Chapter 9

"What are you so scared of? It's just a marriage. Don't make a big deal out of it." Balu said.

"Just a marriage? Is that why you're not at least a little regretful toward mom for cheating on her?" Diya's outburst shocked everyone. "Diya sto-". "No mom. I'm tired of this." Diya turned to face her father.

"You asked what I'm scared of, right? This! Do you see her?" Diya pointed at her mother. "She couldn't do anything to leave this marriage. But I will never intentionally agree to live my life this way. Most importantly, I can't let my child suffer and live an unhappy life just because my family told me to get married. I will only marry for love."

Diya stormed out of the restaurant after saying that. "Where should I go now?". After pondering for a while, she headed to the nearest park. Diya received a text message right after she sat down on a bench.

'You should apologize to dad. He was badly hurt after your outburst'. It was from Tasha.

"What about me? Who's going to apologize for hurting me?". Diya gazed at the night sky; her eyes starting to fill with tears. "Can I sit here?" She heard a man's voice beside her.

"Of course," she said moving to the left end of the bench without looking at the intruder.

Ajay took the right end of the bench and glanced at the woman beside him. Seeing her tears, he handed his handkerchief to her without a second thought. This, caught both Ajay and Diya off guard.

"*Cough... cough...* What the hell!" Karl almost choked on his apple pie after looking at the scene before him. He immediately took out his phone and snapped a few pictures. He picked a photo and sent it to someone. "Hehehe. Now what choice does he have other than believing that his brother's in love?".

At BJ Club, the waiter stood still wondering what happened after his VIP customer accidentally spat his wine on him. Veer couldn't believe his eyes after seeing the photo Karl sent. He zoomed in multiple times; looking intently at the man's figure. "So, Karl was telling the truth that day. My brother finally found himself a woman.".

"Mr. Ajay," Diya said after recognizing the man beside her. "We met again. How are you?" she asked him forcing a smile; receiving his handkerchief. Ajay steadied himself and said, "Good".

Diya waited for him to continue but he didn't. She thought back to their first meeting. His answers were very short just like today. 'Maybe he isn't someone who talks much.'

The moment Diya opened her mouth to ask him what he was doing there, Ajay looked at her and asked, "How are you?". Their eye contact sent a shiver through Diya's body. She avoided his eyes and turned to look at the sky again.

She can't say she's fine while using his handkerchief to wipe her tears. Can she? "Ah. As you can see, I'm not that fine. By the way, thank you for the handkerchief," Diya said with a smile.