CHAPTER 45（MAHI）
The silence around me broke suddenly.
A sound.
A distant one at first.
Then louder.
The sirens.
They filled the entire place.
For a second, I just stared.
Help had arrived.
But my eyes didn't move away from Aryan.
Not even once.
Ekansh came beside me immediately.
"Mahi..."
I didn't respond.
I couldn't.
My entire focus was on him.
"Aryan..."
I whispered again.
Like saying his name would somehow bring him back to me.
Ekansh gently grabbed my shoulders.
"Mahi, they need space."
"No..."
The word came out instantly.
My grip tightened around Aryan's hand.
"No, I'm not leaving him."
My voice broke.
But Ekansh didn't let go.
Not because he wanted to pull me away from Aryan.
Because he knew he had to.
"They're taking him to the hospital," he said softly.
Hospital.
The word hit me.
A stretcher was brought in.
People moved around us quickly.
Everything felt like it was happening too fast.
Too much.
I watched them move Aryan carefully.
And suddenly all the strength I had been holding onto disappeared.
My eyes burned.
"Please..."
My voice shook.
"Please don't die, Aryan."
The tears I had been holding back finally fell.
"Please..."
I didn't care who heard.
I didn't care how weak I looked.
Because this was Aryan.
The person who searched for me when I was lost.
The person who came into danger because he refused to leave me.
And now I was standing there watching them take him away.
Ekansh kept a hand on my shoulder.
"Mahi..."
But I couldn't answer.
My eyes stayed fixed on Aryan until the very last second.
The stretcher started moving.
And my heart felt like it was moving away with him.
I took a step forward.
"Aryan..."
A whisper.
A promise.
"I'm here."
Even if he couldn't hear me.
Even if everything felt uncertain.
I needed him to know.
I was still here.
The ambulance doors opened.
Everything started moving again.
People.
Voices.
Orders.
But I was stuck in one place.
With him.
They were about to close the ambulance doors when I stepped forward.
"I'm coming."
One of the paramedics looked at me.
"Ma'am, you can't—"
"I'm coming with him."
My voice surprised even me.
It wasn't loud.
It wasn't angry.
It was just certain.
Because there was no way I was letting him go alone after he came all this way for me.
Ekansh looked at me.
"Mahi..."
I looked at him with tears in my eyes.
"Please."
That one word was enough.
He understood.
The ambulance doors closed.
And I sat beside Aryan.
My eyes never left him.
Not once.
The sound of the siren filled the entire road.
But all I could hear was my own heartbeat.
Too fast.
Too scared.
I carefully held his hand.
The same hand that always held mine when I was afraid.
Now I was holding his.
"Don't scare me like this," I whispered.
My voice broke.
"You always tell me I'm not alone..."
A tear slipped down my cheek.
"So don't leave me alone."
No answer.
Only silence.
And that silence terrified me.
I kept looking at him.
Remembering everything.
The way he annoyed me.
The way he made me smile.
The way he listened when I finally told him about my past.
The way he promised he would stay.
The ambulance finally stopped.
The hospital doors opened.
Doctors rushed toward him.
And suddenly my hand slipped away from his.
"No..."
I whispered.
They moved him inside quickly.
I followed until someone stopped me outside.
"Please wait here."
Wait.
That word felt impossible.
I stood outside the emergency room.
Minutes passed.
Or maybe hours.
I didn't know.
I just sat there.
My hands still shaking.
My eyes fixed on the closed doors.
Ekansh came and sat beside me.
Neither of us spoke.
Because there was nothing to say.
I looked at those doors again.
And quietly whispered,
"Come back, Aryan."
A pause.
My voice broke.
"Please come back to me."
The hospital corridor felt colder with every passing minute.
My eyes never left the emergency room doors.
Every time they moved slightly, my heart jumped.
Only to sink again.
Not yet.
Still not yet.
I pressed my palms together tightly.
Please.
Please let him be okay.
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the corridor.
I looked up.
And froze.
Aryan's mother.
She looked terrified.
Her hair slightly messy.
Eyes red.
Face pale.
She must have rushed here the second she heard.
