CHAPTER 58

CHAPTER 58 : Umbrella

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Safia's eyes slowly creaked open, her vision blurry and her head pounding. She was met with the faint sound of old Bollywood tunes playing on a radio somewhere beside her. With great effort, she turned her head to the side, her neck feeling like it was on fire. Her gaze fell upon an old radio, its wooden casing scratched and faded, sitting on a bedside table. The music was soft and melancholic accompanied by the faint sound of raindrops, a stark contrast to the chaos that was happening in her mind.

As her vision began to clear, Safia realized she was in a hospital room. The walls were a pale yellow, and the bed sheets were a dull white. A faint smell of disinfectant hung in the air, mixed with the scent of old books. She tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through her head and she fell back onto the pillow.

With narrowed eyes, Safia gazed out the window, the little sunlight which escaped from the grey clouds streaming in like a blade. She winced, her head throbbing in protest. What happened? How did she end up here? The memories were hazy, but the pain was all too real.

With a groan, Safia slowly turned onto her side, her body feeling like it had been put through a wringer. She lay there, her eyes fixed on the sunlight, trying to will herself back into consciousness. The radio continued to play in the background, its soft tunes a gentle reminder that she was alive.

"You are awake" a gentle voice said , she turned her head towards the side as the door of the hospital creaked open. A lady entered the room saree draped across her body and her hairs were tied in a ponytail.

"How did I ended up here?" Safia asked , all she remembered was snuggling in Fawad's chest—right , she was beaten up by the people. The fading memory flashed across her eyes.

"You were bruised , so Fawad carried you here" She informed and Safia gave a little nod understanding the situation. "So..do you really not remember anything which happened?" The lady asked.

"Oh, yes I do , I was beaten up by some wierdos" Saying so , Safia coughed . Although her voice was low and she tried to not apply much pressure on her throat , but the dryness and sore feeling wasn't letting her speak normally.

"Okay relax" The lady came towards Safia and helped her sit up , as soon as Safia sat up , the lady poured her a glass of water from the jug on the side.

Safia held it and started to gulp it down quickly . She felt as if she hadn't drank anything in weeks.  Her throat was even aching when sipping water. She coughed again , and rubbed her neck from front trying to soothe it down.

But it did little to no work .

"Your throat will be kinda itchy for at least the next few days. You have been sleeping for the past week" The girl informed her as she sat on the chair .

Safia's eyes widened as she heard that .

"Wh-at?!"

'A week have passed ?! I have been sleeping that long ?! And the bills ?! Who would pay the bills' She wanted to almost cry almost forgetting that she had around 50 million dollars.

"Yes , Fawad will join you in the evening, that poor boy just went to his home today and you woke up" she said , and Safia frowned.

"Wait—Mr Siddiqui was here with me?" She couldn't bring herself to believe it .

"Yeah , he was taking care of you all the time . You even opened your eyes once and stared at him in between, but then you again fell asleep" The lady continued to speak , "I was there , I saw him . He was almost about to cry seeing you awake"

Safia stayed silent , she didn't knew how to react at these words , because why will Fawad even care about her .

"And who are you to him?" Safia asked her , scared to even hear the answer . But she wanted to change the topic , as she didn't desire to get the wrong ideas .

"I, I am his...I am his friend's wife in a way" She said awkwardly.

"In a way ?" Safia frowned.

"It's kinda complicated . But yeah , you can call me Kalyani" She said extending a hand as a handshake . Safia frowned .

"Ka-Kalyani?" Safia was shocked. She knew the incident of Radhika and Rudhra , so was she the real wife of Rudhra ?

"Radhika's sister?" Safia had way too many questions and Kalyani smiled awkwardly and replied "Yes , I do believe you have met my sister "

"Yes , she was a sweet girl" Safia sadly remembered about her friend.

"You are talking about my sister only right?" well safe to say , Kalyani was bitter about her sister . She was the one to mess up all of her life , and if she wasn't there , then perhaps she and Rudhra would still be together giving Adhikrit the love he always wanted.

FLASHBACK

Kalyani stepped onto the train, her wedding dress dragging behind her like a trail of tears. The intricate embroidery and delicate lace seemed to mock her now, a cruel reminder of the life she was leaving behind. The dress was a soft, ivory white, with delicate flowers and vines woven into the fabric. It hugged her curves in all the right places, accentuating her tiny baby bump. But Kalyani's eyes were red and puffy, her face streaked with tears.

"Please, Radhika," she begged her sister, clutching her arm. "Please tell Rudhra about me running. I'll be in Kolkata. Give him Ashika's number, I've taken her sim. Ask him to contact me, I'll wait for him."

Radhika's expression was a mask of deceit, her eyes cold and calculating. She nodded slightly, her eyes locked on Kalyani's. "I'll tell him, Kalyani. But be safe, okay?"

But as soon as Kalyani turned to board the train, Radhika's face changed. A sly smile spread across her face, and she quickly typed a text on her phone. "Kalyani is on the train, heading to Kolkata. You know what to do."

