"I know where he is."

I told them to relax, and I went to his place. I was 99% sure he would be there. I took some food with me, knowing he hadn't eaten since last night.

I went through the back door—it was unlocked. I was certain he was inside. I went straight to his room. When I opened the door, it was pitch black, and I couldn't see anything. I turned on a dim light.

He was sitting with his head resting on his knees. I approached him slowly, and when he looked up, his eyes were red and swollen. I quickly sat beside him and placed my hands on his. We made eye contact, and he started crying as he looked at me. I immediately pulled him into my embrace. We were both crying, holding each other. I rubbed his back, trying to calm him down. He was shattered inside.

"I'm scared, Riddhu. I'm really scared. I don't want to lose Maa. Why her? Why? She never did anything bad to anyone, so why her? Why does she have to suffer so much? I don't want to lose her..."

I put my finger on his lips, gently shushing him. I placed both of my hands on his cheeks and wiped his tears with my thumbs. I made him look at me, and I gazed directly into his eyes as I said, "Vansh, you know how strong Maa is. She's the bravest and strongest woman we know. She already beat cancer once, and she'll do it again. Nothing is going to happen to her. We won't let anything happen. We'll support her, motivate her, and make sure she doesn't worry about us. We won't show her anything but happiness. She wouldn't like it if we were all tense and worried, so we won't let her feel that. We'll hide our pain for her sake. We'll take care of her and keep her happy. Do you understand?"

He nodded slowly, looking down. I lifted his face again and said firmly, "NOTHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO OUR MAA."

He calmed down a bit after a few minutes. I took the plate of food in my lap and offered him the first bite. He said, "I'm not hungry."

With a bit of authority, I replied, "Even if you're not hungry, you're going to eat, and I'm going to feed you. I'm not listening to any excuses. Just open your mouth and chew."

After he ate, I helped him lie down on the bed, and he rested his head on my lap. I began massaging his head. Then I remembered I needed to let Mumma and Papa know about him. As I turned to grab my phone from the nightstand, he suddenly grabbed my wrist and, in a vulnerable voice, said, "Please don't leave. Stay with me tonight."

He thought I was going to leave him. How could I leave him in this state? Right now, we both needed each other, but he needed me the most.

"I'm not going anywhere," I reassured him softly. "I was just getting my phone to text Mumma and Papa." He loosened his grip, and I picked up my phone to send the message: "He's eaten, and he's going to sleep now. I'll stay with him tonight. You both should rest too. Don't worry about me—I had dinner at Siya's place. Goodnight."

Almost immediately, I saw the notification that they had read the message. I put my phone back on the nightstand and resumed massaging his head. I could feel the tension in his body slowly fading as the exhaustion took over.

After a few minutes, his breathing became steady and calm, and I realized he had fallen asleep. I looked at his peaceful face, still stained with traces of the tears he'd cried earlier. My heart ached for him, for all of us. Seeing him like this, so vulnerable, was difficult. Vansh had always been the strong one—the protector. But now, the weight of his fears was overwhelming him.

I gently wiped away the last traces of his tears and leaned my head back against the headboard, lost in thought. I couldn't help but wonder how we would get through this. Maa is the center of our world, and seeing her fight for her life again was unbearable.

The room was silent, except for the soft rhythm of his breathing. I could feel the warmth of his head resting on my lap, and it gave me a strange sense of comfort, knowing that at least for now, he wasn't alone. We weren't alone.

I felt sleepy, so I tried to move, but his hand was gripping the edge of my shirt as if he were afraid I would disappear. I gently moved to lie beside him, careful not to wake him.

I allowed myself to close my eyes and relax, but my mind wouldn't stop. Thoughts of Maa, her upcoming treatments, and how we would keep going swirled around. We had to stay strong for her, but deep down, I knew we were scared too.

He'd always been the one holding us together, and now, it was my turn to be his support. In the quiet, I made a promise to myself: no matter what happened, I would be strong for him, for Maa, for all of us.

I was brought back from the past as the waiter placed our food in front of us. I looked up and smiled lightly at him, and he reciprocated. Suddenly, his phone rang. He picked it up and said, "Yes, Charlie," which made me frown. This wasn't the first time she had called. This woman always interrupts us when we're together.

He gestured with his finger, signaling for one minute, and stepped away to take the call. I couldn't understand why he called her by her first name, and I didn't like it in the first place. They work together in the office, but she still calls him after hours. Can't she give him a little space? I'm not doubting him—I know he loves me and would never leave me—but still, a part of me feels scared.

As he turned his back, I found myself lost in thought. It wasn't about not trusting him, but something was unsettling about how often she seemed to insert herself into our time. Was it normal for a secretary to contact her boss so frequently outside of work hours? The logical part of me wanted to dismiss it as part of his job, but the emotional side nagged at me, whispering thoughts I didn't want to entertain.

I was absentmindedly playing with my food, one hand under my jaw, supported by my elbow. I wasn't eating, just lost in thought. Vansh returned with a smile, and seeing him smile, I couldn't help but smile back. I moved my hand back onto the table from under my chin as he sat down in his chair.

We ate in silence for a few minutes. Suddenly, I felt his hand on mine. I looked up at him and blushed as he held my hand and gently brought it to his lips, kissing it softly.

Vansh made eye contact with me and said, "I love you," before kissing my wrist again. His words made me so happy that I didn't waste a second to reply, "I love you too."

In that moment, all my insecurities melted away. All the irrational thoughts my mind had created disappeared.

He smiled, his eyes twinkling with warmth. For a brief moment, the world felt perfect, like it was just the two of us in that room, our connection unbreakable. The tension I had been carrying vanished, replaced by a sense of peace.

As we continued to eat, the conversation became lighter, filled with laughter and easy banter. I wanted to hold onto this moment, to remember that we were stronger than anything that came between us.

After dinner, we headed back home. We were at my place, sitting in the living room, cozying up on the couch with a movie playing softly in the background. Vansh's arm was wrapped around me, and I rested my head on his shoulder, feeling the steady rise and fall of his breath. It felt comforting, like home. 

And just like that,we fell asleep.

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Only few chapters are left (not more than 10). I'll try to update as quickly as possible. Do like and comment it really motivates me to write and update quickly.

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Till then Happy Reading......

Annyeong👋