AUTHOR'S POV

“R… Rudra.”

Saanvi swallows, her lips trembles as she lowers him onto the asphalt, gently. When she finally sees him clearly, her chest caves, blood spreads across his stomach, soaking through his shirt until the fabric clings to his body. Her breath comes out shaky and uneven as she slides a hand under his head, pulling it into her lap.

“Rudra! Rudra, how did—” Her words die when her palm comes away wet. She stares at the blood streaking her hand and realizes it’s pouring from the back of his head too. Her eyes blur as tears fall freely, dripping down her cheeks as she bends closer to him.

“Rudra… how…” Her voice breaks, she clutches his face with trembling hands. She fumbles for her phone, pressing the screen with frantic fingers, and calls Kabir.

“Doct—”

“Kabir!” The sobs rip through her. “Kabir... Rudra—”

“What’s wrong?” His voice sharpens instantly.

“He’s hurt, there’s blood everywhere, please come fast!” The words tumble out,

“Stay there. Don’t move him. I’m sending an ambulance,” Kabir says and she drops the phone aside, her hands shaking too much to hold it.

“Rudra, don’t close your eyes. Please, just look at me, talk to me.” She pats his cheek lightly, desperate for a reaction.

His eyelids twitch before they slowly open and his gaze locks on her, “Pearl.”

Her throat tightens at the sound. Weeks have passed since she last heard him call her that, and now it comes back to her in the worst possible moment.

“Rudra, it’s going to be fine. The ambulance is coming. Just hold on,” she whispers, pressing both hands over the wound on his stomach, trying to stop the bleeding that won’t stop.

“Don’t…” His voice is so low she has to lean down to hear it. His fingers tremble as they brush her cheek, smearing blood against her skin. “Don’t save me.”

Her head shakes violently. “No. Stay with me.” She shrugs out of her shrug and ties it tightly around his stomach. He hisses in pain.

“Always remember…” His eyes fight to stay open. “I have always loved you.”

“No!” Her voice cracks, tears streaking her face. “Don’t close your eyes, Rudra!”

His lips twitch with the faintest trace of a smile. “But if I do… I’ll see you there too, won’t I?”

Her chest caves around him. She presses her face against his. Her body aches with the impossibility of helping, the futility of wanting to lift him and drag him to the car, do anything that could help, but her limbs feel heavy, useless against the panic flooding her.

“Rudra…” she whispers, her hair sticks to her face, damp with sweat and tears.

“Listen to me…” His fingers twitch weakly until they reach her cheek again. The touch smears blood across her skin, and she grabs his hand, pressing it there, “you have to leave. Go back to New York. Never come back.”

She shakes her head, the denial tearing out of her. “Stop it! What are you even saying?” Her throat tightens until she can hardly breathe. She looks around wildly, screaming into the night. “Kabir!” Her hands squeeze Rudra’s as though holding on can keep him alive. She presses her forehead to his chest again, wrapping around him, holding him closer than she ever has. “Don’t give up. Please… don’t.”

“I’m tired, Pearl,” Tears slip from the corners of his eyes, sliding down to his temples. “I’m sorry… I’m breaking my promise again, I tried but I don’t have the strength to carry it all anymore.”

She bites her lip so hard it stings, her eyes squeezed shut as she swallows back her sobs, “I’m sorry, Rudra. I’m sorry for being so cruel to you.” She murmurs, her hand stroking his cheek.

Pain twists his face as he hisses, forcing the words out. “The cruelest thing you ever did, was make me love you enough to die for you.”

Her head shakes frantically. “No. You won’t die. I won’t let you.” Her voice cracks, the desperation spilling out, but her strength drains with every word. “Promise me you’ll fight for us.”

His lips part, “I promise… I won’t fight for another breath. I’ll make sure this is the moment I die with you in my heart.”

She feels her face pale, the color draining away.

