A Loveless Arranged Marriage Chapter 16. Time to forget the past

  Previously, we saw that Arvind and Shahina were blessed with a baby girl, and they named her "Isha."

  Two weeks later, we find Rishi at his house, waiting for Deepa in the living room. Rishi was wearing a black blazer, a white shirt, and blue jeans. After some time, Deepa emerged from her room and asked, "Shall we go now?" Rishi was about to respond, but when he saw her, he was mesmerized by her beauty. Deepa was dressed in a black saree, her hair styled in side-swept curls, and she wore small earrings. After a few seconds, Rishi replied, "Yes, we can go now." They both left the house and headed to the parking lot. Once in the car, they started driving to Rishi's office. During the ride, Rishi complimented Deepa, saying, "Hey, Deepa, you look beautiful in that saree." Deepa replied, "Thanks for the compliment, but you could have chosen something other than formal attire." Rishi smiled and responded, "Yes, I thought about that, but it's our dress code." He continued driving after that.

  After 18 minutes, they arrived at Rishi's office. As they entered, the office was filled with Christmas decorations. Christmas garlands adorned the walls, there was a large Christmas tree, and a directional board in the waiting hall indicated directions to the office park. When they reached the office park, they saw that the entrance was lit up with fairy lights. Inside, more than 150 large dining tables were set up, and a large crowd was gathered for the party. Rishi asked Deepa to follow him, and they made their way to table number 57, where his colleagues Arvind, Akshaya and her family, Ibrahim, Sunny, and some of his other team members and their families were seated.

  Ten minutes later, the party officially began. The general manager stepped forward and addressed the crowd. "Welcome, my fellow employees and their families, to this Christmas party. It's great to see all of you here. Most of you already know me, but I’ll introduce myself anyway. I’m Paul Lucas, the general manager of this Mumbai division. I won’t take much of your time with a long speech. Let's start the party with a musical performance from the HR team. Please welcome them." After Paul's brief speech, the crowd applauded, and at the same time, Sunny whispered to Ibrahim, "Ibrahim, I’m surprised the GM ended his speech so quickly." Ibrahim chuckled and replied, "Yeah, even I was surprised, but let’s not overthink it. Let’s enjoy the show." Sunny didn't respond and continued watching the HR team’s performance.

  After the musical performance, there was a dance by the company's new hires and a game show. Once these events were over, Paul returned to the stage and announced, "I hope you’ve all enjoyed the party so far. Now, for our next event, a couple's dance. But here's the twist: I’ll randomly select five couples from the audience, and they’ll perform a two-minute dance. I’ll be controlling the spotlight to choose the couples, so get ready!" Hearing this, Rishi turned to Arvind and said, "Looks like Paul has something planned for us today." Arvind laughed and replied, "Yeah, let's see who the lucky couples are."

 The spotlight began scanning the crowd, and whenever it passed over someone, most people silently wished it wouldn’t land on them. But soon, four out of five couples had been selected. One more couple was left to be chosen. The spotlight traced the room again, slowly approaching Rishi. In his mind, Rishi wished it wouldn’t stop on him. But fate, along with Paul, seemed to have other plans, and Rishi and Deepa were chosen as the fifth couple for the dance.

  When the spotlight stopped on them, the crowd around Rishi cheered. He forced a smile, but inside, he wondered why Paul had chosen him. On the other hand, Deepa was enjoying the moment. The manager asked each couple to introduce themselves. After the introductions, it was time for the dancing to begin. As Rishi and Deepa started, Rishi asked her, "Deepa, are you enjoying this moment?" Deepa replied, "Yes." Rishi then said, "Oh, but I’m not feeling great." Concerned, Deepa asked, "Why? What’s wrong?" Rishi explained, "I know how to dance, but I’m feeling nervous because this is my first time doing a couple’s dance." Deepa reassured him, "Rishi, we’re just dancing—nothing more. If you get nervous, just look into my eyes." Rishi nodded, "Alright, let's try to ignore the audience as much as possible." Deepa smiled, "I’m fine with that." Rishi agreed, "Okay, let’s do it."

  After the fourth couple finished their dance, it was Rishi and Deepa's turn. They stepped in front of the crowd, and after a few moments, the song Ecstasy of Dance from the Thalaivaa movie began playing. As the music started, Rishi and Deepa began dancing in rhythm. While they gazed into each other’s eyes and moved to the beat, they both felt their heartbeats quicken and sensed a growing connection between them. As the song neared its end, they finished with a dip, and the audience erupted in applause.

