Chapter 5
Nisha
“You do realise you don’t have to babysit me,” I mutter, eyeing the spoon Kavya’s holding up.
I’m sitting cross-legged on my bed, my hair still slightly damp from the shower I took after therapy, when she walked in with a bowl of soup, asking me again for the millionth time how I’m doing, just like she has for the past few days.
She hasn’t left my side much, hovering like a mother hen, always anticipating what I need before I can even say it.
And somehow, that makes me ache even more, not from the pain, but from the emotional guilt of knowing I’m worrying her more than I already have.
“Well, I’m loving every bit of it, so don’t you dare tell me to stop,” she fires back, nudging the spoon towards me. “Come on, before it gets cold.”
With a sigh, I open my mouth and take a bite.
“It’s been a week since I got home, Kavya. And you’ve barely taken a breath. You’re always cooking, sitting through therapy with me, helping with everything.” My eyes immediately flick to her belly, a lump rising in my throat. “You need rest too. More than me.”
Her face softens, and for a second, I dare to hope she might actually listen.
But then she shakes her head, that familiar stubborn glint flashing in her eyes.
“Don’t start with that again. I’m fine, Nisha.
The baby’s fine. And I’m not about to sit in the next room while you go through all this alone.
If the roles were reversed, you’d do the same for me. So don’t try to reason it out.”
I bite the inside of my cheek. Her words sting, not because they’re wrong, but because they’re so heartbreakingly right.
“I would,” I agree softly. “But that doesn’t make any of this easier. I hate that I’m the reason you’re worrying.”
“You’re not,” she says firmly, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “Taking care of you, it’s more for me than for you. It reminds me that you’re here, that I didn’t lose you. So please, let me be here. Okay?”
I blink rapidly, trying to hold the tears at bay. “I just don’t want to be the reason anything happens to you or the baby.”
“That’s never going to happen,” she says, squeezing my hand. “You are, and always will be, my happiness. That’s never going to change.”
She’s barely just finished saying it when I hear a knock at the door. We both look up to see Reyansh step in, a paper bag in one hand, his tie loosened and hair slightly tousled. It’s obvious he’s just come directly from the office.
“Hope I’m not interrupting anything,” he teases, smiling at us.
Kavya lets out a laugh. “Of course you are. But we’ll allow it.”
“I brought your favourite kulfi,” he says, looking at me. “Thought you could use something sweet after therapy.” He walks over, sets the bag on the side table, then bends to press a kiss to Kavya’s forehead.
I blink, trying to take it all in. This love, this support… it’s overwhelming and beautiful, all at once.
“Thanks,” I say softly, smiling through the emotion rising in my chest. But before I can say anything, I hear footsteps and Sidharth walks in, making my heart stutter in my chest. An involuntary reaction to his presence I wish I could suppress.
At first, I thought the nerves were because he was a detective and he’d eventually uncover the truth about Prakash and me. But with him showing up every day, I’ve come to realise that’s not the only reason.
Maybe it has to do with the fact that I still don’t know why he shows up every day just to check on me.
Sure, he’s Reyansh’s friend, but that doesn’t quite explain it.
Worse, I don’t even know how to feel about it.
Because every time he walks in, my stomach flutters, and not in a calm, reassuring way, but more like a storm I can’t quite put a name on.
Pulling in a deep breath, I try to steady my nerves, reminding myself that he’s only doing this out of obligation. Like always, I’m probably reading too much into everything.
“Hey, how was therapy today?” Sidharth asks, his eyes locking onto mine as he comes to stand beside my bed.
I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, suddenly aware of how fast my pulse is racing. “Uh… it was okay. Hard. But better than yesterday,” I manage to say, feeling oddly nervous.
His lips curve slightly, as if he approves, but he doesn’t say anything else.
Instead, he leans against the wall, arms folded, ankles crossed, looking effortlessly at ease.
He’s dressed in faded jeans that fit just right and a charcoal-grey T-shirt stretched tightly across his chest. There’s something undeniably handsome about him—tall, six feet, with messy dark hair, dark eyes, a strong jawline dusted with a light stubble, and a small scar just above his right brow that only adds to the quiet intensity of his face.
Reyansh, thankfully, breaks the moment by dragging a chair next to the bed and plopping down.
“Good,” he says, placing his hand gently over mine. “We’re all proud of you, you know.” Then his gaze shifts to Kavya, a teasing smile tugging at his lips. “So when do we set the wedding date?”
Kavya instantly shakes her head. “Reyansh, no,” she says firmly, and immediately the grin slips from Reyansh’s face. “I can’t. Nisha’s just gotten home from the hospital.”
I open my mouth to protest, to tell her she doesn’t need to put her life on hold for me again, but before I can speak, her eyes snap to mine.
“And don’t you dare say you don’t need me,” she warns, her voice stern and gentle all at once.
“Kavya…” I start again, trying to reason with her. “You’ve put your whole life on pause for me.”
“And I don’t regret it,” she cuts in, her tone wavering now. “You almost died, Nisha. How can you expect me to plan my wedding when all I can think about is you? Don’t you get it? Seeing you heal is the only thing that’s keeping me sane right now.”
“Kavya, I understand,” Reyansh says, running a hand through his hair.
“But with the baby on the way, we can’t delay it for too long.
And… there’s something else.” He hesitates for a fraction of a second before continuing, “I’ve been offered a big project in Dubai.
