Chapter 33
The tension between Dhruv and Veer felt seconds away from exploding.
Neither moved.
Neither looked away.
The guards around them stood completely frozen because honestly?
One wrong move here could probably start an actual war between billionaires.
Dhruv's jaw remained clenched violently.
Veer's eyes looked ice cold.
And then,
The ICU doors burst open.
A doctor rushed out urgently.
"She's regaining consciousness."
Everything stopped.
Dhruv moved instantly.
So did Veer.
But Veer reached first.
He shoved past everyone without caring who stood there and entered the ICU immediately.
Dhruv followed right behind him furiously.
Meanwhile Armaan stepped toward the doctor sharply.
"What happened?"
The doctor adjusted his glasses quickly.
"Head trauma from the accident."
Inside the ICU,
Machines beeped softly around me.
The white hospital lights blurred weakly above my head.
Everything hurt.
My head.
My chest.
My body.
Even breathing felt heavy.
Then slowly,
I heard voices.
Distant.
Familiar somehow.
And my eyelids fluttered weakly.
The moment my eyes opened,
The first face I saw was him.
Veer.
Sitting beside my bed.
Holding my hand tightly.
And suddenly,
Something shattered inside my chest.
A memory.
Warm laughter.
Protective arms.
A boy holding my tiny hand crossing roads.
Someone carrying me asleep.
A voice calling me princess.
My eyes widened weakly.
And tears filled them instantly.
Because I knew him.
Not vaguely.
Not uncertainly.
I knew him.
Deep in my soul.
My lips trembled softly.
"...bhaiya..."
The word broke from me like prayer.
Veer froze completely.
The entire room froze.
Because the second I called him that,
Veer's composure shattered.
Actual tears filled his eyes instantly.
His grip around my hand tightened carefully.
"Riya..."
His voice broke badly.
Like he'd waited years to hear that one word.
"You remember me?"
More tears slipped from my eyes immediately.
Because memories crashed violently through my head now.
Not complete.
Broken pieces.
But enough.
Enough to know him.
My brother.
My bhaiya.
Veer gently touched my hair trembling slightly.
And God,
The mighty Veer Rajput looked seconds away from crying openly beside my bed.
Meanwhile on the other side,
Dhruv stood frozen.
Completely frozen.
Because nothing around him made sense anymore.
Brother?
Riya had a brother?
And not just anyone,
Veer Rajput.
One of the most powerful men in the world.
Dhruv slowly stepped closer afterward.
Like he couldn't process what was happening.
Then quietly,
"Riya."
I turned weakly toward the voice.
And saw him.
Tall.
Dark shirt soaked from rain.
Eyes bloodshot.
Face exhausted.
Beautiful.
Familiar somehow.
But,
Nothing happened.
No recognition.
No memory.
Just confusion.
My brows furrowed weakly.
Because I didn't know him.
At all.
Dhruv noticed instantly.
And the look on his face,
God.
Like someone stabbed him directly through the chest.
Still,
He moved closer carefully.
Then gently held my other hand.
Warm fingers rubbing softly against mine.
"You're okay."
His voice sounded rough.
Shaky.
Like he hadn't breathed properly in hours.
I stared at him confused weakly.
"...who are you?"
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Dhruv stopped moving entirely.
Meanwhile behind him,
Armaan had just entered the room after speaking to the doctors.
And the second he heard my question,
His expression changed too.
I looked toward Armaan next.
Again,
Nothing.
No recognition.
No memory.
Just strangers.
My head suddenly hurt sharply.
Pain exploded violently through my skull.
I gasped softly clutching my forehead weakly.
The heart monitor sped up instantly.
The doctors rushed forward immediately.
"Everyone step back."
Veer stood instantly but refused letting go of my hand completely.
The doctor checked my eyes quickly.
Then grimly,
"The impact caused memory damage."
Dhruv looked pale now.
"What does that mean."
The doctor sighed carefully.
"She remembers fragments from the past."
Then looking toward Veer:
"Clearly emotional memories remained stronger."
Veer's jaw tightened painfully.
Meanwhile the doctor continued:
"But recent memories may be erased temporarily."
Temporarily.
The word echoed through the room.
Dhruv stared at me silently.
And honestly?
Nothing in his life had ever terrified him this much.
Because the way I looked at him now,
Like he was nobody.
A complete stranger.
Meanwhile I looked weakly toward Veer again instinctively.
Safe.
My brain recognized him as safety immediately.
"...bhaiya..."
Veer's eyes softened instantly.
"I'm here princess."
Princess.
The nickname made more tears slip from my eyes.
Because somewhere inside me,
I remembered being loved by him.
Completely.
My head throbbed harder suddenly.
Sharp unbearable pain.
I whimpered softly holding it.
The doctor immediately intervened again.
"Enough."
He looked firmly toward everyone.
"She needs rest immediately."
Then more seriously:
"No emotional stress."
The doctor gestured toward the door.
"Everyone outside."
Veer instantly shook his head.
"I'm staying."
"Only one person."
