CHAPTER51 [ACCIDENT]
A whole year had passed.
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When people hear the words one year-
it sounds simple.
Just twelve months.
Three hundred and sixty-five days.
Fifty-two weeks.
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But when someone is waiting for a person they love-
even a single day feels like ten years.
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And for Vihaan and Aarohi-
this one year had felt endless.
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Both were living.
But neither of them was at peace.
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Meanwhile...
India.
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Late at night.
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Vihaan was sitting alone in his room.
The same room.
The same balcony.
The same silence.
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Everything looked exactly the same.
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Except him.
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Because the old Vihaan Singhania was gone.
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Completely gone.
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He looked around the room.
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The mansion was still there.
The business was still there.
The money.
The power.
The respect.
The success.
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Everything was still there.
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Yet somehow-
he felt like he had nothing.
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Because the one person he wanted beside him wasn't there.
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Every night-
the same thoughts tortured him.
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Why didn't I listen?
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Why was I so angry?
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Why didn't I trust her?
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Why didn't I give her one chance?
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One chance was all she wanted.
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And I couldn't even give her that.
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Vihaan closed his eyes.
His hands trembling slightly.
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His chest tightened painfully.
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Because every time he thought about Aarohi-
he remembered the girl she used to be.
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The girl who laughed at everything.
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The girl who spoke so much that sometimes he used to get irritated.
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The girl who would follow him around the entire college.
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The girl who smiled even at the smallest things.
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And then-
he remembered the Aarohi he saw before she left.
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Silent.
Broken.
Tired.
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The sparkle in her eyes had disappeared.
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The smile that once brightened every room had vanished.
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The girl who never stopped talking-
had stopped speaking.
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The girl who once filled every place with life-
had become quiet.
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And the worst part?
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He knew why.
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Because of him.
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A tear rolled down his cheek.
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"Maine uski hasi cheen li..."
(I stole her smile...)
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His voice broke.
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"Maine uski khushiyan cheen li..."
(I stole her happiness...)
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"Maine uski zindagi barbaad kar di..."
(I ruined her life...)
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He buried his face in his hands.
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Because no matter how much time passed-
the guilt never became smaller.
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If anything-
it only grew.
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Every day.
Every week.
Every month.
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Until it became impossible to breathe.
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Sometimes he genuinely felt-
he deserved every pain he was feeling.
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Maybe even more.
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Because how could he forgive himself-
when he couldn't even fix the damage he had caused?
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Slowly-
he stood up and walked towards the balcony.
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The night sky was filled with stars.
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For a few moments-
he simply stared upward.
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Then whispered softly.
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"Aarohi..."
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The name still hurt.
After all this time.
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"I don't know if you'll ever forgive me."
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His eyes filled again.
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"And maybe you shouldn't."
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A bitter smile appeared on his lips.
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"But if I could go back..."
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"Just once..."
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"I would listen."
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"I would trust you."
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"I would choose you."
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Silence.
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The cold wind brushed past him.
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And for the first time in a very long time-
Vihaan admitted something to himself.
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"If death came to me today..."
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"It would still be a smaller punishment than the one I've been living with."
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Because living without Aarohi-
knowing he was the reason she suffered-
was a punishment he carried every single day.
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And no matter how much time passed-
some wounds refused to heal.
Meanwhile...
Thousands of miles away...
London.
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If someone looked at Aarohi from the outside-
they would think she was doing perfectly fine.
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She had a successful career.
A respected position.
A beautiful apartment.
A stable life.
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Everything seemed perfect.
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But only she knew the truth.
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The truth was-
she was tired.
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Not physically.
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Emotionally.
Mentally.
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Tired of pretending she was okay.
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Aarohi stood near the large glass window of her apartment.
The city lights shining below.
The same coffee mug resting in her hands.
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For a whole year-
she had done only one thing.
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Work.
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Whenever she felt lonely-
she worked.
Whenever memories returned-
she worked.
Whenever her heart missed him-
she worked.
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Because work was easier.
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Work didn't ask questions.
Work didn't remind her of old wounds.
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But nights...
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Nights were different.
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At night there was no operation theatre.
No patients.
No reports.
No distractions.
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Just silence.
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And memories.
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The memories she spent an entire year trying to escape.
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Aarohi closed her eyes.
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And just like always-
his face appeared.
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Vihaan.
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His smile.
His eyes.
His voice.
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And then-
that final day.
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The way he had fallen on his knees.
The way his voice had broken.
The way he had begged her not to leave.
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Aarohi immediately opened her eyes.
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"No."
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She whispered.
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"Don't think about him."
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But her heart never listened.
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Because despite everything-
she missed him.
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And she hated herself for it.
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Some nights she became angry.
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Very angry.
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"Kyu yaad aate ho tum?"
(Why do you keep coming back to my mind?)
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"Kyu?"
(Why?)
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Her eyes filled with tears.
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"When I needed you..."
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"You weren't there."
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"When the whole world was against me..."
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"You stood with them."
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"So why can't I forget you?"
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No answer came.
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Only silence.
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The painful kind.
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Because deep down-
Aarohi knew something.
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No matter how much she tried-
she had never stopped loving him.
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She had stopped trusting him.
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But loving him?
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That part never left.
