RIVAN condition is critical
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The balcony door
Locked.
Again.
For a second
Reyansh just stood there, staring at it.
Breathing hard.
Chest rising and falling like something inside him was about to snap
And this time
It did.
"Enough."
His voice came out low.
Dangerously calm.
Aditya saw it.
That shift.
That breaking point.
But he didn't listen.
Not anymore.
His eyes scanned the balcony
And landed on a metal chair kept in the corner.
In one swift movement
He grabbed it.
Veins visible in his forearms, grip tightening around the frame.
His jaw clenched.
"RIVAN!" he roared one last time.
No answer.
That was it.
With a burst of raw anger
He swung the chair
CRASH!
The glass shattered violently.
Fragments exploded inward, scattering across the floor like sharp rain.
The sound echoed through the night
Loud.
Brutal.
Final.
Reyansh didn't wait.
He threw the broken frame aside and stepped in, boots crunching over the shattered glass.
Aditya followed right behind him.
Both of them entered
Hearts pounding.
Breath uneven.
And whatever was inside that room
They were about to face it.
They stepped inside
And the room
Was destroyed.
Not messy.
Not disturbed.
Destroyed.
Furniture overturned.
A chair lay broken in the corner, one leg snapped clean off.
The glass table was shattered, pieces scattered across the floor like jagged ice.
Drawers pulled out, contents thrown everywhere—papers, files, clothes
Like a storm had passed through.
Or worse
Like someone had lost control.
Completely.
Reyansh's breath hitched.
Aditya whispered, scanning the chaos, dread creeping into his voice.
But Reyansh wasn't listening anymore.
His eyes were searching.
Wild.
Desperate.
No answer.
Silence.
Too heavy.
Too suffocating.
Then
His gaze snapped to the bathroom door.
Closed.
Reyansh's heartbeat spiked instantly.
He rushed toward it.
Grabbed the handle
Locked.
Again.
Something inside him dropped.
Hard.
He banged on the door.
Once.
Twice.
Harder.
No response.
His breathing turned uneven.
Fast.
Panic clawing up his chest.
Nothing.
Not even a sound from inside.
That silence
Was killing him.
His mind started racing.
Worst possibilities flashing one after another
Blood.
Razor.
Gun.
Anything.
He stepped back, running both hands through his hair, completely losing it now.
Aditya came forward, trying to steady the situation.
But Reyansh snapped.
His voice cracked.
Raw.
Fear finally breaking through the anger.
He turned back to the door and started slamming it with full force.
His fist hit the wood.
Again.
His voice echoed, desperation seeping into every word.
Still
Nothing.
Reyansh's hands trembled now.
Not from anger.
From fear.
Pure.
Unfiltered fear.
He pressed his forehead against the door for a second, breathing heavily.
"Rivan..." his voice dropped, almost breaking.
Silence.
That was it.
Reyansh stepped back slowly.
Eyes dark.
Decision made.
"Move."
Aditya immediately understood.
They weren't waiting anymore.
Whatever was behind that door
They were breaking in.
The door didn't budge.
Not even an inch.
Reyansh slammed his shoulder into it again
Pain shot through his arm
He didn't care.
Again
THUD!
"FUCKING OPEN THE DOOR, RIVAN!"
His voice cracked through the room, raw and violent.
But the silence on the other side
Didn't break.
Didn't respond.
Didn't even exist.
That's what made it worse.
Reyansh stepped back, chest heaving, running a hand through his hair like he might rip it out.
"Fucking idiot...!" he spat, voice shaking now, anger barely holding over fear.
"I swear I'm gonna kill you myself if you did something—"
He kicked the door this time.
Hard.
But it barely shook.
Aditya stepped in quickly. "Bhai, move let me try."
Reyansh staggered back, breathing uneven.
Aditya took a step back, then rammed his shoulder into the door
BANG!
Nothing.
Again
BANG!
The lock held.
Strong.
Unforgiving.
Like it was guarding something they didn't want to see.
