PART 28
( Good bye: The final Episode)




Seza didn't cry much because she thought Artav would clear all the mess and come back soon. It would be quite hard for her to stay without him, but she would manage. The next day, everything had changed—no good morning texts, no calls, just emptiness. She dressed up and went to class. Ana and Seza were walking when they heard the car horn. Seza said, "Artav," and turned back.

Ana: "You're going crazy. Where is Artav?" She pointed to the road.

Seza stayed sadly. After a while, a car passed by, and it was indeed Artav.

Seza: "Look there." She paused.
Artav and Pooja, their classmate, emerged from the car, Artav holding Pooja's bag as they walked away slowly. It was so painful for Seza to see that just yesterday, she was there holding Artav's hand and bags, and today he was with someone else. She stayed strong and entered the class, but nothing seemed better. Seza was a complete stranger to Artav now.

After class, Seza and Ana were loitering around the market when someone poked Seza from behind. She turned back, and it was Artav's mom. Despite her grudges, Seza acted normally and greeted her.

Artav's Mom: "You look so weak. Your eyes are swollen. Is everything OK?"

Seza: "Yes, aunty, everything is okay."

Artav's Mom: "How's your health?"

Seza: "It's good."

Artav's Mom: "Please, can you do me a favor? Can you please call Artav? He is not receiving my calls."

Seza: "Aunty, actually, we are not talking."

Artav's Mom: "Did you have a fight? Come on, it's okay to have a fight, just don't take it seriously."

Seza: "No, it's not like that. We broke up."

Artav's Mom was shocked; she couldn't believe it.

Artav's Mom: "Is it true? Why did you both take this step?"

Seza: "Aunty, I think Artav will explain it to you later. Actually, I'm getting late to go home. Bye."

Artav's Mom: "Okay, daughter, take care."

Seza was completely shocked by Artav's mom's reaction; she got confused. Later, she found out that whatever Artav said about family members not being happy about their relationship was all a lie. His family never said that; instead, they were happy about the relationship between them, and when they heard about the breakup, they were unhappy. Seza even heard that Artav was in a relationship with someone else before breaking up with her. Seza was completely broken and frustrated. She never thought that Artav would hurt her so badly. His concerns, love, care, and promises were all fake. He was a jerk. The pain was killing her day and night. The exams were coming closer, but Seza was fully distracted; she had given up completely. She was not in a condition to do anything; she was totally lost.
When she heard all that, she was not in a position to respond. She did not understand what was happening; she was dumbstruck. Her mind was blacked out. She needed someone's shoulder to cry on, but everyone was far away. She really missed Artav, how he used to lend his shoulder for her to cry and sort all her things out. She was left with no option but to land in her house. The very moment she entered her house, looking at her depressed face, her mom asked her, "What happened?" Seza was in no state to receive her question; her senses lost their power to perceive. Her mom could understand her feelings and stopped probing further. Seza just went out of the room, her mom accompanying her. Her mom just put her hand on her shoulder and said, "Okay, stay calm." I heard everything from Ana.
That concerning dialogue from her mom kicked the tear can in her eyes, and water started flooding her eyes. The world was looking blurred from Seza's naked eyes. Nothing was clear, neither her eyes nor her mind nor the situation.

Seza did nothing but cried. She cried and cried. She had no words to express her agony, and even Seza's mom cried seeing her daughter in that situation. The warm hug of her mother made her realize that she had missed the precious hug from her mother from the day she met...