“But… shame I won’t be there… to see what you wear to my funeral.” The words come so quietly they almost seem to disappear into the space between them. She feels the last warmth of his hand fade from her cheek. His eyes close slowly, and the last spark of him leaves, a quiet surrender in the curve of his chest and the stillness of his limbs.

She goes still, the world pausing around her. “Rudra…” Her voice was a whisper at first, then it rises in panic as she shakes him. “Rudra! No… open your eyes! Please, don’t scare me. I’m sorry, I won’t hurt you again, I promise, just wake up!” Her arms tighten around him, desperate to hold him in place, but nothing she does can stop the pull of his fading life.

“Rudra! No!” she cries, clutching her own chest, tears blinding her as her chest tightens painfully.

She presses her forehead to his, another hand cupping his cheek, shaking him lightly, then holding him tighter “Rudra, please… open your eyes!”

She cries with a ferocity born of helplessness, but the cruelest reality of loss is that the loudest cries for someone come when they can no longer hear.

-----------------

“Please, hurry up!” Kabir shouts as he rushes beside the stretcher. Rudra lies motionless, blood soaking through the sheets, and Saanvi clings to his hand, her own fingers trembling, her palms stained red. Tears stream down her face as she stares at him.

The doors near the operating theatre swing open, and the stretcher disappears inside. Saanvi tries to follow, but before she can step through, someone grabs her arm and yanks her back outside the waiting area. She stumbles, her body jolting, and when she looks up she sees Avyaan standing in front of her. His eyes burn with fury, but beneath it there's a grief, fear, a rage that has nowhere to go.

“Don’t you dare,” he grits.

“Avyaan…” Her voice cracks as she whispers his name. “Please, let me go inside.” She tries to move past him, but he shoves her back with such force she nearly falls.

“To kill him?”

Her eyes snap wide as she shakes her head, “No. No, Avyaan, why would—”

“To finish your vengeance, to feed your damn ego.” His voice rises, splintering with anger. “You’ve done everything to him that he once did to you. No, worse. You’ve taken more from him than he ever took from you. The only thing left was to see him lying in a hospital bed the way you once were. Isn’t that it?”

She breaks down, her sobs choking her words. “No… I never wanted this. I swear, I would never—”

“Shut up!” he roars. “Stop pretending you’re innocent! You did this, Saanvi. You played with him. You used him. You took everything he had to give, and in the end, you left him like this.” His chest heaves as he takes a step closer, “Now do him one last favor. Sign the divorce papers and get the hell out of his life.”

Saanvi’s gaze drifts past him to the sliding doors, her desperation clawing at her throat. “Avyaan, please, I need to see him. Just let me—please.”

He points a trembling finger at her, “You and Anvika… you’re the same. No, worse—you’re cruel than her.” A tear slips down his cheek, “If anything happens to Rudra, Saanvi, I swear, I’ll make sure you live in hell.”

“Avyaan.” Kabir steps out of the sliding doors, his shirt soaked through with blood, his hands still trembling. He stops in front of Saanvi, facing Avyaan, “Calm down,”

Avyaan seizes him by the collar before the words can settle. His eyes were sharp, feral with rage. “Calm down?” His voice breaks into a yell, “That’s all you have to say after seeing him like that?” He shoves Kabir hard, almost throwing him off balance. “I told you. One day we’d be standing over his grave. And it’s because of her.” His voice cracks as his finger points toward Saanvi.

Kabir’s throat tightens, he doesn’t fight back, his chest pounds so hard he feels it in his ears, and his eyes sting with tears he can’t hold in. He turns his head, seeing Saanvi’s body folding into itself, her shoulders shaking as she cries.

“Doctor,” he says moving to her and takes her wrist gently. “Let’s go.”

She resists, “Kabir, please. I want to see him.”

He doesn’t answer right away, only guides her down the empty hall. He lowers her onto a bench and crouches in front of her, taking her cold palm between both of his. “Don’t cry.” His own tears fall even as he tries to steady her.

