He lifted her carefully into his arms.
The cameras outside captured everything.
Just a freezing girl barely conscious—
And someone carrying her out before her body gave up completely.
The crowd erupted.
Some people actually clapped in relief. Others visibly exhaled like they had forgotten how to breathe.
Paramedics rushed forward immediately.
"She still has a pulse!"
"Move, MOVE!"
As they took the girl toward the ambulance, one reporter finally managed to catch a clear glimpse of Shadow Hunk beneath the harsh white facility lights.
And for the first time the media saw his ensemble.
••
Later that night.
Every television channel replayed the footage endlessly.
"SHADOW HUNK SAVES STUDENT FROM CRYOGENIC CHAMBER AFTER THIRTY-SEVEN MINUTES."
Vritika sat cross-legged on her bed while the television light flickered softly across her room.
At first, she watched absentmindedly—
until the close-up footage appeared.
And suddenly—
she froze.
That face.
A sudden chill crawled down her spine.
For a second, the world around her seemed to fade into silence as an old memory surfaced from the depths of her mind.
She remembered how her heart had hammered against her ribs that night because she wanted to run away. The silence had felt suffocating, the darkness endless. She had stood rooted to the spot, unable to look away from those unreadable eyes watching her from the gloom.
Then fear had taken over.
Pure, overwhelming fear.
Without thinking, she had turned and run.
Run as fast as her trembling legs could carry her.
She hadn't dared to look back.
Hadn't dared to find out whether the shadow had moved.
Whether it had followed her.
And now—
Those same eyes were standing right before her.
The same calm, silent gaze.
The same expression she could never quite forget.
Her breath caught in her throat.
It was him.
Her grip around the remote loosened slowly.
"Oh…"
The thought escaped before she realized it.
"So, he's Shadow Hunk…"
The news continued playing in the background, but Vritika barely saw any of it anymore.
Instead, she stared at the screen quietly, remembering how terrified she had been that night.
And now—
For the first time—
That fear felt almost foolish.
Vritika's House- Evening
Inside her room, Vritika sat near the window with a book resting upon her lap. The fading amber light of dusk spilled across the pages, illuminating the tranquil concentration etched upon her features.
Then the door creaked open.
Vritika absorbed in her reading couldn't heard anything.
A pair of footsteps approached from behind. Before she could know, a hand lightly tapped her shoulder.
Startled, she turned around.
A young man stood before her. Without uttering a word, he extended a folded note.
A faint crease formed between her brows as she accepted it and unfolded the paper.
"Ma'am, your mother is calling you downstairs."
The message was short, yet it stirred an inexplicable unease within her.
Vritika lowered the note and inhaled quietly. After a moment's hesitation, she rose from her seat and made her way downstairs.
Each step felt going towards the hell.
When she entered the room, her mother was already waiting.
The women's gaze landed upon with disgust.
Vritika's shoulders stiffened.
Using sign language, her mother began communicating.
"I contacted that boy today," she sighed sharped, "But he told me that lately you have shown no interest in meeting him.
Vritika remained silent.
"Do whatever you want for now." Her mother continued, "But remember this carefully. If he ever loses interest because of your stubbornness, you will regret it. And when you come of age, I don't know forcibly or willing, but you will marry only him."
The words struck Vritika like a cold gust of wind.
Her fingers moved swiftly.
"Why?" she sighed back. "I do not feel comfortable around him. I do not want to marry him."
The women's expression changed and she signed, "Ok, let me call that boy you tell him all this."
For a fleeting second, Vritika thought her mother might have understand her.
But her mother seized Vritika's wrist tightly.
"How dare you speak to me like that; you thought I will call him?" the women signed sharply.
Fear crawled down Vritika's spine.
She signed that, "That boy is the only way I can get more profit and what do you think, a prince will come to take you!"
She jeered at Vritika and signed, "Who would even want to handle a deaf brat like you. You should thank God that at least you are alive. I wanted to kill you on the night you ran away."
"Please…" she attempted to sign.
She holds Vritika's hair, forcing her to look up.
The women's face twisted with contempt.
Vritika begged her to let her go by gestures, but she hit Vritika's head in the table and her head starts bleeding.
She signed again, "I did this just to recall you your standards and limits. Tell me once more that you will not marry that boy then I will in real break your hands and then you can't even sign or express anything. Always remember I am your Step- mother."
Before she could do anything else, Vritika's friend rushed towards her to save her.
