Fairytale

Chapter 13 : Revelations

The next morning, Sana woke up with a jolt to the blaring music from the speakers. She didn't dance. Her body felt weak, and her mind was preoccupied with what her mother had revealed about Sai's feelings for her. She didn't know how to approach him, how to ask him anything. Sai was a wonderful guy, and probably in another lifetime, another world, she would have been thrilled to have someone like him in her life. But she didn't have much time left, and dragging Sai through her pain would break him. She needed to confront him.

The day progressed, and soon it was time for the ticket to the finale task. The contestants were informed that Sana and Ranveer would compete by collecting oranges thrown down by a chute, to the baskets alloted to both of them. Housemates could help them. Sai and Chandrika immediately chose to support Sana, while Vishal and Armaan backed Ranveer. Katarya, not wanting to hurt anyone's feelings, opted out of the game.

When the first bell rang, chaos ensued as contestants scrambled for the oranges. Vishal tried to snatch an orange from Sai, shoving him into Sana. She stumbled, grabbing her basket for support, which broke in the process. Big Boss issued a stern warning to play fairly or risk disqualification. Sai, seeing Sana in pain, asked if she was okay, but she brushed him off, focused on the game.

In the second round, Sana devised a strategy with Chandrika to hide oranges in her shirt, a tactic only the women could pull off without getting the oranges snatched away. Here Sai noticed their discussion and felt a pang of confusion and hurt, wondering why Sana hadn't included him. But he pushed the feeling aside, determined to protect her.

As the game resumed, Vishal attempted to cheat again, but Sai stood guard over Sana like a pillar. Suddenly, Armaan charged at them, grabbing Sana's basket and breaking it further. Oranges scattered everywhere, and in the scuffle, Sana hurt herself badly. Seeing her hand bleeding, Sai lost his temper and lunged at Armaan. He would have hit him if Sana hadn't intervened, dragging Sai away as Big Boss paused the game.

Sana was taken to the medical room, and Sai waited outside, worry etched on his face. When she emerged, her responses to his concern were cold and terse. Sensing her hostility, Sai asked, "Why are you talking to me like this? Did I do something wrong? Are you angry with me?"

Sana's eyes blazed with anger. "Why did you went to punch Armaan?"

"He hurt you! You were bleeding, Sana. And if it had been me, I could have taken it, but it was you..." Sai's voice was intense, his concern palpable.

"Did you just say you would hit someone for me on national television? What is wrong with you Sai? Don't you care a little about your reputation?"

"No, I don't!" Sai's voice broke, unable to hold back any longer. "Dammit! Don't you see, Sana? When it comes to you, I don't care about my stupid reputation. All I care about is you."

Sana looked at him intensely, her eyes searching his. Sai couldn't hold it back any longer and confessed, "The truth is, you mean a lot to me, Sana. I didn't think I would be able to confess to you before we got out of the house. But here it goes, I love you, Sana Makbul Khan. I don't know how to explain it to you, but these past days, you've become the reason that I smile. Around you, I feel like I am the best version of myself. Your smile makes the world feel like the most beautiful place to exist in. You bring me the peace I never thought I was capable of finding. And It's all because of you Sana, it's all because of you!"

Sana's eyes filled with tears, and she broke her silence. "It can't happen, Sai. You don't understand. This can't happen."

"Why not?" Sai asked, his voice desperate, his hands reaching out to her. "Why can't it happen, Sana? Atleast I deserve to know."

With tears streaming down her face, Sana screamed, "Because I'm dying, Sai! Yes, I'm dying, and you can't fall in love with a dead person!" She fled the room, leaving Sai in shock, unable to comprehend the magnitude of her revelation.

The other housemates watched in stunned silence as Sana ran out. Sai stood frozen, trying to process the devastating truth. His heart just shattered into thousand pieces!

Beating himself back to reality, Sai ran after Sana. He found her in the garden area, grabbed her left hand, and turned her to face him. Tears streamed down her face, and his voice trembled as he asked, "What did you mean, Sana? What do you mean you're dying?"

Sana looked at him with soft, moist eyes. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a vial of medicine, placing it in his palm. "Sai, you once asked me about the medicines I take, why I look so weak and dejected all the time. I shrugged it off because I didn't want you to know the truth. But this is it. I have advanced liver cancer. Do you remember the day I fainted and you took me to the medical room? I didn't come back for a week because I had to get my second dose of chemo."

In a low, broken voice, Sai asked, "When did you find out?"

"It's been a few months," she replied.

"How... how long do you... You...?" he couldn't finish the sentence.

"Seven to eight months," she answered softly.

Sai couldn't control himself anymore. He broke down into sobs, pulling her into a tight embrace. Sana hugged him back, tears mingling with his. Sai was a mess, his body shaking with grief. Sana didn't know what to do or say, how to comfort him, so they just held each other as tightly as they could, their hearts breaking together.

It was heavy news. Not just for Sai, but for the other housemates as well. No one had the slightest hint about Sana's condition, even though they had spent over a month together in the house. Sana had made a few close friends by then, and Chandrika was one of them. Unable to control her emotions, Chandrika ran to Sana and hugged her tightly, embracing both her and Sai. By now, almost everyone was in tears.

As Sana broke the hug with Sai and Chandrika, she felt Kataria embrace her as well. One by one, the other housemates came forward, hugging her and trying to offer words of comfort. But no one really knew how to handle the truth. It was overwhelming.

Sai was shattered, his heart breaking for Sana. He felt dejected, no longer able to find solace within himself. The weight of the revelation hung heavily in the air, casting a somber shadow over the house.

They didn't know how they got through that night. The usual banter and laughter were replaced with quiet sobs and whispers. The housemates sat together, sharing the silence, their hearts united in their grief.