Ch31The Beginning of Rudravanya #3
But this time, with Rudraksh finally out of immediate danger, her mind was no longer distracted enough to suppress everything that had happened the previous night.
As she walked through the long corridor, the horrifying scene suddenly replayed vividly in her mind the moment when, blinded by rage and fear, she had driven the trident straight through that man.
Until now, the fear for Rudraksh's life had overshadowed everything else, but now that same memory had begun haunting her.
Rivanya had studied murder cases before; she had read about violence in books, reports, and newspapers.
But there was a vast difference between reading about death and becoming the reason behind someone's.
Only Vyom truly understood that this shock was bound to hit her sooner or later.
Cold sweat appeared across Rivanya's forehead. Her hands trembled slightly, her throat went dry, and her breathing became uneven. By the time she slowly reached outside Rudraksh's room, her pale face was enough for anyone to notice something was wrong.
The moment Dev saw her condition, he immediately stood up in concern. "What happened, Bhabhi-sa? Why do you look so scared?"
Vyom and Raaj also became alert instantly. Raaj frowned and asked worriedly, "Bhabhi-sa, did someone say something to you? Just tell me the name once... I won't spare them."
Rivanya quickly shook her head. "No, nothing like that. Calm down, Devar-sa. It's just... after everything that happened yesterday, maybe I'm just feeling disturbed thinking about it all. Nothing else."
Dev still looked unconvinced. "Are you sure, Bhabhi-sa?"
Rivanya forced a faint smile and nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. Now all of you should go freshen up and eat something properly. I'm here now."
Dev and Raaj finally agreed after hearing her insist repeatedly, but Vyom remained silent for a few moments. Deep down, he was certain that the previous night had left a scar on Rivanya's mind. He knew that once Rudraksh recovered completely, he would have to talk to her about it carefully.
Stepping closer, Vyom gently placed his hand over Rivanya's head and said softly, "Rivanya... now you also have an elder brother beside you. So you don't need to carry every burden alone anymore. I'm here, okay? Nothing will happen to you... and nothing will happen to Rudraksh either."
Rivanya silently nodded her head in agreement.
Soon, Vyom, Dev, and Raaj finally left from there, while Rivanya quietly sat down outside Rudraksh's room, waiting impatiently for the moment the doctors would finally allow her to go inside and stay beside him again.
Just then, the doctors opened the door and stepped out. Rivanya immediately rushed toward them and asked in a hurry, "Doctor, he's alright, isn't he? There aren't any complications, right? Nothing is wrong? He's not in too much pain, is he?"
The doctor gently tried to calm her down and said, "Mrs. Vardhan, calm down. Don't worry. Your husband is absolutely fine now. There is no problem."
Rivanya placed a hand over her chest in relief and said, "Thank God. Doctor, can I meet him?"
The doctor nodded. "Of course. He has regained full consciousness now, so you can meet him. Just make sure he doesn't take any stress."
Rivanya immediately replied, "Don't worry, Doctor. I'll take good care of him."
Without wasting another second, she hurried inside. Rudraksh was lying on the bed, shirtless, his body wrapped in bandages. The sight of him still made her heart ache.
As soon as he saw her, he smiled faintly and said in a weak voice, "Sugarplum..."
Rivanya quickly walked to his bedside, sat down beside him, and held his hand in both of hers. "Rudra, are you alright? You're not in too much pain, are you?"
She asked worriedly. Seeing so much concern for him in her eyes brought an unfamiliar peace to Rudraksh's heart.
Looking at her, he said, "I wasn't fine until now, but after someone came here, I am."
Rivanya glared at him. "You never stop talking nonsense, do you?"
Rudraksh smiled again and softly called, "Sugarplum..."
Rivanya replied, "Hmm?"
Rudraksh asked, "Are you alright? You didn't get hurt anywhere, did you?"
Rivanya was stunned. Here he was, barely recovered after fighting death, and the first thing he cared about was her.
She shook her head and said softly, "Rudra, I'm perfectly fine. How could anything happen to me when you're around? You're always there to protect me. Even if we're not a real husband and wife in every sense, you've always fulfilled every responsibility of a husband."
At her words, Rudraksh fell silent. What could he say? The truth was that he himself still hadn't fully accepted what Rivanya had become in his life.
At that moment, a nurse entered the room carrying supplies for a sponge bath.
Before the nurse could say anything, Rivanya spoke up.
"You can go. I'll do it." The nurse looked hesitant, but Rivanya immediately added, "Don't worry. I know how to do it. I'll take care of him."
