Chapter 4: Agreements and Goodbyes

Meera sent me a message.

In front of a row of red exclamation marks and green message boxes,

the white box with black text stood out clearly.

Looks like Meera had removed me from her block list.

I thought to myself, half mocking.

I imagined her finally scrolling past my name, debating with herself before unblocking. There’s a peculiar power in that digital act, isn’t there?

Meera told me to go to her company tomorrow, Monday. She would have the lawyer draft the agreement terms.

After both sides communicated and there were no issues, we could sign and wait for the divorce cooling-off period to pass.

[Okay.]

My reply was as dry as the summer wind—no smiley, no dot-dot-dot, nothing.

On Monday, I arrived at Meera's company as agreed.

The glass building gleamed in the morning sun, the security guard nodding at me with bored indifference. I wiped the sweat off my forehead, clutching my folder. The smell of filter coffee from the canteen drifted up as I walked in.

Since I had no appointment, the receptionist called for instructions.

"Haan, Mr. Kabir aaye hain."

After hanging up, the receptionist told me to go up to the MD's office floor, and a secretary would receive me.

I thanked her and went straight to Meera's floor.

The person who received me was a young woman I didn't know.

After all, ever since Meera and I separated, I hadn't been here for half a year.

She was probably a new employee.

She smiled politely, her ID card swinging from her neck. Her accent sounded vaguely from Lucknow. Things had changed here while my life stood still.

"Mr. Kabir, please wait here. Ma'am is in a meeting."

The young woman didn't know me either.

She called me Mr. Kabir and led me to a reception room.

Before, I would always wait directly in Meera's office when I came.

Her meetings would last at least an hour.

I didn't like waiting for people.

Meera knew this, so to keep me from getting bored, she kept many books and movie DVDs in her office.

"You can read books or watch movies. Agar bore ho jao toh lounge mein jaake so jana," she would say, half-teasing.

I remembered those afternoons—her pausing work to hand me a samosa, us laughing at old Govinda movies. It all seemed so far away now.

The last time I came, everything of mine in Meera's office had already been replaced.

The person who could freely enter her private lounge had become someone else.

Now, if I wanted to see her, I could only wait in an ordinary reception room.

But I really didn't have the mood or energy to argue over such small things anymore.

So I waited quietly.

There was plenty of time anyway.

But I didn't expect to wait two hours this time.

And still no one came to notify me to see Meera.

The AC was too cold, and the wall clock’s ticking felt louder with every minute I waited. I scrolled through old WhatsApp chats with Meera, stopping at a photo of us eating pani puri on Marine Drive.

"Excuse me, Ma'am ki meeting khatam hui kya?"

I couldn't help but directly ask the young woman who brought me to the reception room.

She hesitated. "Ma'am abhi bhi meeting mein hain..."

I frowned, about to speak.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of chatting and laughter nearby.

"Chal na, lunch ke liye uss restaurant chalte hain."

"Haan, theek hai."

These two voices couldn't be more familiar.

After all, I had just heard them on the phone last night.

I saw Arjun carrying a folder, following closely beside Meera.

The handsome young man was full of youthful energy and enthusiasm.

Next to him, Meera smiled, listening to him speak.

The two stood very close together.

I didn't know what Arjun said again,

but the smile at the corner of Meera's mouth grew even deeper.

"Hey..."

The young woman saw me walking directly toward Meera and didn't have time to stop me.

"Meera."

Hearing my voice,

the two turned to look at me in unison.

I clearly saw a flash of surprise and astonishment on Meera's face.

I asked if her meeting was over?

If it was, it was time to talk about our matters.

"I came at ten, and I've already waited two hours for you."

"Kisne bola main meeting mein hoon?"

Surprisingly, Meera frowned and asked back.

I was stunned and looked at her instinctively.

The confusion in Meera's eyes didn't seem fake.

She and I reacted almost at the same time.

I didn't speak.

Meera's gaze swept gravely over the entire office.

The people in the office all lowered their heads, not daring to speak.

The young woman who brought me shrank back even more, lowering her head.

But before she lowered her head, she quickly glanced at Arjun.

Of course.

In the whole office, who else could pull this kind of trick but Arjun?

"Main bhool gaya sabko bataana ki meeting cancel ho gayi. Galti ho gayi, Ma'am."

Arjun looked up at Meera with an innocent face.

Meera had always indulged him.

So this time, she didn't say a word about it.

"Aao andar."

She looked at me and brushed the matter aside.

As I passed Arjun, I saw the pride and provocation in his eyes.

He flashed that smug, half-challenging smile—one that made me want to laugh. But I just straightened my shoulders and walked in, refusing to give him the satisfaction.