KABIR'S POV :

Darkness. That’s all there was.

Heavy. Silent. Endless.

But then came the voice—soft, broken, familiar.

“Plzz… save him, I can't lose him…”

And just like that, the shadows cracked.

My eyelids were heavy. Breathing hurt, but not as much as the distant ache clawing at my chest. The moment I forced my lashes apart, the sterile white ceiling blurred into view. Blinking slowly, I tried to make sense of the light, the faint beeping, the distant murmurs.

I wasn’t alone.

“Kabir?”

It was faint, a whisper.

I turned my head, muscles weak, only to be engulfed in arms so tight and trembling that for a second I thought I was dreaming.

“Bhai!” Rohit’s voice cracked, and then it was all chaos. Vansh. Ranveer. Yash. Vihaan. One after another. And Maa… her fingers trembling as they cupped my face, her tears dripping like prayers answered.

“You idiot,” Rohit laughed through sobs, “You scared us all… again.”

A low chuckle almost escaped my throat. I had… come back.

But someone was missing.

My eyes searched the room restlessly until Vihaan leaned closer. “She’s in the temple,” he said softly. “She hasn’t left your side in spirit… not for a second.”

And as if summoned by the pull of something deeper than time, the door creaked, and there she was.

Shanaya.

Hair unkempt. Eyes swollen. Clutching a dupatta like it was her only tether to strength. The moment our eyes met, she stopped breathing.

So did I.

Five years of pain. Of betrayal. Of longing. Of unanswered questions. It all screamed between us in a single glance.

She didn’t run to me.

She walked slowly, almost hesitantly. As if she couldn’t believe I was real. I opened my mouth to say her name, but no sound came out.

She sat beside me, still silent, and cupped my face with trembling hands. Her touch undid me. There was no strength left in me to hold back the emotions swirling behind my eyes.

Tears spilled freely down her cheeks as she whispered, “You promised me, Kabir… you promised you’d stay. I waited… I waited so long…”

I reached up, weakly brushing away a tear from her chin.

“I’m sorry,” I croaked. “I never wanted to leave. Not then… not now.”

Her lips trembled, and the pain in her eyes shattered me. “I needed you, Kabir. After everything—I needed you… and you left.”

“Isha… she told me… she said you’d be safer without me. I believed her.”

“You believed her?” she snapped, not out of anger, but grief. “She ruined everything. And I had to survive it all… without you.”

She sobbed, her head falling onto my chest, careful not to hurt me, but desperate to be close.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered again, my voice almost gone. “I should’ve known. I should’ve fought for you. But I’m here now. And if you'll let me… I swear I’ll never leave again.”

Her fingers clutched my hospital gown like she was afraid I’d vanish.

“I’ve loved you all these years,” she whispered. “Even when I hated you. Even when I cried myself to sleep, praying you’d come back.”

A tear rolled down my temple.

“I never stopped,” I murmured. “Not for a second.”

In that quiet, fragile moment, surrounded by pain and healing hearts, I knew we had a long way to go. But for now, we were here. Together. And that was everything.

----------

SHANAYA'S POV :

There are moments in life that shatter you. Moments that take your breath, your faith, and your soul in one go.

And then… there are moments that put you back together.

Kabir waking up was that moment for me.

I hadn’t slept properly in days. The temple’s cold stone floor had felt more like home than any bed. My prayers had turned into bargains, my tears into chants. But now… he was here.

Breathing.

Alive.

I hadn't let go of his hand in hours. Even now, as he dozed, his fingers tangled weakly in mine, like they, too, were afraid I’d disappear.

He looked… fragile. Paler than usual, a slight furrow between his brows like he was still in pain. The bandage near his chest made my throat tighten every time I looked at it.

But his heartbeat… it was there. Steady. Alive.

And mine? It finally had a reason to beat again.

I rested my head gently on the edge of his bed, my thumb brushing against his knuckles in a slow rhythm. I wanted to memorize this peace before the chaos of truth returned.

“I should’ve known,” I whispered, my voice barely a breath. “When you left… it broke me, Kabir. But when I found out why—everything Isha did—it broke me in a whole new way.”

He stirred slightly, and my heart leapt. I pressed a kiss to his hand.

“I don’t blame you,” I said, though part of me still ached. “But I won’t lie. You leaving… it felt like dying again. Like losing Rohan all over. I needed you more than I’ve ever needed anyone.”

A tear slipped down, landing on his hand. I wiped it instantly, not wanting him to wake up to my sadness.

“You were my safe space. My anchor. My stubborn, possessive storm that kept me steady. And then you were gone.”

I sat up slowly, tucking strands of his messy hair behind his ear.

“But now? You came back. And I swear… if you ever try to leave again, Kabir Singhania, I will kill you myself.”

A shaky laugh escaped me through the tears.

