36 | she knows everything
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The entire waiting area had fallen silent.
No one knew what to say.
No one knew where to start.
The weight of the last few days hung heavily between them.
Then, at the exact same moment-
"How is Mom?"
"How is maa?"
Avyukt and Avantika spoke together.
Both stopped instantly.
Their eyes met for a second before looking away again.
Ruhi's eyes immediately filled with tears. Seeing both of them together after everything made her emotions spill over. She quickly looked down and wiped her face.
Doctor Prince stepped out of the ICU.
"She's stable now," he said softly. "But she's asking to meet Avantika."
Everyone went silent again.
Avantika looked up immediately.
"Me?"
The doctor nodded.
"Yes. She specifically asked for you."
Avantika hesitated.
After everything that had happened, she didn't know whether she had the right to walk into that room.
Before she could say anything, Avyukt spoke.
"If Mom wants to meet you... then go."
His voice was tired.
Broken.
But sincere.
Doctor Prince smiled slightly.
"Of course. You can go meet her."
Avantika slowly stood up.
Her attention flickered toward Avyukt.
He was already looking at her.
Neither spoke, apologized and questioned. But there was something in their eyes that hadn't been there a few days ago.
Fear.
Regret.
And a desperate need for answers.
Avantika took a deep breath and walked toward the ICU door.
The door opened slowly.
Inside, Renuka was lying on the hospital bed.
She looked weak.
Much weaker than Avantika had ever seen her.
The moment Renuka saw her, tears gathered in her eyes.
"Avantika..."
That single word broke something inside both of them.
Avantika immediately rushed forward.
"Maa..."
Renuka held her hand tightly, as if she was afraid she would disappear. And outside the room, through the small glass window-
Avyukt stood watching.
His eyes never left Avantika for even a second.
Because after all that had happened... there was a tiny possibility that everything wasn't lost yet.
Renuka slowly tried to sit up the moment Avantika came closer.
"maa-careful," Avantika immediately said, adjusting her pillow and helping her sit comfortably.
Renuka held her hand tightly.
"Avantika... I need to tell you everything. There are things you don't know... things I should have told you long ago."
Her voice trembled with guilt. But Avantika gently squeezed her hand.
"Mom... I know."
Renuka froze.
"What?"
Avantika's eyes filled with tears, but there was no anger in them anymore.
"After I met you... Abhimanyu came to meet me."
For a moment, Renuka couldn't say anything.
Avantika continued softly.
"He told me everything."
Renuka stared at her in shock.
"He said he's carrying a lot of guilt for what he did. He admitted that he made mistakes."
Avantika looked down briefly before continuing. "He said he wasn't a bad person... just insecure."
Outside the ICU window, Avyukt unconsciously stepped closer.
Inside, Avantika's voice remained calm.
"He said it hurt him whenever people compared him to Avyukt. He hated hearing how successful Avyukt was... how everyone seemed proud of him."
A tear slipped down Renuka's cheek.
"He told me, 'I'm his twin, but somehow I was always the one standing in his shadow. After a point, I stopped seeing him as my brother and started seeing him as my competition.'"
Renuka closed her eyes painfully.
Avantika continued,
"He said he got lost in that jealousy. He started making wrong decisions. But he also said that he was never evil enough to destroy everyone's life completely."
"He told me he couldn't leave his mother drowning in guilt for mistakes that were ultimately his."
Renuka's grip on Avantika's hand tightened.
"He apologized, Mom."
A small silence filled the room.
"He apologized to me. He apologized to Avyukt. And before leaving, he said he wanted to become someone you could be proud of one day."
Renuka's shoulders shook as tears rolled down her face.
"He left for overseas after that."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Renuka slowly raised her hand and touched Avantika's cheek.
"I don't know what I did to deserve a daughter like you."
Avantika immediately shook her head.
"No, Mom. Families make mistakes. People make mistakes."
Her voice cracked.
"But they also deserve a chance to become better."
Outside the ICU, Avyukt stood near the glass window. From where he was standing, he could see Avantika sitting beside his mother.
He could see their expressions.
He could see tears in their eyes.
He could see Mom holding Avantika's hand tightly.
But he couldn't hear a single word.
Not one.
The ICU door was closed, and the thick glass blocked every sound. Without realizing it, he took a few steps closer.
Maybe if he stood nearer...
Maybe if he focused harder...
Maybe he would catch a few words.
But nothing reached him.
Only silence.
His eyes moved between Avantika and his mother, desperately trying to read their lips.
At one point, he saw Avantika say something that made his mother's eyes widen in shock.
Then tears started rolling down Renuka's cheeks. Avyukt's heart immediately dropped.
"What happened...?"
He whispered to himself.
"Why is Mom crying?"
He tried again.
Tried to understand.
Tried to guess.
But all he could see were expressions.
No words.
No answers.
The uncertainty was slowly driving him crazy.
Krish, who was standing nearby, noticed him staring at the room.
"You won't be able to hear anything from here."
Avyukt didn't even look at him. His eyes remained fixed on Avantika.
Avantika looked different.
Not angry.
Not distant.
Not cold.
Just... emotional.
And somehow that scared him even more. Because he had no idea what was happening inside that room.
A few minutes later, he saw Avantika wipe her eyes. Renuka squeezed her hand. Then both of them shared a small, painful smile. And that confused him completely.
His mind started creating a hundred possibilities.
Did Mom tell her the truth?
Did Avantika forgive her?
Did something happen that I don't know about?
The more he thought, the more restless he became. since Avantika had entered the ICU, Avyukt wished he could hear even a single sentence.
Just one.
Anything.
Because standing outside that door...
Watching the woman he loved and the mother he adored talking through tears... And not knowing what was being said...
Felt far more painful than any answer he could imagine.
_____
A few seats away from everyone, Siya sat quietly with her hands folded in her lap.
Krish was sitting across from her.
For once, neither of them were arguing, teasing, or trying to fill the silence.
They were just... sitting.
The hospital corridor lights reflected in Siya's eyes as she looked down at the coffee cup in her hands.
"Have you eaten anything?" Krish suddenly asked.
Siya looked up, surprised.
"You haven't either."
Krish let out a faint smile.
"Didn't answer my question."
"And you didn't answer mine."
For a second, both of them almost smiled.
Almost.
Then the silence returned.
After a while, Siya quietly pushed the untouched coffee toward him.
"Drink."
Krish looked at the cup.
"And you?"
"I'll get another one."
He knew she was lying.
There wasn't another cup.
She had only bought one.
he just stared at her before finally taking it.
"Thanks."
Siya nodded.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
But somehow, after days of misunderstandings and hurt, this tiny gesture felt bigger than any speech.
Krish looked at her for a moment.
This time, there was no expectation in his eyes.
No forcing.
No hoping for something she wasn't ready to give.
Just understanding.
And strangely... That hurt Siya more than his teasing ever had. Because she realized she missed the version of Krish who never stopped talking.
The silent one sitting in front of her felt like a stranger.