She shakes her head, sobbing harder, clutching her face, “Kabir…”

He pulls her into his arms. She collapses against him, her cries muffled into his bloodstained shirt. “He’ll make it. He won’t leave us. He won’t leave you.” he murmurs into her hair, rubbing her head gently.

Her fist clenches in the fabric of his shirt as though holding on to him could keep her from falling apart. When he finally pulls back, his own face streaked with tears, he cups her cheeks firmly. “Don’t blame yourself. Rudra wouldn’t want that.”

Her amber eyes search his, wide and glassy. “I want to see him,” she whispers between sobs.

“He’s in the operating theatre. Let them do their work. Trust them.”

She lowers her gaze to her lap. Her tears drip soundlessly onto her hands.

“Di!” Dhruv’s voice comes through the corridor as he rushes in. Kabir rises quickly.

“You are?” Kabir asks,

“Her brother.” Dhruv's eyes lock on Saanvi, who sits folded in on herself, hands and clothes stained deep red.

Kabir nods once. “Take care of her.” Without another word, he walks away.

Dhruv drops to her side, his hands reaching for her arms. “Di, are you hurt?” His voice cracks with panic as he searches her face.

She shakes her head, “Rudra… he’s shot.” The words choke out, and she clutches herself as though holding her ribs together.

Dhruv glances at the hospital, stunned, before wrapping her into his arms. “Oh god…” His grip tightens as she trembles against him. He presses his hand against the back of her head, forcing it into his chest.

Her phone buzzes in her lap. She ignores it but Dhruv snatches it up, answers, then freezes. His face drains color.

She lifts her head, tears streaking down her cheeks. “Who is it?”

He stares at her for a beat, then shuts the call and shakes his head. The phone rings again. This time, she rips it from his hands, swiping before he can stop her.

“Little rabbit?”

The voice sends her blood cold.

“Crying, aren’t you?” Yashwant chuckles, “Ah, your poor husband… he was a good man, I’ll give him that.” His tone twists the words into mockery.

Her throat tightens. “You did this,” she whispers,

“Of course I did. Who else?”

“Why him?” Her grip on the phone shakes. “You wanted me—why him?”

“So you don’t know about our deal.” He exhales through laughter. “Your Rudra was going to send you back to New York. And I’m not an idiot. I know by now you and your family must have filled Rudra in about Suhana, isn’t that right?”

She presses her lips together, saying nothing.

“Even if you left India, what guarantee did I have? Rudra could still come after me. So I thought, why not remove the risk? And the funniest part,” Yashwant adds, “is that he didn’t even fight. That bastard practically agreed to die. Like he was done with life already. Made it easy for me.”

The words hollow her out. She stares straight ahead, frozen, unable to process sound beyond the ringing in her ears.

“Now listen, little rabbit.” He drawls, “Go back to New York. Live quietly, because your protector is gone. Who’s going to shield you now? He gave up his life for you. You want that sacrifice wasted?” he mocks, “Oh, and if he’s in the hospital, don’t waste money. He won’t make it.”

Her hand flies to her mouth, tears spilling fast, “Why?” Her voice breaks, exhausted, defeated. “Why keep doing this? You could have killed me long ago. Why… why all this?”

“Because I enjoy it,” Yashwant says, “Watching you fall apart. Watching your father rot in guilt. One mistake ruined your family, and I’ll make sure you live it again and again. I was going to kill you the moment you came back to India. But Rudra got in the way, didn’t he? Always hovering. Always pulling you back. So I wiped him out. And I’ll keep wiping out anyone who tries to keep you standing. Death would be mercy, I want you alive. Suffering.”

Saanvi feels her body go numb, her ears ringing, her phone damp in her trembling hand.

“I’m giving you time,” Yashwant finishes, “Go back.” The line goes dead.

She stares at the screen. Missed calls from Shaurya flash against the lock screen, but her eyes don’t move. Her mind stays stuck on Rudra, his blood, his stillness, the sound of Yashwant’s voice telling her he didn’t want to live.