Silence.
Dhruv's eyes remained fixed on me.
Like he physically couldn't walk away.
Meanwhile I weakly held Veer's hand tighter unconsciously.
And that tiny movement destroyed something inside Dhruv completely.
Because for the first time since meeting me,
Riya chose someone else instinctively over him.
Not intentionally.
Not cruelly.
But because she simply didn't remember him anymore.
Meanwhile me?
I stared weakly at Dhruv one last confused time before the medicine finally dragged my exhausted body back toward sleep.
And the last thing I saw,
Was the broken look in his eyes before the doors closed between us.
......
The hospital corridor remained heavy with silence.
Dhruv stood near the ICU doors unmoving.
Rainwater still stained his black shirt.
His eyes remained fixed on the frosted glass window behind which I slept.
Or maybe,
The girl he loved slept.
And somehow that felt worse.
Because she didn't remember him anymore.
Meanwhile Armaan leaned against the wall nearby equally shaken.
Neither man had spoken for several minutes.
Because honestly?
What even could they say after finding out Riya was actually Riya Rajput?
The lost princess of the Rajput empire.
The girl the world believed dead.
The silence finally broke when hurried footsteps echoed through the corridor.
A young woman came running first.
Beautiful.
Elegant.
Long dark hair slightly messy from panic.
Behind her followed an older couple around their fifties looking terrified.
The woman reached the ICU instantly.
"Veer!"
Her voice trembled badly.
The older woman already crying.
"Where is she?!"
Almost immediately,
The ICU doors opened.
Veer stepped out.
The second the young woman saw him,
She rushed forward grabbing his arm tightly.
"How is she?"
Veer's expression softened slightly looking at her.
"She's okay."
His voice sounded exhausted now.
"Asleep because of the medication."
The woman visibly relaxed instantly.
Tears filled her eyes.
"Thank God."
Veer gently touched her hair briefly.
And somehow,
That tiny gesture screamed married.
Comfort.
Years together.
Then the older couple surrounded him too.
The older woman immediately started crying harder.
"My child..."
The older man looked emotional despite trying to stay composed.
Veer held himself together somehow.
Then quietly,
"She's alive."
Only two words.
Still enough to nearly break everyone there.
Meanwhile Dhruv and Armaan watched silently from a distance.
The young woman finally noticed them afterward.
Her brows furrowed slightly.
"Who are they?"
The older man looked confused too.
Veer's eyes shifted toward Dhruv carefully now.
And suddenly,
His expression hardened again.
Because honestly?
He still didn't know who the hell Dhruv Malhotra was to my life.
Then calmly,
"This is my wife, Meera."
The young woman gave a tiny polite nod.
"And they're my uncle and aunt." Veer added.
The older couple looked toward Dhruv and Armaan carefully.
Then Veer finally asked the question directly.
"Who exactly are you?"
The corridor fell silent again.
Dhruv answered first.
Cold.
Controlled.
"I'm her husband."
Silence crashed instantly.
Meera blinked.
The older couple froze.
Even Veer's expression changed sharply.
Because clearly,
Nobody expected that answer.
Meanwhile Armaan quietly looked away slightly.
Something painful crossing his face.
Veer's eyes narrowed afterward.
"Husband?"
Dhruv stepped closer slightly.
"Now you answer me."
His voice remained calm.
Too calm.
"Who are you people."
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Because both men looked dangerous again.
Veer finally spoke.
Slowly.
Clearly.
"As you already heard."
He glanced briefly toward the ICU.
"She's Riya Rajput."
The name echoed through the corridor heavily.
"Heiress to the Rajput empire."
Armaan frowned slightly.
Meanwhile Veer continued:
"We lived in London."
His voice softened almost invisibly afterward.
"Our parents died in a car crash when she was five."
The older couple lowered their heads painfully hearing it again.
Veer's jaw tightened.
"I was eleven."
And suddenly.
Everything made sense.
The coldness.
The power.
The terrifying protectiveness.
Because Veer Rajput wasn't born ruthless.
Life forced him to become that way.
At eleven years old.
He continued quietly:
"I raised her myself."
Meera looked toward him softly now.
Proud.
Heartbroken.
Like she'd watched him carry the world alone for years.
Veer's eyes shifted toward the ICU again unconsciously.
"She was everything to me."
The silence afterward felt unbearably emotional.
Then slowly,
Veer's expression darkened.
"Six years ago..."
His fists clenched slightly.
"Riya disappeared."
Dhruv went still instantly.
Veer continued:
"She was kidnapped from London at age twenty."
Armaan's face changed sharply.
"We searched everywhere."
The older man spoke quietly now.
"Police."
"Private investigators."
"International agencies."
"Nothing."
Veer's voice turned colder afterward.
"They declared her dead eventually."
The older woman started crying again quietly.
And suddenly,
Dhruv understood something horrifying.
The girl who thought she was an orphan all these years,
Was actually one of the richest women in the world.
Meanwhile Veer continued slowly:
"But a few days ago..."
His eyes sharpened.
