She cried for the betrayal and she cried for the heartbreak. She cried because of the wound he had scratched. Saanvi had always felt a dull ache in her heart whenever she couldn’t conceive and her pregnancy test came back negative.

But she never felt broken because she knew she had Tanmay with her. But today, he broke her by doing what he did. 

She didn’t remember for how long she cried. She sat on the cold floor for a long time. Until her tears dried up leaving stains on her face. Until her eyes burned and until she felt numb.

She heard a knock on the door and opened it to see a surprised Komal.

“Mam? Aap yaha? Aur ye kya haalat banayi hai aapne? Aap ro rahe the? Sab thik hai mam? Kya baat hai?”

(You here? What have you done to yourself? You are crying? Is everything ok mam? What happened?)

“I’m fine, Komal. Mai…mai yahi rahungi ab.”

(I…I will stay here now.)

Komal got quiet and looked at Saanvi. But she simply nodded. She didn’t ask, didn’t question. Simply understood and left. She returned and got some water for her along with fruits and left again.

Saanvi stayed in her room the entire day and night. She kept thinking about their memories and the time they spent together and kept crying at his betrayal.

“10 saal Tanmay! Itne time se saath the hum aur tumne kuch lamhon mai sab khatam kr dia. Bhut aasan hai kya? Mujhe chhod dena? Tumne ek baar bhi nhi socha hamare rishte ke baare mai…hamare pyaar ke baare mai.”

(10 years Tanmay! We were together since so many years and you ended everything in just a few moments. Was it too easy? Leaving me? You did not even think about our relationship once…about our love.)

She sobbed and wiped her tears trying to control them from flowing. But every time she thought about him and their memories together, they came back from full force.

By the next morning, her eyes were burning, swollen and red from crying. People from the shelter home were surprised to see her there so early in the morning. And on top of that her face didn’t have the glow it usually had.

“Saanvi beta? Sab thik hai na? Koi baat hui hai toh hum hamesha hai tumhare saath. Kuch kr bhale na ske pr sun kr tumhara mann halka kr skte hai.”

(Is everything ok? We are always with you if something happened. We might not be able to do anything but we can listen to you.)

One of the women spoke and for the first time since the last day, Saanvi smiled genuinely. It was a small smile but she did.

“Thank you, aunty. Sab thik nhi hai. Par jald hi ho jaayega.”

(Everything is not fine. But it will be soon.)

The woman smiled and patted her head lovingly. Saanvi knew that the best way to not think about what happened was to immerse herself in work. And so, she did.

“Good morning, Miss Saanvi. How may I help you?”

“Good morning, Miss Kulkarni. Will it be possible for you to visit the NGO anytime soon?”

Saanvi asked her lawyer who represented the NGO. 

“Is it ok if I pay a visit in the evening today?”

“Yes. Absolutely. Thank you so much. I’ll be awaiting your visit.”

Saanvi sighed and rested her head on her hands. She had to steel herself and do this. He hadn’t thought about anything else before leaving her. She knew it would be difficult for her to move on. But she also knew that she had to.

The lawyer visited in the evening and Saanvi took her to her cabin. 

“How may I help you, Miss Saanvi?”

“I actually need a personal service from you…not for the NGO but for myself.”

Saanvi started and Kalpana Kulkarni frowned yet prompted her to go on.

“Is everything ok sweetheart?”

“I…does your firm offer divorce lawyers?”

Kalpana paused and looked at Saanvi with empathy. 

“We do. We have some lawyers who excel in family matters. How may I help you?”

“I need to file for a divorce. With my husband.”

Kalpana nodded and took out her diary.

“I want to know the date your marriage was solemnized, whether you have any children and on what grounds are you filing for divorce,”

Saanvi nodded and took a deep breath.

“Me and Tanmay…we got married on 8th of July, 2021. We don’t…we don’t have any children. And I want to divorce him on grounds of adultery. He cheated on me.”

Kalpana nodded and gave Saanvi a determined look.

“I’ll make sure you receive good alimony and maintenance.”

“I don’t want anything from him. Not a single penny.”

Kalpana was surprised. Most women who came for divorce to their firm demanded a high alimony.

“Are you sure? I can make it possible.”

“I don’t want anything. Just get me divorced from that man.”

“I’ll email you the first draft of the petition by tomorrow evening.”

That night, Saanvi sat by the window and gazed at the sky. Tears started falling from her eyes but she wiped them away.

“Ab tu aur nhi royegi Saanvi. Not another tear for that man. Jab usse koi farak nhi padh raha toh…tujhe bhi nhi padhna chahiye.”

(You will not cry anymore, Saanvi. Not another tear for that man. When it doesn’t matter to him then…it shouldn’t matter to you as well.)

Saanvi had the perfect distraction. The 3rd Quarterly Meet, 2025 was going to be organised soon. Saanvi, being the manager, had to ensure everything happened smoothly.

A lot of things had to be done. Saanvi was busy almost all day. She had filed for divorce in the court. The summons were sent and Saanvi had to be present on the next day of the hearing as instructed by her lawyer.

Saanvi was in a lavender saree with her hair left open. She wore the earring she received from Arjun Rathore on her birthday and put on a small silver stone bindi. She put on her velvet lavender bangles and matching jhumkas.

“Mam! The guests have started to arrive.”

Komal informed and Saanvi rushed out. She greeted the guests who had arrived and directed them towards the main hall where the Meet was going to be held.

“Oh! Hello mam!”

She heard a familiar voice and turned to see Arjun Rathore walk towards her with a charming 

smile on his face. Saanvi smiled and welcomed him warmly.

“Hello to you too, Mr. Rathore.”

He raised his eyebrow and said.

“How many times have I asked you not to be so formal?”

“Please Mr. Rathore. Aap itne bade businessman hai and a really important part of our NGO. I cannot call you by your name.”

(You are a big businessman and a really important part of our NGO.)

“You cannot call a businessman and trustee by his name but you can call your friend by his name, right?”

She looked away with a smile knowing very well what he was hinting at.