Part 2
A THOUSAND MILES
.
---
The next morning, both of them prepared for their court-appointed counseling session.
Almost at the same moment, they opened their bedroom doors.
Arjun stepped out.
Nila stepped out.
For a brief second, they stood in the same hallway.
Yet neither looked at the other.
No eye contact.
No greeting.
No words.
Nila walked past him and left the house.
A cab was already waiting outside.
She got in and left.
A few moments later, Arjun locked the house, got into his car, and drove toward the counseling center.
---
Inside the counseling room, both sat opposite each other.
The counselor entered and took her seat.
Beside her, a clerk called out their names.
"Mr. Arjun Kumar and Mrs. Nila Arjun."
They nodded.
The counselor opened their file.
"So, tell me," she said gently. "What exactly is the problem?"
She looked at Nila first.
"Does he drink?"
"No."
"Has he ever been violent with you?"
"No."
She then turned to Arjun.
"Does she disrespect you? Has she done something unforgivable?"
"No."
The counselor looked puzzled.
"Then what is stopping both of you from being together?"
Nila looked down.
"We have too many misunderstandings."
Arjun nodded.
"Things haven't worked after marriage."
"We tried."
"Many times."
"But nothing changed."
The counselor listened carefully.
"Was this an arranged marriage?"
Both shook their heads.
"No."
Nila spoke softly.
"We were in love for six years."
Her voice trembled slightly.
She stopped.
Arjun completed the sentence.
"After six years, we got married with our parents' blessings."
The counselor nodded.
"Then what changed?"
Arjun took a deep breath.
"During our relationship, whenever we had problems, we used to say that things would become better in the future."
"We thought marriage would solve everything."
Nila smiled bitterly.
"But marriage didn't solve anything."
"It only brought those problems closer."
The counselor remained silent.
Arjun continued.
"After marriage, every small issue became a misunderstanding."
"We talked."
"We argued."
"We tried to compromise."
"But somehow the same problems kept returning."
"And eventually..."
He paused.
"We got tired."
The counselor leaned forward.
"So instead of solving the problems, you've decided to end the relationship?"
Neither answered.
The silence itself was the answer.
The counselor sighed.
"Do both of you know what the word 'fixing' means?"
Nila smiled sadly.
"When something keeps breaking again and again, eventually people stop trying to fix it."
The counselor looked at both of them.
"No relationship is free from misunderstandings."
"Not a single marriage in this world."
"You loved each other for six years."
"You knew each other's strengths."
"You knew each other's flaws."
"And yet today you're sitting here asking for a divorce."
She paused.
"What I see isn't a lack of love."
"What I see is exhaustion."
Both lowered their heads.
The counselor continued gently.
"You don't have children."
"You have supportive families."
"You still live in the same house."
You have more reasons to save this marriage than to end it."
For a moment, neither Arjun nor Nila spoke.
Then the counselor asked,
"What should I write in my report?"
"Do you want another chance?"
The answer came immediately.
"No."
Both looked at each other for the first time.
Only for a second.
Then they looked away again.
"We've made our decision," Arjun said.
"We're tired."
Nila nodded.
"We don't want more arguments."
"More misunderstandings."
"We just want peace."
The counselor closed the file slowly.
She could see the stubbornness.
The hurt.
And the ego standing between them.
"You still have six days before your next hearing."
She pushed the file aside.
"Go home."
"Talk."
"Take a walk together."
"Have a meal together."
"If something changes, call me."
"We can stop the divorce proceedings."
Arjun shook his head.
"Nothing is going to change."
Nila agreed.
"We're ready for our decision."
The counselor gave them a long look.
Then she finally nodded.
"Very well."
"Your next hearing is on Monday."
"You still have six days."
"Use them wisely."
With that, she closed the file.
The session was over.
As they stepped out of the counseling room, their advocates were already waiting outside.
Nila's advocate approached her first.
"Don't worry, Nila. Counseling is a mandatory process in most divorce cases. The counselor's job is to try and reconcile both parties."
Nila nodded silently.
"If both of you remain firm in your decision, the court will take that into consideration," her advocate continued. "Just stay calm. We'll handle the legal process."
"Thank you," Nila replied softly.
A few feet away, Arjun's advocate placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Don't overthink today's session, Arjun."
Arjun remained quiet.
"The counselor was only doing her job. If both of you are certain about your decision, the process will move forward. We still have the next hearing, and we'll take it step by step."
Arjun nodded.
"Alright, sir."
His advocate gave him a faint smile.