"Aunty..."
I stood up immediately.
The moment her eyes landed on me, something changed.
Fear.
Relief.
Then anger.
Raw anger.
"Where is he?" she demanded.
My throat tightened.
"They took him inside..."
Before I could finish, her eyes filled with tears.
"My son is in there."
I lowered my gaze.
Because I knew.
I knew exactly who she was talking about.
The boy who came looking for me.
The boy who never gave up.
The boy who was now fighting inside that room.
And then—
The words came.
Words spoken by a scared mother.
A terrified mother.
"You should have stayed away from him."
My head snapped up.
She was crying now.
Actually crying.
"My son wouldn't be lying in there if it wasn't for all this."
Every word felt heavier than the last.
Ekansh stood up immediately.
"Aunty—"
"No."
Her voice cracked.
"No."
She pointed toward the emergency room.
"Do you know what it felt like getting that phone call?"
Silence.
"I thought I lost him."
My eyes immediately filled.
Because I thought the same thing.
And somehow that made it worse.
"He went there because of you."
The words hit directly.
"He put himself in danger because of you."
My throat burned.
I couldn't speak.
Couldn't defend myself.
Because the worst part was...
I believed her.
Maybe if I hadn't worked late.
Maybe if I hadn't gone outside.
Maybe if I had called Aryan sooner.
Maybe.
Maybe.
Maybe.
The word kept repeating inside my head.
And suddenly all the guilt I had been holding back crashed into me.
I looked toward the emergency room doors.
And whispered,
"You're right."
The corridor went silent.
A tear rolled down my cheek.
Then another.
Then another.
"It happened because of me."
My voice shook.
"If I wasn't there..."
I swallowed hard.
"He wouldn't have gone."
My chest felt painfully tight.
Every memory replayed itself.
Aryan searching for me.
Aryan finding me.
Aryan refusing to leave me.
Aryan getting hurt.
Because of me.
"I never wanted this."
The words came out broken.
"I never wanted him to get hurt."
By now tears were falling freely.
I wasn't even trying to stop them.
Because deep down...
I was already punishing myself more than anyone else could.
I lowered my head.
And whispered the thought that had been haunting me since the ambulance ride.
"This is my fault."
The words barely left my lips.
But they felt real.
Painfully real.
And for the first time since reaching the hospital...
I couldn't even look at the emergency room doors anymore.
Because I was terrified of what would happen if Aryan never walked out of them.
The corridor was silent.
Too silent.
I kept staring at the emergency room doors.
Every second felt like it was stretching forever.
Then finally—
The doors opened.
My heart stopped.
A doctor stepped out.
Everyone immediately stood up.
"Doctor..."
My voice came out barely audible.
He looked at all of us and gave a small reassuring expression.
"He's out of danger."
For a second...
I forgot how to breathe.
Out of danger.
Those words kept repeating in my mind.
My eyes instantly filled with tears.
But before I could feel completely relieved, the doctor continued.
"He's still unconscious."
My smile faded slightly.
"But his condition is stable," he added. "You can meet him if you want."
I didn't wait for anyone else.
My feet moved before my mind could even process it.
I walked inside.
Slowly.
Almost scared.
Like if I moved too fast, this moment would disappear.
And then I saw him.
Aryan.
Lying there.
Not the same Aryan who always stood strong.
Not the same Aryan who always had an answer.
Just Aryan.
My Aryan.
My eyes burned instantly.
I walked closer.
Sat beside him.
For a few seconds, I just looked at him.
Trying to believe he was really here.
Alive.
Safe.
I carefully held his hand.
The same hand that had held mine when I was breaking.
"Aryan..."
My voice cracked.
"You scared me."
A tear slipped down my cheek.
"I thought..."
I couldn't finish.
Because even saying it felt too painful.
I looked down at our hands.
"I'm sorry."
The word came out immediately.
"I know everyone thinks this happened because of me..."
My voice shook.
"And maybe..."
I stopped.
Because a part of me knew I was blaming myself too much.
But the guilt was still there.
I looked back at him.
"You came for me."
A small, broken smile appeared.
"You always come for me."