It’s a dream opportunity, but it’s for a year. I’ll have to leave by next month.”
“Great,” Kavya replies immediately. “Then once you’re back from Dubai, we can plan the wedding.”
“No way in hell,” Reyansh shoots back, frustration and concern etched on his face. “I’m not going to Dubai without you.”
“And there’s no way I’m flying off to another country with you when my sister is still not completely recovered.
Not when she still wakes up shaking in the middle of the night, zones out for minutes at a time, and stares at the wall like she’s somewhere far away.
You seriously expect me to ignore all that and just come to Dubai with you? ” Kavya mutters bitterly.
That’s when I find my voice. “Please… stop arguing over me like I’m a burden.”
“Nisha, you are not a burden,” Kavya says immediately, her face tightening with hurt. “You’re my sister. You’re my heart. How can you even think—”
“I need you to trust me to stand on my own again, Kavya,” I cut in, my voice shaking. “Even if I fall, I need the space to heal. And I can’t do that with you watching me every second. I won’t get stronger that way. I’ll just start pretending and hiding how I feel so you can sleep at night.”
She blinks, visibly taken aback, but I don’t stop there.
This is important. “I know you love me…” My voice cracks under the weight of it all, and suddenly all the guilt, all the helplessness I’ve been holding in, spills out.
“I know you want to take care of me, but your care… it’s starting to feel like a gilded cage. ”
Tears spring into her eyes. “Don’t say that.”
“It’s the truth,” I whisper.
Reyansh’s expression softens as he looks between us.
He reaches for Kavya’s hand. “You’ve always been her strength, Kavya.
But now she needs to find her own. And trust me, that doesn’t mean you’re abandoning her.
It just means you’re giving her the space to stand on her own feet.
She’s got more strength than any of us gives her credit for.
” He squeezes her hand in reassurance. “Please understand I’m not asking you to stop caring.
I’m just saying we can’t keep putting our lives on hold either.
We’ll make sure she’s not alone. I’ll ask—”
“I’ll be here,” Sidharth says, cutting in, after his silence until now.
My mouth falls open. I wasn’t expecting that. A protest rises in my throat. I want to object, to say I don’t need another babysitter. Especially not him. Not the one who makes my pulse stutter and my thoughts spiral every time he’s near me.
Kavya turns and narrows her eyes at him. “You?” she asks in disbelief.
“If it gives you peace, then yes,” he says, pushing off the wall he was leaning against. “Between me and Sunita Aunty, she won’t be alone for a second.”
“You’d check on her? Daily?” Kavya asks again, her tone skeptical.
“You’ve already seen that I’ve been here every day,” he says, holding her gaze steadily. “And I don’t plan to stop. I’m happy to do it, no pressure.” He glances at me, his eyes softening for a fraction of a second before returning to Kavya as if waiting for her reply.
“What about when the court trials begin?” she asks, her voice laced with a thousand fears.
Her fingers instinctively tighten around the hem of her kurta, her gaze flickering to me for the briefest second before returning to Sidharth.
“She’ll have to be there, and I don’t want her going through that alone. ”
I swallow hard and look away. Kavya doesn’t need to know how just hearing the word court sends a sharp twist through my chest.
“It’s not happening anytime soon. I’ve already filed for an extension, considering she needs time to recover, both mentally and physically.
” My head jerks towards him at his words.
My throat clenches, and I feel the sting behind my eyes as I watch him in stunned silence, a strange warmth blooming in my chest.
Kavya blinks, surprised. “You did?”
He nods, his arms still folded but his eyes softer now.
“Yeah. I wasn’t going to let anyone rush her into reliving that hell while she’s healing.
” He pauses for a second, as if choosing his next words carefully.
“And whenever that day comes,” he continues, his eyes now meeting mine with unwavering intent, “I’ll be there with her.
Every step of the way. I’ll sit in that courtroom with her.
I’ll handle whatever needs handling. And I’ll make damn sure it doesn’t become too much for her. ”
Kavya’s lips tremble as she studies him carefully, like she’s trying to see through every word he’s just spoken. Whatever she finds in his face must be enough, because she doesn’t question him further. Instead, she turns to me. “Will you be okay with this?”
I nod. “I want you to have your future, Kavya. With Reyansh. With the baby. You deserve that.” Emotion chokes me, but I keep going. “You’ve done enough for me. And if this is what it takes for my sister to have her forever with the man she loves, then yes, I’m okay with it.”
She looks between me and Sidharth, then finally surrenders.
“Fine,” she whispers. “I’ll go. But only on the condition that Sidharth keeps an eye on you. Every single day. And he gives me updates. If you miss even one therapy session, skip a meal, or forget your medicine, I swear, I’ll come back and drag you to Dubai myself.”
I let out a shaky laugh, tears welling up in my eyes. “Deal.”
Reyansh wraps his arms around Kavya and pulls her close.
“I love you,” he murmurs, then looks at me, his eyes warm with gratitude. “Thank you.”
I nod at Reyansh, and then my gaze flickers back to Sidharth.
And just like that, my pulse quickens again.
I don’t know if I made a wise choice or just acted in the heat of the moment.
All I know is that this man is becoming impossible to ignore.
And that terrifies me. Because I’m still trying to gather pieces of myself back together, and I don’t know if I have room for someone who might be another disaster to my heart.