“Di…” Dhruv calls softly.

Her eyes fall on the glow of her phone. A new notification from shaurya,

Saanvi, what’s wrong with Rudra? He sent me this… read more.

She unlocks it with trembling fingers  immediately. Her thumb hovers before she opens it. The message expands.

Saanvi, what's wrong with Rudra? He sent me this, I just came out of surgery and saw his message… what’s going on? Is he okay?

She loves you, Shaurya. You’re the one she’s chosen, and you’re the one she trusts her future with. Take her back to New York, where she feels at home. Stay by her side and give her the life she deserves, the one I could never give. My mistake was stepping into her world when I had no right. Now I’m stepping out, and this is the only way I know how to make it right. Protect her in every way I couldn’t. Don’t let her carry everything alone, don’t let her cry herself to sleep again. Keep her safe, keep her smiling, keep her whole. That’s all I ask of you.

She stares, her tears spilling over the glass, dripping down the phone screen. The words dig deeper each second she looks at them.

He thinks I love Shaurya? The thought echoes in her mind.

“Who would you choose? Shaurya or me?”

“Shaurya.”

Her chest tightens, twisting painfully as realization settles in. He believed he wasn’t her choice. He believed he was second, unwanted. Every fiber of her wants to claw back time, to drag away the Saanvi from that day, the one who chose Shaurya, and push forward the one who would stand in front of Rudra, choose him without hesitation, hold him, confess everything. But time does not trade, it only collects. And what it has taken from her, it will never return.

Her breath stumbles. She tries to inhale but it catches, like her lungs have locked shut.

“Di…” Dhruv panics, his hand pressing against her back, rubbing fast. “Di, breathe. Please, breathe.”

Her forehead dampens with sweat, her chest heaving, desperate, but no air comes. She gasps soundlessly, soon her vision begins to blur. She collapses against Dhruv’s chest, his frantic voice muffling against her ear. She catches fragments, his scream, footsteps rushing closer, the sharp tone of a doctor’s order.

Her eyes fight to stay open, but darkness pulls faster. The last thing she feels is her brother’s arms trying to hold her as everything slips away.

-----------------

Kabir ends the call with a shaky hand. When he turns, he sees Abhimaan hurrying toward him. His eyes catch on Kabir’s shirt, dark and stiff with blood, and he doesn’t need to ask whose it is.

The moment Kabir sees him, his eyes blur with tears. He closes the distance and clutches him in a desperate hug. “Bhai,” he murmurs, “Rudra… he’s hurt badly. He’s back there again...”

Abhimaan presses his eyes shut, inhaling sharply as he steadies himself. He holds Kabir tight, rubbing his back in slow circles. “Calm down, Kabir. Just breathe.”

Kabir forces himself to let go, wiping his face roughly.

“We need to hold it together,” Abhimaan keeps his hand on his shoulder. “Did you tell Abhiraj uncle and Adrika aunty?”

Kabir nods quickly. “They’re on their way.”

Abhimaan scans the hall, “Where’s Avyaan?”

Kabir takes a shaky breath, rubbing his palms against his jeans. “I don’t know how to face him. He’s… really furious.”

Abhimaan swallows, dragging a hand over his face. “Of course he is. This is the second time he’s seen Rudra like that, covered in blood.” He shakes his head, “Anyway, where is he?”

“Near the operation theatre.”

Abhimaan gives him a quick pat on the cheek and turns, striding down the hall.

He slows when he reaches the waiting area outside the OT. Avyaan slouched on a chair outside the OT, elbows digging into his knees, fists tangled in his hair.

He steps closer. “Avyaan.”

He doesn’t look up, “Again.” His fingers tighten in his hair. “I saw him again, Abhimaan. Covered in blood, just like that day.” His voice cracks as he lifts his head, his eyes raw with unshed tears. “I thought this time I wouldn’t let it happen. I thought I’d protect him. But…” He swallows hard. “I failed again.”