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And that was exactly why she couldn't move on.
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A tear slipped down her cheek.
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Then another.
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And another.
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Aarohi quickly wiped them away.
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"No more."
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She looked at her reflection in the glass.
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The woman staring back at her looked nothing like the old Aarohi.
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The old Aarohi laughed loudly.
Talked endlessly.
Dreamed fearlessly.
Loved wholeheartedly.
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This Aarohi?
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She thought before speaking.
Smiled less.
Trusted nobody.
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And guarded her heart like a prisoner.
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Sometimes she wondered...
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If she had really survived everything.
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Or if a part of her had died that day in college.
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The day nobody believed her.
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The day Vihaan looked away.
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The day her world broke.
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Aarohi slowly sat on the floor.
Pulling her knees close to her chest.
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For the first time in a long time-
she allowed herself to be honest.
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"I miss you."
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The words escaped before she could stop them.
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And once they did-
more tears followed.
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"I hate you."
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A broken laugh escaped her lips.
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"I hate that I still miss you."
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The room remained silent.
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Because somewhere in India-
another person was looking at the same moon.
Thinking the same thing.
Missing the same person.
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Two people.
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Both in pain.
Both in love.
Both waiting.
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And neither brave enough to take the final step toward the other.
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Because sometimes-
love isn't enough.
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Sometimes the scars left behind by love are even stronger.
One year.
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A whole year had passed.
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Neither of them knew-
that fate was about to change everything.
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It was a cold evening in London.
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Aarohi had just finished a difficult surgery.
Almost sixteen hours inside the hospital.
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Her body was exhausted.
Her eyes felt heavy.
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One of the nurses stopped her before she left.
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"Dr. Aarohi, please go home and rest."
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Aarohi smiled faintly.
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"I will."
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But even she knew that was a lie.
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Because sleep had become a stranger long ago.
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Meanwhile...
India.
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Vihaan was returning from an important mission.
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The past one year had changed him.
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But some enemies never changed.
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As his convoy moved through a deserted road-
a black SUV suddenly appeared.
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Then another.
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And another.
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The attack was planned.
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Gunshots echoed through the night.
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The guards immediately reacted.
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"Sir!"
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"Attack!"
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Within seconds chaos erupted.
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Bullets flew everywhere.
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Cars collided.
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The road turned into a battlefield.
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Vihaan stepped out of the vehicle.
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The old Vihaan would've only seen enemies.
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But this Vihaan thought about only one thing.
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His family.
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And Aarohi.
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The fight continued for several minutes.
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Until suddenly-
a gunshot rang out.
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A loud one.
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And Vihaan froze.
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For a second-
everything became silent.
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Then he looked down.
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Blood.
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A lot of blood.
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The bullet had hit him near his chest.
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His body staggered.
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The guards immediately caught him.
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"Sir!"
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"Sir!"
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But Vihaan's vision had already started blurring.
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And before darkness consumed him-
only one name escaped his lips.
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"Aarohi..."
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Then everything went black.
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Meanwhile...
London.
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Aarohi had just parked her car.
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She was about to enter her apartment building.
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When her phone rang.
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Unknown Number.
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Normally she would've ignored it.
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But something felt strange.
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Very strange.
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She answered.
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"Hello?"
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The voice on the other side was shaking.
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"Ma'am... are you Aarohi?"
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Aarohi frowned.
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"Yes."
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The man hesitated.
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Then spoke.
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"Mr. Vihaan Singhania has been shot."
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The world stopped.
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For one terrifying second-
Aarohi forgot how to breathe.
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"What...?"
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Her phone almost slipped from her hand.
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"What did you say?"
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The man continued.
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"He's in critical condition."
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Aarohi felt her legs weaken.
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"No..."
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Her heart started beating wildly.
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"No..."
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Not him.
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Not like this.
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Not before she got answers.
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Not before she got closure.
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Not before...
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Before what?
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Before she admitted she still loved him?
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Tears instantly filled her eyes.
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Without thinking-
she ran.
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Straight towards her car.
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Her hands were trembling.
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Her vision blurred.
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She didn't care.
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Nothing mattered anymore.
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She had to reach him.
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She had to see him.
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She had to make sure he was alive.
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For the first time in one year-
Aarohi stopped listening to her mind.
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And followed her heart.
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She quickly booked the earliest flight to India.
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The flight was only a few hours away.
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As she drove towards the airport-
heavy rain began pouring from the sky.
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The roads became slippery.
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Visibility decreased.
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But Aarohi kept driving.
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Her thoughts completely occupied by Vihaan.
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His smile.
His voice.
His tears.
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And suddenly-
headlights appeared from the opposite side.
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Too close.
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Too fast.
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A loud horn echoed.
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Aarohi looked up.
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Her eyes widened.
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"OH GOD-"
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SCREEEECH!
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A deafening sound filled the road.
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Metal collided with metal.
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Glass shattered.
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Everything spun.
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And then...
Darkness.
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Complete darkness.
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Miles away...
Inside the hospital.
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Machines continued beeping around Vihaan.
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His condition remained critical.
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Doctors rushed in and out.
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His family stood outside praying.
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And none of them knew-
that the person Vihaan had been waiting for an entire year...
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Had met with an accident while trying to come back to him.
Wait for next part........??