14. Clues And Chaos

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HAPPY DHANTERAS GUYS!!

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HAPPY DHANTERAS GUYS!!

"Easy there, Hulk! That leg is still attached to my body!" Ruhanika yelped as I tightened the bandage around her injury. Her face scrunched up in pain, but her voice was still laced with that stubborn playfulness.

"Aww, is that so? Why don’t you try detaching it completely next time?" I taunted, smirking back at her, refusing to go easy. We were in her room, bathed in the soft glow of the morning sun streaming through the curtains.

Ruhanika's pout deepened, her bottom lip jutting out like a child's. “Don’t be mean,” she muttered, glaring at me with those big, expressive eyes that couldn't quite hide her pain. For all her bravado, moments like this made me feel fiercely protective—like she was the little sister I never had.

"Mean?" I arched an eyebrow and deliberately tightened the bandage just a touch. "I thought I was being gentle."

"I just hope Shriyan's exactly this gentle with you on your suhagrat, tab pata chalega" she said with a straight face, and I felt a wave of heat rush to my face.

I laughed at her sudden statement "Is my sex life all you ever think about, Anika?" I muttered, my cheeks burning. She burst out laughing, throwing her head back, the sound echoing in the cozy room. I focused on finishing the fresh bandage, ensuring it was snug but not too tight, trying to hide my embarrassment. Even then, I could see the pain lingering in her eyes despite her effort to joke about it.

There,” I said softly, securing the gauze with a final tug. “How’s that? Better?”

She leaned back into the pillows and nodded, a small sigh escaping her. “Yeah, much better. Thanks, Dr. Hulk,” she said, the familiar teasing back in her voice. Then, her eyes drifted to the door. “When’s Lolo coming back? My baby must be hungry.” she pouted

Rudra’s bringing him back,” I replied, expecting her usual outburst of impatience, but instead, she only sighed—a sound too heavy for her usual energy. It made my chest tighten with worry.

Anika, is everything okay…?” I asked gently.

"Yeah," she said, but her voice was distant. "I’m totally fine, Aashu," she added, forcing a bright tone that didn't match the look in her eyes. I hesitated, unsure whether to press her, but she quickly changed the subject.

As I got up to leave, she called after me, "Aashu, I need my laptop. And I want access to the tampered footage. Let’s see what we’re really dealing with and figure out how much we can salvage. I don’t trust Rudra to be the only one digging into who’s behind this."

"Anika—" I began, my tone holding a clear warning.

She cut me off before I could say more. "I know, I know. I’m supposed to rest," she said, exasperated. "I’ll work from here, on my bed. But we can’t waste time, Aashu. Especially since we’re leaving soon for your wedding. I need a lead before we go. And besides," her eyes sharpened with determination, "I'm still trying to figure out what that tattoo means. It’s a piece of this puzzle."

𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙇𝙊𝙑𝙀'𝙎 𝘿𝙀𝘾𝙀𝙋𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 (18+)Where stories live. Discover now