Aditya winced, stepping back. "It's not breaking..."
That was it.
Something inside Reyansh finally gave in.
His eyes burned.
Vision blurring.
Tears welled up uninvited, uncontrollable.
His voice dropped
And broke.
"Saale... kutte..." he whispered, shaking his head, stepping toward the door again.
Then suddenly
He lost it.
His fist slammed against the wood.
Again.
Again.
Again.
His voice echoed, but it wasn't anger anymore
It was fear.
Helplessness.
The kind that suffocates.
His forehead pressed against the door.
His hand flat against it
Like he could feel him through it.
"Rivan..." his voice dropped to a whisper, completely broken now.
No reply.
No sound.
Nothing.
And that silence
Was louder than anything.
The door still didn't open.
Not a crack.
Not a sound.
Just that suffocating silence on the other side.
Reyansh stepped back again, but this time there was no control left in him.
Only fear.
Only panic.
Only the horrifying thought of what if they're too late.
His hands were shaking.
His chest rising and falling too fast.
Aditya looked around quickly, eyes landing on a heavy metal stand near the wall.
Reyansh nodded instantly.
No hesitation.
No second thought.
They grabbed it together.
Heavy.
Awkward.
But right now it was their only chance.
"On three," Aditya said.
Reyansh didn't even wait.
"ABHI!"
They slammed it straight into the door
BANG!
The entire frame shook
But the lock held.
Reyansh let out a frustrated scream.
"FUCK!"
Again
BANG!
Still nothing.
His breathing turned erratic.
Tears streaming freely now, he shook his head like he was losing his mind.
His voice cracked loudly.
No response.
That was it.
Reyansh grabbed the stand again, hands slipping slightly because of sweat and trembling.
They hit again
BANG!
A faint crack appeared near the lock.
Aditya saw it. "Ho raha hai again!"
But Reyansh wasn't hearing properly anymore.
He was spiraling.
"Saale... tu andar kya kar raha hai...?" his voice broke into a sob.
"Rivan... please yaar... bas ek baar bol de tu theek hai..."
Then suddenly
He snapped.
Completely.
He pulled the stand back with everything he had
And slammed it with full force
BANG!!!
This time
The wood around the lock cracked deeper.
Splinters flew.
But still
Not enough.
Reyansh screamed in frustration, kicking the door wildly now.
"Aaj tu bachega nahi mujhse... samjha?!"
His voice was shaking violently.
Aditya grabbed his arm. "Reyansh, focus! Ek aur hit proper!"
Reyansh nodded fast, wiping his face roughly, but tears didn't stop.
They lifted the stand again
He whispered under his breath this time
"Three!"
BANG!!!
A loud crack echoed
The lock bent
The frame split
One more.
Just one more.
Reyansh screamed at the top of his lungs
And slammed it again with everything left in him
CRASH!!!
The lock finally gave in.
The door burst open violently
Hitting the wall behind with a loud thud.
For a second
Everything went still.
Dead silent.
Reyansh stood there
Chest heaving.
Eyes wide.
Tears still falling.
Afraid
Of what he was about to see.
"Rivan...?" his voice came out in a whisper this time.
And slowly
He stepped inside.
For a second
They didn't understand what they were seeing.
Their minds refused to register it.
But then
It hit.
Hard.
Brutal.
Unforgiving.
The bathroom lights flickered faintly
And there he was.
Rivan.
Lying motionless in the bathtub.
Unconscious.
Head tilted to one side.
Body half-submerged
And the water
The water was red.
Not just stained
Not just tinged
It was completely red.
Like someone had poured life itself into that tub.
Both Reyansh and Aditya froze at the door.
Eyes wide.
Breaths stuck somewhere between chest and throat.
Time stopped.
Everything went numb.
"...no..." Reyansh whispered, barely audible.
Then louder
He stumbled forward, slipping slightly as his foot hit the wet floor.
"RIVAN!"
His voice broke into a scream as he rushed to the tub, dropping to his knees beside it.
