Chapter 2

#Sidharth

I tried to contact Sandeep, my anger beginning to build up at her carelessness. “Hello, Sandeep, where are you guys?” I mentally sighed in relief as he picked up the call. My eyes fell on Vihaan, now in the arms of my Tayaji, the man who filled the void of a grandfather in Vihaan’s life.

“Sir… sir… woh…” Sandeep’s scared voice grabbed my attention. “Kya baat hai, Sandeep? Tum itne ghabraye huva kyu ho aur Payal kaha hai?” I couldn’t understand it, but a certain bad feeling ran through my mind. What was this feeling?

“Sir, madam ka accident ho gaya hai.” The moment Sandeep’s words reached my ears, I felt dumbfounded. I must have heard him wrong. Yes, that must be it.

But proving me wrong, Sandeep spoke again. “Sir… sir… Payal madam ka accident ho gaya hai… pata nahi kaise…” Those words hung in the air as the phone slipped from my hands and fell on the floor with a thud.

Horrified, my vision blurred, and I couldn’t feel my senses working. I looked around to hold onto something and heard Raghav’s scream before he held me. “What the… what’s wrong, Sid?”

I tried to look at him or anyone, but my eyes refused to work. Everything blurred around me. Sandeep’s words kept ringing in my ears.

I felt Vihaan’s small arms hug my thighs, and I fell to my knees to pull my baby into my arms as a weird fear shook me. Payal… my Payal… accident…

Anu picked up my fallen phone and spoke with Sandeep, I assumed, because her words couldn’t pass through my jammed mind.

“bhabhi… bhabhi ka accident ho gaya hai, Arjun… oh no, no noooo…” Anu cried, grabbing everyone’s attention, including Vihaan, who looked scared by everyone’s freaked-out reaction.

“I was speaking with her on the phone… I was calling her again and again… I distracted her when she was walking on the road… I…” Words trailed off my mouth as I realized what mishap I had caused.

I wrapped my palm around the back of Vihaan’s head and dug his face into my chest. His scared eyes shook me inside out. I didn’t realize I was crying until I felt my mother’s palms wiping away the tears. “Sid… kuch nahi hoga usse… uth beta.”

Raghav was groaning in restlessness as he spoke with Sandeep, and finally, I understood I was too freaked out to react. Payal is in need of me. I have to be there for her to ensure she is okay. She has to be fine, for me, for our Vihaan.

“Sid, we need to go to Seven Hills Hospital right now. They are taking her there,” Raghav spoke and grabbed my face as he saw my tears. “You need to calm down, Sid. You are scaring Vihaan too.”

“Papa… mumma chahiye,” Vihaan’s words slashed like a knife through my heart. I cupped his small face within my palms and kissed his forehead. “Yes, baby… I’ll get mumma back to you, okay? Aap dadi ke paas ruko. Vihaan is a brave boy, right?”

Vihaan nodded his head and hugged my neck again. Did he feel what I felt? I could feel my voice shake when I made that promise to Vihaan. My wife, my Payal… I wouldn’t let anything happen to her. I will not let anyone ruin my little world.

I handed Vihaan to Maa and requested Tayaji and Badi Maa to stay at home because I knew my mother. Payal had been more than a daughter to her. “Maa, please… relax… I’ll call you, okay?”

Rubbing Vihaan’s cheeks one last time with my palm, I dashed outside along with Anu and went towards Raghav, who was already ready with the car.

“What did Sandeep say?” I asked no one in particular. Raghav’s face was pale, and Anu was in tears. I couldn’t understand why and how, but I could feel that it wasn’t something small. Payal’s smiling face flashed in front of my eyes. Her beautiful face from our wedding flashed in front of my eyes. Her hugging and tickling Vihaan flashed in front of my eyes. Vihaan’s scared eyes flashed in front of my eyes.

I would not let anything happen to my Payal. She is my wife. She made our little world so beautiful. My life without her was incomplete. I may have been a man of few words. I may have never told her in proper words how much I love her, but she knew I did. Her happy eyes told me she felt the love.

“Sid… breathe… what the fuck are you doing?” Raghav’s angry voice startled me, and I realized I wasn’t breathing. I tried to nod my head randomly. “What… what did Sandeep say? Tell me.”