Abhimaan shuts his eyes, forcing a breath through his nose before he opens them and grips Avyaan’s arms. He pulls him to his feet. “Don’t put this on yourself. When he wakes up, we’ll all tear into him for pulling this shit. That’s what we’ll do.”

Avyaan shakes his head, and the tears finally spill over. “I won’t. I could never. I’d hug him so tight he wouldn’t even breathe. I’d tell him he’s not alone, that he’s precious to us, that we care more than he knows.”

Abhimaan feels his own throat tighten, a single tear slides down before he can stop it, and he pulls Avyaan into a hard embrace. “We’ll tell him. We’ll make sure he hears it. Nothing’s happening to Rudra. And whoever dared to do this, we’ll make them regret breathing.”

Avyaan’s cries break against his chest, deep and guttural. His fists clutch the back of Abhimaan’s shirt. “He keeps suffering, Abhimaan. Every time, it’s him against the world, always alone. And I know him, if he gave up like this, it means something’s broken inside him. He didn’t deserve this. Not again.”

Abhimaan can’t find words. His body feels heavy, his arms the only thing keeping Avyaan upright.

Avyaan whispers against his shoulder, “I always feared this moment. And now I’m living it again.”

Abhimaan holds him tighter, his gaze locked on the closed doors of the OT, praying silently that Rudra doesn’t slip away.

| After six hours |

Saanvi’s eyes flutter open. The harsh hospital lights sting, forcing her to squint. She pushes herself upright and realizes she’s lying on a bed.

“Saanvi.”

Her head turns. Anubhav stands by her side, relief softening his face as he comes closer.

“D–Dad… Rudra.” her gaze darts around the room. “Where’s he?”

“The surgery is still going,” Anubhav brushes a hand over her hair.

She swallows hard and tries to move, but pain shoots across her chest. She clutches herself.

“Saanvi, don’t. You need rest—”

But she shakes off his hand, ignoring the warning. Swinging her legs over the side, she pushes herself off the bed.

“Saanvi! Come back!” Anubhav’s voice cracks, tears burning his eyes as he stumbles after her.

She reaches the OT doors. Avyaan sits rigid in a chair, across from him, Adrika weeps against Abhiraj’s chest, his arms tight around her. Abhimaan hovers close by, watching everyone.

The moment Saanvi appears, Avyaan’s head jerks up. Rage flashes in his eyes as he shoots to his feet. “Get the fuck out of here.” His voice shakes with fury.

“Avyaan, stop. Not now,” Abhiraj says wearily.

Avyaan laughs bitterly. “Of course. You don’t know, do you? You don’t know how she played him. Tell them. Or should I?”

Adrika’s tearful frown deepens. “Played him? What are you saying?”

“She made Rudra believe she forgave him. She let him think she was staying. And when he trusted her, when he let himself believe for once, she tore it all down the next day. I’m sure she threw Anvika and his past in his face too, didn’t you?”

Saanvi lowers her gaze, her eyelids squeezing shut.

“There.” Avyaan scoffs. “She did.”

Adrika rises slowly, and steps toward Saanvi. She stops in front of her, “Did you?”

Saanvi lifts her head, her eyes are red, swollen, and she can’t force a word past her lips.

The sound of Adrika’s hand connecting with her cheek echoes through the hospital, Saanvi’s head jerks sideways.

“Adrika!” Abhiraj catches her arms, holding her back.

Adrika’s tears stream as she shakes him off. “You chose Shaurya over Rudra. That was your choice, and we respected it. Even when I watched my son crumble a little every day, drifting further from me, I stayed silent because love isn’t something you can force. But who the hell are you to twist his past against him?”

Saanvi sobs, collapsing against Anubhav when he pulls her into his arms. Her tears soak his chest, her body shakes with guilt.

