You Are My Obsession Till Eternity

Chapter-56

Author's POV,

"Pearl," he said softly, his voice gentling to a soothing murmur. "Are you alright?"

Tears welled up in Pihu's eyes, blurring her vision. Her body trembled uncontrollably, the adrenaline rush fading, leaving behind a bone-deep exhaustion. She opened her mouth to speak, but a choked sob escaped her lips instead. The horrors of the whole day were still fresh in her mind, the fear clinging to her like a shroud.

Sensing her distress, Rudra didn't wait for an answer. He scooped her up into his arms, his touch a comforting anchor in the storm. Her slight frame felt fragile against his broad chest, a stark contrast to the carnage that surrounded them. He held her close, his warmth a beacon of safety amidst the madness.

"It's okay," he murmured, his voice a soothing balm against the storm raging within her. "It's over now. You're safe with me."

He started to move towards the waiting car, intending to cradle her safely in the back seat. But Pihu clung to him, digging her face into his chest. Her voice, cracking with a child's vulnerability that pierced his heart, stopped him in his tracks.

"No!" she cried, her voice muffled against his shirt. The terror she'd held back finally erupted. "Why did you leave me, Rudra?" Her voice cracked with a child's vulnerability that pierced his heart. "Do you know how scared I was? I thought I was going to die today. Why did you leave without telling me? Why did you come so late? Why..Why..It's all because of you that I was in that dangerous situation."

The dam broke. The terror she'd held back, the silent scream trapped in her throat, came crashing down in a torrent of tears and choked sobs. Her small body wracked with tremors, she buried her face deeper into him, the echo of gunshots and shouts replaced by the ragged gasps of her own fear.

In that moment, the battlefield around them faded away. All that mattered was the fragile girl in his arms, the weight of his choices pressing down on him. He held her tighter, whispering reassurances that even he wasn't sure he believed.

"I'm so sorry, Pearl," he rasped, his voice thick with guilt and regret. Each word was a heavy stone dropping into the abyss of his heart. "I should have told you. I should have been there sooner."

Pihu's sobs grew louder, her body shaking with the intensity of her fear and exhaustion. "I thought I was going to die," she choked out, her voice barely audible between gasps. "I thought I was never going to see you and my family again."

Rudra's heart clenched painfully. He held her closer, trying to transfer some of his strength to her. "You're safe now, Pearl. I promise you, I will never let anything happen to you again."

Her tears soaked into his shirt, her cries echoing in the dark night. Rudra's men moved with practiced efficiency around them, securing the area. But all Rudra could focus on was the broken girl in his arms.

Rudra cradled Pihu in his lap as he sat in the car, her frail body trembling against his broad chest. Her tear-streaked face was buried in his shirt, muffled sobs wracking her tiny frame. Each choked cry echoed in the cavernous interior of the car, a stark contrast to the thrumming engine.

His heart ached with a helplessness that mirrored her sobs. He should have been there. He should have foreseen this attack. Every comforting word he whispered felt hollow, choked by the bitter taste of guilt. The devastation he saw reflected in her tear-filled eyes was a mirror to his own fractured soul. He'd failed her. He'd failed to protect the one person who mattered most – the innocent caught in the crossfire of his vengeance.

Rudra cradled Pihu close, her tiny frame trembling against his chest. Her sobs had morphed into small, choked whimpers, each gasp a testament to the terror she'd endured.