CHAPTER 55! WOULD HE? #4
?Aadhira's breathing slowed. For the first time since the accident, something other than grief entered her expression.
Confusion. Then fear. Then realization.
?She looked toward the operating-room doors. "A truck couldn't have gotten there by accident."
And then-the sudden, chilling memory of a face. A black mask, dark trousers, an earpiece, and a pair of utterly unblinking eyes staring at her from across the street.
Aadhira shook her head violently, pressing her palms against her temples. No. You're being paranoid. It was a stranger. An accident, right?. Accidents happen every day, and today was just our turn.
Why would anyone want to hurt Kashvi? She has no enemies.
It was just an accident.
It had to be.
And then, like a phantom stepping out of the shadows, another thought surfaced. Not a face, but a voice. Low. Controlled. Absolute.
You'll still come home.
Aadhira's hands froze.
The air left her lungs. She remembered the exact tone Aryav had used when he spoke those words to her weeks ago.
Not a plea. Not a husband asking his wife to return. It was the tone of a man stating a decree he had already set in motion.
Don't make me come and get you.
A wave of nausea twisted her stomach. She shut off the tap with a harsh jerk.
Did he do this to break me?
Was that man... Aryav's man?
He hadn't looked surprised.
That was what she couldn't forget.
Everyone else had reacted to the truck.
He had reacted to her.
"He's ruthless," she whispered in her mind. "Cruel, when he wants something."
Her voice faltered.
"But he wouldn't hurt Kashvi."
A beat.
"Would he?"
Her mind had dragged Aryav into the wreckage for one reason: she knew what kind of man he was.
Aryav didn't make empty threats. And lately, she had become the one thing in his life he couldn't control.
Yet, the memory of the watcher refused to die. While everyone else had screamed, run, or panicked, he had stood completely still.
He hadn't called for help. He hadn't checked on the child. He had simply raised his phone, taken a clear photograph of Aadhira covered in blood, and vanished into the crowd
?Reyansh was just sitting there thinking deeply about something.
?The operating-room doors finally opened.
Aadhira stood so quickly the chair scraped against the floor.
?A surgeon stepped out.
"Family of Kashvi?"
?Aadhira rushed toward him. "Doctor?"
?The surgeon pulled down his mask.
"She survived."
?Aadhira stopped breathing. "She's alive?"
?"Yes."
?Her eyes closed as a broken breath escaped her. Thank God. Thank God.
?But the surgeon wasn't finished. "The injuries were extensive. She lost a significant amount of blood."
?Aadhira nodded rapidly. "Can I see her?"
?"Not yet. We're transferring her to ICU."
?"Is she awake?"
?"No."
?"When will she wake up?"
?"We can't say."
?Aadhira's face fell. "But she's alive?"
?"For now, yes."
?The words for now hurt, but she accepted them. "What happens now?"
?"The next twenty-four hours are critical."
?Aadhira nodded. "Please."
?The surgeon looked at her. "We're doing everything we can." He walked away.
?Aadhira stood completely still. Then she finally let herself breathe-one breath, then another.
?Reyansh placed a hand on her shoulder. "She made it."
?Aadhira nodded, tears slipping down her face. "She made it."
?Her phone vibrated. Aadhira looked down.
?Aryav: Where are you?
?She stared at the screen. Three words. Nothing more. But now, they felt different.
?Her thumb hovered over the keyboard. For months, she'd been afraid of Aryav. Tonight, for the first time, she was afraid of what he might have done.
?She looked at the hospital doors, then at Ayaan, then at the message again. She didn't reply.
?She slipped the phone into her pocket. Reyansh watched her. "Who was it?"
?Aadhira looked at him. "Aryav."
?His expression darkened.
"What are you thinking?"
?Aadhira looked toward the ICU doors, her voice quiet. "I don't know."
A pause. Then, "I need to know who put that truck on that road." Her gaze hardened. "And why someone was taking pictures of me."
?Reyansh nodded slowly. "We'll find out."
?Aadhira shook her head. "No."
She looked at him. "I will find out."