Only Time Will Tell

My theme for this year's A to Z Challenge is A Reader's Take, where everyday I will be picking out a novel title corresponding to that day's letter and write my post based on it. To make it more challenging, I have decided to write a serial story. The novel I have selected for today is 'Only Time Will Tell'

Leave Me Never

Chapter 15

(Find all the chapters here)

Shruthi stood watching the door, from where Ayaan had stormed off. She had finally told the secret she was harbouring all these years to him. As she told what had happened, Ayaan’s face had turned dark with fury. He had balled his fists so tightly that she could see the tendons standing out. It was a wonder that he hadn’t broken anything. But sometimes, the words can hurt more than anything else. “You know it is your fault that she has gone through so much, don’t you?” he had all but spat those words at her! “You could have told me before she left. How could you be so heartless Shruthi?” he had yelled.

Heartless! Yes, she wished she was that. Then she could have spared herself all the pain. She knew she was wrong when she sided with Sameer, but did she have a choice? Their mother was on the death bed and saying the truth would have only killed her faster. It was a difficult choice – a mother who always loved her son more than her daughter or a friend who had stood by her through thick and thin. Shruthi had always craved for her mother’s love but her mother had preferred Sameer over her. He was her son – the one who would look after her when she aged. It was an irony that it was Shruthi who had nursed her when she was on her death bed. Shruthi was tempted to tell her all this, about what her son did and bring justice to Kayra but she couldn't. A moment of weakness was all it took to make the choice. How she regretted that it wasn’t Kayra that she chose!

She tried to explain it all to Ayaan but he would hear nothing. “I wish you are happy with your mother” he had spat before he stormed off. Shruthi flinched hearing that. Little did he know that the one for whom she had done all this had passed away soon, abandoning her again, like she always did. Shruthi had tried to find Kayra by calling all her friends but with no success. The girl had disappeared completely. How she longed to see Kayra, to beg for forgiveness. She would surely understand, wouldn't she? She wasn't sure about that anymore after seeing Ayaan's outburst. Only time could tell what was in store for her. Till then, she would just have to learn to live the with guilt, like she had all these years.

To be continued...

About today's novel: Only Time Will Tell is the first book in the Clifton Chronicles series by Jeffrey Archer. Read more about the book here.

PS: Linking this post to A to Z Challenge 2015. If you are participating too, please leave a link to your blog in the comments, so that I can visit you :)

Until the next post,

Keep Smiling :)

Love,

Swathi :)