The One I Denied, The One I Can't Lose

Chapter 8: When the Truth Bleeds

When they arrived at the hospital, they were met with grim expressions.

"The accident was severe. She has lost a lot of blood. She's still unconscious, and we are doing everything we can," the doctor informed them.

Chaitali let out a strangled sob. Gautam slumped into a chair, his hands shaking. Madhavi wiped silent tears. Naveen's fists clenched, struggling to remain composed, and Rishi the ever strong, composed businessman, felt something sink in his chest.

Shayari—the fierce, intelligent woman who never backed down from a challenge—now lay helpless.


Back at the bachelor pad, the whiskey bottle was half-empty, and the air was thick with the scent of alcohol.

Aditya smirked. "Guess she finally learnt where her place is."

Ranveer said nothing. For some reason, he couldn't get Shayari's face out of his mind. The way she had clenched her fists, the way her lips had trembled but never spoken a word.

His phone rang again. Rishi bhai?

Ranveer frowned. His elder brother rarely called this late.

"Yeah, Bhai?" he answered, leaning forward.

"Ranveer..." Rishi's voice was eerily calm. "Shayari met with an accident."

Ranveer's entire body froze.

His grip on the phone tightened. What?

"She was found unconscious on the road, severely injured. She's in the hospital."

And all he could see was her standing in the downpour, fists clenched, eyes glistening—not with tears, but with the dignity he had tried to crush.

A chill ran down Ranveer's spine. No. No, no, no.

"Which hospital?" he asked, his voice strained.

Rishi, unaware of Ranveer's indirect involvement, simply gave him the name.

Ranveer shot up from his seat, his heart hammering against his ribs. Shayari had been hurt. Badly.

"Who... who took her to the hospital?" he asked, his throat dry.

"We don't know yet," Rishi muttered. "But if they hadn't found her in time, she might not have made it."

Ranveer's blood ran cold.

The world blurred around him as he grabbed his car keys and rushed out.

His friends called after him, but he didn't care.

For the first time in his life, his mind wasn't clouded by ego or hatred.

Only panic.

When Ranveer arrived at the hospital, the first thing he saw was his mother's tear-streaked face.

Madhavi was seated beside Chaitali, holding her trembling hands. Gautam sat with his head lowered, while Naveen stood near the doctor, his posture stiff, his expression unreadable.

Rishi, who had been pacing restlessly, stopped when he spotted Ranveer.

A hush fell over the room as all eyes turned to him.

Ranveer stepped forward, his throat dry. "How is she?"

Naveen was the first to speak, his voice rough. "Critical."

The word stabbed through him.

Ranveer looked at Rishi, but his brother's eyes were icy cold.

"She lost a lot of blood," Rishi said. "She was alone. In the rain. Injured. And no one was there to help her until... until someone found her and brought her here."

Ranveer swallowed hard. Guilt was a slow, burning poison in his veins.

Chaitali's tear-filled eyes met his. "She was lying there, bleeding, in the rain. Alone."

Ranveer looked away.

Naveen's voice cut through the air like a blade. "And where were you?"

Ranveer's heart pounded. They didn't know.

But he knew. He had lied. He had let this happen.

His lips parted, but no words came out.

The silence in the room was suffocating.

"Excuse me," an intern doctor interrupted, stepping in. "We need a family member to sign for the next procedure."

Gautam immediately stepped forward, signing with shaking hands.

Ranveer remained rooted in place, feeling like the walls of the hospital were closing in on him.

He had never felt so... insignificant.

As the intern left, everyone returned to their silent grief.

Ranveer exhaled shakily.
For the first time, he realized—he wasn't the most powerful man in the room.
Right now... he was the most useless.

And it was his own doing.

"She fought for life. He fought with guilt."