Bepannaah: Against All Odds || COMPLETED

6. Good-byes!

"Sakshi Aunty is dead"

The words seemed like a blow to Zoya, who staggered back at the revelation. Her heart constricted painfully inside her rib cage, the women who gave her, her daughter's Saree, the women who helped her clean Yash and Pooja's name, the women who loved Aditya like her own child, was no more.

Aditya. The name made her eyes snapped up to Arjun, before darting to his sleeping figure through the glass window. Her face still showed disbelief, but when Arjun sighed and nodded again, she had no option but to believe him.

" How? When? She was in London-", her questions were out of order, while it took effort to breath. If it was effecting her so much, she could not even imagine what it might have done to Aditya.

Arjun looked at her, this was do or die for him. He didn't know how Zoya would react, considering her actions the last few days. He wasn't sure if she would choose Aditya knowing Anjana was involved in the murder of her beloved husband Yash. Arjun's eyes travelled to Aditya who was sleeping, his face exhausted and the bags under his eyes evident. A sigh escaped Arjun, he didn't even remember the last he had seen his brother carefree and child like, the way he originally used to be. The last year had changed everything in their lives, but for most, it had changed Aditya. Arjun didn't know if he could bear to see more destruction of his brother lest Zoya chose her dead husband over him, so he decided to not tell her the truth.

Zoya was the only ray of light he could see in his brother's life at the moment, and if it takes a lie to let her be there, so be it.

" We don't know the details yet. Bhai came to know last night, after he cane from your house. It's messed up Zoya, the truth is more messed up than it seems, but if you will take back your steps at any point, given any revelation, don't take a step ahead", Arjun had never sounded rude to her before today, but Zoya could see it in his eyes, the worry he had for Aditya. She clearly knew in that instant there was something she was being kept away from, but right now, her priority was Aditya, she chose to ignore everything else.

When Aditya woke up, the sudden bright lights only made his squeeze his eyes shut again, but an unusually tight grip on his right hand, forced him to tilt his head to his side. There she was, in all her innocence, her eyelashes still wet, her cheeks a little damp, but her hold on him, determined.

" Zoya?", Aditya Coughed out, and she immediately straightened.

" Aditya? Are you alright? Do you need something? Shall I call the doctor?", She broke into fine lines of worry and blabber, while Aditya was nothing short of stunned.

The women he loved was panicking for him, caring for him, just the way he wanted. For a lost moment, a smile crept on his face, as he raised his hand to lightly touch her face, wanting to believe he wasn't dreaming. Zoya leaned into the touch of his hand, her cheek in the hollow of his hand, while her hand kept his hand in it's place.

Then, it broke, the moment. Aditya felt the dampness of her cheek and was jolted back to reality. He jerked back his hand so suddenly, that it straight away landed on the bed, and the cannula that was piercing the vein of the dorsum of his right hand pricked him, causing him to yelp.

"Aditya!!!!", Zoya shrieked simultaneously, like it hurt her not him. Aditya rolled both his lips in, this women was making it difficult to push her away.

A doctor's checkup, vital monitoring, removal of the cannula and some other formalities later, Aditya was ready to go home. Arjun looked at Zoya's face, and then left them alone on the pretext of taking out the car.

Aditya took a step ahead, but a grip on his arm made him stop. Zoya came forward to face him, her eyes filled with so many tears and her face red with emotions that it tugged his heart. No matter what, no matter how, he had and would always love this woman, and watching her cry did something to him, always.