I woke up with a shake, my eyes observing the surroundings around me. I found myself in a hospital room. It was a dream, a sigh of relief escaped my mouth.

“Are you okay bhai?” I turned around and looked at Aria sitting next to me terrified.I blinked twice,

 “You were trembling in your sleep, sweat was all over you.” She explained,making me gulp down my own saliva.

“How’s she?”  I asked, my voice sounding dry and raspy. 

“Mom and Dad went to check up on her.” She replied as she sat next to me.

“Let's go, I need to see her.” I said as I removed the drip from my hand and stood up.

“Bhai!” I heard Aria calling me while I ran outside finding her room. “Bhai, wait!” I heard her again as she gripped on my hand, her breathing uneven due to running. 

“Don't ruin your health,Don't run! You just woke up” she said as she caressed my hand. 

“My health doesn't matter to right now” 

I said as I started looking at each ward to find her. “She isn't here.” Aria spoke again, making me stop and turn back to look at her once again.

“What do you mean? Where is she?” I asked in desperation to see her, to know that she isnt in danger anymore. 

“First wear slippers, I will take you to her.” She demanded and I looked down.

“Take me to her now.” I said as I hurriedly wore the slippers. 

She took my hand and guided me to her ward. She was in the ICU. My legs trembled as I looked at her from the door mirror. Just because I wasn’t brave enough to check out whom she’s dating, she is in this condition. All because of me. All because I wasn't there to protect her. 

I placed my palm on the mirror as my eyes watered. “Tanya…” I whispered, in hope that she might wake up and look at me once again. 

“Who knows if he is the one who tried to kill her, because of him she has gone into a coma. It's all your guys fault.” I heard a familiar voice coming out of the room. 

Opening the door a little i looked inside, my parents and Mr And Mrs Arora standing.My body shivered and tears rolled down. ‘Coma’. 

She is in coma. My heart went down into disbelief and kept on disagreeing. She can't be in a coma, she is fine. Nothing happened to her. That's all i wished, all that i hoped but nothing happened like that. 

She lied unconscious with her body bandaid, all because of me.   

I snapped back from my thoughts.

“She is in this condition because of your son, you must take the responsibility.” I heard her aunt pressuring mom, I know how anxious she gets when something goes wrong.

I stood there silently listening to them for a while until it was overdone. She is in a coma, and here her aunt is worried about getting her married instead of getting her treated well. 

No matter what, I also can't ignore anybody insulting and disrespecting my mom. 

I do not care if she is my love’s because she looks nothing like a family to her.

“You MUST take the responsibility.”

I had enough when i heard her repeating the same words again and again to get a beneficial response from my parents in impulsiveness.

“I will marry her” I said as I walked inside with an expressionless face and looked dead into her eyes.

“You want us to take the responsibility, we will. Instead of my brother, who ranaway. I will marry her.”  I said as my voice runed cold and harsh.

“I— i, how can I believe you? What if you also run away or kill her instead.” She retorted while nervousness and fear flickered in her eyes.

I have been a good boy, a guy my family thinks is sweet and loving. But no one knows what lies behind this smile.

“I swear on my mother that I will marry Tanya Arora.” I said as I placed my hand on my mother’s forehead. 

“Avi beta—” Mom tried to interrupt but I turned and gave her and Dad a concerned and promising look. 

“I don’t believe you, prove it to me. Prove it by applying vermillion on her forehead.”  Her aunt tried to force me into it as if she wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible.

“Hum apni maa ki jhooti kasam nahi khate, The day she wakes and gets healthy I will marry her.” I shot my anger on her with a glare.

“Until then, she will stay at kapoor’s mansion as my fiance.” I told her aunt as I walked closer to her.

“Maa, Papa…” I called them as I looked at them. 

Both nodded their heads a little later, removing their wedding rings and passing it to me. I took the rings in my hand and wore dad’s ring while slided mom’s ring in Tanya’s ring finger.

I turned back and looked at her aunt who had a smirk on her face, she tried to conceal her expression but they couldn't be hidden from me.

She is fuck a bitch,I will take care of her once Tanya’s gets well. 

“Now leave, I need to be alone with my Fiance.” I ordered as she left with a scoff. 

“Take care of her and yourself.” Maa said as they both also left.

I once again turned and looked at her pale face, holding her hand into mine. 

——————————

“Ye kya haal bana liya hai apne apna tanya” Avyaan Whispered while caressing her cheeks carefully as his tears rolled down his eyes.

“Aap Ko taras nahi aata humpai? Aap humare saath esa kese kar sakti hai?” He kept on questioning her as if she will reply to him the next instant.

His eyes turned red due to excessive crying, his clothes were torn out. And his body was weak.

“Aapko humne humesha laal jode mai socha hai,  hamari dulhan bane huye. Par aaj jab aap laal mai lipti hui thi, hamari rooh nikal gyi thi hamare seene se.”

“Tanya, jaldi se uth jaiye, humse nahi dekha jata aap ko ese. Humari jaan nikalti hai aapka humse door jane ke khayal se.” 

He kept on mumbling things to her, as he laid his head down near her tummy while holding her hand.

His heart wretched on the thoughts of her leaving him behind, the only nightmare of his life was losing her.

And as he kept hugging her hand close to his face, his usual confident demeanor was replaced by a haunting vulnerability.

 Seeing her lying there, motionless and hooked up to machines, shook him to the core. 

His eyes, usually filled with determination, now betrayed a deep well of fear and sorrow. He gently brushed a strand of hair from her face, his touch tender yet trembling. The sight of her pale complexion contrasted sharply against the white hospital sheets piercing his heart with a raw ache he hadn't known before.

 It was as if his entire world had been muted, save for the rhythmic beeping of the machines monitoring her fragile state.

He recalled the moment he found her, bloodied, a scene that replayed relentlessly in his mind. 

Guilt gnawed at him like a relentless predator. "I should have protected her," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

 Every machine beep, every nurse's shuffle in the hallway, echoed the same thought: Tanya's life hung in the balance, and he felt powerless. He never thought he could be so vulnerable, so consumed by the prospect of losing someone he had grown to cherish more than life itself.

Hours turned into days as Avyaan kept vigil by her bedside, his exhaustion and worry etched into the lines of his face. 

He talked to her, as if his words could somehow penetrate the coma that held her captive. 

"Wake up,Little Mouse, Please I beg you please wake up.” he pleaded softly, his hand gripping hers as if willing her to return to him.

 The emptiness of the hospital room mirrored the void in his heart, a stark reminder of how fragile happiness could be. Yet, amidst the despair, a flicker of hope remained—a hope that she would open her eyes and smile at him again, bringing light back into his darkened world.