"One of my men spotted her in Mumbai."
Dhruv's heartbeat slowed.
Because suddenly,
Everything connected.
The attacks.
The kidnappings.
The surveillance blackout.
Veer spoke again.
"We rushed here immediately."
Then colder:
"But before we could reach her..."
His jaw clenched violently.
"Someone else kidnapped her first."
Armaan cursed softly under his breath.
Veer's eyes darkened murderously now.
"My men found her unconscious on the highway."
Silence.
Then finally,
Dhruv asked the one question burning through him.
"Who kidnapped her?"
Veer's expression turned terrifying.
"We still don't know."
Pause.
"But the man who kidnapped her six years ago was never caught either."
Dhruv froze.
Six years ago.
Kidnapped.
Missing memories.
Hospital.
Coma.
Suddenly the timeline became horrifying.
Veer continued quietly:
"All company rights."
"Trusts."
"Royal assets."
"Everything was legally tied to Riya's name too."
Armaan's brows furrowed sharply.
Veer looked toward the ICU again.
"We think someone kidnapped her to force signatures."
"Transfers."
"Control."
Then bitterly,
"But somehow they failed."
Dhruv's mind raced violently now.
Because this wasn't random anymore.
This was decades of planning.
Money.
Power.
Inheritance.
And in the middle of it all,
Riya.
Sweet innocent Riya who gave food to strangers and rode buses.
Who thought she had nobody in the world.
Meanwhile inside the ICU,
I slept peacefully unaware that my entire identity had just shattered outside those doors.
Silence filled the hospital corridor after Veer's words.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
Dhruv stood completely still.
Because his mind still hadn't fully processed everything.
Riya Rajput.
Royal heiress.
Kidnapped six years ago.
Declared dead.
And somehow,
His wife.
Meanwhile Veer leaned against the wall exhausted briefly rubbing his forehead.
For the first time since arriving,
He actually looked tired.
Not billionaire Veer Rajput.
Not ruthless empire owner.
Just an older brother terrified of losing his little sister again.
Then suddenly,
Fast footsteps echoed through the corridor.
Hurried.
Desperate.
Everyone looked up instantly.
A tall man came rushing toward them.
Expensive black coat.
Rain-soaked hair.
Sharp features.
Breathing unevenly like he'd run through the entire hospital.
And honestly?
The man looked seconds away from breaking down completely.
His eyes searched frantically around the corridor.
Then landed on Veer.
"Veer."
His voice cracked badly.
"Where is she?"
Veer's eyes widened slightly in shock.
"...Advik?"
The man reached them immediately.
Hands trembling.
"Where's Riya?"
Dhruv's jaw tightened instinctively.
Because the panic in this stranger's voice sounded painfully personal.
Veer looked genuinely stunned.
"How are you here?"
Advik ran a frustrated hand through his wet hair breathing hard.
"Mom called me yesterday."
His eyes looked red already.
"She said someone spotted Riya in Mumbai."
Then softly,
"So I took the first flight."
The older couple looked emotional instantly seeing him.
Meera sighed quietly.
Because clearly,
This man mattered.
A lot.
Meanwhile Dhruv watched silently.
Something cold slowly growing inside his chest.
Veer finally nodded toward the ICU.
"She's okay."
Advik visibly exhaled shakily.
"Inside?"
"Asleep."
But Advik barely waited for the answer.
The second Veer finished speaking,
He pushed past everyone immediately toward the ICU.
Like nothing else existed except reaching me.
Dhruv's expression darkened instantly.
Because the familiarity.
The desperation.
The panic.
None of it felt normal.
Advik entered the ICU without hesitation.
The doors shut behind him softly.
And suddenly,
The corridor became painfully silent again.
Armaan finally frowned slightly looking toward Veer.
"Who exactly is he?"
Veer's expression softened slightly afterward.
Then calmly,
"Advik Khanna."
Pause.
Then the next sentence landed like a bullet.
"Riya's fiancé."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Dhruv froze completely.
Armaan's brows lifted sharply too.
Meanwhile Veer continued naturally.
"They dated for two years before she disappeared."
Something inside Dhruv went terrifyingly still.
Fiancé.
The word echoed violently through him.
Because suddenly,
Everything shattered again.
Not only did Riya belong to another world,
There had already been someone waiting for her in it.
Someone who loved her before Dhruv ever met her.
Someone who searched for her for six years.
Meanwhile inside the ICU,
Advik slowly walked toward my bed.
And the second he saw me,
He broke.
Actual tears filled his eyes instantly.
Because there I was.
Alive.
After six years.
Bruised.
Weak.
But alive.
He sat beside the bed slowly like he was scared I'd disappear again if he moved too fast.
Then carefully,
His trembling hand touched my hair.
"Riya..."
His voice shattered completely.
"I looked everywhere for you."
Outside,
Dhruv stared at the ICU doors silently.
And for the first time in years,
The great Dhruv Malhotra felt something dangerously close to fear.
Because suddenly,
He realized maybe fate had never planned Riya to be his at all.