Anu’s silence was eating me up. I almost glared at both of them, but neither spoke. Furious, I grabbed my phone from Anu’s hand and started calling Sandeep, but Raghav pulled it away from me.

“What the hell, Raghav!” I shouted in frustration and tried to take it back.

“It was a bad accident, Sidharth. She is in ICU,” Raghav’s counter scream stunned me.

No. No no no. Fucking shit. Please damn no. This can’t be happening. Why would this happen to my Payal? She never did anything wrong to anyone. She is such a pure soul, always loving and taking care of everyone. I realized I couldn’t even imagine a life without her. She has to be with us, to take care of me and Vihaan.

“I shouldn’t have called her…” my trembling voice was unfamiliar to me too.

“Shut up, Sid. It’s not your fault,” Raghav scolded as he stopped the car, making me realize we had reached.

My hand trembled as I tried to open the door. I wasn’t prepared to see her injured, but I wanted to see her so badly to ensure she was fine. The door was opened before I could do it myself, and I looked at crying Anu in front of me. “Bhai, please… kuch nahi hoga bhabhi ko… aap ko hausala rakhna hoga… Vihaan ko apki zarurat hai.”

I nodded my shuddering head softly and got out of the car as we dashed towards the entrance.

“Umm… pa… Payal Shukla…” I heard my unsure voice as we reached the reception.

She checked her desktop before looking at me with soft eyes. “Sir, 7th floor. Please meet Dr. Batra there.”

Every passing second was choking up something in my throat, making it difficult for me to breathe. I wasn’t sure what was ahead of me. The 7th-floor door opened, and Raghav grabbed my hand to lead me.

The moment was here. Payal was somewhere here around, and my heart throbbed wildly. I wanted to run to her, hug her to my dear life, and say sorry for getting angry on the phone. I would demand her to never leave me and Vihaan alone. I wanted to tell her once in clear words that I loved her.

My legs had started to shake, and we finally stood at a place outside the ICU. Sandeep rushed to us the moment he saw us, and I felt blurred with a weird fear. His face had paled like he was about to die, and it made me want to puke my stomach out.

“Sir, madam ne car me wait karne bola tha mujhe… woh aa hi rahe the… ek car… woh madam… pata nahi kaise ho gaya…” He kept blabbering something that never reached my ears.

If it wasn’t a moment of weakness, I would have hugged Raghav and thanked him for being there with me as a support. He checked around with the floor reception, and shortly we were taken to the cabin, which read the name plate Dr. Anmol Batra.

The moment we went in, an elderly man was sitting on a chair with a poker look on his face. “Come sit.”

We did as told. I cleared my choked-up throat and mumbled, “How is my wife?”

Dr. Batra sighed with a deep breath, and something churned within me. “I will not beat around the bush. She got her head damaged during the accident. All her major nerves are damaged. She had lost a huge amount of blood, and I’m afraid her blood has started clotting.”

My heart fell to the earth as the words processed through my mind. My palm reached for my face restlessly, and I realized I was sweating in fear.

Anu burst into silent tears while Raghav sighed hard. “What next, doctor?”

Dr. Batra looked at me with a sympathetic look. “She isn’t breathing and is on a ventilator at the moment. We are not God, but trying our best. She doesn’t have much time. We can just hope for some miracle.”

Those words pierced needles into my skin, and I could feel a bubble within me, on the verge of bursting. “Please save her. Do whatever it takes. Call whomever needed. We will pay for everything. She needs to survive. My Vihaan is waiting at home for her. It’s his birthday today. He is waiting for his mother. You understand what I’m saying, right? There has to be a way. She can’t leave us like that.”

I realized I was babbling like a madman amidst tears and felt Anu’s arms wrap around me as she cried in my chest.

Raghav took me out of the cabin against my force, which made me angry. “Let me speak to him. Did you hear what he is saying? That Payal doesn’t have time. No, she has all the time in the world. She needs to love and take care of Vihaan. She has to be here with us. Is it some stupid joke?”

“Sidharth…” Raghav shouted at me, and I realized I was losing my mind. I burst into tears. “She can’t leave us. I can’t take care of Vihaan alone. Vihaan needs his mother. He needs her. I need her.”

