Demon's Physco obsession

The Monster's Heart

Ankita groaned, the sound trapped in her throat. A persistent, dull ache hammered behind her eyes, making her feel as though her skull had been relentlessly pounded. She tried to sit up, but a sharp, stinging sensation in her left hand instantly halted her. She turned her head slowly, the effort tremendous, and her eyes focused on the unwelcome sight: an IV drip was attached to her hand, a clear line anchoring her to the bed she was lying on.

The scent of antiseptic and clean linens replaced the chlorine. She was no longer poolside. The room was hushed, yet carried the undeniable aura of Adhiraaj's possessions—rich, expensive, and meticulously ordered. A sudden memory of his panicked face, his strong arms pulling her from the water, flashed in her mind.

Before Ankita could sit, a gruff, familiar voice cut through the silence.

"You really enjoy giving people heart attacks, don't you, dove?"

Adhiraaj was leaning against the doorframe. He wasn't wearing his usual perfectly tailored suit; his shirt was unbuttoned at the neck, and his dark hair was slightly tousled, giving him a dishevelled, raw look she rarely saw. His eyes, however, held a potent mix of relief and barely contained fury.

"You were unconscious for nearly twelve hours. The doctor says it was exhaustion, stress, and a lack of proper air," he continued, A tightness lived in his voice; she felt it in her ribs. pushing off the frame and walking toward the bed. "I told you to rest. Did you think you could just..." He trailed off, running a frustrated hand through his hair.

"Why, dove? Why push yourself to the point of collapse?"

Ankita stared up at him, the answers she had found underwater now feeling too complicated to articulate. She hadn't been testing her limits; she had been testing his truth.

"I... I needed some air," she managed, her voice a dry rasp.

Adhiraaj leaned down, his face inches from hers, his gaze intense. "If you ever do something so reckless again, something that makes me think for even a second that I've lost you..." He stopped, the threat in his voice dissolving into a raw, unexpected vulnerability. He straightened up, his composure returning with a visible effort.

Adhiraaj's voice cut through the heavy silence like a sharp blade. "What in the world were you thinking, dove?" he said, his tone a mixture of disbelief and anger. "Why would you try to drown yourself just to get some air? Or..." —his voice dropped, quieter but more intense— "did you have some other intention?" His words were harsh, yes, but beneath that layer of sternness, there was something else—something fragile that Ankita had never seen in him before. It was vulnerability, raw and unguarded, flickering in his eyes for only a moment, but enough to unsettle her completely.

Adhiraaj took a step closer, his frustration evident in the way his shoulders tightened. "If you really wanted air, you could have gone to the garden," he continued, his voice trembling with suppressed emotion. "You know I would have taken you to the lake myself if you had just asked." Ankita opened her mouth, but no words came out. Her throat felt dry, her heart ached, and all she could do was stare at him, mute and trembling.

A long beat. He watched her breathe once, twice. The rest went unsaid., heavy and suffocating. Adhiraaj exhaled sharply, rubbing his face with both hands in frustration before lowering himself to sit in front of her. His eyes searched her face, trying to make sense of her silence. Ankita's pulse raced as she looked at him—this was not the composed, stoic Adhiraaj she knew. This was someone breaking apart from the inside.

She swallowed hard, her fear growing as his gaze hardened again. Without warning, Adhiraaj reached out and grasped her face, his fingers firm against her cheeks, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Look at me," he commanded. Ankita winced, her hands instinctively rising to pull his away, but his grip only tightened. "Does it hurt?" he demanded, his tone rough. Ankita could only nod, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.