  Rishi and Deepa returned to their seats amidst the cheering, but they couldn’t bring themselves to meet each other’s gaze, both feeling a bit shy. The manager then announced, "I hope you’ve enjoyed the program and the game show. Now, it’s time for dinner. You’ll find the dining area on the right-hand side of the park. Please help yourselves and enjoy the rest of the evening. I’ll take my leave now. Thank you."

  After the announcement, Rishi, Deepa, and Rishi’s colleagues decided to have dinner together. As they gathered, they raised their glasses and toasted, "Merry Christmas!"

  Four weeks passed, during which Rishi and Deepa celebrated New Year and Pongal together. Deepa grew more focused on her studies as the UPSC exams approached. Meanwhile, in Rishi’s office, his colleague Sunny was terminated due to the recession. It was the night of January 20th, and the time was 10:30 p.m. Rishi was already asleep in his room, but Deepa was still studying in hers, pushing herself hard as the UPSC exams drew nearer.

 The next day, Deepa was getting ready for her coaching center, while Rishi was busy in the kitchen. After some time, Rishi called her to have breakfast, and as she ate, she noticed something unusual about Rishi’s outfit. She asked, "Hey, Rishi, are you feeling feverish today?" Rishi replied, "Nope." Deepa then asked, "Then why are you still in your tracks? Don’t you have work today?" Rishi responded, "Today is January 21, so I took the day off."

  Confused, Deepa said, "You could have just said that. Why mention the date?" Rishi smiled and replied, "Deepa, you're forgetting something." Deepa paused for a moment, then realized, "Oh, it’s our wedding anniversary! I completely forgot!" Rishi chuckled, "Yep, but don’t call it a wedding anniversary," to which Deepa laughed, "Right, it should be called one year of our ‘contractual relationship.’ That term sounds better. But why did you take the day off?" Rishi explained, "Deepa, if I went to the office today, my friends would tease me, saying, ‘Hey Rishi, why are you at the office on your anniversary? You should be with your wife!’ So to avoid that, I took the day off."

  Deepa sighed, "Hmm, fine," and finished her breakfast before heading to her coaching center. After Deepa left, Rishi decided to clean the house. He put on his headphones, played his favorite playlist, and began cleaning. While he cleaned, he sang and danced along to the music, and before he knew it, the house was spotless. Afterward, he started preparing lunch. Time passed quickly, and soon it was 4:15 p.m.

  At that time, Deepa was studying in her room, feeling stressed about her UPSC preparation. Rishi entered her room with a cup of coffee and noticed her tension. He said, "Hey, Deepa, here’s your coffee." Deepa replied, "Thanks, just leave it on the table. I’ll have it later." Rishi placed the coffee on the nearby table and said, "Deepa, take a break. I can tell you're stressed."

  Deepa sighed, "I know, but I need to focus on my studies." Rishi gently insisted, "That’s fine, but take a break. If you push yourself too hard, it’ll affect your health." Hearing this, Deepa realized he was right. She put her books aside and began sipping her coffee.

As she drank, Rishi asked, "Deepa, why have you been so tense about your studies lately? I've noticed you staying up late every night." Deepa explained, "Rishi, the UPSC exam registration starts next month, and after that, I’ll only have three months to prepare. I need to be fully ready, and I’m more anxious this time. I have to clear it somehow."

  After a brief silence, as Deepa finished her coffee, Rishi said, "Hey, Deepa, I’m going out to buy some clothes. Will you come with me? You’re good at picking clothes, and it’ll be a chance to refresh yourself."

  Deepa hesitated, "Sorry, Rishi, but I need to study." Rishi persisted, "Come on, Deepa, it’ll only take two hours, no more." Deepa replied, "In two hours, I could finish half of General Studies Paper 4." Rishi responded, "Deepa, you’re thinking about what you can do in those two hours, but I’m thinking about what might happen if you don’t take a break. If you keep pushing yourself, you might get sick. Would that be okay?"

  Deepa admitted, "No, but—" Rishi cut in, "It’s 4:35 p.m. now. We’ll be back before 7:30 p.m. After that, you can study without any interruptions, and you won’t need to worry about the kitchen either." After thinking for a moment, Deepa decided it was fine to take a break and agreed to go with him.

  After that, they both got ready in casual outfits and boarded the car. Rishi then started driving to the Phoenix Palladium in Lower Parel. They reached there within 20 minutes. Once they arrived, Rishi did some shopping for himself, and Deepa helped him throughout. They were both making fun of each other and enjoying the shopping. After an hour, they finished and stood in the checkout queue. While they were chatting, Deepa's eyes slightly drifted sideways, and she noticed someone standing at the corner of the shop. When she saw that person, her eyes widened, and her hands started trembling. The person also noticed her. Deepa quickly avoided looking at them, and her heartbeat began to race. Unsure of what to do, she suddenly asked Rishi, "Rishi, can you give me your car key? I'm going to the parking lot."

