She scribbles something on her clipboard and turns towards the door. Before leaving, she pauses and looks back at me.
“Try to rest a little. She’s in good hands.”
I offer a faint smile. “I’ll try.”
And then the door closes behind her. I exhale shakily, my gaze falling back to Sunita Aunty. As I sit there, I send a quiet, desperate prayer, begging God not to punish her for what was written in my fate.Just… please, let her stay. Let this be one pain I don’t have to carry.
Sidharth shifts beside me. “She’s healing, Nisha. She’ll wake soon.”
I nod, my eyes resting on her peaceful face. “I know. It’s just that the waiting is the hardest part.”
He wraps an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into him.
“Not when I’m here,” he murmurs. “Give your boyfriend some credit.”
That earns a small, genuine smile from me… the first in what feels like forever.
Chapter 28
Sidharth
I rest my head against the cool hospital wall outside Sunita Aunty’s room. It’s been twenty-four agonising hours since the attack, and she’s still unconscious. But that’s not what’s tearing me apart. It’s Nisha. She hasn’t left her side for a single minute. The fear in her eyes, the way her hands shake as she silently pleads for Sunita Aunty to wake up, guts me.
Leaving her in that room to take Viraj’s call wasn’t easy, but I had to. If I’m going to give my woman the peace she deserves, I need to stay focused and vigilant. Lock into detective mode and handle this like the man she needs me to be.
But the second Viraj said there’s still nothing—no progress, no leads, no phone tracking, no ATM withdrawals, it pissed the hell out of me. You don’t need to be a genius to figure out that they’re moving with cash, using burner phones, maybe even hiding behind fake identities. The bastards are making damn sure they leave no trail.
We’ve put out a BOLO statewide, flagged Prakash at every airport, bus terminal, highway checkpoint, and even private charters. But he’s gone on full ghost mode. Every second he and his partner are out there is a second too damn long.
I take a deep breath as my fists curl at my sides. Hell, I’ll rip him out of whatever goddamn hole he and his partner are hiding in. I’ve got enough fucking rage in me to tear them apart, and I swear to God, I will.
A throat clears, breaking through the storm raging in my head. I lift my gaze from the wall and find Deepak standing a few feet away, his hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his jeans.
“How’s Sunita Aunty doing?” he asks cautiously.
My brows pull together, then my eyes narrow into hard slits. “How do you know?”
“I was here yesterday for a routine check-up. Saw you and Nisha rush in. You both looked tense.” His gaze holds mine for a moment too long before continuing, “I asked the receptionist. She told me what happened.”
I push off the wall and take a step towards him. “They just give out patient information to anyone who asks?”
He lifts one shoulder in a shrug, trying to appear normal. “Guess being a regular here comes with certain privileges.”
My jaw ticks. That’s bullshit. No hospital in their right mind spills out patient details, not even to their so-called ‘privileged’ clients. And even if they did, why the hell does he care? As far as I know, he barely knows Sunita Aunty. Definitely not enough to show concern, let alone inquire about her health. So why the sudden interest?
He clears his throat again, trying to steady whatever nerves he’s hiding. “I… I feel terrible about what happened. With Kavya not here, I felt it was important to check on Sunita Aunty. She means a lot to Kavya. And I also wanted to see how Nisha is coping.”
“She doesn’t need to see you,” I say, my voice low but lethal. The kind of tone that doesn’t need volume to make its message clear.
“I’m just trying to be supportive. Nisha’s been through a lot—”
I step in closer, cutting him off. “Supportive, my ass. She doesn’t need your fake concern. So spare me the act, turn around, and get the hell out of here.”
Something in his face cracks. His jaw ticks for a fraction of a second, and for a moment the practised calm slips. After a few seconds, he forces a stiff nod and steps back.
“Of course,” he mutters. “I just thought…” But he doesn’t finish the sentence. Instead, he turns around and walks away without another word.
My eyes stay fixed on his back as he disappears around the corner. Something about that man being here doesn’t sit right with me. Men like Deepak don’t show up out of concern. They move with motive. Self-serving. Calculated. A gut-deep certainty tells me he’s not here for Sunita Aunty, and he sure as hell isn’t here for Nisha. And I’ll be damned if I let it slip through the cracks. Without wasting a second, I pull out my phone and fire off a message to Viraj.
