The room felt too quiet.
After he left—
The silence didn't fade.
It stayed.
Sasmita stood there for a long moment, her eyes fixed on the empty space where Aarav had been just seconds ago.
As if he might come back.
But he didn't.
Slowly, she exhaled.
Her shoulders dropped slightly—
For the first time in a long time.
Not in relief.
In exhaustion.
She turned away, walking back toward her desk.
Everything looked the same.
Files.
Documents.
Work.
The world she controlled.
But tonight—
It felt meaningless.
Her hand rested on the table.
Then tightened.
Because no matter how much she tried—
Her mind kept going back.
To him.
"That hasn't changed."
The words echoed again.
Her eyes shut tightly for a second.
"Why…" she whispered.
Because nothing about him made sense anymore.
And yet—
Everything about him felt real.
She sank into her chair slowly.
And for the first time—
She didn't fight it.
The thoughts.
The emotions.
The truth.
"I trusted him…" she murmured.
A faint pause.
"…and he didn't lie."
The realization came quietly.
But it hit harder than anything else.
He never said he was innocent.
He never pretended.
He never promised anything—
He couldn't keep.
Her fingers tightened slightly.
"Then why does it hurt like this…"
Because the truth wasn't the problem.
Her feelings were.
And that—
Was something she couldn't control.
A tear slipped down before she could stop it.
She froze.
As if even that—
Wasn't allowed.
But it didn't stop there.
Another.
And another.
Sasmita covered her eyes quickly.
Because she wasn't someone who broke.
She didn't allow it.
But tonight—
She couldn't stop it.
Because pushing him away—
Had hurt more than trusting him ever did.
Outside—
The night wasn't quiet.
Not for him.
Aarav walked through a deserted street, his steps steady—but slower than usual.
Unnoticed—
A faint stain spread across his sleeve.
Blood.
The fight earlier—
Hadn't been clean.
Not this time.
He didn't react.
Didn't stop.
As if pain—
Didn't matter.
His phone vibrated.
He ignored it.
Because his mind—
Was elsewhere.
On her.
"Stay away from me."
The words replayed.
But so did another.
"Why?"
A faint pause in his steps.
Because that one question—
Had changed everything.
For the first time—
She didn't push him away completely.
She questioned him.
And that meant—
She still cared.
Aarav exhaled slowly.
Then continued walking.
Blood dripped faintly onto the ground.
Unnoticed.
Because even now—
His focus hadn't changed.
Her safety.
Her life.
Even if—
He had no place in it anymore.
Back in the office—
Sasmita finally lowered her hands.
Her eyes red.
Her expression—
No longer perfect.
Because something inside her—
Had cracked.
And in that crack—
A truth finally settled.
She didn't just trust him.
She wanted him.
And that—
Was the most dangerous realization of all.