Her friend said to that woman, "Aunty, please let her go, at least see her condition, if it gets critical then uncle may get to know about it. Please let her go…"
Her stepmother saw her in deep disgust and left the room in the fear that if her husband will know, he may not spare her, so it is good to leave.
Vritika's friend signed her, "Let me first-aid you then I will scold you."
Vritika asked in sign, "Scold?"
Her friend signed, "Yeah, why did you lied to me that since you have arrived to this new city, that lady is not biting you."
Vritika lowered her gaze before signing,
"I didn't want you to worry about me all the time."
Her friend frowned.
"See? You're new to Vyantara. You don't know much about this place yet, so don't ever think about running away again."
Vritika nodded silently.
"I know," she signed softly. "I won't do it again."
Her friend looked at her for a moment before signing again,
"I know why she's torturing you like this. It's because of your father, isn't it? If somehow he could know that then I guess you wouldn't bear this much."
A bitter smile crossed Vritika's face.
"After my father's second marriage, everything changed. The love he once had for me slowly faded. He even promised my stepmother that he wouldn't interfere with how she raised me."
Her friend's eyes widened.
"So that's what happened..."
A trace of anger appeared on her face.
"She took advantage of that."
Vritika lowered her head.
"Maybe."
"No," her friend signed firmly. "Not maybe. No one deserves to be treated the way she treats you."
Vritika's fingers curled slightly.
"You don't have to be angry for my sake."
"I do," her friend replied immediately. "Because you're my friend."
The simple response made Vritika fall silent.
For a few seconds, neither of them signed anything.
The silence was felt in the ground.
Then her friend asked,
"When you actually get the chance to spent time with your father?"
Vritika's fingers slowed.
"On my birthdays."
She paused.
"And during parent-teacher meetings."
Her friend's eyes widened even more.
"That's it?"
Disbelief filled her expression.
"And you're still living in this house?"
Vritika simply looked away.
"What choice do I have?" she signed quietly.
A shadow passed through her eyes.
"It's not like there's anywhere else for me to go."
Her friend's expression softened instantly.
"There is."
Vritika looked at her in confusion.
"My house," her friend signed without the slightest hesitation.
Vritika stared at her before letting out a quiet laugh.
"You make everything sound so easy."
"Maybe because some things are easy," her friend replied. "Like caring about someone."
For a brief moment, Vritika didn't know how to respond.
Her friend clenched her fists before signing firmly,
"Just wait. One day, I'll take you to my home. You'll see what a real family feels like."
A small laugh escaped Vritika.
"You always say things like that."
"Because I mean them," her friend replied without hesitation.
Vritika shook her head.
"Let it be."
Then she suddenly remembered something.
"But when you came here..."
Her friend tilted her head in confusion.
"Me?"
A small smile appeared on her lips.
"I think it was when your head was bleeding."
Her friend groaned dramatically.
"Don't remind me. I thought you were going to faint right in front of me."
Vritika smiled faintly.
"You looked more scared than I was."
"Of course I was scared!" her friend signed. "There was blood everywhere."
"And you kept shouting at everyone."
"I was trying to help."
"You were panicking."
"I was not."
"You absolutely were."
Her friend narrowed her head just to hide her smile.
"Fine. Maybe a little."
The tension that had settled between them eased a little.
The presence of their laughter lingered in the room, replacing the sadness that had weighed on them moments earlier.
Vritika let out a quiet sigh.
"Anyway, it's getting late."
She glanced outside before signing,
"Are you going home, or do you want to stay at my house tonight?"
Her friend looked out the window.
The sky had already turned dark, and the streets outside were growing quieter.
Before she could receive an answer, her friend wrapped her arms around her.
The sudden hug caught Vritika off guard.
For a moment, she remained frozen.
Then she slowly hugged her back.
The embrace was warm and familiar, carrying a comfort neither of them needed to put into words.
Her friend grinned and signed,
"I'm definitely staying."
"Then don't complain if I make you help with chores tomorrow," Vritika signed teasingly.
Her friend gasped dramatically.
"Now you're threatening your guest?"
"Consider it the price of staying here."
"You're unbelievable."
"And yet you're still staying."
Her friend pretended to think about it.
"Good point."
A small laugh escaped Vritika.
The sight made her friend smile even wider.
For once, the sadness in Vritika's eyes seemed a little less noticeable.
A faint smile remained on her face as the two girls stood there quietly, enjoying a warmth neither of them wanted to let go of.