“Please don’t do this, Sidharth. Vihaan needs you. Think about him.” Raghav’s words made me want to cry more.

It felt like an hour since I was standing against the operation door where they had her. My trembling fingers brushed against the door with the hope she could feel me.

Come back, Payal. Please don’t leave us.

I stumbled back as the door opened suddenly, and Dr. Batra came out. I waited for him to tell me that my Payal was out of danger.

“We are sorry, Mr. Shukla…” The words took an eternity to pass from my ears to finally reach my brain, and I heard loud gasps beside me.

Frozen, I stumbled further back and fell on the floor as I hit the sitting arrangement beside me.

We are sorry, Mr. Shukla. The words tore my heart.

We are sorry, Mr. Shukla. Payal’s giggles echoed in my ears.

We are sorry, Mr. Shukla. Vihaan’s teary face flashed in front of my eyes.

We are sorry, Mr. Shukla. All the memories, all the fights, all the love, every intimate moment, everything started ringing together in my brain, and I closed my ears tight with my palms to free myself from the pain.

“No… no… noooooooo… bring her back,” I screamed, grabbing the attention of the entire floor. I didn’t care. Raghav and Anu tried to grab my hands, but I snapped them away and glared furiously as tears rolled down my eyes endlessly. “What is sorry? I want my wife back. It’s Vihaan’s birthday. What will I tell him? Where is his mumma? She knows I don’t like her going away. Why would she leave me and go? Why would she leave our Vihaan alone?”

“Bhai, please… bhai…” Anu cried, and it hurt to see her like that.

I looked at my best friend, who was staring back at me with defeat. “She is gone, Sid, but Vihaan needs you. Remember that.”

Realization dawned upon me like someone poured hot lava over me, and I screamed in pain and frustration. I cried through the corridor of the hospital floor.

My heart was broken.
My family was broken. My dreams were broken. My wife had left us alone. My Vihaan was left alone. My beautiful little world was broken mercilessly by someone…

_________________

# Shehnaaz

I felt myself being shaken vigorously and opened my eyes, hoping it was just a bad dream. But the injured face of Arjun brought me back to reality—this wasn’t a dream. It was a living nightmare.

Panic surged through me as the chaos around grew louder. “We have to get her to the hospital quickly. Damn it, the car is damaged! Ask for help, and I’ll carry her until then. We can’t wait for an ambulance; she needs immediate medical attention,” Arjun’s panicked voice pierced through the noise.

I nodded quickly and stood up on trembling legs when a man came rushing toward us, screaming and shouting at the top of his voice.

“Madam! Payal madam! nahi.. nahi nahi nahi… kya kiya tum logo ne…?” His panic-stricken accusations made me cry even harder.

Tears streamed down my face, and my lips trembled as I tried to form words. I wanted to explain that it wasn’t intentional—it was an accident. I didn’t mean to kill her. But the innocent voice of a child waiting for his mother and the desperate voice of a man waiting for his wife echoed in my ears.

“is sab ke liye waqt nahi hai abhi.. hospital jana hai..” Arjun shouted at the man, who quickly nodded. “Car… madam’s car…” He helped Arjun lift the woman, and the sight of her dripping blood made me nauseous. Her torn skin froze me in terror. I was responsible for her condition.

Panicking, I picked up her belongings like a zombie. My hands trembled as I picked up the teddy bear, now smeared with her blood, and the completely ruined cake. Her baby’s soft voice echoed in my ears. Her baby was waiting for her at home. She had probably bought these things for him.

Arjun’s voice startled me. Wiping the tears and sweat from my face with my blood-smeared palm, I ran toward him. I had destroyed someone’s family. Needles of guilt pierced my heart, making me want to scream.

The woman whose child had run in front of my car followed us to the car. She didn’t dare speak to me, and I was too shocked to react.

“Shehnaaz, you sit next to the driver,” I heard Arjun command, and I did as told instantly. My brain had stopped working. Realization dawned upon me—my life had changed forever. I would never be the same again. If this woman didn’t survive, I would be doomed. “Please, Waheguruji, you know I didn’t do it on purpose. Please save her, Babaji. Please forgive me.”

The hospital was two minutes away, but every second in the car felt like years. Every second was taking the woman, Payal, away from her life, and I was the reason. I was the reason she was fighting for her life.