His hands trembled as he grabbed Rivan's face, lifting it slightly.
Cold.
Too still.
No response.
Not even a flicker.
Aditya rushed in behind him, equally shaken, grabbing a towel, his hands moving fast but unsteady.
Reyansh didn't think.
Didn't process.
He just acted.
He wrapped his arms around Rivan's dragging him out of the tub, water spilling over the sides, red liquid splashing onto the floor like a nightmare unfolding.
He laid him down on the cold tiles, his hands immediately going to Rivan's face, patting it, shaking him slightly.
Nothing.
No movement.
No response.
Reyansh's breathing turned frantic.
"Aditya... kuch kar... kuch kar na!" his voice cracked, desperation pouring out.
Aditya quickly checked his pulse fingers shaking.
"...Pulse hai... weak hai—but hai!" he said quickly.
That was enough to keep Reyansh from completely breaking.
But barely.
Reyansh grabbed his face again, his forehead pressing against Rivan's.
Tears dropping onto his skin.
His hands moved, trying to stop the bleeding, not even knowing where it was coming from just pressing, wiping, holding
Anything.
Everything.
Aditya stood up abruptly.
"I'm calling the doctor ambulance abhi!"
Reyansh didn't even respond.
He couldn't.
He was still there
On the floor
Holding him like if he let go
He might lose him forever.
"Rivan..." he whispered again, softer this time, completely broken.
"...please yaar..."
Reyansh's scream tore through the room.
Loud.
Raw.
Terrifying.
Aditya stood there
Frozen.
Phone still in his hand.
Fingers trembling.
He couldn't speak.
Couldn't move.
His eyes were stuck somewhere
Not on Rivan's face.
Not on the blood-filled water.
But
Lower.
Reyansh snapped.
His voice shook the walls.
Aditya flinched.
His lips parted
"His hand..."
Reyansh's breath hitched.
"What?"
Aditya didn't answer.
He just pointed.
Shaking.
Slowly
Reyansh's gaze dropped.
And then
He saw it.
Rivan's wrist.
Slashed.
Deep.
Brutal.
Not one.
Multiple cuts.
Some shallow.
Some... not.
Blood still oozing slowly, mixing with water that dripped from his arm onto the floor.
For a second
Reyansh's brain stopped working.
Everything went blank.
Like his body refused to process what his eyes were seeing.
Then suddenly
Reality hit him like a punch to the chest.
He immediately grabbed Rivan's hand, pressing hard against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding.
His hands slipped because of blood
But he pressed harder.
Desperate.
Aditya snapped out of it and rushed forward, grabbing a towel, hands shaking as he passed it.
Reyansh wrapped it tightly around Rivan's wrist, applying pressure.
His voice was breaking with every word.
Aditya finally dialed the doctor, hands still trembling.
Reyansh didn't move.
Didn't look up.
Didn't stop.
He just kept holding his hand
Like his grip alone could keep him alive.
Reyansh's hands didn't stop shaking
But they didn't stop working either.
He tightened the cloth around Rivan's wrist, pressing hard, tying it as firm as he could to slow the bleeding.
"Hold it... hold it..." he muttered to himself, breath uneven.
Blood still seeped through the fabric
But it slowed.
That was enough.
For now.
"Aditya robe!" he snapped.
Aditya immediately grabbed the bathrobe hanging nearby.
Together, they lifted Rivan carefully
His body completely limp
And wrapped him in it, covering him quickly, trying to keep him warm, trying to hold him together like he might fall apart.
"Easy... easy..." Reyansh whispered, more to himself than anyone else.
Then
The door burst open.
Aditya had unlocked it.
The family rushed in.
And froze.
The sight in front of them
Was horrifying.
Blood on the floor.
Broken glass.
Rivan unconscious, pale, wrapped in a robe soaked with red.
For a second
No one could breathe.
Then
Aradhya's scream shattered the silence.
She stumbled forward, tears bursting out instantly.
