"I will wait for you no matter what.”

“No please don’t. I don’t want you to sacrifice your happiness.”

“No, I will…. If I ever get an onsite opportunity, you will be the first one to know.”

Little did she know that these were just words.

Nisha (name changed) and Abhi (name changed) met almost 3 years back. They worked in the same office. She was new to the city while he knew the city in and out.

The long emptiness in both their lives brought them closer.

After they got together, there was no looking back. They were inseparable. Their relationship was a roller coaster ride but no matter how serious the fights, they would always come back to each other. They completed each other.

He tolerated her temper and anger while she endured his mood swings and abusive nature.

Nisha had always dreamed of going abroad to pursue her higher studies. The new job was just a temporary set-up to help her finance her ultimate goal. She was determined to prepare for her exams and leave for her higher studies within a year. But life had other plans for her.

Her work and her love for Abhi made her put her dreams on the back burner for almost two years.

One day, a certain remark from one of her colleagues brought back her forgotten determination. However, she knew that pursuing her dreams would mean having to let go of Abhi.

Abhi wanted to get married. He was unable to understand or support Nisha’s plans of moving to another country. Finally, they realized that it was time for them to move on. They would have to part ways.

He had started getting photographs of prospective brides from his family while she was receiving admission letters from universities.

The fear and pain of losing each other led to innumerable fights and the blame game. They had no choice. Destiny had other plans for them and they had to accept it.

The last few days had them spending sleepless nights in each other’s arms. They made promises to be each other’s strength. They swore to keep in touch and always be there for each other.

As the D-day neared, they tried to hold on to every single memory but they knew that the memories would eventually slip through their fingers.

On the night before her flight, Abhi, exhausted by his recent national onsite visit, dozed off but Nisha couldn’t. She felt hollow from within. She kept staring at his face and prayed to God to look after him.

She knew that behind this 28-year-old, 6ft 2-inch man was a little child who was dependent on her for everything.

None of his professional decisions were taken without consulting her first. He was eagerly awaiting an international onsite opportunity and was getting demotivated due to its delay.

She would put up a strong face to convince him and keep his spirits high. But when he wasn’t around, she would beg God to give him the chance to prove himself even if it came at the cost of her happiness.

All she wanted was for him to stay focused and not lose hope.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t notice the dawn of the new day until the first rays of the sun illuminated his innocent sleeping face. It was soon time for her to leave for the airport.

When she had moved from Chennai three years ago, she had promised herself that she would never cry in public ever again. That day, she hugged him tight with a brave face and assured him that they would meet soon.

But once she boarded the cab, she couldn’t stop the river of tears that flowed from her eyes.

The first five days had them glued to video calls. Nisha was home all day while Abhi was busy with work but they always found time to talk to each other. Then came the weekend and Abhi left for his hometown. His calls and messages stopped abruptly.

Though Nisha was clueless about the reason, she didn’t disturb him since he was with his family. She believed that he must be caught up and hoped that things would get back to normal after he returned. But she was wrong. Things only got worse. Slowly, she started connecting the dots.

His excuses began with “My parents are forcing me to get married”, “The situation at home is not good" and so on. Soon, he started posting pictures of gifts, which Nisha hadn’t sent him.

Messages like “I have moved on” started entering her inbox.

She was torn from within yet she did not let it show. She had always tried to be his strength while he left her to struggle on her own. But the prayers never stopped and they will never stop, not until the time she is alive. She will keep praying for him and his well-being.

She is slowly preparing herself for the day when his relationship status changes to “Married”.

It will hurt, it will break her into pieces and her heart will bleed but she will not show it to anyone. She will not let anyone witness her tears ever.

He finally got his first international onsite opportunity yesterday. He is currently soaking in the happiness of his first international trip.

No, she wasn’t the first one to know about it.

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