CHAPTER 41 #2
With no hesitation, she twisted her body and sank her teeth into Vicky’s hand. He screamed, instinctively releasing the knife. It clattered to the floor just before a gunshot rang out. A bullet struck Vicky’s foot and he collapsed with a howl, writhing in pain.
Aanya bolted straight into Reyansh’s arms.
“Mira… Mira…” Vicky kept shouting, even as the officers swarmed him and slapped cuffs on his wrists. A medic team rushed in behind them.
“Reyansh…” Aanya whimpered, gripping his shirt.
“Ssh… you’re safe now,” he whispered, brushing frantic kisses across her face, one hand stroking her hair while the other clutched her close, like he’d never let go again. He’d been living a nightmare ever since she was taken…one he never wanted to relive.
“Navya… he took her too… we have to… please…” Aanya choked through tears, still trembling.
“She’s safe,” he reassured her, cupping her face. “Navya’s safe, I promise. Sunny is with her. Nothing happened. You saved her, Aanya… and yourself.”
Only after hearing that truth from Reyansh, did Aanya’s body finally give in. Her knees buckled, her eyes fluttered shut, and she collapsed into his arms.
“Aanya?” Reyansh panicked, patting her cheek as he lifted her up effortlessly.
“She’s going into shock. We need to move now!” a medic shouted.
Cradling her tightly, Reyansh sprinted to the ambulance with the team close behind. He didn’t care about the blood, the chaos, or the sirens. He just wanted her to open her eyes again…and never let them close on him like that again.
Hospital
Reyansh paced restlessly outside the post-operative observation room, his nerves frayed and mind racing.
Aanya had needed stitches on her shoulder.
The doctors assured him it was a superficial wound, just through the flesh, not deep enough to damage the bone, but the thought of what could’ve happened if he hadn’t arrived in time with the police kept gnawing at him.
“Reyansh?” Radhika and Rishi rushed down the hallway toward him. “How is Aanya? Is she okay now?”
He had been holding himself together barely, but seeing his sister and brother-in-law broke his composure.
Without a word, he pulled Radhika into a tight embrace.
She wrapped her arms around him in return, silently absorbing the storm of emotion radiating from her brother.
She could feel the terror he’d endured… and the sheer relief.
Aanya wasn’t just someone he loved anymore. She was the core of his strength, and his most painful vulnerability.
Rishi placed a firm hand on Reyansh’s back. “Rey, you found her. You saved her. She’s alive and that’s what matters.”
Reyansh pulled away from the hug, blinking rapidly. He couldn’t afford to fall apart.
“Why did you both leave the house? I told you not to step out until this was over.”
“We had security with us,” Rishi explained calmly. “The rest are with Nani, Shikha, and Ruhi. Don’t worry. We’re safe now since that lunatic Vicky has been arrested.”
“I still can’t believe Shagufta was behind all this,” Radhika muttered, shaking her head. “All this hatred just to separate you and Aanya? For what? What kind of person does that? She deserves the harshest punishment for everything she’s done to this family.”
Reyansh didn’t respond, just nodded. His mind was still inside that hospital room, with Aanya.
Moments later, the doctor stepped out, removing his gloves.
“Mr. Chopra,” he addressed him gently, “your wife is stable. The wound was clean and the stitches are in place. She’ll make a full recovery soon. We’ve kept her sedated for now though. She’s still unconscious but should wake up in a few hours.”
“Can I see her?” Reyansh asked, already halfway to the door.
“Of course.”
Without another word, he stepped into the room.
The beeping of the monitors was the only sound echoing in the sterile space.
Aanya lay motionless on the bed, pale and quiet, her vitals stable.
A single IV drip and a blood bag hung beside her.
Her right shoulder was wrapped in a thick bandage… proof of the chaos she’d just endured.
Reyansh pulled a chair beside her and sat, taking her cold fingers into his warm grip. He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it gently.
“I’m sorry, baby,” he whispered. “I promised you nothing would happen. I failed you. I should’ve been there sooner…”
He brushed a loose strand of hair from her face, his thumb trembling as it grazed her skin.
The hours ahead…waiting for her to wake…would be the longest of his life.
*****************
Aanya stirred as the first light of dawn filtered into the room. A sharp pain flared in her shoulder, making her wince. She tried to focus on the ceiling, the walls, anything familiar. Where was she? The penthouse? Shikha’s place? Di’s?
No. This wasn’t a home. The sterile smell, the white walls, the beeping machines—she recognized the hospital logo from the building she passed often on her way to work. And just like that, the memories crashed into her. The van. The syringe. Vicky’s madness. Her near escape from death.
She shivered.
“Aanya…” Reyansh’s voice cut through her panic as he sprang up from the nearby chair, gently yet firmly holding her trembling arms. “It’s okay… I’m here. You’re safe now, baby.”
Her heart slowly steadied at the sight of him. He’d come. He’d saved her. Just like she knew he would.
She winced again, her shoulder throbbing.
“I know,” Reyansh said softly. “You’ve got two stitches there. The pain will ease. Just give it time.”
Her jaw clenched. The ache was worse than she expected. Reyansh pressed the call button. Within moments, a nurse entered, followed by two doctors who checked her vitals and administered her next dose of painkillers.
The medication dulled her senses and she drifted back into sleep.
***************
When Aanya woke again a few hours later, she heard low voices. Reyansh and Radhika stood near the window, talking in hushed tones.
“Reyansh, you haven’t eaten since last night,” Radhika scolded. “You’ll fall sick yourself. Go home. Rest. Me and Rishi will stay with her.”
Aanya’s throat burned with dryness. She tried to reach for the water bottle on the bedside table, but her movement caught Reyansh’s attention first. He was at her side instantly.
“You want water? Just a second.” He poured some into a glass, then helped her sit up slightly, holding the glass to her lips. She drank slowly, gratefully.
“Go home,” she murmured, voice raspy. “You need rest too.”
Reyansh set the glass aside and cupped her face with one hand.
“We’re going home together. I’m not leaving you alone here.”
Radhika smiled gently and moved to Aanya’s side, stroking her hair. “How do you feel now?”
Aanya forced a faint smile. “Better.”
She reached for Reyansh’s hand and laced her fingers through his. “Go,” she urged again, her eyes pleading.
He shook his head. “I told you, I’m not leaving. Don’t push me on this.” He stood. “I’ll call the doctor.”
As he stepped out, Radhika leaned closer.
“He’s not going anywhere, Aanya. You might as well stop trying. The doctor said they’ll discharge you tomorrow. Everything else can be managed from home.”
A few minutes later, Reyansh returned with the doctors. They checked Aanya again and gently replaced the bandage on her shoulder. The entire time, she held tightly onto her husband’s hand.
Because his touch was the only thing keeping the pain from swallowing her whole.