32 - Piercing Bullet

Author pov

Diya noticed Yaashvi completely silent from yesterday night avoiding talks with others, not even to Diya. She is in her continuous unbreakable thoughts about the person she hurt intentionally with true words.

The sight of Advik being drowned in guilt made her feel sad and him missing from yesterday hit her somewhere hard.

"Vi" Diya sighed not getting a response, she shook her, "Viii"

"Haa?" Yaashvi asked her coming out of her thoughts, "I have been calling you for the past 1 minute, what happened to you? Are you okay?"

Not answering her she dragged Diya out to the garden, "why did you forgive Advik?"

Diya blinked her eyes, "why are you asking about it now?"

"Just answer me Diya, what is the reason for you to forgive him even after he did to you?"

Diya saw some sadness passing her eyes, demanding an explanation from her she asked, "What did you say to him?"

Yaashvi lowered her head having no words to utter, understanding her silence, Diya asked, "you shouldn't have done that"

She pressed her lips into a thin line, "do you know how much he is hurting? His whole family is keeping away from him like a plague, he left his whole luxurious life to get my forgiveness and protect me. You should have seen the house he is living in now, it's just a single room without any mattress or any luxurious things. All these he is doing to himself for hurting me.

I am not going to say whatever he did is right but when someone realizes their mistake, it's not forgivable to punish him again and again with words. He is trying to mend his mistakes but you..." she stopped and saw Yaashvi crying silently.

Diya engulfed her in a hug, "please don't do such things again, he can't tolerate huge words" Yaashvi nodded her head wiping her tears hiding her memories from her best friend.

"But I won't tolerate him for what he did to me with his dogs," she said pinching her nose tip with fake anger making Diya laugh, "whatever you do with him, he will tolerate you. I am not going to cross in between your idiotic fights"

'Such a child both are' whispering to herself Diya walked out of the house informing Yaashvi, that she is going out for a walk for a few minutes.

Diya pov

My legs moved on their own, fresh and clear I took a deep breath and felt the brisk forest air fill my lungs, the crisp autumn wind whipped through my sleeves and brushed my cheeks softly sending shivers through my soul, I looked through the valley from the path where the sun is slowly rising as its orange light dazzlingly hits the mountains. The early morning fog gives the lake an ethereal appearance. The early sunrise gave me a heavenly morning.

Feeling nature and living with it has become a dream nowadays and the thought of living with it for the next two weeks gave pleasure to my heart.

For my whole life, I have been living a machine life to make my father proud within the four walls, when Arjun came into my life, for the first time I decided to live for me. At least for once. When he left me his mother gave me a family and love I desired from a mother.

Dev uncle is a complete businessman but when he is with his wife, he becomes an innocent child obeying her every word without any words.

Advik, a brother one should get, his love and respect for Arjun sometimes made me mesmerize, his 8 words out of 10 would be about his idiot brother. Advik admires him. Maybe Arjun is not good with me but with his family, he is the perfect son and brother.

"Happy morning" a cheerful voice made me smile, "thinking of the devil" I smiled and turned to my back, when I faced him he poured a lot of flowers on me making me giggle loud in happiness and the soft touch of the flowers on my skin.

"What made the princess of Verma family roam on the streets?" he is in the same dress I saw his last day additionally he looks tired and sad.

I gave him a pointed look, "just to swallow the nature and your family princess is Manya, not me" I adjusted his messy hair who smiled at me like a child.

"When you married my brother you became our princess" I maintained the smiling face, "you mean fake marriage?"

He looked through my eyes for a half-second with determination, "I will make him realize his feelings for you Diya. This is my promise"

I laughed at his serious face, "always talking like an idiot" I caught his hand and started to walk further into the woods, "we can make others realize their feelings if they had one but when your brother is in love with another girl how you take out his feelings for me Advik?"

"What?" his eyes widened in pure shock, "yes, he is in love with Meera Gurjar and he told me" I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat to stop me from form one of crying again.