"Go home. Get some rest. Try not to stress yourself too much."
For a moment, both Arjun and Nila stood in the same corridor, listening to different people tell them the same thing.
That everything would be fine.
That the divorce would happen.
That life would move on.
Yet strangely, neither of them felt relieved.
Instead, an emptiness lingered in their hearts.
A silence that no legal advice could fill.
But neither Arjun nor Nila paid much attention.
Once again, they left separately.
One in a cab.
One in a car.
Both heading toward the same house.
Both carrying the same pain.
And neither willing to admit that somewhere beneath all the misunderstandings...
they still loved each other.
Once again, they returned to the same house.
The same walls.
The same rooms.
The same silence.
Arjun spent the morning cleaning his room. He arranged books that didn't need arranging, folded clothes that were already folded, and wiped surfaces that were already clean.
Anything to keep his mind occupied.
Across the hallway, Nila sat with her laptop, finishing some pending office work.
Neither crossed the invisible line that now separated them.
By nine o'clock, Arjun left for work.
Nila remained at home for a while, completing a few tasks before leaving around eleven in the morning.
---
At work, life continued as usual.
Or at least it appeared to.
Arjun's colleagues noticed the change in him immediately.
"You look tired, man. Everything okay?" one of them asked.
Arjun forced a smile.
"I'm fine."
But they weren't convinced.
Soon the rumors had already spread.
Someone finally asked the question directly.
"Is it true? Are you and Nila getting divorced?"
The room became silent.
Arjun looked at them for a moment.
"Some things aren't working between us."
His voice remained calm.
"We've made our decision."
Then he returned to his laptop.
"I'd rather focus on work."
The message was clear.
The topic was closed.
---
Meanwhile, at her office, Nila faced the same questions.
Her friends surrounded her during a break.
"Nila, what's happening?"
"Is everything okay?"
"Are the divorce rumors true?"
Nila took a deep breath.
"Yes."
The answer shocked them.
"But why?"
She shook her head.
"It's personal."
There was sadness in her voice.
"Please don't ask me about it."
The group understood and changed the subject.
But the concern remained visible on their faces.
---
The day continued.
Emails arrived.
Meetings happened.
Work moved forward.
Yet neither Arjun nor Nila could concentrate the way they once did.
Their minds kept drifting.
The counseling session replayed repeatedly inside their heads.
Every sentence.
Every question.
Every uncomfortable truth.
---
When lunchtime arrived, Arjun sat alone at a table in the office cafeteria.
A meal rested untouched before him.
He stared at it absentmindedly.
The counselor's words echoed in his mind.
"You have more reasons to save this marriage than to end it."
He sighed.
For the first time in months, a question entered his mind.
Could we have tried harder?
Could we have talked one more time?
Could this still be fixed?
He immediately pushed the thought away.
But it returned.
Again.
And again.
And again.
---
At the same time, Nila sat alone in her office cabin.
Her lunch remained untouched as well.
Her mind was just as restless.
The counselor's voice echoed inside her head.
"What I see isn't a lack of love. What I see is exhaustion."
Nila leaned back in her chair.
Was that true?
Were they truly out of love?
Or were they simply tired of fighting?
For a brief moment, she imagined walking into the house and speaking to Arjun.
Not arguing.
Not blaming.
Just talking.
Like they used to.
The thought made her heart ache.
She quickly returned her attention to work.
But the question remained.
Is divorce really the only answer?
---
The evening slowly arrived.
By six o'clock, Nila finished her work and prepared to leave.
Meanwhile, at Arjun's office, his manager approached his desk.
"Arjun."
"Yes, sir?"
"We have an important project that needs to be submitted tonight."
The manager looked apologetic.
"Would you be able to stay back and work with the team?"
Arjun glanced at the time.
Honestly, he wasn't in a hurry to go home.
Home no longer felt like home.
"Of course, sir."
His manager smiled.
"Thank you. I appreciate it."
"We'll finish it tonight."
Arjun nodded.
"I'll stay until it's done."
---
Around the same time, Nila arrived home.
She unlocked the front door and stepped inside.
The house greeted her with the same familiar silence.
She placed her bag on the table and looked around.
The lights were off.
The rooms were empty.
For a moment, she almost expected Arjun to walk in.
Then she remembered he was still at work.
Without thinking, she left the door unlocked.
A small habit.
A small gesture.
Because she knew he would return later.
Even after everything.
Even after the court.
Even after the counseling.
Some habits still refused to leave.
And somewhere deep inside, neither did the memories.
