48

Ria's POV;

Observing his appearance and face, it became apparent that he hadn't slept the previous night; his eyes were red and weary. He stared at me like I had told him I was Doraemon.

"D...Do you remember me?" he asked hesitantly, and I could almost see the tears gathering in his ocean-blue eyes making them look like an ocean. He looked devastated as he waited for me to say.

"Why are you crying?" I sat up, my brows furrowed and brought my hands up to wipe his tears away. As I did, more tears came, and it made my heart clench seeing him like that.

Taking a deep breath, he asked again, his voice shaking, "Who am I?"

I blinked and stared at him. His face was a mix of hope and fear, his eyes searching mine for any sign of recognition. The room felt heavy with the weight of his emotions, and I could feel my heart pounding.

Then, after a while, I spoke in a low voice, "You are Advik."

His breath hitched, and he closed his eyes, letting the tears fall freely now. "You remember," he whispered, almost to himself. "You remember me."

I nodded, feeling a lump in my throat. "How could I forget you?" I smiled weakly, letting my anger fade away. I'll deal with that later.

He wrapped his arms around me, and gave a tight yet gentle hug, trying not to hurt me. "I was so scared," he admitted, his voice breaking. "I thought I had lost you again."

His voice muffled as he spoke against my ear. His tears soaked my dress, and I could feel his body trembling against mine. I held him tighter, wanting to reassure him, to let him know that I was truly here.

"I'm here," I whispered, my own tears falling now seeing him like that. After a few minutes, we broke the hug, and he sat on the chair beside me.

The door opened, and I watched as Advik's father, Dhruv Uncle, entered, his face etched with concern and worry. His eyes scanned the room before settling on me.

I gave him a weak smile as he approached. "How are you, Ria?" he asked, his voice gentle as he placed a comforting hand on my head.

"Better now," I replied softly, feeling a sense of relief at his presence. I watched as he turned towards Advik, his expression shifting from concern to a mix of worry and anger.

"Advik. How could you let this happen?" Uncle's voice was stern, laced with both worry and a hint of anger.

"Dad, I don't know—" Advik began, his voice filled with remorse, but he was cut off by his father's sharp tone.

"She could have died. You were supposed to take care of her," Uncle continued, his voice rising slightly as he emphasized each word.

Advik nodded, his head hanging low, guilt and pain evident on his face. My brows furrowed as I watched the exchange, feeling the tension in the room. The air was thick with unspoken emotions, and I could see the strain in Advik's posture

No, It happened because of me. I was stupid enough to not take those threats seriously.

I reached out, touching Advik's arm. "It's not his fault," I said softly and looked at Uncle as I continued, "It was an accident."

Dhruv Uncle's gaze softened slightly as he looked back at me, his eyes filled with concern. He shook his head, "It wasn't an accident. I don't think so." Then, he turned to Advik and asked, "Are you investigating?"

Advik nodded confidently, his jaw set with determination, "Yes, Ayan is on it. He's digging into the case. Whoever did this, I will make sure they pay."

No.

He shouldn't look into this matter.

I knew the accident was planned by that unknown stranger. I glanced at Advik, my heart pounding with fear. I didn't want that person to harm him.

My mouth opened to tell them to stop the investigation, but before I could speak, Uncle interjected, "Okay, tell Ayan to stop. I'll handle the case personally; I have more connections."

Advik nodded. Dhruv Uncle turned to me, his expression softening once more. "Take care of yourself, Ria," he said gently before leaving the room. I watched him go, a mix of relief and dread swirling inside me.

I need to do something.

===============================

The sterile smell of antiseptic filled the air. Machines beeped rhythmically, monitoring vital signs. The room was dimly lit, with only the soft glow of the afternoon sun filtering through the blinds. I lay on the hospital bed, my head bandaged, staring at the blank white walls. They stared back at me, making me roll my eyes.

I was getting bored, desperate to escape this place. It had been a week since I was admitted here. They had shifted me to a different room, but the change of scenery did nothing to my restlessness.

Sitting there alone, my mind spiraled into overthinking. I didn't even have my phone with me; it must have been lost in the crash. Letting out a deep breath, I looked at the sky through the window that was just out of reach.

I needed to breathe in fresh air. The hospital air, thick with the scent of medicines, was suffocating. With great effort, I slowly hung my feet over the edge of the bed and tried to stand.

A groan escaped my lips as a sharp pain shot through my body.

The door opened, and Advik walked in hurriedly. "Wait. What are you doing?" he exclaimed, catching me before I could fall and break my limbs.

I licked my lips and looked at him, grateful for his steady presence. He had never left my side the whole week. On the other hand, I have been giving him a hard time by creating distance from him.