Seeing her determination, the nurse nodded and left the room.
Now only Rudraksh and Rivanya remained inside.
"You don't need to do all this," Rudraksh said.
Rivanya narrowed her eyes at him. "Why? Would you prefer some other woman looking at you without a shirt and touching you?"
One of Rudraksh's eyebrows rose. "Someone sounds jealous. My little troublemaker."
Rivanya immediately protested, "Jealous? Me? Never."
Rudraksh smirked. "Really?" "Yes, really.
Rivanya said, Honestly, this is what happens when you help someone. You still end up hearing nonsense. Fine, I'll call the nurse back. Let her do it."
As she stood up to leave, Rudraksh suddenly grabbed her wrist. Before she could understand what was happening, he pulled her toward him.
In the very next moment, Rivanya lost her balance and fell against his chest. "Rudraksh!" she exclaimed in shock. "What are you doing? You're injured! What if you got hurt?"
Rudraksh looked at her and replied softly, "But I didn't get hurt, did I, Rivanya?"
The way he said her name made her completely forget what she was about to say. For a moment, she found herself lost in his deep dark eyes. Then reality struck her. She was practically lying on top of him. What if she accidentally hurt his wounds?
She immediately sat up and said worriedly, "Please don't do that again. If you tell me to stay, I'll stay. But don't move like that. You could hurt yourself."
Rudraksh didn't say anything. He simply kept looking at her. Unable to bear his gaze, Rivanya quickly changed the topic. "Come on. Let me clean you first."
She carefully helped him sit up. The movement made Rudraksh let out a faint groan of pain. Rivanya instantly panicked. "What happened? Does it hurt? Should I call the doctor?" Rudraksh smiled helplessly. "Rivanya, calm down. Looking at me seems to hurt you more than my injuries hurt me."
Rivanya frowned. "That's not funny." Rudraksh chuckled softly. "I'm fine. Besides, I'm used to wounds like these."
Rivanya dipped a clean towel into warm water and wrung it out. As she gently started wiping his arms, she said, "Getting too used to pain isn't a good thing. Sometimes wounds like these hollow a person from the inside."
Without looking at her, Rudraksh replied quietly, "And what if a person is already hollow? Then no wound can do any more damage."
Rivanya paused for a moment. There was so much hidden behind those words.
She gently held his hand and continued wiping his arm.
"Pain doesn't belong only to the person suffering it," she said softly.
"It belongs to everyone connected to them. Hurting yourself may seem acceptable, but hurting the people who care about you by hurting yourself isn't right."
Rudraksh didn't answer. Instead, he simply watched her.
Completely unaware of his gaze, Rivanya continued cleaning him.
She wiped his shoulders, his arms, and carefully avoided the bandaged wounds on his chest.
Then she moved behind him to clean his back.
Sitting so close to him, she didn't even realize how little distance remained between them.
Rudraksh could clearly smell the soft fragrance of her hair.
When a few loose strands brushed against his face, he slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
It felt strangely comforting, as though her presence alone could calm the chaos inside him.
After finishing, Rivanya moved back in front of him.
As she raised her eyes, they collided with Rudraksh's gaze.
For a moment, neither of them looked away.
Their eyes seemed to speak a language their lips could not.
Rivanya's heartbeat became uneven. The intensity in his eyes made her nervous.
Unable to handle it, she immediately lowered her gaze and tried to move away.
Before she could, Rudraksh's hand slid around her back and stopped her.
Gently, he pulled her closer. Rivanya froze.
Her breath caught in her throat. She could hear her own heartbeat and feel the warmth radiating from him.
Rudraksh himself didn't understand why he wanted her so close.
All he knew was that he didn't want her to move away.
Rivanya remained still, her eyes lowered, her fingers clutching the towel tightly.
The air between them felt heavy with emotions neither of them understood.
Their breaths had become uneven. The distance between them had almost disappeared.
Then, in a low voice that sent shivers down her spine, Rudraksh finally spoke.
"Are you not going to wipe my face too?"
Now Rivanya's hands had started trembling whenever Rudraksh was this close to her, but even then she slowly raised her hand and gently began wiping his face.
While doing so, she couldn't help noticing how smooth his skin was, almost like butter, and how handsome he looked even in this condition.
As Rivanya found herself lost in looking at him, Rudraksh too had not taken his eyes off her for even a moment.
But when their gazes finally met, tears suddenly filled Rivanya's eyes.