Morning didn't feel like morning.
It felt heavy.
Unfinished.
Sasmita barely slept.
The night had left marks—
Not visible.
But real.
Her eyes were slightly red, her movements slower than usual.
Still composed.
Still controlled.
But not untouched.
At the office—
Something felt wrong.
Not obvious.
Not loud.
Just—
Missing.
Her eyes moved instinctively.
Toward his desk.
Empty.
Her steps slowed.
For a second—
Her heart did too.
"He hasn't come yet?" she asked, her tone casual.
Too casual.
One of the employees shook his head.
"No, ma'am."
A pause.
"That's unusual," someone added quietly.
Sasmita didn't respond.
She simply nodded and walked away.
But inside—
Something tightened.
Minutes passed.
Then hours.
Still—
No sign of him.
No message.
No call.
Nothing.
Her focus broke.
Again.
Files blurred.
Numbers didn't make sense.
Because her mind—
Was somewhere else.
Finally—
She stood up.
"I'll be back," she said shortly.
No explanation.
No delay.
The streets moved fast beneath her.
Her car cut through traffic, her grip tight on the steering wheel.
Her thoughts louder than ever.
Why didn't he come?
Where is he?
What if—
"No."
She cut the thought instantly.
But it didn't stop.
Because deep down—
She already knew.
Something wasn't right.
She reached the place.
Not his home.
Because she didn't know it.
But somewhere else.
A place she remembered—
From the fragments he had never fully hidden.
The door was slightly open.
That alone—
Was enough.
Sasmita pushed it open quickly.
Inside—
Silence.
Too quiet.
Her steps echoed as she moved forward.
Heart racing now.
"Aarav?" she called.
No response.
Then—
She saw him.
On the floor.
Leaning slightly against the wall.
Still.
Too still.
Her breath caught instantly.
"Aarav!"
She rushed forward without thinking, dropping to her knees beside him.
His shirt—
Stained.
Blood.
Her hands trembled slightly as she touched his shoulder.
"Hey… hey, look at me," she said quickly.
His eyes opened slowly.
Faint.
But aware.
"You shouldn't be here," he murmured.
Even now.
Her expression broke.
"Are you serious right now?" she snapped, her voice shaking.
Her hands moved quickly, trying to check the wound.
"You're bleeding and you're saying that?"
Aarav watched her.
For a moment—
He didn't speak.
Because this—
Was something he didn't expect.
Her worry.
Her panic.
"You should've stayed away," he said quietly.
Sasmita froze for a second.
Then looked at him.
Her eyes—
Filled with something raw.
"I tried," she said.
A pause.
"I really tried."
Silence.
Because those words—
Carried everything.
Her hands tightened slightly.
"But you didn't," Aarav replied.
Sasmita shook her head.
"No," she admitted softly.
Because she couldn't.
Not anymore.
Her voice dropped.
"You're hurt because of me, aren't you?"
Aarav didn't answer.
But he didn't need to.
Her breath trembled slightly.
"Why do you keep doing this?" she whispered.
A faint pause.
Then—
"Because it's you."
The answer came simple.
But it hit deeper than anything else.
Sasmita's eyes filled again.
Because this time—
There was no distance.
No denial.
Only truth.
Her hand slowly tightened around his.
As if afraid—
He might disappear.
"You don't get to decide everything alone," she said softly.
Aarav looked at her.
For the first time—
That wall in his eyes—
Cracked.
"You told me to stay away," he said.
Sasmita shook her head.
"I was wrong."
The words came out without hesitation.
Without pride.
Without control.
And that—
Changed everything.
Silence filled the room again.
But this time—
It wasn't heavy.
It was fragile.
Because they both knew—
This moment—
Was the turning point.
Sasmita took a breath.
Then said quietly—
"Don't leave me again."
The words were soft.
But they carried something stronger than anything before.
Aarav didn't reply immediately.
But his hand—
Tightened around hers.
And that—
Was enough.