The sun began to peek through the heavy curtains of the hospital room, casting a soft glow on Samaira's pale yet serene face. Advait hadn’t left her side, not even for a moment. His coat was draped over the back of his chair, his tie loosened, and his sleeves rolled up. He looked uncharacteristically disheveled, but his gaze remained unwavering as he watched her stir awake.

Samaira blinked a few times, the light too bright against her still-drowsy state. She turned her head slightly and found Advait sitting there, his elbows resting on his knees, his hands clasped tightly together as if deep in thought.

"Good morning, Mr. Caretaker," she quipped, her voice weak but laced with humor.

Advait’s head snapped up, his brows furrowing. He was taken aback by her playful demeanor, and for a moment, he didn’t know how to respond. "You shouldn’t be joking around," he said, his voice a mix of relief and reprimand. "You gave everyone enough of a scare already."

Samaira tilted her head slightly, her lips curving into a faint smile. "Everyone? Or just you?"

Advait leaned back, his expression shifting into something unreadable. "You think too highly of yourself," he said, his tone calm but betraying a flicker of emotion.

Samaira chuckled softly, though it caused her to wince. She brought a hand to her side instinctively. "If you’re going to act all stoic, at least try to do a better job of hiding how worried you were," she teased lightly.

Advait didn’t reply immediately. He studied her for a moment, his piercing gaze softening ever so slightly. "I wasn’t worried," he said, though the faint tremor in his voice gave him away. "I was just... ensuring my wife doesn’t bring more chaos into my life."

Samaira raised an eyebrow. "Wife? Convenient word to throw around when it suits you."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Samaira, I—"

Before he could finish, the door opened slightly, and Rajveer peeked in. Seeing Samaira awake, his face lit up with relief, though he hesitated to step inside.

"Papa," Samaira called out, her voice gentle but inviting.

Rajveer finally stepped in, his steps tentative. He glanced at Advait, who stood and nodded before stepping aside to give them space. Rajveer approached his daughter, his hands trembling slightly as he reached out to touch her forehead.

"How are you feeling, beta?" he asked softly, his voice heavy with emotion.

Samaira smiled faintly, placing her hand over his. "I’m fine, Papa. Don’t worry so much."

Rajveer exhaled deeply, but his expression remained clouded with concern. "You don’t understand... seeing you like this—"

She interrupted him gently. "Papa, I’m okay. Really. And please, don’t tell the rest of the family. They’ll only panic, and I don’t want to worry them unnecessarily."

Rajveer hesitated, his brows knitting together. "Samaira, they’ll want to know. Your mother—"

"I’ll tell them myself when I’m ready," she insisted firmly, her gaze steady. "But for now, let’s keep this between us."

Rajveer glanced at Advait, who was standing by the window, his arms crossed, watching the exchange silently. After a moment, Rajveer nodded. "Alright. If that’s what you want."

Samaira’s face softened, and she squeezed her father’s hand. "Thank you, Papa."

Rajveer turned to Advait, who straightened immediately. "Take care of her," Rajveer said, his tone carrying both a warning and trust.

Advait nodded solemnly. "I will."

With a final look at his daughter, Rajveer left the room, leaving Samaira and Advait alone once more.

Once the door clicked shut, Advait moved closer to her, adjusting the blanket around her shoulders. She watched him carefully, her lips twitching with amusement.

"Now that we’re alone, are you going to scold me for being reckless or smother me with more care?" she asked, her tone light but teasing.

Advait paused, his hand hovering over the edge of the blanket. "Neither," he replied coolly. "But you could stand to take things more seriously, Samaira."

She rolled her eyes. "Seriousness is overrated. Besides, I’ve been thinking—"

"That’s dangerous," he interrupted, earning a glare from her.

"As I was saying," she continued, ignoring his comment, "I’ve been thinking about how I can help you with this whole... enemy situation."

Advait’s brow furrowed, and he straightened, his arms crossing over his chest. "Samaira, you just survived an accident. You should be focusing on recovery, not—"

"Not on finding out who’s trying to kill me?" she cut in, her tone sharp but calm. "Advait, I’m not the drama queen who cries and asks for a divorce after every argument. I may have acted recklessly when I found out the truth about us, but I’m done holding on to the past. We can’t change it."

He stared at her, his expression unreadable. "What are you saying?"

"I’m saying we deal with the problem at its root," she said, her voice firm. "I heard that it’s someone from your family. Let’s find out who it is and finish this once and for all."

Advait’s eyes narrowed slightly, his tone turning cold. "You don’t understand what you’re suggesting, Samaira. This isn’t your fight."

"It became my fight the moment they targeted me," she replied without missing a beat. "You’ll do anything to protect me, right? So why not let me help you? That way, we can get rid of the threat, and you won’t have to keep holding me back."

Her words hit him like a blow. For a moment, his carefully crafted composure cracked. His lips pressed into a thin line, and his gaze darkened. "And then what?" he asked, his voice low. "You’ll leave me?"

Samaira smirked, her expression playful but with a hint of defiance. "I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, Advait. Don’t worry. We still have accounts to settle."

His tense expression softened slightly, and he leaned forward, adjusting her pillow with surprising tenderness. "You’re strong enough to help, Samaira. I don’t doubt that," he said, his voice gentler now. "But for now, focus on getting better. That’s the only fight I want you to win."

She watched him, her heart skipping a beat at the rare vulnerability in his voice. "Fine," she said, her tone softer. "But don’t think this conversation is over."

He gave her a small, almost imperceptible smile. "It never is with you."

As he sat back down, Samaira closed her eyes, feeling a strange sense of comfort. She didn’t know what the future held, but for now, she was content knowing they were in this together.