  Rishi replied, "Why are you in such a hurry? It's just a matter of minutes; we’ll leave together." Deepa insisted, "Please, Rishi, give me your car key. I can't stand here any longer. Please, please, please." Rishi, confused, replied, "Okay, fine. Here’s my car key," and handed it over to her. After taking the keys, Deepa hurriedly left. Rishi thought to himself, "What just happened?" He then noticed someone watching him.

  Meanwhile, in the parking lot, Deepa sat in Rishi's car with tears in her eyes and her head slightly tilted down. At that moment, Rishi came over and knocked on the front windshield. He motioned for her to roll the window down. Noticing her tear-filled eyes, he asked, "What happened? Why are your eyes filled with tears?"

  Deepa forced a smile and replied, "Nothing, I just got some dust in my eyes." Rishi then asked, "Okay, but why did you leave in such a hurry?" She responded, "My legs started cramping, that’s all." Rishi replied, "Leg cramps, huh? Fine. Deepa, I want you to meet someone."

  Deepa asked, "Who is it?" Rishi gestured towards the person he had seen earlier. It was the same person Deepa had noticed at the shop. Upon seeing him, Deepa angrily asked Rishi, "Why did you bring him here? Do you know who that is?" Rishi calmly replied, "I know, Deepa. He’s your ex-boyfriend, Arul."

  Deepa snapped, "You know that, and yet you brought him here?" Rishi replied, "Yes, because of you. Why did you run away when you saw him?" Deepa retorted, "Who told you I left because of him? My legs were cramping; that's the only reason I left." Rishi gently replied, "Deepa, you're not good at lying. I can see it clearly; there's some kind of pain inside you."

  Deepa, now more defensive, said, "Stop talking nonsense, Rishi. I don't have any pain. I... I just hate him." Rishi, still calm, said, "I’m telling you again, you're not good at lying. You're hiding your pain behind that mask of hatred." Deepa said firmly, "No, I’m not hiding anything." Rishi replied, "Yes, you are." Deepa insisted, "No!" Rishi countered, "Yes, just tell the truth."

  Finally, in an angry tone, Deepa admitted, "Yes, I’m hiding my pain. Have you ever truly loved someone, Rishi? Have you dreamed of a future with them, only to have it all shatter one day? Even now, I want to show my anger towards him, but—" Rishi interrupted, "Then why are you sitting here? Go and show it to him." Deepa, taken aback, replied, "Rishi, please don't joke."

  Rishi, serious, said, "I’m not joking. If you really want to move on from your past relationship, then you need to go talk to him. I don’t know what will happen, but after that conversation, I want to see a clear stance about where you stand." Deepa said softly, "I can't do that, Rishi." Rishi then reassured her, "Deepa, don’t be afraid. I’m right here. Just go and talk to him."

 After hearing Rishi's words, Deepa gathered some courage and approached Arul to have a conversation. When they stood face-to-face, neither spoke for a moment. Then, Arul asked, "How are you, Deepa?" She replied, "I’m fine," but after that, there was silence. Arul finally said, "Deepa, I know you're not interested in talking to me. I’m sorry about the breakup. At that time, I thought it was better to follow my father's wishes, but I didn’t consider you when making that decision. I now realize that I made the wrong choice. I forgot how deeply you loved me. Please, Deepa, forgive me."

  After hearing Arul's words, Deepa responded angrily, "How can you expect me to forgive you? How could you not take me into account when making that decision? Do you know what happened after that? I cried the entire day. I kept thinking about what mistake I made, blaming myself. I even considered suicide, but my beliefs saved me from going through with it. Because of you, I lost interest in marriage, but slowly, I started recovering. Arul, you don’t deserve my love, and you certainly don't deserve my forgiveness. Consider this my punishment for you."

  Hearing this, Arul's head dropped slightly. He then asked, "So, what about your husband? Does he take good care of you?" Deepa replied, "He’s a gem. After my dad and brother, the only man who truly understands my feelings is Rishi." Arul smiled and said, "Well, Deepa, congratulations on your married life. This is goodbye. I don’t know if we’ll ever meet again." Deepa responded, "Hmm, goodbye, Arul." After hearing this, Arul left.

