Healing each other

chapter 55

Rooh," he said softly, stepping closer.

She didn't look at him. Her eyes stared at the ceiling, hollow and broken.

"I shouldn't be alive," she murmured, her breath quickening. "I should die. I should just die-"

"Rooh, no," Vihaan whispered, stepping forward quickly, cupping her face gently. But she kept going, as if she couldn't hear him.

"I ruin everything. I'm not worth loving. I'm filthy. I don't deserve -"

"Stop," Vihaan choked, wrapping his arms around her fragile body and pulling her into a hug, holding her tightly. "Please stop, Rose. I'm here. I'm so sorry."

Rooh gasped, her sobs turning uncontrollable, but her hands clung to his shirt weakly. Her tears soaked his chest as he rocked her gently, whispering her name again and again.

Then, slowly... her grip loosened.

Her body went limp in his arms.

"Rooh?" he said, panic lacing his voice. "Rooh!"

But she had lost consciousness again.

Vihaan held her tightly, trembling. He gently laid her back down, pressing the nurse call button with trembling hands.

His voice cracked as he looked at her pale face.

"Rose... I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

Just as Vihaan pressed the call button, the door opened, and a nurse entered, followed closely by the doctor. One look at Vihaan's pale face and Rooh's unconscious form, and the doctor hurried forward.

"She fainted again," Vihaan managed to say, his voice raw, eyes never leaving Rooh's face.

The doctor examined her quickly-checking her pulse, her vitals-then looked at Vihaan with calm but firm eyes.

"She's stable," he said, "but emotionally, she's deeply fragile. She must not be exposed to any kind of stress. Her mind and body are in shock. What she needs most right now is a peaceful environment... and someone she can trust."

Vihaan nodded silently, guilt washing over him again like a storm tide. The doctor patted his shoulder gently before turning to the nurse and giving further instructions.

As they left, Vihaan sat beside her once more, brushing his fingers through her tangled hair.

"You'll have peace, Rooh," he whispered. "Even if I have to burn the whole world to give it to you."

Vihaan stepped out of Rooh's hospital room, his legs trembling, his eyes hollow from everything the doctor had just told him. He needed answers-needed truth.

Standing near the end of the corridor was rahul Kaka, the old guard who had called him.

Vihaan walked up to him, trying to steady his breath, but the pain in his chest made every step feel heavier.

"rahul Kaka," he said, his voice barely audible, "Tell me... please. What happened to her?"
Kaka looked up, tears already glistening in his old, tired eyes. He removed his cap and clutched it tightly in his hands.

"I tried... I really did," he said, voice quivering. "But I'm just a servant... What could I have done, beta?"

Vihaan's brows furrowed. "Done what?"

Rahul kaka looked away in shame before whispering, "They've been torturing her since she was a child. Hitting her... locking her in that basement like an animal. Kabir... her own brother -" he stopped, his lips trembling.

Vihaan's breath hitched. "Since childhood?"

"She used to sit with me when she was small... always quiet, always scared," Babu choked. "I once asked her why she flinched when someone raised their hand-and she told me... 'Because Papa said my pain makes him feel powerful.'" He looked at Vihaan, eyes pleading. "How could someone say that to a little girl?"