CHAPTER58 [SHE SAVED ME]
Aarohi looked at him for a brief moment.
The regret in his eyes was impossible to ignore.
For a second...
Her heart wanted to stop her.
But before it could win...
She quietly looked away.
Vihaan understood.
Without saying another word...
He silently walked out of the room.
The door closed.
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Aarohi let out a shaky breath.
She pressed both her palms against her face.
"No..."
She whispered to herself.
"No, Aarohi..."
"You can't become weak again."
"You've survived so much."
"You've lived through every pain."
"Just a few more days..."
"And then you'll leave."
She closed her eyes tightly.
"No matter what happens..."
"You won't lose yourself again."
Her voice trembled.
"Don't look into his eyes..."
"They're making me weak."
"Every time I look into them..."
"It feels as if he's apologizing without saying a single word."
She shook her head.
"No..."
"This time you won't melt."
"You've done that once."
"You paid the price."
"Not again..."
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Meanwhile...
Vihaan slowly came downstairs.
His stitches still hurt while walking.
He quietly sat down on the sofa in the hall.
After a few minutes...
Anjali came there.
Seeing him downstairs, she frowned.
"What are you doing here, beta?"
"You should be resting."
Vihaan smiled faintly.
"I just went to my room..."
"I had to collect a few things."
Anjali looked at the small bag beside him.
"Collected them?"
"Then where are you going now?"
Vihaan looked towards the staircase for a second.
Then answered softly,
"To the guest room."
Anjali's eyes widened.
"The guest room?"
Vihaan nodded.
"Please, Mom."
"I don't want Aarohi to feel uncomfortable because of me anymore."
"I've already troubled her enough."
"I won't force my presence on her again."
Anjali sighed deeply.
"But, beta..."
"Will staying away solve everything?"
"If you both stay together..."
"Maybe you'll get a chance to understand each other."
Vihaan smiled bitterly.
"No, Mom."
"I've already wasted every chance life gave me."
"The fact that she's under this roof today..."
"Is already more than I deserve."
"I broke her heart..."
"Yet..."
"One phone call was enough for her to come back."
"I don't have the right to ask for anything more."
Just then...
A familiar voice interrupted him.
"Not just to see you..."
Everyone turned.
Sana was standing near the staircase.
She slowly walked towards them.
"...She came to save you."
Vihaan looked at her in confusion.
Sana continued,
"Do you know who performed your surgery?"
Vihaan frowned.
"I thought America se jo surgeon aa rahe the..."
"They never reached on time."
Sana slowly shook her head.
"No."
"The surgery was performed before they even landed."
A strange silence filled the hall.
Vihaan's heartbeat unknowingly became faster.
His voice came out almost as a whisper.
"Who...?"
Sana looked straight into his eyes.
"Dr. Aarohi."
"She was the one who operated on your heart."
Vihaan froze.
For a moment...
He couldn't even breathe.
His eyes widened in complete shock.
"What...?"
"But..."
"She was injured herself."
"She had lost so much blood..."
"How...?"
Sana's eyes became moist.
"Even after her accident..."
"Even after the doctors begged her to rest..."
"She booked the first flight to India."
"She came straight from the airport to the hospital."
"She ignored her own injuries."
"She walked into the operation theatre with a bandage on her head..."
"And for the next several hours..."
"She fought to save your life."
Vihaan's eyes slowly filled with tears.
This time...
He didn't stop them.
A single tear rolled down his cheek.
He lowered his head.
His voice broke.
"Even after everything..."
"She still chose to save me..."
Without saying another word...
Vihaan quietly picked up his bag and walked towards the guest room.
The door closed behind him.
The room was silent.
He slowly sat down on the edge of the bed.
For a long time...
He simply stared at the floor.
Countless thoughts kept running through his mind.
After a few moments...
He leaned back and closed his eyes.
A bitter smile appeared on his lips.
"What are you made of, Aarohi...?"
He whispered to himself.
"What kind of heart do you have?"
"Where do you find so much strength?"
"The person who took away your happiness..."
"The person who broke your trust..."
"The person who destroyed your smile..."
"You still risked your own life to save him."
His throat tightened.
A few tears escaped his eyes.
This time...
He didn't wipe them away.
Maybe...
He deserved to cry.
Maybe...
He deserved every bit of this pain.
A laugh escaped his lips.
Not a happy one...
A broken one.
"I hate myself..."
"I really do."
"How could I become such a terrible person?"
"I had everything..."
"A loving family..."
"Power..."
"Money..."
"Respect..."
"And still..."
"I failed to protect the one person who loved me unconditionally."
"I didn't just hurt her..."
"I destroyed her."
"She lost everything..."
"And she suffered every wound alone."
"While I..."
"I kept giving her more pain."
"So much pain..."
"That the girl who laughed at the smallest things..."
"Forgot how to smile."
"The girl who never stayed quiet..."
"Forgot how to speak."
"And the reason behind all of it..."
"...was me."
He covered his face with both hands.
For the first time in his life...
Vihaan Singhania wasn't angry with anyone.
He was angry with himself.
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Days slowly passed.
One day...
Two days...
Then five...
Then ten.
Aarohi and Vihaan crossed paths almost every day.
