Arav and Riya had been inseparable since their college days. He was the quiet one, she the spark. Together, they made sense. He thought their bond was unshakable.
One evening, his closest friend Vikram confessed:
“Arav… I didn’t mean for this to happen. But I love Riya. I think she feels something too.”
The world seemed to tilt under Arav’s feet.
He wanted to scream, to fight, to tell Vikram she’s mine.
Instead, he whispered,
“If her heart leans toward you, then maybe I was only holding borrowed time.”
Days later, Riya stopped answering. Her laughter, once only his, now belonged to another.
When Arav finally saw her, she stood beside Vikram - eyes lowered, unable to meet his.
“Arav…” her voice trembled, “I never planned this. But when I’m with him, it feels… different. Maybe that’s where I belong.”
His throat burned, but he forced a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“I only ever wanted you happy, Riya. Even if it means I vanish from your story.”
He walked away. No fight. No blame. Just silence heavier than words.
Months later, an envelope arrived. Her handwriting. His hands shook as he opened it.
“Arav,
I don’t know what real love is anymore.
With Vikram, I feel something new. But with you… I felt safe, seen, whole. Maybe I mistook comfort for weakness. Maybe I betrayed the only person who truly loved me. If so, I’ve ruined more than us—I’ve ruined myself.”
Tears blurred the ink. Arav pressed the letter to his chest, but no relief came.
She was still gone. The words gave him no closure, only a deeper wound.
Because betrayal isn’t always the loss of love.
It’s the cruel truth that someone looked at the home you built in your heart… and still chose to walk away.
One evening, his closest friend Vikram confessed:
“Arav… I didn’t mean for this to happen. But I love Riya. I think she feels something too.”
The world seemed to tilt under Arav’s feet.
He wanted to scream, to fight, to tell Vikram she’s mine.
Instead, he whispered,
“If her heart leans toward you, then maybe I was only holding borrowed time.”
Days later, Riya stopped answering. Her laughter, once only his, now belonged to another.
When Arav finally saw her, she stood beside Vikram - eyes lowered, unable to meet his.
“Arav…” her voice trembled, “I never planned this. But when I’m with him, it feels… different. Maybe that’s where I belong.”
His throat burned, but he forced a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“I only ever wanted you happy, Riya. Even if it means I vanish from your story.”
He walked away. No fight. No blame. Just silence heavier than words.
Months later, an envelope arrived. Her handwriting. His hands shook as he opened it.
“Arav,
I don’t know what real love is anymore.
With Vikram, I feel something new. But with you… I felt safe, seen, whole. Maybe I mistook comfort for weakness. Maybe I betrayed the only person who truly loved me. If so, I’ve ruined more than us—I’ve ruined myself.”
Tears blurred the ink. Arav pressed the letter to his chest, but no relief came.
She was still gone. The words gave him no closure, only a deeper wound.
Because betrayal isn’t always the loss of love.
It’s the cruel truth that someone looked at the home you built in your heart… and still chose to walk away.
