They Don't Know about Us

Chapter 22 - In the quiet after

Chapter 22 - In the quiet after

Riddhima woke up with a dull ache behind her eyes — the kind that came from crying too hard the night before. The faint morning light spilled through the half-drawn curtains. Her phone lay on the nightstand, face down, just as she had left it. Her first instinct was to grab it and text Armaan. They had this habit of texting each other first thing in the morning. Opening the chat, that's when she noticed the last message he had sent to her two nights ago – "We'll talk tomorrow. Good night."

Four words. Cold, final.

That's when it all came back. The bachelorette night, their argument the following day. His cold behavior, his mean words. Her chest tightened as she read them again. There was no fight, no shouting — just silence. And somehow that felt worse.

He had not texted her since she had left his apartment. She felt like water had been dumped over her. She traced the edge of her phone with her thumb, wondering if she should text him. Ask if they were okay. But what was there to say now? She had promised she'd tell Anjali. She hadn't. He was tired of waiting — and she couldn't even blame him for it.

Her alarm buzzed, snapping her out of it. She groaned softly, forcing herself to get up. The wedding week had officially begun, and she didn't have the luxury to fall apart now — not when she had to see him again soon.

On the other end. Armaan sat in his study, elbows braced on his desk, staring blankly at the open file in front of him. His coffee had long gone cold. He'd tried reading the same line for the past ten minutes and hadn't processed a single word. He had seen the cold dinner from last night that was still left untouched. The sight had brought all the bad memories of them fighting.

He rubbed a hand down his face, exhaling heavily. Maybe I was too harsh, he thought, closing his eyes. But every time he remembered her anxious face, the hesitation, the constant excuses, his frustration came rushing back. It wasn't that he didn't understand her fear — he did. Anjali meant everything to both of them. But what they had, hiding it for this long, was eating at him. It had turned into something heavier than either of them had planned for.

His phone buzzed, breaking through his thoughts. A message from the hospital:

"Emergency consult — cardiac trauma incoming. Need surgical coverage ASAP."

He read it once, twice, then sighed. Duty first, as always. If anything it would help him clear his mind up. His thumbs hovered briefly before typing another text — this one to Dr. Keerti, before he could change his mind"

Armaan
Keerti, I'll be there in 20. Make sure Riddhima's on call tonight.

He hesitated for a second before hitting send. Maybe it was selfish — maybe he just needed to see her, to make sure she was fine. Even if she wouldn't look at him. He didn't want to see her but at the same time he knew the way he treated her the night before was not okay. Especially with the way she left him.

Riddhima was taking out the designer gown out of the closet that Ananya had gotten for her, when her phone buzzed. It was Dr Keerti.

Dr Keerti Mehra
Emergency case. You're needed in OR within 20 minutes. Please get here fast.

Her brows furrowed. She wasn't supposed to be on call today — Dr. Keerti had cleared her schedule for Anjali's pre-wedding events. Still, instinct took over before logic did. She grabbed her keys, slung her bag over her shoulder, and hurried out the door.

The drive was quiet except for the hum of the engine and the echo of last night's fight. The silence between her and Armaan had stretched into something sharp, heavy enough to make her chest ache. Maybe this emergency was a blessing — something to pull her away from that weight for a while. Clearing her head, she focused on driving to ensure she reached there as fast as she could.