PROLOGUE

The world collapsed into a slow, aching nightmare the moment I saw her.

Her red saree-once a blaze of fire that stole my breath-was now drenched in mud, its brilliance dulled, much like the light in her eyes. Her delicate feet, once adorned with anklets that sang with every step, were now bruised and bloodied, carrying the weight of her agony.

But it was her eyes that destroyed me.

The warmth they once held for me was gone, replaced by something far colder-disappointment, anguish... and accusations. I stepped forward, desperate, but she didn't look at me. Didn't acknowledge me. I knew her lashes were wet with unshed tears, yet she turned away, stumbling toward Rishabh as if he was the only one who could hear the words she wanted to say.

Something inside me shattered.

The rejection hit harder than I had ever imagined.

I took a step forward, wanting to call out to her, wanting to drag her gaze back to me, but before I could-

Crack.

The sickening sound of a blow to her skull echoed through the chaos.

"NO!" The word tore from my throat like a dying breath, but my body was too slow.

She swayed, unsteady, lips parting as if she wanted to say something-but instead, a thin, fragile stream of blood slipped down behind her ear. Time fractured. The world blurred. The air became too thick, too suffocating.

And then-the gunshot.

The sound split through the night like death's cruel whisper.

The bullet hit her.

Her body jolted from the impact, a gasp slipping from her lips, and for a second-just a second-her eyes met mine for a brief second

I saw the bastard raise his gun again. My vision darkened, my pulse roaring like a beast ready to devour. He fired two more times. But before those bullets could touch her, Kaki-threw herself in the way.

Something in me snapped.

And then I let hell rain not until I was sure he would never breathe the same air as her again.

She swayed, fingers trembling as they reached for something-someone. But it wasn't me.

The moment her body gave out, something inside me broke. A sound tore from my throat-raw, guttural, a cry I had never made before. My heart slammed against my ribs, each beat more violent than the last.

She dropped to her knees, her body crumbling like she had lost every last ounce of strength.I reached her in a heartbeat, catching her before her body could touch the cold, unforgiving ground.My arms wrapped around her, pulling her against me, shielding her from the world.Her back pressed against my chest, her long, silken hair tangling in my fingers and the dirt, strands matted with blood.I held her, felt the tremors in her body, the way her breath hitched in pain.Her head lolled against my chest.For the first time in my life, I didn't know what the hell to do.

Her eyelids fluttered, barely clinging to consciousness.

"Hey. Hey.Hey! Look at me," I whispered, my breath uneven, my heart slamming against my ribs.

And then, in a voice so soft, so fragile, she whispered, "My pendant..." before her lashes shut completely.

Something inside me shattered.

A single tear escaped from the corner of her eye, trailing down her cheek like a whisper of goodbye. My chest caved in, as if someone had reached inside me and ripped the air from my lungs. My vision blurred-not from blood, not from sweat, but from something I had never allowed myself to feel before.

Pure, raw, suffocating fear.

"No!!! No!! No..Open... open your eyes!"

My hands trembled as I cupped her face, patting her cold, soft cheeks, willing her to wake up, to look at me, to stay.

I shook her, just enough to wake her, just enough to force her to look at me, to see me, to stay with me.

But She didn't stir. Didn't flinch.

Her body, once so full of warmth, so full of stubborn defiance, was now limp against me. Her weight pressing into my arms felt like the cruelest irony-like she was already leaving, already slipping through my fingers.My body hunched over like i could shield her from death itself.

I let out a shaky breath, gripping the back of her head, cradling her closer, burying my face against her hair. The scent of her, the faint trace of jasmine that still clung to her, mixed with the metallic tang of blood.

Her blood.

And it was all over me.

"Don't do this to me.. please," I whispered a silent plea, my lips brushing against her temple, pressing a desperate, lingering kiss against her feverish skin. "Don't you dare.Please."

But she wasn't moving.

My hands shook as I ran them over her face, her hair, her shoulders, anywhere-everywhere-searching for something, anything to hold on to.

"I said open your eyes, damn it! "

I screamed my voice was hoarse, shredded, barely recognizable as my own. My fingers curled into the fabric of her saree, gripping it so tightly my knuckles turned white.

At that moment, beneath all the fury, all the raw violence in my veins, there was something I never allowed myself to feel-fear.

My fingers, covered in her blood, moved to gently smooth her tangled hair away from her face, cupping her cheeks, my thumbs brushing her lips over the spot where blood was oozing, over the fading warmth of her skin.

My voice cracked, breaking into something raw and desperate. My hands trembled as i cradled her against me, feeling the warmth of her blood soaking through my clothes, staining my hands, my skin, my soul. The deep crimson pooled from her head and shoulder, an unforgiving reminder that she was slipping away, inch by inch, heartbeat by fading heartbeat.

"You're not allowed to leave. Not like this. Not like-"

She was too still.

Her breath-shallow. Too shallow.

With my unsteady hands i clutched her closer-too close, like i could merge her into myself, like i could force life back into her body with sheer willpower..

My other hand slid over her fingers intertwining them, holding them tightly, almost possessively. Like if I let go, she'd disappear forever.

"I hate you," A choked sob clawed its way up my throat, my grip tightening on her wrist. "Do you hear me? I fucking hate you for this!"

Nothing.

No answer.

No warmth in her fingers.

Something inside me collapsed, a raw aching wound opening in my chest, threatening to swallow me whole.

The back of my throat burned. My chest ached in a way I didn't know was possible. I felt like a man drowning in his own body, gasping for air that wouldn't come.

