“Okay,” I breathe. “But will you… sit with me for a while?”
“I’m not going anywhere,” she promises, her hand gently stroking my hair.
And for the first time since I woke up, I let my eyes close, not out of fear or exhaustion, but because for the first time, I don’t feel completely alone anymore.
Chapter 2
Sidharth
“You told her?” I snap, my fists clenched at my sides as I glare at Viraj. “She just woke up in a damn hospital bed, for God’s sake. How could you dump everything on her like that?”
We’re standing just a few feet from Nisha’s room, and it takes everything in me not to lose it completely.
Viraj folds his arms across his chest, radiating that cold, bureaucratic indifference that makes my blood boil. “I don’t see the harm. She has a right to know, Sidharth. And let’s not forget that she’s a victim, and questioning her is part of our job. I was simply doing mine.”
I take a step forward and grit out, “Part of your job? You call that doing your job? You gave her no time to breathe, no fucking time to even understand where she is. She’s been in a coma for a year, and the first thing she hears is that her parents and best friend are dead.”
Dragging a hand down my face, I curse under my breath. I should never have left guarding Nisha’s room. Not even for a second. But I’d stepped out to make a few urgent calls, to ensure Prakash was being watched closely and that he couldn’t manipulate anyone or twist the system while sitting behind bars.
“She asked me,” Viraj replies evenly. “I didn’t volunteer the details. I told her what she needed to hear. And if you think I enjoy doing this, let me tell you that I don’t. But I also don’t have the luxury of staying silent. My job is to tell the truth, not sugarcoat it.”
I exhale sharply. “Why can’t you get it, Viraj? She’s been through hell, and the last thing she needs is your clinical truth.”
He shrugs, almost annoyed. “Care to explain why you are taking this so personally? She’s just a case, Sidharth. You don’t even know her. So why are you so… affected?”
I want to yell that she’s not just a case. That she’smine. Mine to protect. But I bite it back. Because even I know how damn ridiculous that sounds.
She’s not mine, not in any way that would make sense to anyone. She’s Reyansh’s girlfriend’s sister. That’s it. But ever since I carried her, limp, unconscious, and barely breathing, into that hospital, something in me just… shifted. And I can’t explain it. Hell, I don’t even understand it myself. I’ve tried to shake it off, rationalize it, kill it with logic. But none of it works. It’s like my mind had made a silent vow the moment I saw her, already deciding that no one gets to hurt her again. Not while I’m still breathing.
“It’s none of your fucking business,” I grind out, glaring at him.
A nurse walks past and glances at us cautiously. I lower my voice. “Fine. Do your job. But next time, you don’t talk to her unless I’m there.”
For a moment, we just stare at each other. He doesn’t respond, and I don’t wait for him to. I’m done here.
I brush past him without another word and head straight to Nisha’s room. Sunita Aunty had gone home to grab a change of clothes, which means she’s alone in there.
As I get closer to the room, there’s a strange pull in my chest. It’s the first time I’ll be seeing her since I brought her to the hospital.
I’ve been meaning to check on her earlier, but work got in the way. And now, knowing I’m about to see her, hear her voice… it does something to me.
I push the door open quietly, and my gaze falls on her. Her eyes are closed, her breathing is steady, and for a second, everything else fades. My damn heart slams against my ribs.
Yeah… she definitely does something to me.
Not wanting to wake her, I quietly walk to her bedside and sink into the chair next to her. I lean forward, elbows on my thighs, and just watch her. There’s a small bandage near her hairline, and an IV line taped to the back of her hand. She looks so damn fragile. And yet, even now, I can’t deny there’s a quiet beauty to her. Her soft brown hair falls messily around her face, framing delicate features that somehow still steal my breath away.
But the next second, my hands ball into fists. She shouldn’t be here, hooked to machines, looking this damn vulnerable.
The door creaks behind me. But I don’t turn. I already know who it is.
“How is she?” Reyansh’s voice is quiet, as if afraid to wake her.
I glance at him over my shoulder. “She’s fine,” I mutter. “Or whatever ‘fine’ means when you’ve had a bomb dropped on you the moment you wake up.”
He steps closer, sighing as he looks at her. “Yeah… I know Viraj told her everything.”
My jaw tightens. “That bastard just dumped it all on her.”
