For the first time since I found her unconscious in my office, the truth hits me with sudden clarity.
Her being okay isn’t just important. It’s everything.
It’s the only thing that matters. The only reason I can still breathe.
Chapter 7
Meera
The sharp smell of antiseptic hits me, followed by a pounding in my skull as I blink through the blur. I force myself upright, only to slump back with a groan.
“Hey, take it easy,” Samarth says tensely, and my eyes shift to him beside me on the bed as he presses the button, raising it to help me sit.
“How… how did I get here?” I whisper, my eyes flickering around the stark white hospital room, taking in the IV line tugging at my arm.
“That’s exactly what I want to ask you,” he replies softly, concern tightening his voice as he drops onto the chair beside my bed and takes my hand in his.
“How did you even end up here, Meera? The hospital called me. Said someone brought you in unconscious. I didn’t understand anything. I just rushed the moment I heard.”
I try to think, to pull the memories together, but everything feels foggy.
“I… I don’t remember,” I murmur, rubbing my temples. “I only remember heading towards the restricted area. Then I felt someone following me. I tried to rush, but my foot slipped… andafter that, it’s just… blank.” I swallow. “Maybe the men who saw me fall brought me here.”
“The doctor said you’re okay. No major injury. Just exhaustion and shock. He said you could leave once you woke up.” Samarth lets out a shaky breath. “I was fucking terrified when I got that call, Meera. I don’t even remember how I drove here.”
“I am sorry I scared you.”
“Don’t be. Just promise me you won’t scare me like that again. I—” he swallows hard “I can’t watch something happen to you. I just can’t handle it.”
“I won’t,” I say softly and then ask, “Did you tell Mom and Dad?”
He shakes his head immediately. “No. I knew you wouldn’t want me to. I wasn’t going to make things harder for you.”
I exhale, part relief, part frustration. “I regret I couldn’t find anything. I was so close.”
“Forget all this,” he cuts in gently but firmly. “You’re safe and okay. That’s what matters.”
I try to smile, but before I can, my phone starts buzzing on the side table with Sonia’s name flashing on the screen. The second I answer, I hear her breathing unsteadily.
“Meera, you need to come home. Now.”
“What happened?” My heart stutters as Samarth stands next to me, instantly alert.
“Just come, please,” she whispers, then the line goes dead.
I look up at Samarth, my pulse spiking. “We need to go. Something’s wrong.”
Before he can ask anything, the door swings open and the doctor walks in, clipboard in hand.
“Ah, good, you’re awake,” he offers me a warm, professional smile as he stands next to me. “How are you feeling?”
“I am fine, Doc,” I say, skipping over the part about still feeling a bit dizzy. I just want to get out of here.
He nods and checks the monitor beside me. He places the stethoscope on my chest, waits a moment, then moves to check my pulse.
“Your vitals look stable,” he says, making a few notes. “No signs of worry.”
“That means I can go home?”