I tightened my hold slightly.
"So now..."
I whispered.
"You have to come back to me too."
The room stayed silent.
But for the first time in days...
I felt a little hope.
Because Aryan was here.
And I wasn't leaving his side.
I sat beside his bed quietly.
His hand was still in mine.
The room was silent except for the soft sounds of the machines around him.
I hated this silence.
Because it reminded me of how close I came to losing him.
I slowly lifted his hand and pressed the back of it against my cheek.
And finally...
I broke.
The tears I had been holding back fell freely.
"I'm sorry..."
My voice trembled.
"I'm so sorry, Aryan."
I closed my eyes.
"It happened because of me."
The words hurt even more when I said them out loud.
"You came for me."
A tear slipped down my face.
"You always come for me."
My fingers moved gently over his hand.
"And look what happened."
My chest felt heavy.
I looked at him.
The person who made me feel safe.
The person who made me believe I could finally let someone in.
"I can't do this again."
My voice became smaller.
"I can't sit here again and wonder if I am going to lose you."
I brushed my fingers gently through his hair.
My heart was breaking with every word I was about to say.
"I'm leaving."
The room stayed silent.
Like even the walls didn't want to hear it.
"I'm leaving because I love you."
I swallowed hard.
"Because if this happened once..."
My voice cracked.
"I don't know if I can survive watching it happen twice."
I leaned closer.
My tears fell onto his hand.
"I know you will try to stop me."
A small sad smile appeared.
"Because that's who you are."
I looked at his face.
"You would choose me every single time."
My hand moved gently over his hair one last time.
"And that's exactly why I have to go."
I pressed a soft kiss on his forehead.
My eyes closed.
"I love you, Aryan."
The words came out broken.
"I love you so much."
I stayed there for a few more seconds.
Memorizing everything.
His face.
His hand in mine.
The feeling of finally having him safe.
Because maybe...
Maybe loving someone sometimes meant walking away before they got hurt because of you.
I slowly pulled my hand away.
And that was the hardest thing I had ever done.
Because leaving Raj behind was easy.
Leaving Aryan...
felt impossible.
My steps felt heavier than they ever had before.
Each step away from his room felt like I was leaving a part of myself behind.
I reached the door.
And the moment it opened...
I saw her.
Noor aunty.
Her eyes were tired.
Worried.
But the second she saw me standing there, she walked toward me.
Before I could say anything, she wrapped her arms around me.
"I am happy you both are safe."
That sentence broke something inside me.
Because she didn't hate me.
She didn't blame me.
She was just relieved.
I bit my lip quickly, trying to stop the tears from falling again.
"Yes..."
My voice barely came out.
"Yes, aunty."
I forced a small smile.
Because what else could I do?
How could I tell her that I was about to walk away from the person who had fought the entire world for me?
I stepped back slowly.
Then I looked at Ekansh.
He was standing there quietly.
The same worry in his eyes.
I tried to keep my voice steady.
"Now go."
He looked at me.
"Go and see your brother."
For a second, neither of us moved.
Then he nodded.
Noor aunty nodded too.
They both entered the room.
And the second the door closed...
The strength I was pretending to have disappeared.
I stood there for a moment.
Just staring at the door.
The door behind which Aryan was.
The door behind which was the person I loved.
My eyes filled again.
But I wiped them quickly.
No.
I had made my decision.
I turned around.
And walked away.
Out of the hospital.
Every step hurt.
Every breath hurt.
But I kept walking.
Outside, I took out my phone with shaking hands and called a cab.
A few minutes later, it arrived.
I sat inside quietly.
The driver looked back.
"Where should I take you, miss?"
I didn't answer immediately.
My eyes stayed fixed on the hospital.
The place where I left my heart.
I watched it get smaller through the window.
And for one last moment...
I hoped.
I hoped Aryan would wake up.
I hoped he would be okay.
I hoped he would forgive me.
I closed my eyes and let out a shaky breath.
Then whispered,
"Airport."
The driver nodded.
And the car started moving.
Away from him.
Away from everything.
But not away from my love for him.
Because that was the one thing I couldn't leave behind.