"He agreed himself?" again shocked, I nodded looking at my hands sitting on the log from the woods.

After a minute of silence, he took his mobile and dialed Arjun putting it on speaker for me.

"What?" I can sense the happiness in his voice, "Bhai what are you doing?"

'stop it for a second' he requested in a soft tone from the other side, "come directly to the point" now his words are in the form of a business tone.

'Arj see here' it's a girl's voice, my heart clenched in pain adding salt in the burnt place Advik's eyes fell, "Do you love Meera?" instantly I looked away from the mobile wiping my tears which started to flow in the pain.

Silence filled both sides, and he knows I am with Advik now and I shared his love story with his brother, "do you doubt it?" his sharp yet clean words pierced my heart as a painful sob escaped me. Advik cut the call immediately and kneeled on the ground before me.

"Please Diya doesn't cry, he is lying to you" I shook my head crying badly, "have you noticed the happiness in his voice, I haven't seen it from him in the past 6 weeks. I can't let him use me again and again. I have already decided to let him go from my life"

Pain washed over his face and then came as a determination look, "still I can't hide things from you, Diya" he said shaking his head wiping a lone tear from his eyes.

"I have been noticing him more than a month, he is not himself. Something is bothering him. Last week I went through his files and find out he is ..."

A sharp pain pierced through shoulder making me jerk due to sudden force, "Diyaa..." Advik cried out in panic catching me from falling.

Seconds passed the pain inside me started to rise, my breathing became uneven, somewhere inside me I felt air is being sucked out slowly.

Advik's voice failed to reach me, "Diya you are bleeding" his voice is shaken badly as he lifts me off the ground and started running towards the road.

With each step, he took my vision started to blur my whole body felt numb except for the flow of a hot liquid on my body which is guessed as blood.

A screeching sound made him halt in his steps as he placed me on the seat of the car, my mouth rejected to express my pain but my eyes have been shedding continuously, when Advik moved away from me, I stopped him by holding his shirt sleeve begging to not leave me.

"I am here Diya" his voice broke as he sat next to me whispering continuously to not close my eyes

"Who shoots her?" Advik's roar was the last thing I heard and Arjun's smiling face was the last image I saw before closing my eyes.

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Author pov

"Drive fast" Advik ordered one of their bodyguards as his fear of losing diya is eating him quickly and the unconscious Diya on his shoulder clenched his heart.

The protectiveness oath he took on her has been shattered when he let someone harm her, his heart cried seeing her lifeless with blood flowing nonstop from her shoulder just above her chest.

Taking her hand he pressed hard above her injured area to control the blood loss, "Sir, shall I inform Arjun sir?"

His heart stopped beating after hearing his brother's name, his promise to protect his wife is on trash now.

"I will talk to him" after reaching the hospital they took Diya to ICU with sweating hands Advik dialed Arjun with fear and defeat.

"What now?" he asked calmly, Advik cried in not knowing what to answer his brother, "Diya..." he can't speak more, words failed to come out of his mouth.

Arjun continued, "I know she was near you" Advik shook his head, "Bhai Diya has been shoot" Arjun didn't uttered a word, "come again"

"She is in ICU" and Advik heard a beep sound from another end.

He can't imagine what is running in his brother's mind, all he could think now is Diya and negative thoughts about her, what if something happened to her?

'Can they save her?' he sat on the floor holding his head.

Their guards informed Dev and the whole family gathered around Advik to know what happened to her except his parents and Yaashvi.

They both stood near the ICU looking at the beautiful soul lying lifeless.

"Leave him alone," his grandpa said to his family looking at the wrecked Advik who was afraid to face his family, his brother, and Diya.

What will he answer when she asked him why did he let her carelessly?

He doesn't know what he has to answer to his brother.

Again he failed to fortify Diya.

No one spoke for the next three hours except the silent prayers and tears of the family.

