Threads of Friendship, Bonds of Marriage

Chapter: 41

Happy New Year, dear readers! 🎉

I sincerely apologize for the delay in updates, and I want to thank you all for your patience and support. I'm incredibly grateful for the overwhelming votes and comments on the last chapter—it truly means a lot to me. Your encouragement motivates me to keep improving and sharing more with you.

Please continue to show your love and support—it keeps me inspired to do my best for my amazing readers. Here's to a fantastic year ahead filled with great stories and moments to share!

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{Manik's ICU Room}

[The stillness was unbearable, a suffocating void that made her feel like screaming. She leaned forward, her forehead resting lightly against his.]

Nandini: I didn't see it then... how much you needed me. But I'm here now. And I won't leave.

[The faint warmth of his skin was her only solace. She kissed his forehead gently, her lips lingering as if trying to breathe life back into him.

Suddenly, a soft rasp broke through the silence.]

Manik: (hoarsely) Promise.

[Her head snapped up, her heart stopping as her eyes met his. His lids fluttered open, revealing the deep brown she thought she'd never see again. The faintest smirk tugged at his lips, and it was enough to undo her entirely.]

Nandini: (stammering) "Manik..."

[His hand twitched in hers, weak but purposeful. With trembling fingers, he reached for the oxygen mask, but she leaned forward, stopping him.]

Nandini: Manik, no! Don't—

Manik: (firmly) I'm fine.

[His voice, though faint, carried a strength that made her heartache. She helped him sit up, adjusting the pillows behind him. When he asked for water, she scrambled to get it, holding the glass to his lips carefully.

As he coughed, she instinctively reached out, rubbing his back in soothing circles. The vulnerability in his movements reminded her of how fragile he truly was, yet his eyes held a spark—a determination she hadn't seen before.]

Manik: You saved me, Nandini.

[Her breath hitched, her gaze locking with his.]

Nandini: How long... How long have you been awake?

[He chuckled weakly, the sound low and warm.]

Manik: Since the moment you held my hand.

[Her cheeks flushed, and she looked away, biting her lip to keep the smile from spreading. But his smirk deepened, a teasing glint in his eyes that melted the tension between them. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, hope sparked in the sterile confines of the ICU.]

[A faint antiseptic scent hung in the air, blending with the low hum of the heart monitor, its rhythm punctuating the fragile stillness.

Manik lay on the narrow hospital bed, his face pale but his eyes alive with an intensity that defied his weakened state. The faint morning sunlight trickled through the blinds, casting gentle streaks across his disheveled hair and bandaged arm. Despite the pain etched into his features, his gaze held steady, fixed solely on her.

He extended a trembling hand toward her, his fingers twitching with effort. His eyes brimmed with vulnerability—a plea unspoken but impossible to ignore.]