The man, probably the driver of the car, paled as much as I did. “Sir, madam.. madam ka accident ho gaya hai..” I heard him speak to someone on the phone, and guilt consumed me even more.

Tears soaked my face completely as he informed the woman’s family that we were taking her to Seven Hills Hospital. I couldn’t even imagine what her family might be going through.

When we reached the hospital, Arjun screamed for the staff to help with the stretcher immediately as he carried her in his arms and ran toward the entrance.

My phone rang at that moment, and emotions hit me harder when I saw Sanju’s name. Picking up the call, I cried, “Sanju, come to Seven Hills Hospital right now!” I needed her. I needed my Sanju to hug me and tell me I wasn’t bad, that it was an accident, and that the woman would be okay.

I cut the call while Sanju was asking panicked questions and ran toward Arjun, who had now placed the woman on the stretcher.

In no time, she was taken in for immediate medical care while the driver covered his face with his palms.

Unable to hold back any longer, I burst into tears, making Arjun look at me with extreme worry before he pulled me to his chest. “I didn’t mean to, Arjun. You know that, right? That child… I freaked out…”

Arjun hugged me tightly, rubbing my back. “I know, relax, baby. She will be okay. You didn’t do it intentionally.”

“Aap nahi jante… aap logo ne kya kiya hai?” The driver’s panicked voice caught our attention as he continued, “Sir, kisi ko nahi chhodenge.. aaj vihaan baba ka birthday hai.. sir…” His voice trailed off, overtaken by fear.

I cried harder, realizing it was her son’s birthday. The cake, the teddy, it was all for him. I had ruined everything. I had ruined their beautiful day. I had ruined their beautiful life. I had created a big mess.

“Why did I drive? Why did I insist? Why didn’t you stop me, Arjun? I ruined someone’s life. What do I do now?” I continued to cry amidst the screams.

Arjun held me closer. “Nothing will happen. She will be fine. You didn’t do it intentionally. Please, calm down. I’ll get the paperwork done and speak with the doctor. Her family must be on their way.” He tried to calm me and made me sit on a nearby bench.

Arjun left shortly while I sat on the bench, cold, frozen, and filled with fear.

I felt something coming. I knew something was coming. Was it her family? Would they curse me? My breath caught in my throat when I saw him come like a storm. I noticed a woman and a man with him, but my eyes never left his.

I didn’t need to be told; I knew he was Payal’s husband. His shaking frame, his uneven breathing, his restless eyes filled with pain killed me on the spot. I really hoped he would kill me before I ran away from here.

The driver ran to him instantly, confirming my thoughts. I clutched the cold bench in fear. What if he looked at me with hatred? The driver told him how the accident happened, but I knew he didn’t even hear. He was lost, restless, in tears, and in pain. And I was the reason.

The woman whose child had run in front of my car sat beside me and rested her hand on my shoulder, making me startle and look at her in panic. The child slept in her arms, and she looked at me with a sorry face. “Mera beta haath chhudake bhaga… main uske peeche bhagi par tab tak… tumhari galti nahi hai…”

I nodded at her softly, feeling a little better thinking at least someone thought I wasn’t at fault. My eyes wandered toward them restlessly when I saw them go to Dr. Batra’s cabin, who was handling the case.

Arjun returned quickly along with Sanju, Karan, and Papa. Sanju ran to me quickly, pulling me into a big hug as I broke into sobs. “Sanju… Sanju… I messed up…”

Sanju hugged me tightly, whispering sweet reassurances in my ear. “Chup… bas bas… sab theek ho jayega… main hoon na tere paas baby… hum sab hai na tere saath… tu akeli thodi hai…”

I couldn’t express how much guilt was eating me. “Uske baby ka birthday hai yaar… uska chhota sa baby… Sanju, main kya kar diya yaar…”

My papa patted my head. “Bas… hum hai na…”

The woman’s family came out of the cabin shortly, and their pale faces scared me even more.

The woman’s husband was furious. “Let me speak to him. Did you hear what he is saying? That Payal doesn’t have time? No, she has all the time in the world. She needs to take care of Vihaan. She has to be with us. Is this some stupid joke?”

His words hit me like hot lava, and my body started shaking in fear. Payal didn’t have time? Would she not survive? Did I kill her?

