The Stigma Called Love - Chapter 39

The days in office became more and more hectic after their return. Every single minute in office was either spent in sorting out issues at construction sites or meetings. If that was not the case then either of them was travelling to different construction sites.

14 days had passed since their return and till now Nishant and Aparna hadn’t been able to spent a single minute together. Right now, Nishant was in Mumbai and Aparna in Chennai. They were only managing simple hi-hellos in this break-neck schedule.

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Aparna sat down on the bed in her hotel room and closed her eyes. She felt empty inside with Nishant not there. The crisis at the Chennai site was not letting up and she couldn’t leave till that. Images of them together in Tosh slid through her brain like a slide show making her feel desolate as ever. Every pore of hers screamed for him.

God, Nishant, when will I see you again?

She got up from the bed and walked over to the window. As she looked out at the sky and suddenly felt Nishant all around her.

We may be miles apart but the sky we share is the same.

“I know you are here with me,” she said to herself smiling feeling him within her.

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Tired after a long day at the site, Nishant finally rested his head against the car seat. As the car started, he closed his eyes and Aparna’s face instantly flashed in front of him. As he felt his senses being engulfed in her aura, he clenched his fist to control his urges to rush to her.

God, Aparna, when will I see you again?

The car stopped at a traffic light and Nishant opened his eyes. He looked out of the window and flicked his gaze up at the sky.

We may be miles apart but the sky we share is the same.

“I know you are here with me,” he whispered to himself feeling her within him.

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Aparna returned to Delhi after spending almost 4 days in Chennai. Finally everything was running smoothly. She sighed with relief and rested her head against the head board in her car. Taking the phone out, she dialled Nishant’s number but it came as switched off. She shook her head in exasperation knowing too well that he was busy with different issues propping up in Mumbai. 

Naik Builders was heading towards a legal battle there with one of the contractors and that was not good for their reputation in the market. He would be in a lot of stress right now. Sighing, she tried to divert her mind towards the pending work at office. Tomorrow would be another hectic day.

Aparna reached office at about 9 in the morning and was straightaway engulfed in different meetings for the almost the entire day. By the time she came and sat down in her cabin, it was almost 5 in the evening. She still had one more meeting with her team before they all left for the day. They all walked in her cabin as the clock struck 5. The meeting lasted about an hour and she was exhausted like hell by the end of it. But, she still had some more stuff to wind up.

But, among all this, there was a ray of hope. Nishant would be back by tonight. She frowned thinking about the flight timings.

9:30!

Couldn’t he take a flight earlier than that?

“Shall I wait for you Ma’am?” Shivang, her assistant asked standing in the doorway breaking her thoughts.

“No, Shivang, please leave. I’ll go later,” Aparna told him trying to concentrate on the mail she had drafted.

“I’ll wait for you, Ma’am.”

Aparna got up from the chair and went towards the door.

“If you don’t leave in another 5 minutes then I’ll personally escort you to your car,” she replied smiling.

Fifteen minutes later, she was still re-drafting the mail when suddenly the cabin door opened.

God, Shivang! This guy won’t let go so easily.

“Shivang, I thought I had told you to leave,” Aparna said frowning and then looked up.

Rushali Sharma was standing at the doorway.

Aparna stood up with a start and said in an apologetic voice, “I am so sorry. I thought it was Shivang.”

Rushali did not reply instead she just came and stood in front of her. Shoving an envelope towards her, she gestured her to open and look.

As Aparna opened the envelope, the contents spilled on her table. Every little detail of their trip to Tosh and Darjeeling had been captured on camera. She looked at the photographs and shivered.

So, Rushali had spied on them.

“I have some more,” Rushali said piercing the silence in the room.

She took out two more photographs and shoved them towards Aparna.

Cringing back, she looked at one of the photographs, which had Nishant sitting against a tree on the edge of a mountain. The next picture was of Prakriti saying bye to them in Darjeeling as she went inside the school premises.

“Want to see more?”

Aparna couldn’t move neither could she say anything. She looked up at Rushali, who opened another envelope and threw the photographs on the table.

Her gaze flicked from one picture to another and she felt her world collapsing around her.

Almost all the photographs had Nishant standing or sitting with Rushali. One of them had him standing with his arm around her shoulder. But the last one almost killed her.

Nishant was lying on the bed with Rushali in his arms.

“Need I show you more?” she heard Rushali say.

When Aparna did not say anything, Rushali walked around the table and grabbed her by her arms.

“Stay away from him. He is engaged to me and we are getting married soon.”

Aparna was transfixed with everything that was lying on her work table.

“And, one thing more. He is Nishant Naik. He does not need a divorcee like you.”

Saying this, Rushali strode out of the room.

Aparna collapsed on the chair as her words reverberated in her mind.

Divorcee!

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