contempt, the way her eyes had gleamed with jealousy whenever Arjun and Ruhi were together.

Siya was cunning and manipulative, a master of deception who had wormed her way into Arjun's affections with her sweet words and false promises. And now, she had succeeded where Ruhi had failed, claiming Arjun's love for her own while leaving Ruhi to pick up the pieces of her shattered dreams.

But despite the pain and heartache, a flicker of defiance stirred within Ruhi's soul. She refused to let Arjun and Siya's betrayal define her, refused to let their actions rob her of her dignity and self-worth.

With a determined sniffle, Ruhi wiped away her tears and squared her shoulders, her resolve steeling with each passing moment. She may have lost Arjun's love, but she would not lose herself in the process.

As she lay in the darkness of her room, the echo of her sobs fading into the night, Ruhi vowed to rise from the ashes of her broken heart stronger and more resilient than ever before.

For though the road ahead would be fraught with pain and uncertainty, she knew that she had the strength within her to weather the storm and emerge on the other side, a beacon of light in a world shrouded in darkness.

And with that thought to guide her, Ruhi closed her eyes and drifted into an uneasy sleep, her dreams haunted by the ghosts of what could have been and the promise of what still might be.

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