I almost hid myself in Sanju’s arms, but the woman who had accompanied them looked around, and her eyes finally landed on me.

I didn’t need confirmation that she knew I was to blame because the hatred in her eyes said it all. I almost flinched back from her glare filled with hatred.

I shook my head, trying to convey something, but she looked away instantly as the other man shouted, “Sidharth!” I could feel the pain in his scream. Her husband, Sidharth, broke into tears. “She can’t leave us. I can’t take care of Vihaan alone. Vihaan needs his mother. He needs her. I need her.”

His broken voice shattered my heart and spirit into a million pieces. Something snapped within me. I was at the door of starting a new life, and I had broken someone’s settled life. What had I done?

His broken form made me want to run to his feet and apologize.

The other man was trying his best to console the broken Sidharth. “Don’t do this, Sidharth. Vihaan needs you. Think about him.”

My eyes remained frozen on the broken man, and I didn’t realize when Arjun pulled me into a hug as I cried silently. I hugged him back in fear.

I didn’t even realize how much time had passed. I had found a place in one corner, but my tears didn’t seem to stop. I noticed the way Sidharth touched the door of the emergency room, where his wife was.

Dr. Batra came out with a face that made my breath catch in my throat. I truly hoped they managed to get her out of danger.

“We are sorry, Mr. Shukla,” Dr. Batra’s words hit my brain, running through my

veins like blood and finally piercing my heart, killing the last hope I had.

Horror gripped me, and I coiled toward the wall in fear, hoping it would swallow me. I couldn’t be here. I was a criminal. I had killed her. I had killed a woman, a mother, a wife. I had killed the love a mother had for her son. I had killed the dreams of a family. I had destroyed their happily ever after.

Sanju held me as I tried to run toward Sidharth, who had fallen to the floor when his back hit a bench.

I couldn’t imagine what he was going through. I wanted to hold him. I felt like he was about to die. “Please, I’m sorry. I didn’t do it intentionally. Please, please, please.”

“No, no, nooooooo… bring her back!” His painful screams echoed in my ears, and I hid my face in Sanju’s shoulder. His screams shook the entire corridor of the hospital. His family tried to hold him, but he snapped himself away. He glared at everyone furiously. “What is sorry? I want my wife back. It’s Vihaan’s birthday. What will I tell him? Where is his mumma? She knows I don’t like her going away. Why would she leave me alone and go? Why would she leave our Vihaan alone?”

Every cry, every word he uttered killed my spirit.

The woman accompanying him tried to console him. “Bhai, please… bhai…” But he didn’t let her.

He was breaking, and his heart was breaking. I could feel it. I had broken a big man forever.

“She is gone, Sidharth. But Vihaan needs you. Remember that.” Those words definitely grabbed his attention. He buried his face in his knees and broke into tears, making me want to die.

When he raised his face, he was furious beyond limits, and I was frozen watching him. I couldn’t understand if my family felt it too, but I felt them covering me.

Shaking and trembling, I peeped through the gap, watching him run into the emergency room, followed by his family.

I soon realized my family wasn’t covering me from him but from the police who had walked in and stood in front of me. “We are here to arrest Ms. Shehnaaz under the accident case.”

Arjun came to stand in front of me as I flinched back in fear. “But it was an accident, officer. It wasn’t intentional.”

The woman, whose child had run in front of the car, reached us instantly. “Sir, mera beta inke car ke aage achanak se bhag ke gaya. Bachhe ko bachane ke liye she immediately turned the car, and the accident happened. Unki galti nahi hai.”

The officer sighed. “Abhi inhe arrest karna mandatory hai because Shukla family had registered a case against this accident. Aap ko police station aake bayan dena hoga.”

My papa tried to speak with the police, but I knew they couldn’t do much. I looked at the emergency room door one last time before moving toward the police team. “Chaliye, sir.”

“Sana…” I heard Sanju, Arjun, Karan, and Papa shout at the same time, but I was too broken to react. Even though it was unintentional, I was at fault and deserved this. I deserved to be punished for killing an innocent. If I hadn’t driven the car, none of this would have happened. I had not only ruined someone’s life but mine too.

The female officer took me into custody, and I found myself following them with heavy, dead steps.