Arjun's bodyguards never let the doctors communicate with the family.

Diya is still in the operation theatre, no one out there knows what is happening with her, getting angry with their silence Dev loses his control, "I need to know her status. Right. Now"

Taking a deep breath the doctor told her condition, "bullet pierced her body just an inch away from her heart and the blood loss is too much to continue the treatment immediately. We are waiting for the heart surgeon as it's a risky operation"

"still now you haven't started treatment keeping her in such a critical condition don't your hospital have a heart surgeon?" Yaashvi shouted with tears rolling down her cheeks, "it's not a multinational hospital mam"

"Let me arrange a cardiologist..." doctor stopped Dev, "no sir Arjun sir arranged it, the doctor will be here any minute"

A few minutes later after the arrival of the Cardiologist, the treatment has been started while the family refused to move from the place.

"All of you to the house" Arjun's voice roared around the whole office making the family scare in his voice.

The red eyes filled with anger and fire made them jerk a bit, seeing their silence again he roared, "NOW" everyone started to move out of the house except his parents, Yaashvi and Advik who still sat in the same position for the past 4 hours staring at the floor with a blank look.

"Do I have to say it again to you all?"

"How can we leave her alone Arjun?" his mother asked him.

"She is MY WIFE mom, she will come alive and safe to you" seeing his state Krithiga wanted to pacify him but Dev stopped her and took her away from there.

Yaashvi stood adamant without looking in his direction, while Advik looked at his brother who just stood there in his white formal shirt with sleeves rolled to his elbows.

His hands keep on moving to his hair controlling his anger, when his parents are out he straight away went to Advik and lifted him off the floor holding his neck.

"What did I tell you?" he asked in a slow voice looking straight into his lost eyes.

His grip tightened around his neck getting no answer from him, "WHAT DID I TOLD YOU?" Yaashvi jerked in her place hearing his ragging stormy voice.

In uncontrollable anger he slapped hard on his cheek, "I told you to never leave her alone, never let her out of the house without taking my car. You know how dangerous is waiting for her outright?" Advik never stopped his brother, even if he kills him now, there would be no objection from him.

"I left her alone here with a stupid thought that you would protect her. But see what have you done to her? Don't you have any sense to be careful when you have no protection? Are you a child? Joking, flirting, and living careless life won't do anything.

Instead of confirming my love for meera you should have looked around you what's happening around there. Are you that desperate to show your heroic ways to her making us together? At least for once, I thought I could trust you but again you proved me you are not worth trusting" very slowly Advik is losing his control.

"If something happens to her, I won't spare you" he sounded too serious and Advik hugged his brother releasing all his tears which he was holding now, Arjun just stood there only in anger.

His brother's tears didn't reach his ears the only thought now is his wife, Arjun pushed Advik, "Albert"

"Sir" Albert stood in front of Arjun waiting for his command, "This should be the last time I see him"

When Albert moved to Advik, Arjun's one look stopped him from moving towards Advik, Advik himself was now out of the emergency ward walking like a dead man without a soul.

Yaashvi controlled herself from going with him, she wanted to know Diya's condition right now. She saw Arjun who went near the ICU and saw Diya lying unconscious, his expression is unreadable for her, his silence, anger everything felt entirely different in her eyes.

"who shoot her?" she felt herself asking the question to Arjun who fisted his hands, getting a silence she continued again, "why did they shoot her?" she can't help but cry for her friend who never tried to harm anyone.

Even if something happens to anyone she would be the first one to help them, never in her life, she harmed anyone with or without her contest.

Deciding to give him the silence he needs she left him alone.

Arjun stood there to look at Diya. The person who tried to kill her is now facing a worse death.

Albert came near him with a photo, "Yes sir, it's Diya's father" he knows this could be only him, "Leave him for now" his mind is clouded with only Diya, punishing her father is out of the question for him now.

