Chapter 97: Chapter 97

As the morning sun began to cast its gentle rays through the window, Abeer slowly emerged from the depths of slumber, his eyes fluttering open.

Abeer's heart skipped a beat as he woke up, his eyes darting around the room in confusion.

Abeer's gaze instinctively shifted to the space beside him, expecting to find Khushi peacefully nestled in her bed.

However, to his astonishment, the place where she should have been lay empty, void of her familiar form.

Panic surged through his veins as he realized Khushi was not there, her absence leaving an emptiness that sent a shockwave through his entire being.

The once warm and comforting space beside him now felt cold and desolate, as if a vital piece of his world had been cruelly snatched away.

"How could I be so careless? How did I forgot about her and sleep for so long while looking after her?" Abeer started cursing himself, realizing the situation in front of him.

A wave of shock coursed through Abeer's veins, electrifying every inch of his being.

His heart pounded in his chest, each beat echoing the disbelief he felt. He could almost hear the sound of his own breath as it escaped his lips, a startled gasp mingling with the surrounding silence.

A flood of questions inundated his thoughts, creating a whirlwind of uncertainty. How did this happen? Had he missed something? When did she wake up and how did he not know about it?

Abeer was about to leave the room, searching for her, when his eyes landed on the balcony where Khushi was sitting quietly and gazing at the bright sky.

"Khushi, what happened? How did you come here and when?" Abeer started questioning as soon as he entered the balcony.

But all he got in return was silence.

"I am talking to you Khushi. Why are you not answering my questions?" Abeer got worried.

"Should I call the doctor?", Abeer stood up to go from there to call the doctor when Khushi held his wrist and stopped him on his way.

Abeer turned around and Khushi gestured to him to sit beside her.

Abeer adjusted himself in the small space and started looking at her.

" Why did all this happen to me, Arnan? What was my fault?", Khushi questioned, her eyes moistened.

"There is no fault of yours. It was all the past. It's all written in your destiny that's why you suffered but now instead of wasting your time remembering your cruel past, move on and focus on your present Khushi." Abeer answered, squeezing her hands.

"Present? But I am not crying over my past. I was crying due to my present only. It's ruined. My present, my future, everything is destroyed by that monster. I just can't look at myself in the mirror." Khushi whimpered in pain.

"And if you say that the man whom you thought had destroyed your present and future did not do anything like that, then what?" Abeer whispered, coming close to her ear.

On which he received a shocking expression from Khushi.

"What do you mean? I don't understand. Please explain.", Khushi asked, getting impatient.

"I mean to say that the person who tried to rape you that night, did not get the chance to come close to you because I rescued you from there at the right time.", Abeer revealed making Khushi surprised.

"No.. You were lying to me just because you don't want me to get worried.", Khushi responded.

"No, Khushi, I am not lying to you. I saved you at the right moment. You did not remember anything because you fainted that time. And I safely took you from there and came to your apartment late at night." Abeer said, holding her hand in his.

"Are you serious Arnan? That means nothing happened to me.", Khushi asked, tears welled up in her eyes.

"Yes, at the time you were calling someone to save you from that man at the corridor, one waiter was passing there by and he listened your screaming and when I went there searching you, he informed me everything and with the help of him and the manager I entered his room at the right time and kicked his ass and beat him till the moment the manager held my hand as that man would die anytime soon if he did not interfered in between us.",Abeer said, remembering the incident.

" I don't know how to thank you for this,Arnan. You saved my dignity, my self respect, everything I can't.. ", Khushi could not complete her sentence as words did not come out of her mouth. And she got emotional.

Khushi was overwhelmed with happiness and gratitude, unable to find the right words to express her emotions.

The intensity of the moment rendered her speechless as she realized that Abeer had come to her rescue, preventing her from enduring further mistreatment.

Despite her desire to convey her appreciation, her voice failed her, and her words remained trapped within.

Instead, her heart overflowed with joy and relief, silently acknowledging Arnan's heroic act.

In that moment, the depth of her happiness was so profound that words seemed insufficient to capture its essence.

As Khushi, overwhelmed with happiness, instinctively embraced Abeer, he initially felt taken aback by the sudden closeness.

However, he quickly recognized the genuine joy and gratitude behind her action, causing him to let go of his surprise and reciprocate the embrace.

In that tender moment, Abeer made a silent vow to himself, pledging to be Khushi's protector and shield her from any harm that may come her way.

He resolved to remain by her side, ensuring her safety and well-being, as he understood the importance of safeguarding someone so dear to him from the gaze of any malevolent forces.

Their embrace served as a symbol of their newfound bond, a bond forged in trust, gratitude, and a shared promise to safeguard one another.

"Then why did not you tell me this before? Why did you wait so long? Couldn't you see how I was reacting to this situation?" Khushi questioned, breaking the hug.

"Because I wanted to know the reason behind your nightmares and I was sure it was something related to your past and I knew that you would not share it with me if I asked you directly. That's why I opted this way because you did not leave me any option." Abeer said, shrugging his shoulders on which she received a glare from Khushi and she raised from the seat and went from there getting angry at him.

"I don't know why I didn't muster up the courage to tell her the whole truth and hide the part of what happened after I rescued her from there and took her to the hospital for check up. I wanted to share the whole truth with her without hiding anything but I guess she is already disturbed and I can't mess up her life, revealing that secret. What if she denies that? I can't take the risk. "Abeer talked to himself in his mind, seeing her retreating figure and remembering the whole incident that happened at night.