“How can you be so heartless, Saanvi?” Adrika’s voice cracks, “Do you even know what he went through? Do you understand what this has done to him? All this time, my son suffered alone.” She turns to Abhiraj, “Our Rudra… Abhi, he went through all of it alone.” Her head rests against his chest. Tears streak down Abhiraj’s face as he tightens his arms around her. “I told you to bring him back. I begged you, and you didn’t listen. My Rudra…” Her sobs continue.

The OT doors open, and a team of doctors steps out. Everyone’s eyes snap to them.

“Doctor, how is he?” Abhiraj’s voice trembles.

The lead doctor looks at each of them, then exhales heavily. “Not good.”

“What do you mean?” Abhimaan demands.

“It’s serious. He’s...in a coma.”

Gasps fill the waiting area. Adrika knees buckle, she clutches Abhiraj, sobbing, while he stands frozen, Abhimaan and Avyaan's mouth parts in disbelief.

“There’s ongoing swelling in his brain. We’re doing everything to control the intracranial pressure,” the surgeon adds.

Saanvi feels the blood drain from her body, numbness spreads through her chest. She pulls away from Anubhav and steps toward the doctors. “Coma? How…? The brain… is it stable? Can the swelling be controlled?”

The doctor’s eyes drop before he answers. “We’re monitoring him. His vitals are stable for now, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, pulse but the brain injury is critical. Any increase in swelling could worsen the prognosis and we may not be able to save him.”

Avyaan storms out without a word, his breathing ragged with his ragged breath, Abhimaan casts a teary glance after him and follows.

Adrika collapses fully onto the floor, sobbing into her hands. Abhiraj stands behind her, tears spilling despite the way he tries to stay strong.

Saanvi’s face goes pale. “Doctor… please,” she pleads, “Just let me see him. Just once…”

“You’re a doctor yourself. You know—”

“I know,” she interrupts, gripping her hands together until her knuckles turn white. “I just… I need to see him. Please. That’s all. I won’t do anything. I swear.”

The doctor studies her, reading the desperation in her posture and the raw panic in her eyes. Finally, he nods. “Alright. He’s being shifted to the ICU. You can see him there, but you have to follow protocol. I don’t need to explain the precautions to you, you’re a doctor, you know exactly what to do.” 

Saanvi nods, quickly pulling on a sterile gown, gloves, and mask. She follows a nurse. Outside the ICU, the nurse signals her to pause as a respiratory therapist checks the ventilator and a nurse adjusts his IV lines.

Soon, they slide open the ICU doors. Inside, Rudra lies supine on the bed, head wrapped in sterile gauze, a pulse oximeter on his finger blinks steadily, the green waveform tracing his heartbeats on the monitor. Multiple IV lines feed him fluids and medications. Her vision blurs with tears as she steps closer to him.

“Rudra…” she whispers softly, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for any of this. Please… come back. I can’t… I can’t lose you. I’ll do whatever it takes, I’ll make it right, I swear. Just… don’t leave me.” She sniffs, pressing her hand gently over his wrist, feeling the pulse beneath her fingers.

The monitor blares suddenly showing his heart rate is dropping. Saanvi’s eyes snap to the screen, her lips tremble, and she freezes. She jerks her gaze to his face and shakes her head, unable to accept what she’s seeing.

“Why is your heart always racing? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with a normal heart rate.”

“A steady heart was never meant for moments like this... not when it's you this close. As long as you're near breathing, touching, existing in my orbit, my pulse will always betray me.”

“I promise… my heartbeat will never fall silent, not when it’s you who sets its rhythm.”

“Doctor! His heart rate is dropping!”

“One day, I’ll see your quiet heart, and I’ll be the reason why.”

She stares at the monitor, her tears blurring the numbers.

The nurse at her side tugs gently at her arm. “Ma’am, you need to step back.”

The attending physician, scrubbed in, leans closer to the monitor, checking the IV lines, EKG leads, and ventilator settings. “We’re stabilizing. Please step away.”

Memories of his last words came into her mind,

“I won’t fight for another breath. I’ll make sure this is the moment I die with you in my heart.”

