Inside Dr. Neha’s office, the atmosphere was suffocating, thick with tension that refused to dissipate. The fluorescent lighting illuminated the worry etched onto every face, but Arya’s anxiety was the most palpable. Her fingers fidgeted against her palms, her breath uneven, and despite the reassurances she kept whispering to herself, an uncontrollable fear gnawed at her chest.
*"Ashvi is going to be fine. She has to be fine."*
But the moment Dr. Neha spoke, Arya felt that fragile hope shatter.
“It’s fortunate that Ashvi was brought to the hospital in time,” Neha said, her voice calm but grave. “Had she arrived any later, the outcome could have been… much worse.”
Arya stiffened.
Something in Neha’s expression unsettled her. The words—though cautiously chosen—felt heavier than they should have.
Neha inhaled deeply before continuing. “From what we’ve observed, it’s evident that she has been suffering for quite a while—physically and emotionally. The signs of distress are clear, and her mental state is…” She hesitated. “Fragile.”
Arya’s heart pounded painfully against her ribs.
“What do you mean?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Neha exchanged a brief glance with Kunal before responding. “There are old signs of struggle, alongside more recent ones. Based on what we’ve seen, this isn’t something that happened overnight. Ashvi has been enduring this for a long time.”
Arya felt her stomach drop.
Everything around her seemed to blur for a moment—the dull hum of the air-conditioning, the quiet creak of chairs shifting as people adjusted their seats, the steady ticking of the clock.
*"No…"*
Her fingers dug into the fabric of her saree as the weight of Neha’s words sank in.
*"Who did this to her?"* Arya’s question cut through the silence, her voice trembling.
No one answered immediately.
But then—slowly, every gaze in the room turned toward her.
Shreyansh’s stare was the most intense, his eyes locked onto hers as if daring her to make sense of it all.
The implication was clear.
If Ashvi had been suffering for so long—if she had endured this behind closed doors—then the one closest to her must have been involved.
Vivek.
Arya felt the breath leave her lungs.
“No… that’s not possible.” Her voice cracked slightly, denial clawing at her throat.
Her mind desperately tried to find another explanation—some other reality where this wasn’t true. Where Vivek wasn’t involved.
Neha sighed. “Her mental state is incredibly fragile right now. She’s been through immense trauma, and it will take time for her to recover.”
“We need to be there for her,” Kunal added gently. “We need to help her move forward, surround her with support.”
But Arya could barely register their words.
All she could feel was the suffocating realization settling deep in her bones.
Her father. Her brother.
The men she had trusted, loved, defended with everything she had.
And now—one was a criminal.
YOU ARE READING
𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞💕 ( 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐞)✔
Romance"She was his everything-until she became his assassin." Shreyansh loved Arya with his whole soul. But the woman he trusted most shot him and walked away. Now he's back. Alive. And hell-bent on revenge. But they're not the only ones tangled in love...
