Thank you guys for the votes and comments on the previous chapter.. Hoping that it would remain consistent..

If you guys are willing to step up the votes to 400, I am willing to give updates on Tuesdays and Thursdays too...  So... 400 votes, 50 comments - an update tomorrow guys... Else, we can follow our routine itself...

Third person's pov!

With hands shaking, Dhruv cradled Shraddha's head while her blood seeped through his fingertips. This image would remain etched in his memory forever. Dhruv felt absolutely helpless for the first time in his life, seeing her face so pale, her body so lifeless.

"No, no, no, Shraddha... Please, don't leave me. Not like this." His voice shaking, he murmured.

People gathered around him, whispering worriedly while someone dialed for an ambulance. Dhruv hardly caught their voices; his entire universe had narrowed down into the fragile woman laying in his arms. He pressed his forehead to hers, a few tears slipping down his face, mixing with the blood on his hands.

"I am sorry... I am so sorry. I love you, please, just stay with me." He cried..

Within minutes, the paramedics arrived, pulling him back as they lifted her onto the stretcher and began working to stabilize her. Dhruv watched in daze as they hauled her into the ambulance. His body ran on sheer instinct, while his head blurred, and he hurried to his car. He had to get to be with her.

Dhruv followed, whirling in and out of traffic, neglecting red lights, racing past vehicles, his heart thumping in sync with the siren of the ambulance as it speeded through the streets. Fear tore at his gut, growing with every second that passed.

Shraddha was already being wheeled toward the Accidental and Emergency unit by the time he arrived at the hospital. Stumbling through the double doors, Dhruv watched as they vanished down the hall. He wanted to follow, to be by her side, but a nurse stood in front of him.

"Please wait here, sir," She added gently, her voice tinged with sympathy. "We will tend to her. Kindly... trust us."

Frozen, he stood there as the doors closed in front of him, forcing him apart from the only person who meant anything. He sank into a chair, his blood-stained hands trembling as he buried his face in them, and a sob tore through him.

"God... please... if you are there... don't take her from me. Don't do this to me."

Ved arrived moments later, watching his friend with a deep pang of guilt in his chest. He had spoken without thinking, his negligent words destroying the delicate universe Dhruv had so painstakingly created. Ved sat next to him and gently supported Dhruv by placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Dhruv, I am... I am really sorry." Ved murmured, his mistake weighing on him. He watched as Dhruv's tear-streaked face turned to him, his eyes ablaze with a raw, hollow pain Ved had never before seen.

"I can't lose her, Ved," Dhruv choked, clutching Ved's arm firmly, as though he were grounding himself. "I.. I have never believed in anything, never... but for her I would give anything, do anything. I love her. She is my entire world." He inhaled a shaky breath. "And if she doesn't make it, I don't know how I will either."

Ved's guilt deepened as he listened, and he squeezed Dhruv's shoulder, unable to find the right words. They sat in silence, Dhruv's blood-soaked shirt and hands acting as a sobering reminder of just how delicate everything had become.

The minutes turned into hours, but Dhruv hardly moved; his heart clinging to hope with every aching heartbeat, every whispered plea for her life.

The doors to the emergency unit finally swung open, and Dhruv leapt to his feet, his heart pounding as a doctor in scrubs approached him. The tension in Dhruv's face was palpable, and Ved, standing beside him, placed a reassuring hand on his friend's back.

"Doctor, How is she?" Dhruv asked, with a rough voice full of anguish. The physician offered a little but comforting smile.

"Your wife is really lucky. The damages are not that significant. She has some severe cuts, a moderate concussion, and some deep abrasions. Fortunately, no significant head injuries or fractures."

Dhruv felt a wave of gratitude as his shoulders drooped with relief.

"Thank you; thank you so much, doctor. I... You have no idea how much this means. "

The doctor gently patted his shoulder.

"We will keep her under surveillance overnight. Should everything go in accordance, she will be moved to a room tomorrow."

Dhruv nodded, almost not sure he could handle his relief as the doctor turned to go. Dhruv's knees buckled slightly as the doctor vanished back through the doors, then he slid back onto the chair and his head dropped into his hands.

"Thank God." He murmured, almost unable to comprehend it. He hastily dabbed away a few stray tears of relief from his eyes.

"Dhruv, she'll be OK. She is tough, just as you are." Ved laid a helping hand on his shoulder, relief clearly on his own face.

Dhruv raised his head and for the first time since the accident, a little, appreciative smile showed on his face. "Ved, I can't lose her. She is everything for me."

A fresh surge of anxiety washed over Dhruv as the steady state of Shraddha settled over him. The first shock of seeing her injured, the fear of almost losing her—now everything came flooding back as he recalled why she was in that situation to start with. She misunderstood.

As the memory flashed in Dhruv's mind—the hurt, betrayal, and heartbreak etched on her face—his chest constricted painfully. She felt he had betrayed her trust and although she was safe for now he understood that clear communication would not be simple. This was about the very basis of the fragile connection they had been building together.

"Ved...," Dhruv turned to his friend with distressed eyes; his words were hardly a whisper. "What would I do if she rejects me? If she cannot see the truth?"

"You will find a way. You both are in love, Dhruv. You simply have to show her that you have always been on her side." Ved gave Dhruv a consoling pat on his shoulder.

"I doubt whether I am strong enough for this, Ved." Raw openness pierced Dhruv's voice. "But I have to be. Because if I lose her... It is impossible for me to even imagine."

"Then you fight, Dhruv. You fight to clear every doubt and misunderstanding. And you start by being there for her, every step of the way." Ved said, his face solemn.

Dhruv took a deep breath, feeling both the weight of his mistake and the determination to make things right. For Shraddha, he would do whatever it took.

What he didn't know was that everything was going to change tomorrow.. When the new days begins, life would take a different turn he hadn't even imagined..

A/n

Who all are excited for the Agnihotri family reunion??

Please do vote and comment...

Love,

SF❤️