Payal stepping back in fear, her whole body shaking at the sight.
Yashodha
Didn't move.
She just stood there.
Frozen.
Like her entire world had just collapsed in front of her eyes.
Her lips parted slightly
But no sound came out.
Only tears.
Slow.
Uncontrollable.
"Hospital!" Samar said urgently. "Prepare the car!"
They ran.
Everything turned chaotic.
Voices.
Footsteps.
Panic.
But in the middle of it all
Reyansh didn't move from his place.
He still held Rivan.
His grip tight.
Desperate.
"Rivan..." his voice cracked badly.
"Saale..." he choked, half-laugh, half-sob, completely broken.
"Uth na..."
Then suddenly, anger mixed with fear exploded out of him
"I'll fucking kill you!"
His grip tightened around him.
As if yelling could bring him back.
As if anger could force life back into him.
Everything moved fast after that
Too fast.
No one waited anymore.
No one trusted time.
"Lift him carefully!" Aditya said, his own voice shaking as he helped Reyansh.
Together, they carried Rivan.
His body felt heavier than usual.
Not because of weight
But because of what it meant.
Reyansh didn't let go.
Not even for a second.
Even while moving, his hand stayed pressed against Rivan's wrist, trying to stop the bleeding, trying to hold him here.
"Stay with me... stay with me..." he kept whispering under his breath.
The ambulance siren pierced through the haveli gates moments later.
Loud.
Urgent.
Terrifying.
They rushed him inside.
Paramedics immediately took over
Checking pulse.
Oxygen.
Bandaging.
But Reyansh didn't step back.
He climbed into the ambulance with him.
Hands still trembling.
Eyes locked on his face.
The ambulance sped through the streets
Siren screaming.
Time racing.
Every second feeling like it might be the last.
Hospital.
The same hospital.
Where Devyani and Jinal were already admitted.
The ambulance doors burst open.
"Emergency! Severe blood loss!" one of the paramedics shouted.
They rushed the stretcher inside.
Doctors ran forward.
Everything turned chaotic again.
Inside the corridor
Virendra stood there.
Restless.
Uneasy.
Something had already been bothering him since morning.
And now
That feeling got worse.
Then
He saw them.
Family members rushing in.
Faces pale.
Terrified.
And in the middle
The stretcher.
Blood.
So much blood.
And Reyansh
Covered in it.
Virendra's mind went blank.
His steps froze.
His heartbeat stopped for a second.
"...Rivan?" he whispered.
No one answered.
They couldn't.
Because everything was happening too fast.
The doctors took over immediately, pushing the stretcher toward the emergency room.
"Move aside!"
Reyansh stumbled behind them, still in shock, hands stained red, eyes hollow.
Virendra just stood there.
Frozen.
Watching his world fall apart
All over again.
Virendra didn't move.
Didn't react.
Didn't even blink properly.
He just stood there...
As if his body had forgotten how to function.
The stretcher disappeared inside the emergency room.
The doors shut.
And with that
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Crushing.
Everyone gathered outside.
Faces pale.
Eyes red.
Hands trembling.
But Virendra...
Still stood in the same place.
Like a statue.
Like someone had drained the life out of him.
After a few long seconds
His lips finally moved.
Barely.
That it almost didn't sound like him.
Yashodha stepped forward.
Her own eyes filled with tears.
She looked at him
And slowly...
She told him everything.
How Reyansh found him.
The locked door.
The broken glass.
The blood.
The bathtub.
Every word felt heavier than the last.
Every sentence hit like a blow.
Virendra listened.
Without interrupting.
Without reacting.
Just... listening.
When she finished
There was silence again.
A long one.
Then
He exhaled sharply.
A deep, shaky breath.
As if trying to hold himself together.
But even that sounded... tired.
Defeated.
He didn't say a single word.
Didn't ask anything.
Didn't shout.
Didn't break.
He simply walked forward slowly
And sat down on the bench.
His hands rested on his knees.
Head slightly lowered.
