So she reached for his arms, which still hung stiffly by his sides, and guided them around her waist, one arm at a time. Once his arms circled her, following her gentle lead, she hugged him even tighter.
That was when he finally responded.
Karan held her back with all the strength he had, clutching her as if she were the only thing keeping him anchored.
“It’s okay,” she continued whispering soft reassurances, repeating them again and again.
Slowly, it worked. His breathing began to steady, each breath syncing with the closeness of their embrace in the limited space on the couch. He buried his face in the curve of her neck, in her hair, inhaling her scent, letting it pull his thoughts away from the darkness.
And it helped him gradually. In the past, whenever these nightmares struck, and he woke drenched in sweat, sleep became impossible. To distract himself, he would either reach for a drink or throw himself back into work.
But tonight was different.
Tonight, Mishti was in his arms. She was holding him, whispering gentle words, calming him in a way nothing else ever had. They stayed like that for a few more minutes. Only when Mishti was certain that his breathing had fully returned to normal did she loosen her hold. He did the same. Still, she did not move away. She remained seated beside him on the couch, her gaze lifting to meet his.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
Karan nodded slowly. Their hands were now entwined, fingers locked together. Karan swallowed, then tightened his grip as he began to speak, describing what he had seen.
“I saw him,” he said. “I saw him aiming that gun at maa. Maa was…” His voice broke. “…lying lifeless… in that pool of blood. I…”
He stopped, shuddering, unable to go on.
Mishti’s heart ached painfully as she watched him struggle. She knew exactly what he had seen. It was the same scene that had happened right before his eyes sixteen years ago. A memory that had never loosened its hold on him. No wonder these nightmares still returned so often.
“How do you live with this, Karan? There has to be a way to stop this from tearing you apart like this.”
She meant medical help. Therapy. Anything that could ease his nights. But the moment the words left her mouth, Karan’s expression hardened. He looked straight into her eyes, anger flashing through them. The fury was not meant for her, but for the man responsible for all of this.
“This will stop when hedies, Mishti,” he said harshly. “Not before that. That’s the only way I’ll ever sleep without these nightmares again.”
Mishti almost choked. He was not wrong for feeling this way. She understood that. And yet the man he was talking about was her father. Although she felt no sympathy for him, not after everything he had done, still, hearing Karan wish for his death pierced something deep inside her.
Her eyes filled with tears, which Karan noticed. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. “Go to sleep. I’m fine now.”
She did not move.
“You can take the bed,” she offered. “I’ll sleep here on the couch.”
Karan looked at her, knowing she was only trying to make him feel better, trying to ensure he rested. But he shook his head slightly. “Bed or couch, it’s all the same,” he replied. “Go. I’ll be fine.”
She sighed and finally returned to the bed.
Karan lay back down on the couch, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling above him. Mishti kept watching him, silently hoping he would fall asleep soon, until her own eyes finally closed and she drifted off before he did.
CHAPTER 41
Next Day - Evening
Mishti hurried back into the room to change. The mehndi function was over, and her hands were still stained with fresh Mehndi design. Unlike the bride and the other guests, she had finished her mehndi much earlier. Being the bride’s sister-in-law meant she had no real liberty to sit back and enjoy the celebrations. There was too much to manage, too many details that needed attention.
Even though VK and Rajat had repeatedly told her to relax and let others take charge, she simply could not. Now that Avni knew she was her sister-in-law, Mishti had thrown herself completely into ensuring that everything went flawlessly.
Despite taking it off so soon, her mehndi had darkened beautifully. So much so that several women had teased her about it, laughing and chasing her with knowing smiles. Brushing off their playful remarks, Mishti had finally escaped and hurried back to her room.
She had nearly two hours before the sangeet began. The evening celebrations would start late and stretch well past midnight.
She reached her room and swiped the keycard, stepping inside. The room was empty. Karan was nowhere in sight. The sherwani he was supposed to wear tonight was placed neatly on the bed. Avni, in her usual dramatic fashion, had chosen thissherwani for Karan tonight and had gone as far as threatening that she would refuse to get married if he didn’t wear it. Her drama was exaggerated, as always, but it worked. Karan couldn’t possibly ignore a threat like that, so he gave in and decided to wear it.