She rocks forward, desperately reaching for him. “Rudra, don’t! Please, don’t!”

The nurse steps closer, pressing against her shoulder to restrain her. “You can’t. You need to leave the bed space.”

“Rudra!” she wails, twisting against the hold.

Anubhav’s standing near the entrance, his arms wrap around her from behind, “Saanvi, stop!”

She thrashes against him, trying to break free, but his grip tightens. “Saanvi, listen to me. He’s being monitored. You can’t interfere now. You can’t save him by panicking.”

“No! I have to be with him! I can feel it, his heart… it’s slowing!” Her sobs shake her body.

Dhruv steps in, pulling her away. “Di, I’ve got you. Breathe. You can’t help him like this. Let the nurses and doctors do their job.”

She collapses into his arms and presses her forehead to Dhruv’s shoulder, gasping for air.

Anubhav steps back, blinking rapidly, tears streaking his face as he watches Saanvi thrash against Dhruv’s hold.

Dhruv leads her outside into the hospital garden. He settles her on a bench, his hands gripping her shoulders to keep her from collapsing completely.

“Dhruv,” she gasps, “His heart… it slowed down when I touched him.”

“Stop blaming yourself,” Dhruv snaps, “You didn’t do this.”

“You don’t understand!” Saanvi cries, pressing her hands to her face as tears slide through her fingers. “You’ll never understand. Every time I’ve touched him, his heart raced. He told me it was because of me, I felt it under my hand, every single time. And today… today it slowed and I—I was the one who made his heart slow.”

Avyaan stands nearby, staring blankly into the distance. His eyes fall on Saanvi sitting on the bench beside Dhruv. A memory came into his mind,

“...if I ever let myself love a man like him... I'd end up hating myself and that's destruction waiting to happen. And I'd rather throw all of that rage at him than bury it inside me. So yeah, pray I never love him.”

Abhimaan notices his stare and lays a hand on his arm. “Avyaan, don’t,” he says already sounding drained but Avyaan pulls free and starts walking. Abhimaan sighs, wipes his face with the heel of his hand, and follows.

“You love him, don’t you?”

Saanvi doesn’t lift her head. Her gaze stays fixed on her lap, fingers knotted tightly together.

“That’s why you did this,” he continues, stopping in front of her. “You hated yourself for loving him. So you turned it into anger and poured it on him. You really kept your promise, Saanvi. You hurt him more than anyone else ever could.”

“Stop this nonsense,” Dhruv snaps, rising from the bench. “She doesn’t love him and don’t put this on her.”

Avyaan’s eyes flick toward him, “She is to blame. She’s the root of all this. The moment she walked into his life, everything started falling apart.”

“Avyaan, enough. Let’s go,” Abhimaan says, stepping forward, his hand reaching for his arm.

Avyaan yanks free and whirls on him. “Do you remember the day Rudra told us he loved her? What did we say? We told him to walk away, that he’d hurt her. But look at him now. Look at what she’s done.”  he whirls back to Saanvi, “You took him for granted, Saanvi. Every time. Because he was always available for you. Because he took your anger and your coldness and your worst betrayals, and still he came back. And you...you don’t deserve an ounce of his love.”

She sits rigid, the sting of his words hitting deeper.

“I hope when he wakes up, he forgets you. Even your existence.”

“That’s enough you’re crossing the line,” Dhruv growls,

Before Abhimaan can stop it, Avyaan swings and lands a hard punch across Dhruv’s jaw. Dhruv stumbles back, hand flying to his mouth, blood on his lip.

“Avyaan!” Abhimaan shouts, grabbing him, forcing him back with both hands. He glances at Dhruv, who wipes his mouth, glaring.

“Take care of her, Dhruv,” And without another word, he drags Avyaan away,

On the bench, Saanvi stays motionless. She finally tilts her head back, closing her eyes. Tears slip down the sides of her face.

______________________________________________________________________________