Veins of Power, Threads of Fate

The morning light broke gently through the gauze curtains, brushing Ekta's cheek like a soft whisper. She stirred awake on the couch, Rohan's jacket draped around her shoulders, a warm cup of coffee already placed on the center table with a note tucked beneath it.

"Early meeting. Didn't want to wake you. You looked peaceful for once.
- R"

She smiled softly, fingers brushing the edge of the note. There was something in Rohan's presence that didn't demand attention, yet filled the room - an assurance she had craved all her life. Peaceful for once... The words lingered.

She hadn't realized how long it had been since she slept without waking up in panic.

The Café Encounter

Later that afternoon, while picking up books from the city's old library, Ekta stopped at her favorite café - a place she used to frequent during her teaching days. The barista still remembered her name.

She sat down with her cappuccino, flipping through a book of poems, when the bell over the café door chimed. She didn't look up until a shadow fell across her table.

And there he was.

Dev Raghuvanshi.

Same commanding aura. Same eyes - dark, unreadable. Except now, they were laced with something else.

Regret.

"May I?" he asked, pointing to the seat across from her.

Ekta nodded stiffly, her hands tightening on the ceramic cup.

"You look... well," he said.

"I am," she replied shortly.

Dev flinched. He had always been stoic, unreadable - but not now. Now, his silence spoke of guilt and unsaid things.

"I was broken then," he whispered.

"You still are," she said, her voice calm but sharp. "But I'm not. I chose not to stay broken."

He looked at her for a long moment, the weight of his mistakes pressing down on every breath between them. But before he could say more, her phone buzzed.

It was Rohan.

"Adrit just said 'mumma' and pointed to your picture. I think he misses you."

Ekta's heart clenched - not out of pain, but because her present was calling her. Her real life. Her son. Her peace.

She stood up, placing money on the table.

"Goodbye, Dev," she said quietly. "I hope you find what you lost... just not in me anymore."

And then she left.

Evening Rain and Rohan's Warmth

That night, as rain poured once more - just like it had on so many broken nights - Ekta stood on her balcony, her hand resting gently on her abdomen. Not because she was scared this time, but because she was steady. Because this time, she had her feet firmly planted in her truth.

Rohan entered quietly, holding two cups of masala chai. She took hers without a word.

"Everything alright?" he asked, sensing her quiet storm.

"I saw him today," she confessed.

Rohan didn't ask who. He already knew.

"I'm sorry you had to," he said softly.

She turned to look at him - this man who had never tried to fix her, only walked beside her while she fixed herself.

"I don't regret anything, Rohan," she whispered. "Not the pain. Not the child. Not the scars. They made me... this."

"And I love this," he said, stepping closer. "All of it."

For the first time, she didn't flinch when someone said love.

Later That Night

Adrit was asleep again, clutching his soft elephant toy. Ekta tucked the blanket around him and tiptoed out of the room.

In the living room, Rohan waited - not with expectations, but with open arms.

Ekta walked toward him, slowly. And then, with a breath of finality, she rested her head on his chest.

"I don't know if I'm ready to love again," she murmured.

"Then just let me be your safe place," he whispered.

And in that moment, she did.

Not because she was lost.

But because she was finally found.