As Iyaan stormed away from Alina's family, his heart felt heavy with betrayal and anger, but something deeper lingered—guilt.

Guilt for not understanding Iyaara's desperation, for almost marrying someone who had no regard for him, and for not seeing the truth when it was right in front of him.

He reached the hospital exit, his mind racing with conflicting emotions.

Iyaara, the one who truly loved him, had gone to such extreme lengths to stop this disastrous marriage.

And what had he done?

He had doubted her, pushed her aside.

The guilt was overwhelming.

Without saying a word to anyone, not even Armaan or Saif, Iyaan pulled out his phone and booked the next available flight out of the country.

He needed to leave.

He couldn't face Iyaara, not now.

Not after what she had done for him—what she had almost sacrificed.

The weight of it all was too much to bear.

He sent a brief message to his family
"I need to go. Don't try to stop me. I'll be back when I’m ready."

Iyaan rushed out of the hospital, his heart pounding, his mind in turmoil.

He couldn't face Iyaara or the rest of LIFE TOO.

When Iyaara slowly opened her eyes, the harsh light of the hospital room stung her senses.

Everything felt like a blur—the weight of her body, the dull ache in her arm where the doctors had stitched her up, and the overwhelming heaviness in her heart.

She blinked a few times, trying to remember what had happened.

Her mother was sitting by her bedside, clutching her hand with red, tear-stained eyes. Seeing Iyaara stir, she sat up quickly.

"Beta, tum theek ho?"

(Are you okay, my child?) her mother asked, voice trembling.

Iyaara’s throat felt dry as she tried to speak, her voice barely a whisper.

"Iyaan Bhai ... kahan hai?"

(Where is Iyaan Bro ?)

Her mother hesitated, exchanging a worried glance with Armaan, who had been pacing in the corner of the room.

Armaan stepped forward, his expression hard to read.

He knew he had to be the one to tell her, but it wasn’t going to be easy.

"Bhai left, Iyaara,"Armaan said, his voice heavy with a mix of regret and anger.

Iyaara’s heart sank. "Left? What do you mean, left?"

"He’s gone, Iyaara. He left the country,"Armaan revealed, his voice now more steady. "He didn’t tell anyone until he was already at the airport. He…he couldn’t face it all. Couldn’t face you."

Iyaara’s heart constricted painfully. "He left... because of me, didn’t he?" Her voice was fragile, her eyes searching Armaan’s for some kind of reassurance, something to hold on to.

But Armaan couldn’t lie. "I don’t know if it was only because of you. The whole thing…with Alina and her affair, finding out he was being used, and then... you. He couldn’t handle it, Iyaara."

The room fell into a suffocating silence.

Iyaara felt the weight of the world crash down on her chest.

Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision as her mind replayed the moments from earlier—the knife, the blood, Iyaan’s cold words.

And now, he was gone.

"I just wanted to stop him from making a mistake,"she whispered brokenly, her voice barely audible. "I didn’t want him to leave."

Armaan sat down beside her, his usual teasing demeanor replaced with a rare seriousness. "Iyaara, bhai will come back. He just needs time. Everything was too much for him, but I know one thing—he won’t be able to stay away forever."

Saif, who had been standing quietly by the door, finally spoke. "He loves you, Iyaara. Whether he admits it or not, you’re the reason he’s hurting so much."

Iyaara shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. "But he hates me, Saif Bhai. He  hates me...and now I’ve pushed him away for good."

Saif crossed the room, his face softening as he looked at her. "Hate and love aren’t that different, Iyaara. What he feels for you…it’s complicated, but I know one thing he doesn’t hate you. If anything, he’s running because he feels guilty for not loving you sooner."

Iyaara stared at the ceiling, her tears soaking the pillow beneath her head.

The reality of Iyaan’s absence began to settle in.

He was gone.

She had pushed him away, even though all she had ever wanted was to be by his side.

Her mother leaned in and brushed her fingers through Iyaara’s hair gently. "Beta, give him time. Maybe when he comes back, things will be different."

But Iyaara couldn’t shake the gnawing emptiness in her chest.

What if he didn’t come back?

What if Iyaan never forgave her for what she had done?

The hospital room felt cold, and despite everyone’s attempts to comfort her, Iyaara felt utterly alone.

"Iyaan... please come back," she whispered to herself, her voice breaking with every word. "I can’t live without you."

As night fell and the hospital quieted down, only the echo of her plea remained in the air.

After spending a couple of days in the hospital, Iyaara was finally cleared to go home.

The doctors had bandaged her wrists carefully, ensuring there were no complications from the cut she had inflicted on herself.

Physically, she was healing, but the emotional turmoil in her heart still weighed heavy.

Her father was busy signing the discharge papers when Armaan and Saif helped her into a wheelchair.

Iyaara kept her gaze low, her eyes swollen and red from crying.

Everything felt like a blur—her thoughts consumed by Iyaan's absence.

The guilt gnawed at her, making each breath feel like a struggle.

As they wheeled her out of the hospital room, Armaan walked beside her, trying to keep things light, but even his jokes sounded half-hearted. "You know, Iyaara, you scared the life out of all of us. You owe me big time for the emotional trauma!"

Iyaara managed a weak smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. "I’m sorry, Armaan. I didn’t mean to cause all this. I just...I didn’t know what else to do."

Saif, standing on the other side, looked at her with understanding. "No one’s blaming you, Iyaara. You were trying to protect Iyaan in your own way. He just needs time to figure things out. Once he cools down, he’ll come back."

But that was what scared Iyaara the most—what if Iyaan didn’t come back?

What if he stayed away forever?

When they reached the car, Armaan helped Iyaara inside while Saif drove.

Her mother sat beside her in the backseat, still silently wiping away the stray tears that kept falling.

The ride back home was quiet, except for Armaan’s occasional humming, trying to fill the void of silence. But nothing could fill the emptiness Iyaara felt without Iyaan there.

As they approached home, her mother finally spoke softly. "Beta, you need to rest. We will handle everything here. Just take care of yourself now."

Iyaara nodded mechanically, not really absorbing her mother’s words.

Her mind was elsewhere, wandering to thoughts of Iyaan—where he was, how he was feeling, and whether he was thinking about her at all.

The car pulled into the driveway, and Armaan and Saif helped her out. She was weak, but she refused to show it, not wanting to worry them more than she already had. They walked her inside, where the house felt eerily quiet. The air was thick with the memories of what had happened, and it only reminded Iyaara of how much had changed in such a short span of time.

Once she was settled in her room, Armaan sat on the edge of her bed, leaning forward. "Okay, so no more of this dramatic self-sacrificing stuff, alright? I can’t handle another trip to the hospital."

Iyaara’s lips trembled, but she nodded. "I’m sorry, Armaan. I really am."

He sighed, his face softening. "I know you are. Just...don’t give up hope yet, okay? Iyaan’s stubborn, but he’s not heartless. He’ll come back when he’s ready."

Saif added quietly, "And when he does, things will be different. Trust me, Iyaara, this isn’t the end."

Iyaara swallowed hard, nodding again, though her heart still ached with uncertainty.

Everyone was telling her to wait, to be patient.

But waiting for someone you loved.

someone who had just disappeared from your life, was the hardest thing she had ever done.

As the house fell into an uneasy quiet that night, Iyaara lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling, replaying everything that had happened.

Iyaan was gone, and all she had now was the hope that one day, he would return.

But that hope was fragile, and each passing hour made it feel fainter.

Would he come back?

Or had she lost him forever?

The silence in the room offered no answers, leaving her to wrestle with her thoughts alone in the darkness.