CHAPTER50 [FEAR]
The call ended.
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Aarohi slowly lowered the phone.
For a few seconds-
she just stood there in the middle of the parking lot.
The rain continued falling.
But she didn't move.
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"Tujhe call nahi karna chahiye tha, Aarohi."
(You shouldn't have called him, Aarohi.)
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She clenched her fists.
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"Tu kyu uska dukh nahi dekh sakti?"
(Why can't you bear seeing him in pain?)
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"When you were suffering..."
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Her eyes filled with tears.
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"When you were crying every night..."
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"Tab to wo patthar dil bana hua tha."
(Back then he had turned his heart into stone.)
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"Tab usne teri care nahi ki."
(Back then he didn't care about you.)
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"So why did you?"
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Aarohi immediately wiped away her tears.
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"No."
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"Main wapas nahi jaungi."
(I won't go back.)
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"Kabhi nahi."
(Never.)
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"Ab uski zindagi aur meri zindagi alag hai."
(His life and my life are different now.)
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She repeated those words again and again.
Trying to convince herself.
Trying to believe them.
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But deep inside-
her heart remained restless.
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Meanwhile...
India.
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Vihaan was sitting on the hospital bed.
The reports were lying beside him.
The doctor had already scolded him enough.
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"Lucky ho."
(You're lucky.)
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The doctor had said.
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"Agar aise hi chalta raha to body jawab de degi."
(If you continue like this, your body will give up.)
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But for the first time-
Vihaan wasn't thinking about himself.
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He was thinking about Aarohi.
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About her voice.
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About that phone call.
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About the fact that she had called.
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A small smile appeared on his face.
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Maybe...
Just maybe...
There was still hope.
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Maybe one day she would forgive him.
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Maybe she wouldn't.
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Maybe she would never love him again.
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But if she stayed near him-
even as a friend-
even as someone who simply existed in the same world-
that would be enough.
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For the first time in months-
a small flame of hope lit inside his heart.
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And that hope changed something.
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"No."
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Vihaan looked outside the hospital window.
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"Bahut ho gaya."
(Enough.)
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For months-
he had been punishing himself.
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For months-
he had been drowning in guilt.
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And while he deserved every bit of that guilt-
he knew one thing.
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If he truly wanted Aarohi's forgiveness-
he had to become someone worthy of it.
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Not through words.
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Through actions.
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The old Vihaan would have solved everything with power.
With anger.
With fear.
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But the old Vihaan was gone.
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Still-
some things needed to be done.
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Every enemy who had targeted his family.
Every person who had attacked his business.
Every threat hanging over the people he loved.
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He had ignored all of it.
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Not anymore.
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Slowly-
he got out of the hospital bed.
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His body still felt weak.
His hands still trembled slightly.
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But his eyes looked different.
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Determined.
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"I'll fix everything."
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His voice was barely above a whisper.
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"I'll protect my family."
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"I'll clean up the mess I left behind."
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"And one day..."
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His eyes softened.
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"One day I'll apologize properly."
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"Not because I want her back."
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"But because she deserves it."
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The problem was-
thinking all of this was easy.
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Doing it?
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That was another story.
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Because this Vihaan was no longer the man he used to be.
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The old Vihaan walked into a room and everyone feared him.
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This Vihaan carried regret in his heart.
Pain in his eyes.
And a thousand unanswered questions in his mind.
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The old Vihaan could destroy enemies without hesitation.
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This Vihaan still woke up at night hearing Aarohi cry.
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The old Vihaan feared nothing.
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This Vihaan was terrified.
Terrified that no matter how much he changed-
it still wouldn't be enough.
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And somewhere across the world...
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Aarohi stood alone by the window of her apartment.
Looking at the same moon.
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Both of them trying to move forward.
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Both of them failing.
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And neither realizing that fate was slowly pulling their paths together once again.
And then...
Life moved on.
Or at least-
that's what it looked like from the outside.
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Months turned into more months.
Days became weeks.
Weeks became half a year.
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Both of them buried themselves in their own worlds.
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Aarohi in her hospital.
Vihaan in his business empire.
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But every night-
when the world became quiet-
their hearts betrayed them.
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Every single night.
Without fail.
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Aarohi would stand near her apartment window.
Holding a cup of coffee.
Looking at the city lights.
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And somehow-
her thoughts always found their way back to him.
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His smile.
His anger.
His stubbornness.
His tears.
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Especially his tears.
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Because that was the last memory she had of him.
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A broken Vihaan.
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Meanwhile...
India.
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Every night before sleeping-
Vihaan opened her contact.
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His thumb would hover over the call button.
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Just one click.
Just one second.
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But he never did it.
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Because fear stopped him.
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"What if she gets angry?"
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"What if she blocks me?"
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"What if this one call pushes her even further away?"
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And so-
every night-
he put the phone down again.
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While Aarohi fought with her heart.
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Vihaan fought with his fear.
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And neither of them won.
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The strange thing was-
even after all this time-
they still belonged nowhere else.
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Six months had passed.
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And during those six months-
Vihaan had fixed almost everything.
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Every business problem.
Every enemy.
Every threat against his family.
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The empire that had started crumbling was standing strong once again.
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His family was safe.
His business was stable.
His enemies had either surrendered or disappeared.
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Everything was finally under control.
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Everything...
Except his heart.
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Because there was one thing he still couldn't achieve.
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Aarohi's forgiveness.
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And every night-
that regret returned.
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Some nights it hurt so much that he couldn't sleep.
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Some nights he sat on the balcony until sunrise.
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Wondering if somewhere in London-
Aarohi was awake too.
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The irony was-
he had gone to London three times during these six months.
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Once for a business conference.
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Once for an important meeting.
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And once while tracking information about an old rival.
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Three times.
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Three chances.
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Three opportunities to see her.
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Yet he never went.
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Not because he didn't want to.
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But because he respected the distance she had asked for.
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More than once-
his car had stopped outside the hospital where Aarohi worked.
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He would sit there silently.
Looking at the building.
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Knowing she was somewhere inside.
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Just a few floors away.
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Just a few minutes away.
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Yet feeling farther than ever.
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One evening during his last London visit-
he sat inside his car for nearly an hour.
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His eyes fixed on the hospital entrance.
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And then...
he saw her.
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Aarohi.
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Walking out of the hospital.
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Wearing a white coat.
Holding some files.
Talking to a patient.
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For a moment-
Vihaan forgot how to breathe.
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Because after all these months-
she looked exactly the same.
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And yet...
different.
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Stronger.
More mature.
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But also...
more tired.
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The smile she once carried so easily was missing.
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Vihaan's hand instinctively moved towards the door handle.
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His heart screamed at him.
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"Go."
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"Talk to her."
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"Tell her everything."
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But then-
he remembered her last words.
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"Mujhe waqt chahiye."
(I need time.)
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And slowly-
he let go of the handle.
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A painful smile appeared on his lips.
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"Bas khush rehna."
(Just stay happy.)
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He whispered.
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Then he started the car.
And drove away.
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Without knowing that at that exact moment-
Aarohi had suddenly turned around.
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As if she felt something.
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As if someone had been watching her.
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Her eyes scanned the road.
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But all she saw were hundreds of cars.
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And one black car disappearing into the distance.
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For some reason-
her heart felt strange.
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Restless.
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As though she had just missed something important.
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Something precious.
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Something she wasn't ready to lose completely.
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But neither of them knew it yet.
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Fate was preparing one final test for them.
Wait for next part.....??