The next day, Dev walked into the café with a bright smile on his face, determined to make things right. He had found out that Abhinav worked there and, by extension, Navya as well. His heart fluttered with anticipation as he spotted Navya from a distance, working quietly and without any visible emotion. She seemed so different from the vibrant, lively woman he once knew, and the sight tugged at his heartstrings.
He chose a seat in her section, hoping to get her attention. As she approached his table, her expression was blank, not giving away any hint of recognition.
"Sir, order please," she said, her tone steady and professional, betraying no emotion.
Dev leaned back in his chair, flashing a playful smile, trying to break through her cold demeanor. "You know my favorite. Please bring that," he said, his voice laced with a lighthearted tease.
Navya's eyes flickered with a momentary shock, but she quickly composed herself. Without a trace of warmth, she replied, "How would I know that? I’m no one to you."
The words hit Dev like a punch to the gut, but he kept his cheerful facade intact, refusing to let her coldness deter him. He softened his tone, trying to coax a response from her. "Come on, Navya," he said gently, "Bring me your special dish. You know, the one you make better than anyone else here."
Navya hesitated for a moment, her mind torn between the professionalism she had to maintain and the emotions swirling within her. Finally, she gave a curt nod and turned to leave.
As she walked away, Dev called after her, his tone playful, almost flirtatious. "And hey, don’t forget to add that secret ingredient of yours—lots of love!"
Navya clenched her jaw, irritation bubbling under her calm exterior. She could feel his eyes on her, and it was taking everything in her to not snap back. She walked into the kitchen, taking deep breaths to steady herself.
Back at the table, Dev waited patiently, his eyes following her every move. He knew he was pushing her buttons, but he also knew that this was the only way he could get through to her. He wanted to remind her of the good times, of the way they used to be, even if it was just through a simple order at a café.
When Navya returned with his food, she placed the plate in front of him with a firm, yet controlled movement. "Your order, sir," she said, her voice detached, as if she were serving a stranger.
Dev looked up at her, trying to catch her gaze, but she kept her eyes averted, focusing on anything but him. He tried again, this time with a soft smile. "You really are the best, Navya. No one else could make this dish as good as you."
She didn’t respond, simply turning away to attend to other customers. But as she walked away, Dev caught a glimpse of her clenched fists, the only sign that his words had affected her.
As he ate, Dev tried to keep up his cheerful demeanor, occasionally calling out to her with little comments and jokes. "This is amazing! You’ve outdone yourself, Navya!" he exclaimed, loud enough for her to hear.
Navya didn’t respond, but he could see the tension in her shoulders. She was irritated, that much was clear, but Dev wasn’t going to give up. He was determined to break through her walls, no matter how high or thick they had become.
When he finished his meal, he left a generous tip on the table and stood up, catching her eye one last time. "Thank you for the meal, Navya. It was perfect, just like old times."
She didn't responded to him......
After finishing his meal, Dev continued to linger around the café, trying to engage Navya in conversation whenever she passed by his table. His attempts to get closer to her, however, were met with nothing but irritation from Navya. She was finding it increasingly difficult to maintain her composure, her patience wearing thin with each passing moment.
Dev, oblivious to her mounting frustration or perhaps choosing to ignore it, leaned back in his chair and flashed another playful smile as she passed by. “Navya, do you remember that time we tried cooking together? You nearly set the kitchen on fire!” he chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.
Navya paused for a moment, her back to him, gripping the tray in her hand tightly. She took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm of emotions inside her. Without turning around, she replied in a flat tone, “I’m working, Dev. Please stop distracting me.”
Dev’s smile faltered slightly, but he quickly recovered, standing up to approach her. “I’m not trying to distract you, Navya. I just… I want to talk. To make things right.”
Before Navya could respond, the café door swung open, and Abhinav walked in, his eyes immediately scanning the room. The moment he saw Dev standing close to Navya, his expression darkened, and he strode over with purpose.
“Dev, what are you doing here?” Abhinav’s voice was low and firm, clearly laced with irritation as he approached them.
Dev turned to face Abhinav, his demeanor still trying to remain friendly. “Hey, Abhinav. I was just catching up with Navya, you know… talking.”
Abhinav didn’t miss the slight edge in Dev’s voice, and he stepped closer, positioning himself slightly between Navya and Dev, as if to create a barrier. “Talking? Or bothering her?” he asked, his tone sharper now. “She’s at work, Dev. This isn’t the time or place for… whatever it is you’re trying to do.”
Dev’s cheerful facade cracked a little as he met Abhinav’s stern gaze. “I’m not trying to bother her. I just wanted to… reconnect. To make amends.”
As Dev spoke, his eyes flicked to the subtle way Abhinav stood protectively near Navya, their closeness, the natural way they seemed to fit together. It was a stark contrast to how distant and guarded Navya had been with him. The sight of Abhinav and Navya together, the ease between them, stoked a simmering resentment in Dev. He didn’t like how Abhinav seemed so at ease with her, how he could stand so close, how he seemed to understand her in a way that Dev felt he had lost long ago.
There was a possessive edge in Dev’s gaze as he continued, his voice tinged with frustration. “I know I’ve made mistakes, but I’m trying to fix them. I just want a chance to make things right with Navya and Ayaan.”
Abhinav noticed the shift in Dev’s tone and the way his eyes darkened with something almost like jealousy. But he remained calm, his protective stance unwavering. “A chance?” Abhinav echoed, his voice steady but firm. “You had your chance, Dev. You had years to be there for them, and you threw it away. Navya and Ayaan have moved on. They don’t need you coming back into their lives and disrupting everything.”
