AKSHAT SINGHANIA - A literature professor in Singania Institute of Arts and Commerce. He is soft and caring person
with a tough exterior, who doesn't believe in love or marriage because of his parent's broken relationship and his ex wife's betrayal...
The next morning, Vedant woke up, his body feeling unusually heavy, as if the weight of the previous day's events had seeped into his very bones. His eyes burned from the lack of sleep, and his mind was a battlefield of emotions, anger, sadness, humiliation, but most of all, exhaustion.
He ran a hand down his face, forcing himself to get up. His movements were slow, deliberate, as if he were still processing the reality he had woken up to. The accusations, the humiliation, the looks of disgust,everything came rushing back. But instead of letting it consume him again, he walked to the bathroom, turned on the tap, and splashed cold water on his face.
He stared at his reflection in the mirror. His face was pale, his eyes were sunken, but his resolve hardened. He couldn't break,not again.
After gathering himself, he took slow steps toward the door and hesitated for a second. He had locked himself in his room last night, drowning in his misery, but he knew his family had been outside, waiting, worrying.
And when he finally opened the door, his breath hitched.
They were all still there.
Every single one of them.
His mother and father, Preeti and Vikram, their faces etched with concern, exhaustion evident in their eyes. His cousins, Akshat and Vihaan, stand protectively, their expressions unreadable but their presence unwavering. His best friend Krishiv, who had been with him through every storm, now looked at him with silent reassurance. And then there were the others, Amrit, Kavya, Vaibhav, little Bulbul clutching a stuffed toy, Rajat, Preksha, Vishakha, Rakshit.
Even Nikhil, who had no reason to be there, was sitting quietly in the corner, his gaze lifting as Vedant stepped out.
A lump formed in his throat, his heart aching as he realized how much he had put them through. They had all been here..probably the whole night, worried sick about him.
And suddenly, guilt gripped him.
His actions, his pain, his silence, it had hurt them too.
His chest tightened, and before he could say anything, Preeti rushed forward.
She threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly, as if afraid he would slip away.
"Vedant...!" she choked out, her voice trembling, her tears soaking into his shirt as she clung to him.
Vedant felt his eyes burn, but he didn't let the tears fall. Instead, he held his mother close, pressing his lips to her hair, whispering in a quiet, almost broken voice, "I'm fine, Maa... I'm fine."