Her body was growing colder against me.

Panic clawed at my throat as I shifted her in my arms, one hand slipping beneath her legs, the other behind her back as lifted her up-holding her close, her head lolling against my shoulder.

She felt so small in my arms. Too small. Too fragile.

Then a sharp clink echoed against the ground.

My head snapped toward it.

The pendant.

The one thing she managed to say before darkness claimed her, before her body went limp.

"Pick it up," I rasped to Rishabh, my voice void of its usual strength, stripped bare by terror.

Rishabh didn't question it. He bent down, retrieving the tiny metal piece with shaking hands.

I didn't look away from her. I Couldn't.

My mind screamed at me, refusing to accept the brutal reality. Is She - The Same Girl..That girl has become my fate?

Her cheek brushed against my neck, her breath feather-light against my skin. My jaw clenched, my heart hammering. I pressed another kiss against her forehead, against the dampness of her skin, lingering there, as if I could will her back to me, as if I could make her stay.

"Hold on" I whispered against her ear. "Nothing will happen to you."

And then I ran.

AUTHOR'POV

He rushed toward his car, his legs barely carrying him, his arms locking around her limp body like she was the only thing anchoring him to this world.

The car door slammed open, and he cradled her into the back seat, his grip desperate, unyielding, unwilling to let go even for a second.

Rishabh didn't hesitate-he slammed his foot on the pedal, the tires screeching against the pavement as the car lurched forward.

Neil had already managed to clear the roads, and her aunt was on her way to the hospital, but none of that mattered.

Nothing mattered except the dying warmth in his arms.

His fingers trembled as they brushed her cheek, smearing her blood. Her head rested against his chest, too still, too cold.

He could barely hold himself together, the fear swallowing him whole, the pressure in his chest unbearable. His heart slammed against his ribs, an erratic, violent rhythm that made it hard to breathe.

He patted her cheek, cupping her face, his hands shaking so badly he could barely steady them.

"Why isn't she opening her eyes, Rishabh?" His voice cracked, raw with something dangerous-something terrifying.

She didn't stir. Didn't even twitch.

His arms tightened around her,his body curling over hers protectively, as if he could shield her.

"You're such a damn fool," he whispered to her , voice breaking, rough, raw. His fingers trembled as they brushed her cheek, smearing her blood, his hands shaking for the first time in his life. "You never listen. You never fucking listen to me!"

His heart was hammering so violently, it felt like it would shatter right out of his ribcage. His fingers curled around hers, desperate, his grip tightening as if holding on to her could stop fate from taking her away.

"And You!! Speed up the damn car, Asshole!!" He shouted on Rishab..He was already speeding instead understanding his situation he didn't say anything,just nodded.

"Please Open your eyes..Look at me..Say something!! Please!!"Desperation pouring out like a flood in his voice. His forehead pressed against hers, his breath uneven, hot against her cold skin.

His hands, usually steady even in the face of death, trembled against her fragile form. His breath was erratic, harsh, breaking apart with every second that passed.He had never admitted before.

He was afraid.

Afraid of losing her. Afraid of the silence stretching between them. Afraid of the warmth draining from her body.

Still she didn't respond..

His grip on her tightened, his fingers curling into her blood-soaked saree, his breath ragged, uneven, and laced with something unspoken-something breaking inside him.

His entire body trembled as he stared down at her, at the way her chest barely moved, at the way her lips were parted just enough for those shallow, fragile breaths.

And then, in a voice wrecked beyond repair, he whispered,

"I hate you."

The words tasted like poison. Like a lie. Like the only truth he could admit to himself in this unbearable moment.

His hands cradled her face, thumbs brushing over her blood-streaked cheeks, shaking for the first time in his life. He let out a breath-sharp, broken, barely holding himself together.

"I hate you that you walked into my life like a fucking storm and ruined me."

His voice was nothing but a rasp, a confession ripped from the deepest part of his soul, the part he never let anyone see.

"You make me insane," He choked, his voice a ragged mess. "You make me feel things I never wanted to feel, things I didn't even know I could feel. And now you're just-" His voice cracked. " Just lying here, acting like you didn't made a goddamn mess out of me"

His hands trailed down to her shoulders, gripping her like she was the only thing tethering him to this world.

A tear slipped down his cheek, hot and angry, but he didn't wipe it away.

"I hate you for this," he whispered, his voice barely there. "I hate you for making me care this much that it's killing me."

His breath caught, his chest caving in as the fear-the gut-wrenching, suffocating fear-wrapped around his ribs like a vice.

He whispered hoarsely, his voice laced with something unrecognizable-something broken. His lips hovered over her forehead, but he didn't kiss her. No, he was too afraid that if he did, it would be goodbye.

A flicker of movement caught his eye, and he looked down to see her fingers twitch, so faint he almost missed it. Desperately, he grasped her hand, threading his fingers through hers, gripping them as though they were the only thing keeping her from slipping away. His grip was possessive, frantic, and desperate.

He pulled her even closer, so close that his body was pressed against hers, trying to transfer any ounce of strength he had left into her. His thumb stroked over the back of her hand, as if reassuring himself that she was still there.The restrained the tears that had threatened to spill. But inside, he was breaking.

Rishabh's eyes flickered to him through the rearview mirror, his own expression tense, panicked.

"We're almost there," he said, his voice rushed, but he barely heard him.

"Stay..," he repeated, his voice barely a whisper against her ear.

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