I studied his face, taking in every detail. The slight stubble on his jaw, the way his hair fell slightly over his forehead, and the warmth in his gaze. Despite everything, he remained calm and composed, always putting my needs before his own.

The message I saw about him, and what he did, flashed in my brain.

"Um...I wanted some fresh air." I spoke out averting my gaze and pushing him away in an attempt to create a distance.

"Let me help." He said, holding my arm.

"No. I don't need your help."

"You do."

"No, Stay away from me," I spoke bitterly and instantly felt bad for doing that. The look of hurt crossed his face, but still, he helped me get back in bed. I sighed; I don't even know how I am going to face him after I recover fully. I need to talk to him. I have to.

I needed answers for every question that I came up with while staring into those white walls.

"You will get discharged today. I talked to the doctor." He whispered, and I couldn't help the smile breaking on my lips.

=========================

We were back in the mansion.

I watched as the doctor and Advik's father left the room, leaving me and Advik alone.

He leaned back against the wall, his hands folded across his chest, as he stared at me without blinking. His eyes were tired like he hadn't slept for days. I wanted to look at him, to offer some comfort, but I couldn't bring myself to meet his gaze. Instead, I lay down and closed my eyes, pulling the quilt over me, hoping he would understand that I needed space- even though I was dying for his presence.

He understood and left the room silently.

'Because he wanted you to die.'

The message was imprinted in my brain, a constant torment. My mind was in turmoil, battling whether to believe it or not.

Why would he do that if he was my best friend?

After thinking about it all week, I decided not to trust some random stranger who had killed my parents. He might be playing with me, trying to sow seeds of doubt.

That one-sentence message cannot break my trust in Advik. It's still like before. Strongest as ever. But the reason I was upset with him was that I had asked him a million times if we had met in the past. And every single time, he denied it. Every. single. time.

He should have just said a simple yes.

I felt a little betrayed.

As if you would have left him alone after that and wouldn't have showered him with millions of questions.

My brain interrupted, but I pushed that thought away. I needed to focus on the present, on healing, and on figuring out the truth.

Still, he should have let me know once. Just for once.

He lied.

And He kept lying.

And it made me feel like everything was a lie.

Does he even love me?

My heart told me that behaving coldly towards him just because he lied didn't make sense.

A few minutes passed before I heard the soft creak of my bedroom door opening. Advik stepped in, a tray balanced carefully in his hands. He closed the door gently behind him, his eyes meeting mine with a small, unwavering smile. I didn't return it, but he seemed unfazed.

"I made you some soup," he said, settling on the edge of the bed, about two feet away from me.

"I don't need it," I replied, my voice rough with thirst. The soup smelled delicious, and even though I was dying to taste it, I still denied it. My stomach growled, making my hunger evident.

He filled a spoon and brought it to my lips.

I stared at it and turned my head away. "I told you, I don't want it."

"Okay," he said calmly, setting the bowl down. He moved closer, stretching his hand and taking the phone from the bedside table.

"I'll call the doctor," He dialed a number and continued, "He said you need proteins and vitamins to survive. If you won't eat, they have various alternatives. You just need to get re-admitted. This will help—"

"Wait. I'll eat," I interrupted quickly, picking up the bowl. A small, amused smile tugged at the corner of his lips. I hastily began eating the soup, and to my surprise, it was delicious. He really knew his way around the kitchen.

He watched me the entire time, a contented look on his face. After finishing, I took the medicine from his hand and gulped down, feeling his eyes on my every move.

I avoided his gaze, but he never looked away from me.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, him staring at me, and me staring at the ceiling.

Eventually, he broke the silence with a low voice, "Grandma called."

I turned to him, horror spreading across my face like wildfire. "You told her everything?"

He nodded slowly, his eyes filled with regret, making my heart pound in my chest.

"Why did you do that? You know she's a heart patient. She won't be able to handle this. Oh my god, I need to talk to her. I need to see her." My voice cracked as panic surged through me. I frantically searched for my phone, only to remember it was shattered and lost in the accident.

"Ria, calm down. Everything is fine. I just talked to her. She's fine," he said, his voice gentle but firm, trying to calm me down.

Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision. I spoke, "You should have lied."

"How can I lie to her? She deserves to know about you."

A bitter, sarcastic smile twisted my lips as the tears began to flow freely. "God, are you really asking me that? You should have lied just like you lied to me about everything." My voice shook, breaking under the weight of my emotions.

He looked at me, his eyes wide with surprise and confusion. "What-"

I interrupted, "Advik, I'm asking you one last time. And trust me, if you lie to me again, I will.... leave." I wiped my tears, my voice steady but filled with pain.

Locking my eyes with him, I questioned, "Have we met before? Were you there in my past?"

He stared at me for a second, and the second stretched into a full minute, and slowly, he whispered,

"Yes."