Rudravika sat beside Vihaansh’s hospital bed, her fingers tightly wrapped around his hand as if letting go would make him slip away from her. He was still unconscious, tubes and monitors surrounding him, but the doctors had assured them he was stable. That single word, stable, was the only thing keeping her standing.

Everyone urged her to go home, to rest for a while, but she refused flatly. Leaving him, even for a moment, felt impossible. It was only after repeated insistence from Rudraksh and Ruhanika that she finally agreed to let the nurse tend to her injuries. Her head was carefully dressed where the wound had reopened slightly, and a soothing ointment was gently applied to her bruised wrists and palms, silent evidence of the ropes that had held her captive. She didn’t react, didn’t complain. Her eyes remained fixed on Vihaansh, dull with exhaustion and fear.