The tension between the two men was palpable, the air thick with unspoken emotions and unresolved issues. Dev felt the sting of Abhinav’s words, and his fists clenched at his sides. He didn’t like the way Abhinav spoke about Navya and Ayaan as if they were his to protect, as if Dev had no right to them anymore. It felt like Abhinav was staking a claim that Dev wasn’t ready to relinquish, no matter how much he knew he had messed up.
“I’m not here to disrupt anything,” Dev said, his voice tight. “I’m here to set things right. I still care about them—about her.”
Abhinav’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he took a small step closer, his voice dropping to a more personal, almost threatening tone. “You may care about them now, but that doesn’t erase the pain you’ve caused, the damage you’ve done. Navya and Ayaan deserve better, and I won’t let you hurt them again.”
Dev’s heart twisted at the cold finality in Abhinav’s words, but before he could respond, Navya stepped in, her hand gently touching Abhinav’s arm, a silent plea for him to back down.
“Stop it, both of you,” she said firmly, her voice cutting through the tension like a knife. She turned to Abhinav first, her touch and tone calming him, though his eyes never left Dev’s. “Abhinav, please… let me handle this.”
Reluctantly, Abhinav nodded, taking a step back, but his eyes remained fixed on Dev, still protective, still wary.
Navya then turned to Dev, her expression hardening as she met his gaze. “Dev, this isn’t the place for this. I’m at work, and I can’t do this right now.”
Dev opened his mouth to protest, to explain himself, but the resolve in Navya’s eyes stopped him. The way she stood, strong and determined, but also weary and hurt, made him realize that he wasn’t going to win her over with words, not today. He sighed, feeling the weight of his own failures pressing down on him.
“Okay… I’ll go,” Dev said, his voice subdued, a mix of defeat and lingering hope. He looked at Navya one last time, his eyes filled with regret and longing, before turning to leave the café.
As the door closed behind him, Navya let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. She turned to Abhinav, who was still watching the door with a protective stance, his presence a steady reassurance.
“Thank you,” she said softly, her voice filled with gratitude. “But you didn’t have to…”
Abhinav turned to her, his expression softening as he looked into her eyes. “I did, Navya. I can’t stand to see you hurt, not again. I promised myself I’d protect you and Ayaan, no matter what.”
Navya gave him a small, grateful smile, touched by his words. “I know, and I appreciate it. But I can handle this.”
Abhinav nodded, though the concern in his eyes didn’t fully disappear. “I know you can. But you don’t have to do it alone.”
Navya looked at him, her heart warming at his words “Thank you, Abhinav. For everything.”
He gave her a reassuring smile, and they both turned back to their tasks, the tension in the café slowly dissipating. But the events of the day lingered in Navya’s mind, as did Abhinav’s words, making her wonder about the complicated emotions swirling within her.
As Dev left the café, the door shutting behind him felt like a finality he wasn't ready to accept. His heart pounded with a mix of emotions—regret, anger, and a deep, gnawing jealousy that burned in his chest like a wildfire.
"I can’t see Abhinav with Navya," he muttered under his breath, his voice trembling with raw emotion. "It’s killing me… watching them together. The way he looks at her, the way she trusts him. It’s tearing me apart." He clenched his fists, trying to suppress the surge of emotions threatening to overwhelm him.
Dev’s mind spiraled, consumed by thoughts of Navya and Abhinav’s closeness. The image of them standing together, of Abhinav’s protective stance, wouldn’t leave his mind. He felt a pang of possessiveness, a desperate longing to reclaim what he had lost. "I can’t bear it," he whispered to himself, his voice cracking. "Seeing them like that, it’s unbearable."
But then, like a sudden gust of cold wind, reality hit him hard. Dev’s steps faltered as the truth dawned on him—Navya had endured this very pain for years. The jealousy he felt now, the suffocating hurt, was the same agony he had put her through. The realization washed over him like a cold shower, shocking him into silence.
"She lived with this," he murmured, the weight of his actions pressing down on him like a heavy burden. "Navya watched me betray her, watched me with another woman… and I didn’t even care. I left her alone in a marriage where her husband didn’t value her, where I didn’t value her." His voice was filled with self-loathing, his heart aching with the realization of the pain he had caused her.
Dev’s mind raced, images flashing before his eyes—Navya’s pained expressions, the tears she must have shed in silence, the countless nights she spent alone while he was off with someone else. "She must have felt so broken," he thought, the guilt eating away at him. "And I did that to her. I was the cause of all her pain."
He stopped walking, staring blankly at the ground as the reality of his past actions settled in his heart like a heavy stone. "I can’t even see her with another man, but I cheated on her… I hurt her, shattered her trust, and left her to pick up the pieces."
Dev’s eyes stung with tears as he realized the depth of the damage he had done, the years of suffering he had inflicted on Navya. And yet, despite all of that, he was here, desperate to win her back, to heal the wounds he had caused. "I have no right to feel this way, but I can’t lose her again," he whispered, the resolve hardening in his chest. "I will endure any pain, any rejection, anything… to get my wife and child back."
He took a deep breath, trying to steady his shaking hands. "No matter what it takes, I’ll make it right," he vowed to himself, determination flooding his veins. "I’ll do whatever it takes to earn their forgiveness, to show Navya that I’ve changed, that I’m not the man who broke her heart anymore."
With that resolve burning within him, Dev continued walking, each step filled with purpose. He knew the road ahead wouldn’t be easy, that he would have to face the consequences of his actions, but he was ready to endure it all. For Navya, for Ayaan, for the family he was determined to reclaim.
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