Abhimaan SS-Bounded By Fate

The morning light filtered through the heavy curtains of Armaan and Abhira’s room, casting soft shadows on the walls. The atmosphere was quiet, almost suffocating, with the weight of unspoken words still lingering from the previous night. 

Abhira stirred first, her eyes fluttering open as the events of the previous day came rushing back. She lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, willing herself to gather the strength she needed to face another day in the Poddar household. Her heart felt heavy, her mind burdened with the constant struggle to balance expectations and her own identity. 

Turning her head slightly, she glanced at Armaan’s back. He was still lying on the bed, his breathing steady, though there was a tension in the way his body curved inward. A pang of helplessness hit her as she observed him, realizing they were both trapped in a situation that seemed impossible to mend. 

With a deep sigh, she swung her legs off the couch and headed to the washroom, closing the door behind her. The sound of running water filled the room. 

Armaan’s eyes opened slowly at the sound, his gaze immediately seeking the couch. When he didn’t find her there, a momentary panic set in, but the realization of the water running in the washroom calmed him. She was still here. 

He got up, rubbing his face with his hands, and began to straighten the room. He folded the blanket from the couch and placed it neatly inside the cupboard. The pillows were returned to their place on the bed, and he smoothed the sheets. His movements were methodical, almost mechanical, but his mind wasn’t present. 

It was stuck on the events of the previous night—the silence, the pain in Abhira’s eyes, the way she had avoided him. He felt powerless, a failure as both a husband and a companion. He wanted to help her, to make this place bearable for her, but every step he took seemed to backfire. 

The sound of the washroom door opening pulled him from his thoughts. Abhira emerged, her hair damp, her face fresh but carrying a weight she couldn’t hide. She paused when she saw him near the cupboard and then glanced at the couch, now neatly made. 

Her eyes flickered back to him as she moved toward the dressing table. She reached for the small box of vermillion, carefully applying a pinch to her hairline. Armaan’s gaze softened as he watched her. For reasons he couldn’t fully explain, that simple gesture filled him with a strange sense of peace, as if it anchored him amidst the chaos. 

Their eyes met in the mirror, and for a moment, neither spoke. The silence wasn’t heavy this time; it was filled with unsaid emotions that neither knew how to articulate. Finally, Abhira broke the quiet. 

“You didn’t need to do that, Mr. Poddar.” she said, her voice neutral but edged with a tiredness he couldn’t ignore. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Armaan replied, his voice low but firm. “I just wanted to help.” 

She turned to face him then, her expression hardening. “Help? That’s a strange word coming from you. If you really wanted to help, maybe you could start by not standing silent while your family compares me to Ruhi at every step.” 

His jaw tightened. “You think I don’t see what they’re doing? You think it is easy for me to just retaliate like that?” 

“If u see what they are doin,then do something about it!” she snapped, her voice rising for the first time. “And it's difficult to stand by ur wife? Why? Are you scared that you will loose the golden boy of this house ka title?” 

Her words stung, but he kept his tone even. “And what do you expect me to do, Abhira? Fight every battle for you? Speak up every time without analysing the situation? This family doesn’t work that way.”