49. FAILED LOGICS
VEERAJ
The door to the private hospital room swings open so hard it bangs against the wall.
Diya rushes inside.
Her breathing is uneven, her hair falling out of their messy bun, and the moment her tear-filled eyes find me, her whole face crumbles.
She runs straight to my bed. Her hands shake as she reaches for me, checking my face, my shoulders, my arms, as if she's trying to make sure I'm really here.
Then she notices the white bandage wrapped around the side of my head.
The accident had been bad. A speeding car had crashed straight into my SUV.
The front of the vehicle was completely destroyed.
But the cabin held. The doctors told me I was lucky.
Apart from a cut near my temple, bruised ribs from the seatbelt, and a few scratches, nothing was serious.
They expect me to recover completely in a couple of weeks.
But looking at Diya . . . Anyone would think the world had ended. "How are you all so calm?" she cries, turning toward Vihaan, who is standing quietly near the window.
Fresh tears roll down her cheeks. "Why didn't anyone tell me how bad the accident was?" Her voice breaks. "Do you have any idea what I was thinking on the way here? I thought . . . I thought he . . . "
She can't finish.
A sob takes over.
Vihaan looks at me for a moment before giving me a small nod. Without saying anything, he quietly walks out of the room, closing the door behind him.
The moment we're alone, I don't hesitate. Ignoring the pain in my ribs, I reach for her and pull her straight into my arms.
She melts against me instantly. "I was so scared," she cries into my hospital gown, clutching my shoulders tightly. "I thought . . . I thought I lost you, Veeraj."
I hold her even closer. "I'm right here, darling," I whisper into her hair. "I'm not going anywhere." I gently lift her face and wipe away the tears with my thumb. "Look at me." I whisper, "I'm here." I take her palm and put it across my chest, "Breathe for me, Trouble."
I lean down and kiss her. Slowly. Gently.
Not to silence her but to calm her. Little by little, her breathing steadies.
When she finally catches her breath, she suddenly pushes against my chest, trying to move away. I don't let her.
I hold her hand before she can step back. My heart aches.
"Please . . . " I whisper. "If I've done something these last few days to hurt you, I'm sorry.
" God, I sound so desperate but I am, I am desperate, in the moment of accident, all I could think about was her smile, her eyes, her beautiful bratty mouth, "But don't push me away anymore. I can't do this distance."
Tears fill her eyes again. "I don't want to stay close to you, Veeraj." The words hit harder than the accident ever could. She tries to pull her hand free. "If I stay . . . I'll have to accept how I really feel."
She finally looks at me. "This marriage started because of an arrangement." She huffs, as if she's physically pained by her emotions, "We were never supposed to become . . . this."
I frown. "Is that really what you believe?"
Because it hasn't felt like an arrangement to me for a long time. I gently pull her down until she's sitting beside me on the edge of the bed. She's so close now that she has nowhere left to hide. "It doesn't feel like an arrangement anymore."
I hold her gaze. "Look at me, Diya." I take a slow breath. For the first time in my life, I stop thinking like a prince.
Or a businessman.
Or someone who always has the right answer.
I simply speak from my heart.
"I've spent thirty years believing that life is built on logic.
Plans. Discipline. Structure. I believed everything had a reason.
" Her brows furrow, "Everything had to make sense.
But then you walked into my life . . . " A small smile appears on my face.
"And suddenly nothing made sense anymore.
" I chuckle softly, "You make me worry. You make me smile.
You make me leave work early just because I want to see you.
" I murmur, almost breathless from my own confession, "You make me miss you the second you leave the room.
" I laugh softly. "I honestly didn't know one person could take over someone's thoughts this completely. "
Her eyes slowly fill with tears again. "I thought maybe it was just an attraction. Then I thought maybe I was simply being protective. But I was wrong." Thank God, I was wrong because I can't and don't want to imagine a life without her anymore. "It's so much more than that."
I gently tuck a loose curl behind her ear. "You are kind. You are brave. You always put everyone else before yourself. You make people feel safe. You bring life into every room you walk into."
I smile. "You are everything I'm not."
"I'm quiet." Her eyes meet mine.
"You're loud." She chuckles despite tears in her eyes.
"I'm serious." She tries stopping the sob.
"You laugh at everything." But it leaves her mouth anyway.
"I plan every step." I rub circles on the back of her palm.
"You somehow make chaos look beautiful." She inhales sharply.
"And somehow . . . " I take her hand and hold it against my chest again. "You complete me."
She freezes. A tear rolls slowly down her cheek. I smile through the emotion building inside me. "I've always liked being alone."
"I hate small talk. I don't miss people. I've never needed anyone. But now . . . " I inhale deeply, "I think about you all the time. I wonder if you've eaten. I wonder if you're smiling. I wonder if you've reached the NGO safely."
"And when I come home . . . " I gently squeeze her hand. "It only feels like home when you're there."
I let out a shaky breath. "I love you, Diya." The words finally leave my heart.
Simple.
Honest.
Certain.
"I love you." Another tear slips down her face. I lean forward and rest my forehead against hers. "I love you," I whisper again. "And I'm going to keep loving you . . . no matter how this story began."
I kiss her. With everything I've been holding back.
When we finally pull away, she wraps both arms tightly around my neck.
"I love you too," she whispers against my lips, her voice shaking with tears and relief. "I've loved you for so long.".She hides her face against my shoulder. "I was just too scared to believe someone like you could ever love someone like me."
I hold her tighter. "You never have to doubt that again."
She smiles through her tears. So do I. For the first time in my life, logic has no answer.
And strangely . . . I've never felt more complete before.