The Veiled Hearts

🌹Breaths Borrowed 🔪

Yash and the others waited tensely outside the operation theatre, each heartbeat as frantic as the hurried footsteps of the medical staff moving in and out. The air felt thick, each person rooted in place, no one daring to interfere. Yash's gaze remained fixed on the glowing "Operation in Progress" sign. Despite the cool, air-conditioned corridor, sweat dotted his forehead, and his eyes, raw with unshed tears, betrayed his worry.

Anita, Neelam, Subhash, and Savitriji were unaware of the full extent of the situation until Vikram explained everything on their way to the hospital. Anita and Savitriji had shouted at him in shock, and Subhash was furious for being left in the dark. He would have taken action if he'd known, but Vikram had kept him out of the chaos, not wanting his younger brother to be drawn back into a world he had escaped long ago.

While most of the family sat in tense silence, Ishaan, Reyansh, Kunal, and Vivaan stood a short distance from Yash, who kept pacing in front of the OT door. His groom's attire, laced in royal gold-thread embroidery, now bore stains of Vanya's blood-a stark reminder of the chaos they were caught in.

Anita's gaze fell on Kunal-Vanya's brother, her worry shifting from her son to the family of Vanya that soon be part of their life.

Standing, Anita moved towards Kunal. Vikram grabbed her hand, asking, "Where are you going?" She shot him an angry look, jerking her hand free, and approached Kunal gently. "Is your family still in Banaras?" she asked softly. Kunal nodded, tears gathering in his eyes.

"Bring them here," she said. "You haven't seen them in a while, and they should know... if anything happens___" Her voice trailed off, heavy with unspoken fears.

Before she could finish, Yash's voice shattered the silence. "NOTHING CAN HAPPEN TO HER! AARAV WILL SAVE HER... I KNOW HE WILL!" His desperation rang through the corridor, and everyone could see the raw vulnerability beneath his anger. Anita, knowing her son's deepest fears, stepped closer. "Don't you want the blessings of your in-laws?" she said softly. "I want to meet my daughter-in-law's family when she wakes up.....to share this happiness with them. Don't you want that?"

Her words hit Yash hard, and tears slipped down his face. He understood what she was trying to do-disguising the gravity of the situation to give him strength. Kunal nodded, catching Anita's message. "I'll bring them here," he murmured.