The men with guns, lurking in the shadows, received the text and moved swiftly into action. They boarded the train, their eyes scanning the compartments for the fleeing bride.

Kalyani, unaware of her sister's betrayal, hid in her seat, her heart pounding with fear. She had trusted Radhika with her life, and now she was trapped, with no escape.

PRESENT

She still remembers that she would have died that day if she didn't meet Zeheb who was on the same train .

"Yeah , why?" Safia asked bringing her back from the painful memory of past and Kalyani just shrugged.

"So tell me about yourself Safia, how have the past months been for you?" Kalyani tried to engage in a conversation but she stepped on the wrong tile . It was a sensitive topic for Safia .

"Fine " Safia shortly said stopping the whole conversation.

"Wait , I am sorry , I just remembered about the divorce . Silly me , I always spill the wrong words at wrong occasions" Kalyani worriedly said and Safia stared at her "It's okay , things like this happen" she tried to make Kalyani guilt free but Kalyani knew that she over stepped the boundaries with her words.

She would have cried , if someone asked her this after she was seperated from Rudhra.

"Ma , are you free?" Kalyani turned her head on the side staring at her son who has came inside with a frown .

"Yes , Adi , come inside" She sweetly told her son .

"Dada have asked if he could take me outside today" Adikrit asked with pleading eyes. Kalyani almost jumped up from her chair hearing that Rudhra was back .

After rushing Safia to the station, Rudhra had went into chase Rashid , who has apparently ran away from Augustus and Seth that day . He had escaped into the forests before the bride came because he has suspected something like that happening.

Needless to say , Rudhra had to chase him around to make sure he doesn't give any warning to Khalid about them.  And he succeeded too . Rashid was kidnapped.

3 closest people to Khalid were now gone . Rashid Siddiqui , and Ahmed Siddiqui were taken care of by Kalyani and Zeheb earlier , and now Rudhra and Fawad took care of Rashid Malik .

Now only Khalid was left .

But this week has cost Kalyani her mental health.  She was anxious the whole week waiting for Rudhra to return so that she could propose him. She had found the perfect dress to go on a date with him and even booked the place which was similar to the place where they would often go bunking the classes in college .

"Pardon me Safia , I would be going for now , but don't worry , I will inform Fawad . He would be on the way either way" Kalyani said as she held the hand of her son .

"Wait , don't tell him " Safia didn't wanted to face Fawad after crying in his arms like a child . What would he be thinking that she is a weak pathetic girl.

"Why?" Kalyani frowned .

"It's just...I want to be alone for a while" Safia lied . She had whole plan that she would happily escape the hospital.

"Okay..."Kalyani sighed but when Adhikrit shyly tugged on her hand wanting her attention on the topic , she turned towards him "wait baba, we are going together to your dad" she said and Adhikrit almost jumped .

"Really??!!" He asked and Kalyani gave a little nod and Adhikrit almost dragged his mother outside happily jumping.

Seeing Kalyani disappear out of the sight , Safia stood up with a sigh . Her legs still felt weak , but she believed that she would manage just fine to run out of the hospital .

Safia opened the door and got outside but her eyes widened as she gazed out at the hospital building, her mind struggling to process the sheer scale of the structure. The building was a behemoth of concrete and steel, its walls a dull gray that seemed to absorb the sunlight. It was shaped like a series of interconnected blocks, each one slightly offset from the last, creating a maze-like effect.

As she stumbled out of the room, Safia's legs felt like jelly beneath her. She grasped the doorframe for support, her eyes scanning the corridor for a glimpse of escape. The hallway stretched out before her, lined with identical doors and flickering fluorescent lights that cast eerie shadows on the walls.

With a deep breath, Safia pushed off from the doorframe and began to make her way down the corridor, her feet echoing off the walls. She stumbled slightly, her vision blurring at the edges, but she forced herself to keep moving. She had to get out of here, away from the sterile smell of disinfectant and the beeping of machines.

As she turned a corner, Safia caught sight of a sign reading "Stairwell" and made a beeline for it. Her legs ached with every step, but she pushed on, her heart pounding in her chest. She burst through the stairwell door and began to descend, her footsteps clattering off the walls.

The stairs seemed to stretch on forever, but Safia kept moving, her eyes fixed on the exit sign at the bottom. Finally, she pushed through the door and emerged into the bright sunlight, gasping in a lungful of fresh air.

Safia blinked in the bright light, her eyes scanning the surrounding area. She was in a small courtyard, surrounded by towering buildings that seemed to loom over her. A faint hum of traffic echoed through the air, and Safia's heart leapt with excitement.

It was raining outside , and the drops were falling all over the ground and over her head . She turned in front to go, but the drops falling over her head stopped making her frown . She looked up in confusion at the black umbrella on her head .

She clenched her fist and closed her eyes as the familiar scent of cologne hit her nose . She slowly turned around , staring at the man holding the umbrella fully over her head.

It was her ex-husband.

To be continued....

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Finally the 5th update 🤭 pls do keep voting and thx for reading all these chapters till now ❤️  to be honest,  my mind was blank after writing the 4 updates so had to take a bit time to come up with the 5th one .