“It’s done,” he said finally in a gruff voice.
She opened her eyes slowly, looking down at him. He was still crouched before her, the afternoon sun glinting off his hair, his hand stained faintly with her blood.
The shard was gone, and Karan had neatly tied his white handkerchief around the wound. She blinked, astonished as she hadn’t felt a thing.
He rose, brushing the dust off his trousers, still looking tense. For the first time, his eyes were shadowed not with anger but with concern for her, with empathy, and that’s when Mishti saw what she’d been praying for.
A sign.
Her heart tightened painfully in her chest. Maybe this was God’s answer. That beneath all his rage and cruelty, there was still a man capable of feeling. A man who could rush across the city because she screamed. A man who could hold her pain in his hands and try to take it away.
For the first time since their marriage, she smiled faintly through her tears.This was her sign. Maybe her faith in this marriage wasn’t misplaced after all.
Karan didn’t see that smile, though. He only stood, wiping his hands. “Next time you plan to go barefoot, inform me first. I’ll send you with a first-aid box.”
Her lips curved just a little more. He cared! And he definitely had some sense of humour too. She held onto the pillar andtried to stand, but the moment she put pressure on her foot, she wobbled again, trying to balance herself.
He exhaled in frustration before bending down and sweeping Mishti into his arms.
She gasped. Mishti clutched his shoulder instinctively. Was this really happening? She in Karan’s arms?
Even Karan was surprised by his actions. But he didn’t look at her, not once. His eyes stayed forward, as if carrying her was nothing more than a duty. But the tension in his throat, the way his hold on her tightened every time she moved, betrayed him.
People in the temple vicinity stopped and looked at them with surprise. But he didn’t care what they thought. To him, she was his wife, and no one had the right to question what he did with her.
When he placed her gently inside the car, he checked her leg again, making sure it rested comfortably. Then, without a word, he started the engine.
Mishti stayed quiet the whole way, her hands folded over her lap, watching him from the corner of her eye. The car sped through the streets, fast enough to make her grip the side handle. She’d always been afraid of speed. It reminded her how fragile life could be…one wrong turn, and everything could end.
When Karan noticed her hand clenching the seat handle as if holding on for dear life, he didn’t say anything, but his foot eased off the accelerator. When the car’s pace slowed, another faint smile tugged at her lips as she looked at him.So he did notice. He did care.
She didn’t say a word, though, but inside her heart she whispered a quiet thank-you to him, to the universe, to the divine she had just prayed to because for the first time in a long while, that silence didn’t feel suffocating. It felt…safe.
****************
When they reached the mansion, Karan parked the car. Mishti thought he’d let her limp her way inside, but before she could even reach for the handle, he was already at her side. Without a word, he opened the door, bent down, and lifted her into his arms once again, effortlessly, carrying her up the front steps in that bridal style.
She shouldn’t have liked it, not after everything he’d said to her, not after all the ways he had hurt her. But she did. Somewhere deep in her chest, her heart fluttered like a foolish, hopeful thing.
Maria rushed to them the moment they entered the foyer, looking horrified when she saw Mishti’s foot wrapped in a blood-stained handkerchief.
“Ma’am, what happened?” she gasped, hurrying toward them.
Before Mishti could say a word, Karan ordered. “Call the doctor.”
Maria immediately nodded and hurried away while Karan climbed the stairs, still carrying Mishti in his arms. When they reached her room, he pushed the door open with his shoulder and strode in. Karan walked to the bed and gently set her down, adjusting the pillows behind her, so her back was supported. Although his hands moved with ease, she noticed how careful he was not to hurt her foot.
She wanted to thank him, to say something, but the words died on her lips as he was already stepping back.
For a fleeting moment, his eyes met hers. But before she could read too much into it, he turned away.
He walked out without another word, as if he needed distance from the very feeling he had just betrayed.
Downstairs, Maria approached him nervously. “Sir, I’ve called Dr Komal. She’s on her way.”
Karan stopped mid-step. “You calledDr Komal?”
Maria blinked, startled. “Yes, sir. You said to call the doctor. I thought since Dr Komal treated ma’am after her last accident, you meant her.”
