CHAPTER 46（ARYAN）
The first thing I felt was heaviness.
A strange silence around me.
Slowly, I opened my eyes.
The ceiling above me was unfamiliar for a second.
Then everything came back.
The hospital.
The rescue.
Mahi.
My heart reacted before my mind did.
I tried to move.
"Mahi..."
My voice came out weak.
But it was the only thing I cared about.
The door opened instantly.
Noor entered.
The second she saw my eyes open, relief crossed her face.
"Aryan..."
But I didn't let her finish.
My eyes searched the room.
"Where is Mahi?"
The question came out immediately.
Noor froze for a second.
Then she gave me a small smile.
"She is outside."
Outside.
Relief washed over me.
She's here.
She didn't leave.
Of course she didn't.
A small smile touched my face despite everything.
"Call her."
Noor looked at me.
I frowned slightly.
"Mom... call her."
She nodded.
"I'll get her."
She walked out.
And I waited.
Seconds passed.
Then a minute.
Then another.
Something felt wrong.
Mahi wouldn't make me wait.
Not after everything.
The door opened again.
But it wasn't Mahi.
It was Noor.
Alone.
My heart sank slightly.
"Where is she?"
Noor didn't answer immediately.
That silence was enough.
I pushed myself up slightly.
"Mom."
Her eyes filled.
"She isn't outside."
My expression changed.
"What do you mean?"
Noor looked away.
"I thought she was with you..."
A cold feeling settled in my chest.
No.
No, that didn't make sense.
I looked toward the door again.
As if she would appear any second.
"Call her."
My voice became quieter.
"Call her again."
Noor immediately took out her phone.
She called.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Nothing.
No answer.
My fingers tightened around the bedsheet.
She wasn't picking up.
I knew Mahi.
I knew her.
She would never ignore me.
Not after what happened.
Unless...
A horrible thought crossed my mind.
I shook my head immediately.
No.
I refused to believe it.
"Try again."
Noor called again.
Still nothing.
I stared at the phone.
At the empty screen.
And suddenly I remembered her face before I lost consciousness.
The fear in her eyes.
The way she looked at me.
Like she was saying goodbye.
My breathing slowed.
Because somewhere inside...
I already knew.
Mahi didn't leave because she stopped loving me.
She left because she loved me too much.
And that hurt even more.
I slowly leaned back against the pillow.
The room felt too quiet.
Too empty.
I stared at the ceiling.
After everything...
After searching for two days.
After thinking about every possible thing that could have happened.
After finally finding her...
She was gone.
A bitter breath escaped me.
"This woman is going to kill me."
My voice was low.
Not because I was angry.
Because I was exhausted.
I closed my eyes for a second.
"I found her..."
A small, painful smile appeared.
"I actually found her."
My fingers tightened slightly.
"And instead of being here..."
I looked toward the empty space beside my bed.
"She ran away."
Just like that.
Like she always did.
Whenever things became too much.
Whenever she thought she was becoming a burden.
She disappeared.
But she didn't understand one thing.
She was never a burden.
Not to me.
Never.
The thought made my chest tighten.
I pushed the blanket away and tried to stand.
Immediately—
"Aryan!"
Mom's voice came from behind me.
I ignored the weakness in my body.
"I need to find her."
She stepped closer.
"Please lay back down. You just woke up."
I looked at her.
"I'll be fine."
My voice was firm.
Because there was no other option.
"Once I get Mahi back."
Mom stared at me.
Like she already knew there was no changing my mind.
I took a breath.
"She thinks leaving will protect me."
My voice softened.
"But she doesn't understand..."
I looked toward the door.
"She is the only person I want beside me."
Silence filled the room.
Mom's expression changed.
She wasn't just seeing her son anymore.
She was seeing someone who had already chosen.
I picked up my phone.
Looked at the empty screen.
No calls.
No messages.
Nothing.
But I wasn't giving up.
Not this time.
"She found a way to come back to me once."
I whispered.
"Now it's my turn."
And I knew one thing.
Mahi could run.
She could hide.
She could convince herself that leaving was the right thing.
But she couldn't erase what we had.
Not from me.
Not from her.
I stepped out of the car.
My eyes stayed fixed on the house in front of me.