Sometimes in the dining hall...
Sometimes in the living room...
Sometimes on the staircase.
Their eyes met.
But their conversations never did.
There were no arguments anymore.
No hatred.
No shouting.
Only silence.
A silence that somehow hurt even more.
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However...
Today was different.
After so many gloomy days...
The Singhania Mansion finally felt alive again.
The servants were decorating the entrance with fresh flowers.
Everyone looked excited.
There was happiness in every corner of the house.
Because today...
Rhea Singhania was finally coming back home after completing her studies abroad.
And there was another reason behind everyone's excitement.
Exactly one week later...
Rhea was getting married.
For the first time in months...
The mansion echoed with laughter instead of silence.
Little did everyone know...
Rhea's return was about to change much more than just the atmosphere of the house.
The entire Singhania Mansion was buzzing with excitement.
Fresh flowers decorated every corner of the house.
The servants were busy with the final preparations.
Everyone looked happy after such a long time.
Anjali kept glancing at the clock every few minutes.
She couldn't sit still.
Sana noticed her and chuckled.
"Mom, relax."
"She'll be here on time."
"You've checked the time at least twenty times already."
Anjali smiled helplessly.
"I know..."
"But after so many years, my daughter is finally coming home."
Just then...
Aarohi slowly walked downstairs.
She looked around in confusion.
The entire mansion looked like it was preparing for a celebration.
Vihaan was already standing in the living room.
As soon as he heard footsteps, his eyes automatically shifted towards Aarohi.
She looked much better now.
Her injuries had almost healed.
Vihaan had recovered too.
From the outside...
Both of them looked perfectly fine.
But only they knew how broken they still were on the inside.
Sana noticed Aarohi standing on the staircase.
She smiled.
"Come on, Aaru."
"Are you planning to stand there forever?"
Aarohi smiled faintly and walked downstairs.
Looking around once again, she asked,
"What's going on?"
"Why is the entire mansion decorated?"
Sana dramatically placed a hand on her chest.
"Because..."
"Our family's biggest drama queen is finally coming back."
Aarohi looked at her with a confused expression.
Sana laughed.
"I'm talking about our sister-in-law."
"Our one and only princess..."
"Rhea Singhania."
Aarohi's eyes widened slightly.
"Rhea?"
Sana nodded excitedly.
"Yes!"
"She went abroad to complete her studies."
"And today she's finally coming back home."
She suddenly pouted.
"And do you know the saddest part?"
Aarohi raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"In exactly one week..."
"She's getting married."
Aarohi couldn't help but smile at Sana's childish expression.
Just then...
Ding Dong...
The doorbell rang.
Everyone immediately turned towards the entrance.
"She must be here!"
Anjali almost rushed towards the door.
The main door opened.
Standing at the entrance was...
Rhea Singhania.
She was wearing black trousers paired with a simple white T-shirt.
Black sunglasses rested on her eyes.
A stylish handbag hung from her shoulder.
She stood there with complete confidence...
A bright smile lighting up her face.
The moment Anjali saw her...
She rushed forward and pulled her into a tight hug.
"My baby..."
Rhea smiled as she hugged her mother back.
"I missed you so much, Mom."
Anjali kissed her forehead.
"I missed you too, sweetheart."
After a long hug...
Rhea greeted her father with another warm embrace.
Then she turned towards Aryan.
"My favourite brother!"
Aryan laughed.
"I'm your only brother."
"That doesn't count."
Everyone burst into laughter.
Then...
Rhea's eyes landed on Vihaan.
Her smile slowly disappeared.
Without saying a word...
She walked towards him.
The moment she stood in front of him...
Her eyes filled with tears.
"Bhai..."
Vihaan's heart melted instantly.
He gently hugged her.
"I'm fine, Princess."
"Don't cry."
"See..."
"I'm standing right here."
But Rhea couldn't stop herself.
"I was so scared when I heard about everything."
Vihaan smiled softly and wiped her tears.
"I'm okay now."
"Thanks to God..."
"And thanks to someone who refused to give up on me."
For a brief second...
His eyes unknowingly shifted towards Aarohi.
Aarohi quietly looked away.
Rhea followed his gaze.
She walked towards Aarohi with a warm smile.
Before Aarohi could even say anything...
Rhea hugged her tightly.
"So you're my beautiful bhabhi."
"It's finally so nice to meet you."
Aarohi smiled politely and hugged her back.
"I'm happy to meet you too."
Rhea held her hands and asked gently,
"How are you now?"
"Are you feeling better?"
Aarohi nodded with a soft smile.
"Yes... I'm much better now."
Just then...
Sana dramatically cleared her throat.
"Excuse me!"
"Hello?"
"I've also been waiting for my hug."
Rhea laughed loudly.
"Oh my God!"
"My drama queen is still the same."
She immediately hugged Sana tightly.
"I missed you so much."
"I missed you too."
The two girls started laughing like they had never been apart.
Watching them together...
Even Aarohi found herself smiling.
After a long time...
The mansion once again echoed with genuine laughter.
Anjali clapped her hands.
"Alright everyone..."
"Enough emotional reunion."
"Let's have lunch before the food gets cold."
Everyone smiled and walked towards the dining table together.
To be continued......