Eyes fixed on the floor.
Empty.
Completely empty.
Because sometimes...
The pain is so deep
That even reactions stop working.
The corridor felt suffocating.
No one spoke.
No one moved properly.
Everyone just stood there waiting... fearing... praying.
The red EMERGENCY light above the door kept blinking.
Mocking them.
Reminding them that everything was out of their control now.
Reyansh couldn't stand still.
He kept pacing back and forth like a restless storm.
Fast steps.
Heavy breaths.
His hands still stained with dried blood.
His heart
Beating too fast.
Too loud.
Like it might burst out of his chest any second.
Every passing second felt like torture.
His mind kept replaying the same scene
The bathtub.
The blood.
Rivan... unconscious.
"Fuck..." he muttered under his breath, running a hand through his hair again.
He stopped suddenly.
Turned toward Aradhya.
His eyes were red.
Not just from tears
From anger.
Fear.
Guilt.
"You guys didn't even try to go into his room?" he snapped, voice sharp, breaking the silence.
Aradhya flinched.
Everyone looked at him.
"What if he was angry?!" Reyansh continued, voice rising.
"So what?! You just left him alone?!"
His words hit hard.
Aradhya's lips trembled.
"I... I thought..." her voice broke, "he just wanted to be alone..."
"ALONE?!" Reyansh shouted.
His frustration exploded.
His hand gestured wildly toward the emergency room.
Tears filled Aradhya's eyes instantly.
Yashodha stepped forward immediately.
"Reyansh enough," she said, her voice firm despite her own trembling.
But Reyansh wasn't calming down.
Not yet.
His chest rose and fell heavily.
"I knocked..." Aradhya continued, crying now, "he didn't answer... I thought he was resting..."
Her voice faded.
Guilt crushing her.
Reyansh looked at her.
For a moment
His anger cracked.
Because he knew.
Deep down
No one expected this.
No one imagined this.
He closed his eyes tightly.
Frustration still burning inside him.
But now mixed with helplessness.
"I should've come earlier..." he whispered, almost to himself.
His voice broke again.
He turned away from everyone.
Running his hands over his face.
Trying to breathe.
Trying to hold himself together.
But nothing was working.
Because right now
They were all standing outside that door
Completely helpless.
Time stopped in that corridor.
Minutes felt like hours.
Hours felt like years.
No one sat properly.
No one spoke.
Every eye was fixed on that one door.
Waiting.
Praying.
Fearing.
Finally
The emergency room doors opened.
A doctor stepped out.
Mask pulled down.
Face serious.
Too serious.
Reyansh was the first to move.
Virendra stood up at the same time.
Both reached him almost instantly.
"Doctor...?" Reyansh's voice came out rough, impatient, desperate.
Virendra didn't speak.
He just looked.
Waiting.
The doctor exhaled slowly.
The words hit like a blow.
Reyansh's jaw tightened.
Virendra's face didn't change
But his fingers curled slightly.
A pause.
A heavy one.
His tone dropped slightly.
Reyansh felt his breath hitch.
Virendra's eyes darkened.
Silence.
The kind that presses on your chest.
The doctor looked at both of them seriously.
Reyansh swallowed hard.
His throat suddenly felt dry.
He paused again.
Choosing his words carefully.
Virendra finally spoke.
Low.
Controlled.
"...and if not?"
The doctor didn't answer immediately.
That silence
Was enough.
Reyansh looked away, running a hand over his face, trying to process it.
The doctor continued softly,
Wait.
That word echoed in the corridor.
And for the first time
Reyansh felt completely powerless.
Hours passed.
Slow.
Painfully slow.
The ICU door remained closed.
No update.
No movement.
No sign.
Every ticking second added weight to the already suffocating silence in the hospital.
Reyansh sat with his elbows on his knees, head lowered, fingers tangled in his hair.
Virendra hadn't moved much either.
Yashodha sat quietly, her eyes occasionally drifting toward the ICU... then away.
Everyone was there.
