Chapter 38
Sidharth
A dull ache pulses in my side as I blink my eyes open.
The sharp scent of antiseptic and the steady beep of machines hit me immediately, reminding me I’m still stuck in the hospital.
It’s been three damn days since they brought me in, and I still don’t know when the doctor plans to discharge me.
If I had it my way, I’d get the hell out of here right this second.
My mind drifts back to the moment I first woke up after the five-hour surgery. Everything felt like a blur. My throat was dry, my body numb, and my mind clouded with pain. Yet through all that fog, the only name that left my lips was Nisha. I knew nothing would put me at ease until I saw her.
And when she finally walked into the room and ran straight into my arms, it felt like I could finally breathe again. Just knowing I hadn’t lost her… hell, that did more for me than any medicine they could’ve pumped into my veins.
Hours later, Viraj walked in, file in hand, wearing that same grim expression on his face that practically screamed I was a crazy bastard for pulling off this stunt.
But he had no idea what really went through me the moment I saw Maya point a gun at Nisha.
In that instant, nothing else mattered. Not logic, not fear, not even my own life.
All I could think about was keeping her safe.
After taking my statement, Viraj finally gave me the one thing I needed to hear—Maya and Prakash had confessed. The department had everything: recordings, statements, solid evidence. They weren’t walking free again.
Snapping back to the present, I try to move my arm, but it won’t budge. I glance to the side, and the corner of my mouth lifts when my eyes land on Nisha.
She’s curled up in the chair beside me, her hand wrapped around mine in a death grip, and is fast asleep. She hasn’t left my side since the moment I landed here. Not even after I woke up, not even when the doctor said I was out of danger.
She fought tooth and nail with Viraj, Sunita Aunty, and even the doctor… anyone who tried telling her to go home and get some rest. In the end, they all had to give up, with Sunita Aunty settling into a routine of bringing her homemade food and fresh clothes every day.
My stubborn woman.
The doctor called me lucky, said the bullet tore through the side of my stomach, missing the vital organs by a few inches. Just one inch the other way, and I’d be gone. But as I look at Nisha, her brows faintly drawn even in sleep, I know exactly what saved me.
It wasn’t luck.
It was her.
It was because I had someone to come back to.
My gaze falls on the wall clock. It’s dark, but the faint glow of the night lamp cuts through the shadows just enough for me to see the time. Two in the morning.
I lick my dry lips and glance over at the glass of water on the bedside table.
Carefully, I shift, lifting my free hand so I don’t wake her as I try to reach for the glass. But the moment I stretch too far, a sharp pain rips through my side, like fire tearing through flesh.
“Fuck,” I hiss through clenched teeth and drop back onto my side.
Nisha jerks awake and is out of the chair in a second, hovering over me as she cups my cheek with her palm.
“Sidharth?” Her voice is hoarse with sleep, but edged with panic. “What happened?”
“Sweetheart, relax,” I let out a strained breath, trying to ease the tightness in my side. “I was just thirsty… tried to reach for the water.”
“You should’ve woken me up,” she scolds, grabbing the glass and holding it to my lips with one hand, the other sliding behind my neck to support me. “Why would you try to move?”
“I didn’t want to wake you… You looked too peaceful,” I say, taking a small sip and wincing as the water goes down.
Her stormy eyes narrow at me instantly. I watch her quietly… the shadows under her eyes, the way her hair is messily pulled back, the exhaustion etched into her face. And still, even in this state, she’s breathtakingly beautiful.
“Peaceful?” she snaps. “You’re lying here with a bullet wound, barely able to move, and you’re worried about not waking me up?” She shakes her head, muttering under her breath. “You really do love testing my sanity, don’t you?”
She sets the glass down, adjusts my pillows carefully, and helps me lie back before settling into the chair again.
I wink at her, a slow, cocky grin tugging at my lips. “You know you make it way too easy, sweetheart. Always fussing over the little things.”
Her eyes narrow. “You lying in a hospital bed is not a little thing,” she huffs. “You scared the hell out of me. Don’t you dare do it again.”
