And then his eyes close, and his hand goes limp.
“No!” I scream, shaking him. “Sidharth! Wake up!”
Viraj is suddenly beside me, his hand firm on my shoulder. “Come on,” he says softly, pulling me back as paramedics rush in.
I sob harder, refusing to tear my gaze away as they work on him. “Please save him, please….”
They lift him onto a stretcher and start wheeling him out. I turn, stumbling forward to follow them, but my vision tilts violently. The hallway spins around me, and my knees buckle.
The floor rushes up to meet me, the voices blurring into one.
The last thing I hear is someone shouting, “She’s fainting!”
And then, the darkness swallows me whole.
Chapter 38
Sidharth
A dull ache pulses in my side as I blink my eyes open. The sharp scent of antiseptic and the steady beep of machines hit me immediately, reminding me I’m still stuck in the hospital. It’s been three damn days since they brought me in, and I still don’t know when the doctor plans to discharge me. If I had it my way, I’d get the hell out of here right this second.
My mind drifts back to the moment I first woke up after the five-hour surgery. Everything felt like a blur. My throat was dry, my body numb, and my mind clouded with pain. Yet through all that fog, the only name that left my lips was Nisha. I knew nothing would put me at ease until I saw her.
And when she finally walked into the room and ran straight into my arms, it felt like I could finally breathe again. Just knowing I hadn’t lost her… hell, that did more for me than any medicine they could’ve pumped into my veins.
Hours later, Viraj walked in, file in hand, wearing that same grim expression on his face that practically screamed I was a crazy bastard for pulling off this stunt. But he had no idea what really went through me the moment I saw Maya point a gun at Nisha. In that instant, nothing else mattered. Not logic, not fear,not even my own life. All I could think about was keeping her safe.
After taking my statement, Viraj finally gave me the one thing I needed to hear—Maya and Prakash had confessed. The department had everything: recordings, statements, solid evidence. They weren’t walking free again.
Snapping back to the present, I try to move my arm, but it won’t budge. I glance to the side, and the corner of my mouth lifts when my eyes land on Nisha.
She’s curled up in the chair beside me, her hand wrapped around mine in a death grip, and is fast asleep. She hasn’t left my side since the moment I landed here. Not even after I woke up, not even when the doctor said I was out of danger.
She fought tooth and nail with Viraj, Sunita Aunty, and even the doctor… anyone who tried telling her to go home and get some rest. In the end, they all had to give up, with Sunita Aunty settling into a routine of bringing her homemade food and fresh clothes every day.
My stubborn woman.
The doctor called me lucky, said the bullet tore through the side of my stomach, missing the vital organs by a few inches. Just one inch the other way, and I’d be gone. But as I look at Nisha, her brows faintly drawn even in sleep, I know exactly what saved me.
It wasn’t luck.
It was her.
It was because I had someone to come back to.
My gaze falls on the wall clock. It’s dark, but the faint glow of the night lamp cuts through the shadows just enough for me to see the time. Two in the morning.
I lick my dry lips and glance over at the glass of water on the bedside table.
Carefully, I shift, lifting my free hand so I don’t wake her as I try to reach for the glass. But the moment I stretch too far, a sharp pain rips through my side, like fire tearing through flesh.
“Fuck,” I hiss through clenched teeth and drop back onto my side.
Nisha jerks awake and is out of the chair in a second, hovering over me as she cups my cheek with her palm.
“Sidharth?” Her voice is hoarse with sleep, but edged with panic. “What happened?”
“Sweetheart, relax,” I let out a strained breath, trying to ease the tightness in my side. “I was just thirsty… tried to reach for the water.”
