Another tear slipped from her eyes as she hugged her drenched body, clutching the bedsheet tighter in a desperate attempt to shield herself. Even after drenching herself with a bucket of water, the feeling wouldn’t wash away. Something was clawing at her from the inside — a shadow she couldn’t escape, a fear that refused to let her breathe.

The icy water bit into her skin, sending a burning sting through her body, yet her mind was too numb… too consumed by fear to register the pain.

She squeezed her eyes shut as a sudden jolt of pain struck her, her hands instinctively clutching her stomach. Curling in on herself, she folded her body tighter, as if that could shield her from the ache.

Her eyelids felt unbearably heavy, her lips moving in faint murmurs. Slowly, she rolled onto her back, her eyes finding the door — the same one she had locked from the inside.

Everything blurred before her eyes, the edges of the world fading into darkness — and within moments, she slipped into unconsciousness.

.

A hand crept over her body, crawling across her skin like a silent threat. Her tears fell freely, her screams tearing through the air — yet no one seemed to care. She cried out for help, but every face turned away… . Everyone.

H

er eyes flew open in sheer terror as a wave of suffocation gripped her. Sweat trickled down her skin, her breaths coming faster, each one chased by the pounding rhythm of her racing heart.

"Aahhh..."

She screamed when a hand tried to reach her, jerking it away she crawled back on bed. Her scared eyes fell over a person who tried to reach for her.

Guru.

For a moment, the world blurred — the nightmare still clawing at her mind — yet his presence anchored her. His lips moved slowly, shaping silent words that carried a promise of safety. His hand, suspended halfway between them, didn’t dare close the gap until the storm in her chest began to ease. A single tear broke free, sliding down her trembling cheek… only to be caught and erased by his fingertips, as though he couldn’t bear to see it fall.

He saved her.

A different memory started flashing in her mind — of him running to her, holding her tightly in his arms. How he had covered her ears, not letting her hear or see something too brutal. That moment had made her feel safe… safe enough to forget, even for a while, the horrible incident.

Avni’s eyes didn’t leave Guru’s face until his hand slowly moved away from her cheek. She blinked, her gaze following him as he reached for a pillow and slid it gently behind her, giving her back a comfortable support.

Guru stood up without a word and reached for the jug, pouring water into a glass. Avni finally looked away from him, but as her eyes wandered, they caught on the door — open wide.  She was certain she had closed it before passing out.

When he turned back, glass in hand, he caught her staring at the door. Without wasting a second, he said, “Darwaza apun ko todna pada.”

(I had to break the door.)

She looked at him again.

“Apun ne nahi badla hai tere kapde…” (I didn’t change your clothes.)

“Tu behosh ho gayi thi, toh apun ne doctor ko bulaya… aur usse kaha ki apne saath koi nurse ko bhi leke aaye. Toh usi ne—” (You had fainted, so I called the doctor… and told him to bring a nurse along. So she’s the one who—)

Her eyes didn’t move away from his face, as if she couldn’t bring herself to believe it.

Finally, she looked away, and he let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. Relief washed over him — but it carried the weight of what he couldn’t tell her.

Because the truth was… he had removed her saree. He’d had no choice. He couldn’t let her die, not after seeing the blood and thinking she was hurt. Panic had taken over before reason.

Thankfully, the nurse had arrived just in time and explained it wasn’t an injury at all… it was just that she had gotten her period.

She passed the glass back to him. He set it on the table and gently eased her to lie back down.

“Tujhe darwaza andar se band karne ki zarurat nahi hai,” he said quietly. “Apun teri permission ke bina andar ayega bhi nahi…” (You don’t need to lock the door from inside. I won’t come in without your permission.)

He pulled the blanket over her, tucking it around her with care. He’d said it because the memory of earlier still clung to him — the moment he’d called her and heard nothing, the door locked from inside, no sound, no answer. His mind had gone to the worst possible place, and he never wanted to feel that fear again.

She watched him walking towards the door, her stomach tightening for reasons she didn’t want to name. He was leaving? Her eyes dropped to the blanket over her legs, as if avoiding the answer.

The faint click of the door made her chest feel heavier… but then footsteps returned.

Her eyes lifted, startled, just in time to see him come back — a rolled-up mat under one arm, a pillow in the other. Without a word, he spread the mat on the floor beside her bed, the fabric dragging across the tiles with a low, scraping sound in the quiet room.

She blinked, unsure if she’d imagined it.

“ Kuch chahiye toh bas awaaz dena… apun yahin hai,” he said, settling the pillow down. (If you need anything, just call… I’m right here.)

He lay down on the mat, turning his back towards her, like it was nothing.

But something about knowing he was there — close enough to hear her breathe — made the room feel a little less dark.

Avni’s eyes lingered on him — stretched out on the floor, a thin mat under him, his arm folded beneath his head. He hadn’t left.

He saved her.

But… why?

He was supposed to hate her. Like Mukesh, he was supposed to want her to break… to see her fall apart. Yet the difference between them was like night and day. Mukesh’s touch had felt like poison; Guru’s grip tonight… had pulled her back from the edge.

The person she once thought she could trust — someone who felt like family — had tried to shatter her without mercy. But Guru… someone she had sworn to despise… had stood between her and the darkness instead.

It felt wrong — almost unsettling — to admit it, but the man she’d once thought she could never stand was the only reason she could breathe without shaking right now.