Until I Find My Star

Chapter 25

Author's Pov:

Anu's breath hitched as her consciousness slowly returned. The sterile scent of antiseptic and the soft hum of medical equipment filled her senses, grounding her in the cold reality of where she was. A hospital. And Vikram himself, a storm barely contained in human form, had brought her here.

She felt like slapping herself. Hard. How could she have been so careless? How could she forget, even for a second, where she was and who she was with? The horror of her reaction clawed at her insides. She had been reckless, stupid. Vulnerable.

But it wasn't her fault. She couldn't help it.

The moment she saw him standing there, a ghost from her past, everything else had blurred into nothingness. It was as if the floor had vanished beneath her feet, the air had turned to ice in her lungs. She had lost herself in the shock of it all.

What was he doing there?

And why at Vikram's office, of all places?

Her mind whirled, trying to grasp the moments that followed, but everything was a jumbled mess. Panic. Shock. A whirlwind of emotions she couldn't even name. But one thing stood out amidst the chaos—he had not reacted.

Not a flicker of recognition.

Not a glance of acknowledgment.

Nothing.

He had ignored her as if she were a stranger.

Why?

The thought sank its claws into her heart, twisting until she could barely breathe. The pain of his indifference cut deeper than she had expected, deeper than she could bear.

Three days had passed since then. Vikram had been silent, watching, waiting. The tension in the house was suffocating. And then, today, he called her from his office

Sitting stiffly in the chair, her pulse racing as she saw Vikram's name on her phone,  he's calling her. She debated while looking at the phone whether or not to attend it. Shaking her head she picked up the phone. After talking to him for a min or so, the thing she dreaded happened. He asked about him and in her panic state she blabbered whatever her mouth sprouted.

Slapping her head at her stupidity, Anu closed her eyes waiting for his next question while biting her lower lip in fear.

"Tell me what happened that day, Anu," he said, his voice deceptively calm.

Her throat went dry. Panic gripped her chest, making it hard to breathe. What could she say? How could she explain something she didn't fully understand herself?

"Don't lie to me."

She hesitated, searching for words, and that hesitation was all it took.

She knew his patience was razor-thin.

"I'm going to find him, love."

She swallowed hard, knowing whatever happened next, she was teetering on the edge of something dangerous.

"Take rest, love. You need that" And then, just like that, he hung up.

The abrupt silence on the other end made her heart pound even harder. He hadn't waited for an answer. Hadn't given her a chance to explain. He had simply left her drowning in her own panic.

Her hands trembled as she set the phone down. If she couldn't even handle a phone call with him questioning her, how would she survive when Vikram confronted her in person? When he looked her in the eyes and demanded the truth about him?

She wasn't ready for that. Not yet.

But she knew it was coming. Soon.

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