But no one was really present.
Because their minds were stuck behind that door.
Inside another room
Devyani slowly opened her eyes again.
The heaviness in her body had reduced.
But her mind...
Still carried the weight of everything.
She turned her head slightly.
Yashodha was sitting beside her.
Quiet.
Lost in her own thoughts.
Devyani watched her for a moment.
Then softly
"Ma..."
Yashodha immediately looked up, forcing a gentle expression.
"Haan, beta?"
Devyani hesitated for a second.
Then asked
The question was simple.
Innocent.
But it hit like a storm.
Yashodha's fingers tightened slightly over the bedsheet.
She wasn't ready for this.
Didn't know what to say.
Didn't know how to say it.
So
She stayed silent.
Devyani noticed.
Her brows frowned slightly.
She asked again.
A little more softly this time
"Why didn't he come?"
There was no accusation in her voice.
Just... quiet confusion.
A small expectation.
Yashodha forced a faint smile.
The words felt wrong even as she said them.
Devyani looked at her.
For a moment
Something flickered in her eyes.
A small hurt.
Very small.
But there.
"Oh..." she whispered.
Then nodded slightly.
"Okay."
She didn't ask anything else.
Didn't question further.
Just turned her gaze away.
But her fingers quietly gripped the bedsheet a little tighter.
Because somewhere deep inside
It hurt.
That he didn't come.
The silence around Devyani slowly started turning into something darker.
At first, she tried to ignore it.
Tried to believe what Yashodha said.
He must be busy.
But hour passed.
And he still didn't come.
Not once.
Not even for a minute.
For Devyani
That wasn't normal.
Her mind, already fragile, slowly began filling with negative thoughts.
Did I say something wrong?
Is he angry?
Did I hurt him?
Her fingers tightened over the bedsheet.
Her chest felt heavy.
Because no matter what
He always came.
Always.
And today
He didn't.
That absence hurt more than anything.
Outside
Time kept moving.
Slow.
Cruel.
Noon turned into evening.
Evening into night.
The hospital lights dimmed slightly, but the tension didn't.
The ICU door
Still closed.
No movement.
No update.
Rivan
Still unconscious.
Devyani couldn't take it anymore.
She slowly got up, ignoring the slight weakness in her body.
Her steps were slow but determined.
She walked out into the corridor.
Everyone was there.
Virendra.
Reyansh.
Yashodha.
All sitting...
All silent.
All broken in their own ways.
Devyani looked at them.
Her heart started beating faster.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
"...Papa?" she called softly.
Virendra looked up.
His eyes met hers.
Tired.
Heavy.
But he didn't speak.
Devyani's gaze shifted to Reyansh.
"Bhaiyya..."
He looked at her too.
But again
No answer.
Not even a word.
That silence
Scared her.
Her breathing started to change.
Her voice trembled slightly.
No one responded.
Fear gripped her chest now.
This time
Her voice wasn't soft.
It was shaky.
Almost desperate.
She looked from one face to another.
Her heart pounded harder.
Faster.
Her voice cracked.
But again
Silence.
And that silence
Was enough to break her from inside.
Devyani's vision blurred.
The silence.
The fear.
The way everyone looked at her but said nothing
It was too much.
Her knees almost gave in.
Before she could fall
Reyansh stepped forward instantly.
"Hey—"
He caught her just in time.
Her body felt light.
Weak.
Like she could collapse any second.
"Easy..." he murmured, holding her firmly.
She clutched his shirt unconsciously, her fingers trembling.
"Bhaiyya ..." her voice shook, barely there, "what... is happening...?"
He didn't answer.
Couldn't.
Instead, without wasting a second
He lifted her in his arms.
And walked straight toward her room.
Fast.
Decisive.
He pushed the door open and took her inside.
Gently placing her on the bed.
But before anyone else could follow
Click.
The door locked.
From inside.
Outside
Virendra reached the door.
"Reyansh!"
He knocked.
"Open the door."
Inside
Reyansh stood there.
