My loveless marriage

Part 53

***Abhimanyu's P. O. V***

"Oh really?! Good friends?! So you'd be okay if some dude who is interested in Naina comes up to you and talks with you?!" Kunal hissed, crossing his arms across his chest and glaring at me.

His words caught me straight in the heart, putting me back to the moment when I'd first seen that tattoo on Naina's chest, and to that moment earlier in the car - the tattoo of her ex on her chest... a guy whom she truly loved!

I blinked and looked back at Kunal, who continued to stare back at me with narrowed eyes.

"Rohan... is not in love with Shruthi okay?! Hey just because a guy and a girl are good friends doesn't mean that they're in love with one another!! Shru and I used to hang out all the time during college and everyone around us thought we were a couple because we used to spend so much time together!! But we both know that we're only good friends and she sees me as her bro and I find my sister in her!" I rolled my eyes at Kunal, trying hard to be in the present and not get lost to the grief of my heart - of how my girl has her ex etched on her heart!

And when Kunal didn't say anything else, I called up Rohan, asking him to come over to Shruthi's apartment right now.

"He so loves her!" Kunal mumbled, the moment I disconnected that call with Rohan and informed Kunal that Rohan would be here as soon as possible.

"Oh give it a break man! And stop being so paranoid!! They weren't in love!! Open your mind and see how Rohan is being a good friend to Shruthi... and that Shruthi loves you... and only you!!" I sighed, to which Kunal glared at me.

"Oh you're an open minded ass... I mean... Open minded guy... So you're telling me you're okay if Naina met up with her ex huh?!" Kunal's voice made me snap my head in his direction, blinking in confusion.

"You know about the guy?" I gulped, tears prickling my eyes in an instant.

Kunal blinked at me in confusion, and as the memory of that tattoo hit my mind again, my guts constricted and my heart squeezed in ache.

"Abhay.. or Akash... Or Amit... Or Anand... Or whatever that guy's name is... You knew about him right? You know about him.. and Naina... right?!" my voice was much more louder than I'd intended for it to be and tears blurred my vision but I continued to glare at Kunal, my whole body shivering with a rage I never knew to be possible of me.

Kunal's gaze instantly turned soft and he let out a deep sigh.

"I was away at business school when... When it all.... I was always Naina's best friend and I was always there for her... even though I was in hostel, I was just a phone call away for her!! But then...right after my school, I went away for higher studies... lost in my love for Shruthi, and my aim to become a good businessman and take-over from dadaji ASAP.... and I couldn't be there for my Naina... when she needed me the most... She felt lonely.... And they met... And she never told me about him..." Kunal sniffed and I gaped at him, wide-eyed, as he wiped his eyes with the hem of his t-shirt.

"I got to know only after the whole.... Fiasco... My poor baby.... She suffered so much and didn't once tell me about it!" He choked.

I stared him in confusion, and Kunal gave out a bitter laugh.

"That rat bastard only wanted her money! Of course initially he hadn't known she was a Raichand... But when he got to know.... And my idiot sister believed he loved her! And then... my naive sister fell deep and hard for that asshole, whilst all he wanted was her money!! He left her for good when he got to know that he won't be getting any money from her, but my idiot stupid naive sister still believes that that fucker genuinely loved her!!" Kunal gave another bitter laugh, before looking sadly at me.