Alina's house.
The place where Mahi went when she was hurting.
The place she ran to when she thought she had nowhere else to go.
I walked toward the door and knocked.
I didn't even have to wait long.
A voice came from inside.
"Why did you let Mahi cry, Aryan?"
I froze.
Even before the door opened, I knew.
Alina.
The door suddenly opened.
She looked at me with anger in her eyes.
"Why do you let her cry?"
Her voice was sharp.
I stayed silent.
Because what could I say?
She pushed the door open more and looked directly at me.
"This is the second time."
Her eyes filled slightly.
"SECOND TIME, Aryan."
Every word hit.
"She is crying because of you."
I lowered my gaze for a moment.
Because she wasn't wrong.
Not completely.
I had promised Mahi I would protect her.
And yet she was standing somewhere broken because of everything that happened.
Alina shook her head.
"Do you even understand what she has been through?"
I looked back at her.
"Yes."
My voice was quiet.
"I do."
A pause.
"And that's why I'm here."
Alina stared at me.
I took a breath.
Then I said the one thing I knew with complete certainty.
"This is the last time she is crying because of me."
Her expression softened slightly.
I continued.
"After this..."
I looked toward the inside of the house.
"Whenever she cries..."
My voice became softer.
"It will be because she is happy."
Silence.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Because I wasn't making a promise to Alina.
I was making a promise to myself.
To Mahi.
Alina looked at me carefully.
"You really think you can fix everything?"
I shook my head.
"No."
A small breath escaped me.
"I can't erase what happened to her."
I looked down.
"I can't change her past."
Then I looked back at her.
"But I can make sure she never feels alone while facing it."
Alina stayed quiet.
And I knew.
She wasn't angry because she hated me.
She was angry because she loved Mahi.
Just like I did.
"Where is she?" I asked.
Alina looked away.
Then back at me.
And after a few seconds...
She stepped aside.
"Inside."
My heart tightened.
Because after everything...
I was finally one step closer to her.
I stepped inside the hall.
And then I saw her.
Mahi.
Sitting there.
Trying so hard to look strong.
But I knew her.
I could see the tears she had tried to hide.
The same eyes that looked at me with fear when she thought she was going to lose me.
The same eyes that now thought leaving was the only way to protect me.
My heart tightened.
"Snowflake..."
Her eyes immediately lifted toward me.
For a second...
She just stared.
Like she couldn't believe I was actually there.
Then she quickly wiped her tears.
And looked away.
"I told you not to follow me."
I took a slow step forward.
Because of course.
Of course the first thing she would do was push me away again.
I shook my head slightly.
"I don't follow orders."
Her eyes came back to mine.
"Aryan..."
Her voice broke a little.
"I don't want you to get hurt."
That sentence.
That was the reason.
Not because she didn't love me.
Not because she wanted to leave.
Because she thought she was protecting me.
I walked closer.
Then I crouched down in front of her.
Making her look at me.
"Mahi..."
She looked at me with tears in her eyes.
I spoke softly.
"Do you really think..."
I paused.
"That you leaving me when I am expecting you to stay..."
My voice became heavier.
"Would not hurt me?"
Her expression changed.
A tear slipped down her cheek.
"I almost lost you."
I looked at her.
"And you think losing you now is easier?"
She opened her mouth, but no words came.
I continued.
"You think the only pain that matters is yours?"
My voice softened.
"Do you know what happened when I woke up?"
Her eyes lowered.
"I asked for you."
A pause.
"The first thing I said was your name."
Her breathing became uneven.
"I didn't ask where I was."
I looked directly into her eyes.
"I didn't ask what happened to me."
I touched my chest lightly.
"I asked where Mahi was."
The tears in her eyes finally fell.
I swallowed hard.
"Because my biggest fear wasn't what happened to me."
A small pause.
"It was that you would disappear again."
She looked at me.
And for the first time...
I saw her realize.
She wasn't protecting me by leaving.
She was hurting both of us.
"I don't need you to promise me that nothing bad will ever happen."
My voice became softer.
"I just need you to stop deciding alone that I would be better without you."
Silence filled the room.
And I whispered,
"Because Mahi..."
I reached for her hand.
"I don't want a life where I am safe but you aren't in it.