His chest rising and falling.
Eyes filled with conflict.
Then he spoke.
Low.
Firm.
Outside, Virendra's expression hardened.
"She is weak, Reyansh," he said, voice controlled but tense.
"This is not the time."
Inside
Reyansh closed his eyes for a second.
Then opened them again.
Determined.
His voice cracked slightly.
Outside
Virendra's tone turned sharper.
Silence.
Reyansh didn't respond.
Didn't move.
On the bed
Devyani looked between the door and Reyansh.
Fear slowly creeping into her eyes.
Her breathing uneven.
Her voice trembled.
She sat up slightly, clutching the bedsheet.
Her heart pounded loudly now.
Something was terribly wrong.
And for the first time
She was truly scared.
Not of the situation.
But of the truth she was about to hear.
Outside the door
Virendra's hand rested firmly against the wood.
His voice came again, calmer... but heavier.
"Reyansh, listen to me," he said, trying to keep control.
"I know you're not stable right now... but she already is suffering."
Inside
Reyansh stood still.
Eyes shut tightly for a second.
Then he spoke.
Then looked back at the door.
"Let her face whatever she needs to hear," he continued, his tone tightening.
"Let's end this trauma... for both of them."
Outside
Virendra clenched his jaw.
But he cut him off.
"What will you say when he wakes up?" Reyansh's voice rose slightly now.
"When he asks for her?"
Silence.
That question hung heavy in the air.
Reyansh stepped closer to the door.
His hand pressed against it from inside.
"Then what?" he continued, voice cracking just a little.
"We'll have to tell her, right?"
No answer.
Because there wasn't one.
His breathing grew heavier.
"Then why not now?" he said, almost whispering... but it hit harder than a shout.
A pause.
Then
His voice broke slightly.
Inside the room
Devyani's heart dropped.
Her fingers tightened over the bedsheet.
Her breathing turned uneven.
"...who?" she asked softly, fear creeping into every word.
Her eyes locked onto Reyansh.
Silence.
Reyansh slowly turned toward her.
And for the first time
She saw it.
That fear.
That helplessness.
In his eyes.
And that was enough
To make her world start shaking.
Outside the door
Virendra closed his eyes for a moment, trying to control the storm inside him.
"Try to understand, Reyansh," he said, his voice strained now.
"You're doing wrong."
That was it.
Reyansh snapped.
His voice wasn't loud.
But it hit harder than a shout.
His chest rose and fell heavily.
All the frustration... all the built-up anger
Finally breaking out.
His hand clenched into a fist.
That line
Cut deep.
Even outside
Virendra's expression faltered.
Reyansh didn't stop.
"You always wait for the right time," he said bitterly.
"Now tell me how much more do you want to wait?"
A step closer to the door.
Silence.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
"He is in the ICU..." Reyansh's voice broke slightly now.
"And you still want to wait more?"
No answer.
Because there wasn't one.
"How much, uncle?" he pushed again, voice trembling with helpless anger.
"Till they both get traumatized for their entire life?"
His eyes filled again.
Inside the room
Devyani sat frozen.
Every word
Hitting her.
Confusing her.
Scaring her.
Her heart raced uncontrollably.
ICU?
Who?
Why?
What was happening?
"Common, uncle..." Reyansh said finally, exhausted, voice low but sharp.
"Please... stop this."
Outside
Virendra didn't respond immediately.
He just stood there.
Silent.
Because for the first time
He had no argument left.
No justification.
Nothing.
Because deep down
He knew.
Reyansh was right.
How long can truth be hidden?
And at what cost?
"Then what...?" she whispered.
Her voice was so soft.
So unsure.
And then she said it.
That's when something inside me tightened.
"Because... men have their own needs..."
I didn't like that.
Not the concern.
Not her care.
But the way she was saying it.
Like she was forcing herself to understand something she wasn't ready for.
I gently held her shoulders, steadying her.
She felt tense.
Too tense.
"Devyani..." I said softly.