His patience level was thinning as it's been two hours since his arrival but just then Doctor came out, "Don't worry Mr. Arjun, she is fine now. Even if the bullet is half an inch forwards it would have risked her life, but now she is safe. Will keep her in observation for three days and then you can take her home"

The breathe he has been holding for the past 7 hours came out aggressively, "Thanks Doctor" the doctor nodded and left with Albert.

Yaashvi cried in happiness and Arjun sent her home with a message to the family that no one should come to the hospital which made the whole family sigh in disappointment. But they all accepted eventually knowing there could be a reason for his decision.

The next three days Diya was still unconscious and Arjun was there with her without moving an inch from her as advik was still outside the hospital waiting to have a glimpse of Diya even after knowing her health condition from Yaashvi.

The fourth day when she woke up she was greeted by the sleeping face of Yaashvi who sat on the couch in Arjun's grandparents' home.

"Shhhh" she hissed in pain on her shoulder, hearing her painful voice Yaashvi quickly woke up and informed the whole family about her consciousness.

The very next second the room was flooded with their family asking about her health condition soon it turned into laughter and smile, meanwhile, her eyes often moved to the door now and then.

"If you all keep on talking to her how will she take rest," grandma asked everyone to meet her after sometime sensing her sleepy and tired state.

After everyone left, grandma and Krithiga was there to help her, "Do you need anything Diya?" she shook her head, "nothing aunty, where is Advik?" as she swallowed another name having a strange feeling of feeling him near her.

"don't know Diya" grandma answered her question as kiruthiga stood silent taking Diya's tablets, "will you ask him to meet me now?"

"Eat" she gave tablets to her with a stern look, "don't glare me, aunty, if he was not there for me then I would have been dead by now"

Hiding her tears his mother continued, "sleep now will about it later" both went out of the room leaving Diya wide awake and confused for Advik.

Another part of her heart yearned for Arjun feeling him too close to her, when she looked closely at the room it felt mostly to Arjun's taste with mostly blank, grey and white color paints and blankets everything.

She gasped in pure shock when he walked in his rocket speed slouched on the couch groaning in vexation, when he meets her shocked reaction he forgot to move his eyes from her which he longed for 5 days.

She slowly started to fill him in her eyes,  his disheveled hair looks messy in its good way, the sharp nose is red in anger directly indicating to not mess with him now, the white shirt he is wearing looks crispy yet shrank near his folded elbows made him look more handsome.

The last his eyes sparkled in the dim light finally seeing her safe and fine, his well-grown beard indicated her he is not fine.

After taking in her fully he stood from the couch taking steps towards her, she saw him fearfully and with lots of questions running in her mind and finally, she managed to ask out.

"When did you came..." Her words died when he placed his lips on hers swallowing her words. His kiss made her stunned as her eyes went wide in shock, he grabbed her neck protectively to get better access to fill the moment beautifully in his heart. The kiss expressed how he missed seeing her roam freely and eating him with her eyes, that kiss conveyed how badly he missed her every day. The fear he had these days slowly melted feeling her melting in his arms, his heart begged him to not leave her, also it feared if he let her go she might again try to escape from him killing him once again.

She melted in his touch allowing him to perform what he desired and the touch he gave strength to her. The pain from her shoulders slowly lessened with his earth-shattering kiss, even she didn't respond to him she also didn't try to stop him bestowing him to continue to strengthen her with his sweet touches.

When she troubled to breathe he left her for a second and looked into her soft eyes, leaving a minute for her to breathe, again he claimed her lips this time he slowly took her in his arms not hurting her.

The soft kiss started to become intense when the thought of her vanishing in the air, again moving away from her he cupped her face softly tracing her lips with his thumb, for few minutes they both forgot the indifferences, anger, hatred in them.

After a long days, she saw the man she fall in love with, "you seemed frightened?" She asked sensing his fear unable to lift her hand to touch his soft messy hair.

"I was not alive" reducing the distance between them he whispered between her lips, "until now" he alleged her lips again, this time with her response...