  Once Arul had gone, Rishi approached Deepa and asked, "What happened, Deepa? Did everything go okay?" Deepa replied, "Yes, I’ll explain everything on the way. First, we need to get home—it’s already 6:59 p.m." They both got into the car, and while driving, Rishi asked, "Hey, Deepa, please tell me what happened between you two." Deepa began, "What are you expecting, Rishi? We met after two years, and we both decided to put the past behind us. He broke the most important pillar of a relationship: trust. Once trust is broken, it’s nearly impossible to rebuild."

  Rishi replied, "Hmm, so are you finally free from the pain you were carrying? Now you can focus solely on your goals?" Deepa nodded and said, "Yes, and it’s all because of you. Thanks for that." Rishi smiled and responded, "No need to mention it."

  Deepa then lowered the car window even though the air conditioning was on. Noticing this, Rishi asked, "Hey, Deepa, why are you rolling down the window when the AC is on?" Deepa replied, "I just need some fresh air." Rishi responded, "If that's the case, just let me know, and I’ll switch off the AC." He turned off the AC, and Deepa enjoyed the fresh air.

  Once they reached home, Deepa continued her studies while Rishi started working in the kitchen. Three weeks passed, and it was Valentine's Day. In Rishi's office during lunchtime, Rishi, Arvind, and Akshaya were sitting in the canteen. Akshaya showed Rishi and Arvind a WhatsApp story posted by Ibrahim. After seeing it, Arvind said, "Looks like Ibrahim is really enjoying this Valentine's Day with his girlfriend." Rishi replied, "Yeah, after four years of love, he finally gathered the courage to express his feelings to that HR."

  After a brief pause, Arvind added, "Hey, guys, did you hear? Sunny got a job at SAC Company two days ago." Rishi responded, "That’s great! It’s hard to find a job during a recession, but he managed to land one." Akshaya then asked, "But Arvind, why do IT companies fire newbies like Sunny during a recession?" Arvind explained, "Newbies are considered extra resources. During a recession, IT companies often see both newbies and older employees as burdens, so they lay them off to cut costs." Rishi sighed and said, "Corporate ethics." Arvind nodded, "Exactly. What do you expect from these corporations? They use you as long as they need you, and then they discard you. My advice: save some money while working for a corporation, and eventually start your own business instead of relying on them your whole life." After that, they finished their lunch and returned to their respective workplaces.

  In Deepa’s life, she began spending more time focusing on her UPSC studies. She hardly spent time on anything else. For three months, she studied day and night in preparation for the UPSC prelims. In May, she attended her prelims exam, and three weeks later, the results were to be released. On the day of the results, Deepa and her classmates gathered at the coaching center, anxiously awaiting the outcome. Everyone grew increasingly nervous as the time for the results approached.

  At 11:30 a.m., a PDF document was made available on the UPSC website. Everyone quickly downloaded it and began checking to see if their name was listed. Christy was standing near Deepa as they searched for their results. For 15 minutes, the room was filled with emotions—most people had not passed the preliminary exam. Some felt sad and disappointed, while others simply resolved to try again. Out of everyone there, only 10 names appeared in the document. Those who passed were elated, knowing they could now apply for the main exam. Their peers congratulated them on their success, and Deepa was one of the 10 whose name was listed. She was thrilled to be one step closer to achieving her dream. Everyone around her congratulated her, but she noticed that Christy was not present. Deepa decided to go and look for her.

  After searching for about 10 minutes, Deepa found Christy in a room on the third floor, sitting in a corner and crying. Deepa approached her and gently asked, "Hey Christy, what happened?" Christy hugged her and said, "Sis, I wasted my whole year. I didn’t pass the prelims. I know only a few people passed, but my heart can’t accept it. I feel like I’ve wasted my parents' money."

  Deepa comforted her and said, "Christy, don’t worry. This is just your first attempt. Failing the first time doesn’t mean the end of your dream to become an IPS officer. You just have to try again." Christy replied, "But sis, how will I pay the fees for next year’s academy? You know about my family’s situation." Deepa responded, "So what? You can study from home too. I’ll provide you with the notes, so don’t worry about that." Christy was about to say something, but Deepa interrupted her, saying, "Don’t be afraid of failure. You just need confidence and determination to chase your dream again. That’s what my dad told me when I failed the prelims on my first attempt." Christy seemed slightly relieved by Deepa’s words.

  At that moment, Deepa received a message in the WhatsApp group: "Those who passed the UPSC prelims, please come and meet me at my office." After seeing the message, she said goodbye to Christy and left the room.

  With that, this chapter comes to an end. Let’s see what happens next in the upcoming chapter. Until then, stay tuned!