8:00 PM…
Ruhi’s car stopped in front of the hospital.
While getting out, she dialed Rudra, but he wasn’t picking up.
Making a face, Ruhi walked inside and went to the receptionist.
“Miss, where is Dr. Rudra’s cabin?”
The receptionist showed her the way, but just when Ruhi was about to leave, the woman called out from behind, “Ma’am, you might have to wait. I saw him going to the operation theatre a few minutes ago. He must be in there right now.”
Ruhi sighed, “Oh… I thought he would be free by this time. He even worked the night shift yesterday…”
The receptionist replied, “I’m not sure about that, but yes… he usually leaves around this time.”
Just then, a nurse passed by. The receptionist called out, “Excuse me!”
The nurse stopped. Her face was annoyed.
The receptionist asked, “Any idea why Rudra sir is late today?”
“Don’t ask me anything!” the nurse snapped. “Because of all this, half my salary got cut this month!”
She scrunched her face and walked away.
Ruhi and the receptionist exchanged a confused, awkward smile.
The receptionist said with a polite shrug, “I think you should ask Dr. Rudra yourself. Please wait in his cabin.”
Ruhi nodded. “Yes… that sounds better.”
And she headed toward his cabin.
About forty-five minutes later…
Rudra returned to his cabin after a successful operation, yawning as he walked in.
His eyes were heavy with sleep, yet the moment he saw his phone on the table, he groaned, “Come on, Rudra… leave fast or Ruhi will kill you. Told her I’d meet her at 8… and I’m already late!”
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He was about to rush out when a voice came from behind, “You are late.”
Rudra turned around.
His chair spun slightly, revealing Ruhi sitting on it with an unimpressed expression.
She pouted. “So? How are you planning to fix your mistake?”
Rudra leaned forward, hands on the table, smiling softly.
“You tell me… how should I make it up to you, sweetheart?”
Ruhi exhaled dramatically.
“Forget it. I forgive you. Anyway… being a doctor is pretty hard, right?”
Rudra smiled.
“Every job is tough. Actually… Today was supposed to be Saaniya’s shift, but she had to go meet Anamika, so I took her duty.”
Ruhi blinked, surprised. “Oh… you can do that?!”
Rudra nodded.
“Of course. Did I ever tell you? I used to be Saaniya’s senior. Not only here, but in college too. When she joined, it was my final year… so sometimes, I helped her out with a few things.”
Ruhi’s expression softened a little.
Rudra sat down in the chair across from her and said, “So… are we not going? We were supposed to go to the salon, right? You had to get a haircut?”
Ruhi sighed.
“Yes… but the time is gone now. I missed my appointment. It was 8:30.”
Hearing that, Rudra stood up immediately, walked to her, and gently held her hand.
“When Rudra is with you, why worry, sweetheart? Just come with me… keeping you happy is my responsibility.”
He said that and pulled her along with him.
Ruhi’s eyes lowered, a strange heaviness in her chest.
“Are you like this with everyone? Yeah… maybe. Maybe Rudra is like this with everyone…”
She didn’t know why she felt a hint of sadness.
Meanwhile, in Aditya’s office…
Aditya was checking a few files when the cabin door suddenly flew open and Aniket stormed inside—helmet still on his head.
He marched up to Aditya and blurted, “Adii, bro… do you even know Anamika has… a sister?!”
Aditya’s expression didn’t change.
Still working, he calmly said, “Yeah… I found out today.”
Aniket yanked off his helmet and slammed it on the table.
“What?! And you didn’t think of telling me?! Anyway… forget that. When I first heard it, I didn’t believe it either—but then I thought carefully and realized the truth was right in front of us. They live together! That alone should’ve made us wonder why!”
Aditya frowned.
“Wait… what are you even talking about? Do you even know who her sister is?”
Aniket stared.
“You didn’t find out the whole thing at the hospital?!”
Aditya sighed, “No… something happened, and I didn’t feel like staying there any longer.
But yeah, from what I heard the nurses say… she has a sister who kept her away from her father.”
Aniket groaned, “You still didn’t get it?! Seriously, you’re all charm and zero brain!”
Aditya glared.
“Give me the information, not your nonsense.”
Aniket squinted back, “Fine, fine… don’t show me your killer eyes. So listen— I hacked the school’s database.
And guess what? In Saaniya’s documents, Anamika’s mom and dad are listed as her parents .”
“What??” Aditya’s confusion deepened.
Aniket continued, “Yeah! I also checked on Anamika’s dad. He was a wildlife photographer, mostly away from home.
It was a love marriage, and they lived separately from their families.
After Anamika’s grandmother died, he went into depression.
Gradually, his condition worsened… he stopped going out.
Then one day… he attempted to kill his own daughter.
His wife—Anamika’s mother—had him admitted to a hospital, and he’s been there ever since. No improvement.”
Aditya took a long breath.
“That’s… a lot. But even after knowing all this, it still feels like something is missing. Like some truth is still buried.”
Aniket nodded.
“Yeah… something is definitely missing. But don’t worry, I’m digging.
Also, thanks for the photos of the hospital. They really helped me understand the security layout and everything.
To get her father’s information, I hacked that too!”
Aditya raised an eyebrow, “I still can’t believe you did all this alone in just one day. How?”
Aniket grinned proudly, “Skill, bro. Skill! Just a little hard work and a few harmless lies.
Anyway, I don’t think we can learn anything more about their past. Probably nothing worth knowing.”
“Really? Nothing worth knowing?” Aditya muttered.
“What about the ‘devil’ Saaniya mentioned? Who was it? Who helped her attempt murder?”
Aniket fell silent, thinking.
“We should know… but how?”
Aditya leaned back.
“I don’t know either.”
Both of them stared at each other— Two detectives who had stumbled onto a truth that seemed to grow darker with every step.