“I don’t care about the past anymore. Or the darkness that surrounds us. I’ve lived in it. I’ve survived it. I just… I want to build something with you now. Real. Raw. Ours.”

He didn’t stir again, but I knew he heard me—somewhere in that corner of his soul that had always been tuned to mine.

I looked up at the faint moonlight slipping through the window, a silent promise on my lips.

This time, no more goodbyes.

In this lifetime, I stay.

---

AFTER A FEW DAYS :

I had dreamed of this moment for five years—bringing him home.

But I never thought it would be like this.

Slower. Quieter. Fragile.

Kabir leaned into me as we stepped through the doors of my penthouse. His body was still recovering, the stitches near his heart a brutal reminder of everything we almost lost.

Everything I almost lost.

I kept one arm around him, steadying him, though I knew how much he hated being seen as weak. But he didn’t protest—not today. He just looked at me with those tired, molten eyes that still held all the storms in the world.

His world was chaos.

And I was the girl who once ran from it.

Now?

I was the girl who brought peace into it.

I guided him to the living room—my space, once dark and cold, now subtly touched with warmth. The cushions I placed during my stay. The book I left open beside the bed. The vase of white lilies—his mother’s favourite—that I replaced every morning.

It was home.

He sat slowly, jaw tight with pain, and looked around. A slow smirk tugged at his lips. “You changed this place.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You almost died. Of course I took over.”

That earned a soft chuckle. “You’ve always had a habit of taking over everything. My space, my head… my heart.”

And like that, he stole my breath again.

The next few hours passed in quiet care. I helped him change into soft cotton clothes, made soup that I forced him to eat spoon by spoon, even as he grumbled. I fussed. He teased. We moved in a rhythm that felt… natural. Old, yet new.

He winced once while lying down, and I immediately hovered.

“Don’t,” he whispered, gently pulling me down beside him. “Don’t look at me like I’ll break.”

I blinked away tears. “You scared me, Kabir. That night… I thought—”

My voice cracked.

“I thought I lost you.”

His expression darkened with a flicker of old guilt. But I cupped his face, firm and fierce.

“You came back. You came back to me. That’s all I care about now.”

His forehead rested against mine, and for a long, quiet moment, we simply breathed—together. No words. No wars. Just… us.

Later, as he dozed off with his head on my lap, I brushed my fingers through his hair and whispered promises into the air.

“I’ll protect you now, Kabir. I’ll fight for you. For us.”

Because this time, I wouldn’t run from the darkness.

I’d light it up from within.

---

The soft hush of the night surrounded me. The city below glittered faintly, but all I could see was the reflection of memories pressing against the glass window.

Kabir was asleep—finally. The medicines had settled in, easing the pain in his chest, though not in mine.

A gentle knock pulled me out of my trance. I turned.

Vihaan stood there, leaning against the doorway of the penthouse balcony with a casual grace, a warm cup of coffee in one hand and a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes.

“I figured you’d be up,” he said.

I nodded and gestured to the chair across from me. “Insomnia. Comes free with trauma.”

He gave a dry laugh. “Tell me about it.”

We sat in silence for a moment. Not uncomfortable—but charged. Like two people who knew too much yet said too little.

He looked at me then. “He’s lucky to have you, you know?”

My throat tightened. “I’m the lucky one, Vihaan. He came back. He fought for me.”

Vihaan looked away. “We all fought for you. Some of us… just played different roles.”

That’s when the tension snapped. I looked straight at him. “You mean our little drama?”

He met my gaze with a bitter smile. “The fake engagement. The public appearances. The headlines.”

“You were the only one who could protect me when Kabir left,” I whispered. “It was the only way to stay safe… and make them believe I’d moved on.”

Vihaan leaned back, his voice low. “And make Kabir believe it too.”

I didn’t deny it.

Because the truth was—we had created a lie so convincing, even we started believing parts of it.

“I didn’t think he’d ever come back,” I admitted. “You were the only person who knew everything. The only one who didn’t question me.”

“I didn’t have to.” His tone softened. “I knew your heart never stopped aching for him.”

We sat in silence again, but this time, it wasn’t heavy. It was honest.

“I’ll dissolve the lie,” I said after a pause. “Soon. Everyone needs to know the truth. That I was never yours, and you were never mine. Not like that.”

Vihaan chuckled, taking a sip of his coffee. “Good. The media was starting to think I had a thing for girls who were in love With their exes.”

I rolled my eyes, finally smiling.

“Thank you,” I said quietly.

“For what?”

“For staying by my side. Even when it meant playing a role you never asked for.”

He tilted his head. “I never minded the role. I just hoped the ending would bring you back to where you belonged.”

My eyes drifted toward the room where Kabir lay resting.

“It did,” I said.

It really, truly did.

---

End of the chapter

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