I manage a faint smile. “You’ve got nothing to be afraid of. I’m right here, breathing just fine.”
“I know.” Her shoulders slump as she takes my hand in hers. “But when I saw you bleeding, lying there unconscious… I couldn’t breathe.” She swallows hard, her fingers tightening around mine. “I thought I’d lost you.” Her voice cracks on that last word.
“You didn’t,” I say, my voice rough as I squeeze her hand. “You know I’d never leave you. I promised you forever, and I damn well meant it.”
Her lashes glisten as tears well in her eyes.
“Then don’t you dare break that promise,” she whispers, pressing a soft kiss to my knuckles.
“Because I don’t know how to survive a world that doesn’t have you in it.
” She looks me straight in the eye and hiccups, “Why did you do that, Sidharth? When you saw the gun, why did you provoke her? Why didn’t you just wait for the cops?
Why would you put your life on the line when you knew what it would do to me? ”
I stay quiet. I just watch her and listen, as the floodgates finally open.
This is the first time she’s let herself fall apart since I woke up. For the past three days, she’s held herself together… calm, composed, pretending to be stronger than she felt, only for me. She smiled through her pain and just focused on my healing, as if it were the only thing that mattered.
“Do you even know what it felt like?” she goes on, tears spilling freely now.
“When they took you into surgery, I didn’t know what the doctors would say when they came out.
I didn’t know if I’d ever hear your voice again, or if I’d ever get the chance to yell at you for being so goddamn stupid?
” Her hands shake as she speaks. “A part of me was dying as I sat outside that damn operating room for hours, just praying you’d come back to me. ”
Her voice cracks, and in that moment, my heart aches in a way no pain ever could. I want to pull her into my arms and tell her I’m sorry, that it’s over, that I’m okay. But I stay still. I know she needs to let out everything that’s been tearing her up inside.
Hell, if I were in her place, I don’t know how I’d have survived it. Watching the person you love bleeding, unconscious, fighting for their life? That kind of fear isn’t something I ever want to feel, let alone go through.
“I tried to be strong. I didn’t want to fall apart in front of you. But God, Sidharth… it nearly killed me to see you like that.” Her voice breaks again, and this time, I lift my hand and brush a tear from her cheek with my thumb.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. But when I saw that gun pointed at you, all I could think about was protecting you. I didn’t care what happened to me in that moment. I just knew I couldn’t let her hurt you.”
She closes her eyes, a shaky breath escaping her lips.
“But please next time, don’t play the hero,” she sniffles, her eyes meeting mine again.
I give her a faint, crooked smile. “You know I can’t promise that, especially not when your life is at stake.”
“Sidharth…” she starts, but this time I cut in, smirking just a little despite the pain.
“Hey, I’m the one lying here in a hospital bed. Cut me some slack, will you? I deserve a hug, not you snapping at me.”
She stares at me for a moment, torn between frustration and love, before a helpless laugh escapes her lips.
“You’re impossible,” she murmurs, shaking her head. Then she leans forward and wraps her arms around me with careful gentleness, mindful of my injuries.
Her warmth seeps into me instantly, and I exhale slowly, resting my cheek against her hair, breathing in the familiar scent that feels like home.
“Yeah, but I’m all yours,” I say, pulling her just a little closer.
“I still hate you for scaring me like that,” she says quietly. “But I love you more for coming back to me.”
I smile against her head and press a loving kiss to the top of her head. “Fair enough,” I murmur. “Hate me all you want, as long as you keep loving me more.”
She exhales shakily, her eyes locking onto mine as I slowly pull back enough to brush my thumb across her cheek.
“Sweetheart, you need to accept that I’d go through hell all over again if that’s what it takes to keep you safe. You’re stuck with me forever.”
She leans in and kisses my forehead. “It’s exactly where I want to be stuck,” she whispers.
I wrap my arms around her, my hand running over her back in gentle strokes. She quivers against me, her heartbeat syncing with mine. I close my eyes, a quiet smile curving my lips. I’ll never get enough of this… enough of her. And I sure as hell never want to know a life without her in it.