Anshika stood frozen at the door.
The moment she saw Om holding another girl in his arms like that—
Shock hit her.
Hard.
And why wouldn't it?
She loved him.
And seeing him this close… this intimate… with someone else—
Of course it would stir a storm inside her.
Her eyes burned with anger.
Jealousy.
Pain.
On the other side, Om wasn't in a better state either. Seeing Anshika there, at that exact moment… in that exact situation—his mind blanked out. And worse—
He could already tell what she was thinking.
"A… Anshika… y-you… here?"
He stammered, panic clear in his voice.
"At… at this time? L-listen… it's not what it looks like…"
But before he could finish—
She cut him off.
Her voice was sharp… filled with jealousy and anger.
"Yeah… my uncle asked me to get some papers signed for the new company, so I came looking for you. I went to your house, but Aunt said you hadn't returned from the clinic… and weren't planning to anytime soon."
She paused, her eyes still locked on him.
"So I came here."
A bitter smile appeared.
"But looks like I came at the wrong time."
Her voice dropped colder.
"And disturbed you."
She turned away.
"Sorry. You carry on… we'll handle the work some other day."
And just like that—
She started walking away.
Om stood there for a second, still holding the unconscious girl, completely stunned.
Then reality hit.
He quickly laid the girl back on the bed and rushed after Anshika.
By the time he caught up, she had already reached the clinic entrance.
"Anshika, wait! It's not what you think, yaar… at least listen to me first—"
But she didn't even look at him.
Her face was red with anger. Her fist clenched tightly.
"I didn't ask you anything, Doctor Om," she said coldly, walking ahead.
"You don't need to explain yourself to me. It's your life. Your clinic. Do whatever you want."
Her words kept spilling, faster than her thoughts.
"And who am I to interfere in your life anyway?"
A pause—
Then sharper—
"But listen, Doctor Om… people respect you. They trust you. So don't do things behind their backs that break that trust. This… doesn't suit you."
She kept walking, not even realizing where she was going.
Lost in anger.
Lost in hurt.
And then—
She almost walked straight into a tree.
Before she could hit it—
Om grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him.
She stumbled—
Straight into his arms.
For a moment, both froze.
But the next second—
Her anger flared again.
She pushed him away hard.
"What the hell are you doing, Om?! Wasn't that girl enough for you that now you—"
She stopped herself, disgust flashing across her face.
"Ugh… I didn't expect this from you. Don't touch me."
She turned to leave again.
But Om grabbed her hand once more.
"Leave my hand, Om."
Her voice trembled slightly.
Fear had started mixing with her anger now.
In her mind… things had gone too far.
She thought—
He had tried to take advantage of that unconscious girl.
And now that she had seen his "truth"—
He might do the same with her.
The thought alone scared her.
Om saw it.
And that's when his expression changed.
Completely.
"What do you think of me, huh?"
His voice turned firm.
"You see half a situation and build your own story in your head? That girl is a soldier. I found her outside my clinic—half dead."
He stepped closer, his eyes steady.
"She was unconscious. When she woke up, she could barely take two steps before collapsing again. I caught her so she wouldn't fall. That's it."
A pause.
"And don't lecture me about trust."
His tone sharpened slightly.
"I was just doing my job."
Silence.
"Believe whatever you want. I'm not explaining anything beyond this."
He let go of her hand.
"But next time… understand things properly before jumping to conclusions."
And with that—
Om turned and walked back into the clinic.
Leaving Anshika behind.
Standing there.
Still.
Processing everything.
The truth hit her.
And her face fell instantly.
"Oh God… what did I just do…"
She muttered to herself, panic creeping in.
"I already couldn't face him properly… and now this? Not just this—I literally questioned his character…"
She held her head.
"How am I even going to look at him now?"
She groaned softly.
"I seriously have no brain… none at all."
A deep breath.
"But what was I supposed to do? I said what I saw… and if you love someone, you're bound to get angry…"
She paused.
Then softer—
"But still… I was wrong. I shouldn't have said all that without thinking."
Her voice dropped.
"Why am I so attached to you, Om… that I can't even see you with someone else?"
A faint, frustrated smile.
"Couldn't you just talk nicely for once… would it really kill you? You're all sweet with others… but the moment you see me, your face changes."
She shook her head.
"Forget all that… go and fix this before it's too late."
Decision made.
Without wasting another second—
Anshika turned…
And rushed back into the clinic.
The moment Anshika stepped inside the clinic, her eyes fell on the girl—
And this time… she truly saw her.
The blood stains on her clothes… the deep wounds scattered all over her body… the fragile state she was in—
It all hit Anshika at once.
A wave of guilt crashed over her.
"Seriously… you should've looked properly first," she muttered to herself. "You just assume things without thinking…"
Taking a breath, she slowly walked toward Om.
Her voice was soft now… almost trembling.
"I… I'm sorry, Om. I said a lot without thinking… please forgive me."
Om didn't stop what he was doing.
He kept cleaning the wounds, his expression calm, unreadable.
"It's fine. Forget what happened. I understand… girls tend to get a bit emotional in situations like this."
A small pause.
"I don't have any complaints. Just… next time, try to understand the situation and the person before jumping to conclusions."
There was no anger in his tone.
Just distance.
Anshika lowered her gaze slightly.
"C-can I… help you with something?"
Her voice was gentle again.
Om glanced at her for a second… then returned to his work.
"If you want, you can help clean her wounds and apply the bandages."
That was enough.
A small smile appeared on Anshika's face.
She quickly picked up the instruments from the table and joined him.
For a while, both of them worked in silence.
The room felt heavy… quiet.
Anshika kept stealing glances at Om while cleaning the wounds.
Om looked completely focused—
But even then, he could sense everything around him.
Suddenly, he spoke.
"Just staring at me won't get the work done. You need to go home too."
His sudden voice startled her.
A moment later, as she gently lifted the cloth near the girl's stomach to clean the wound—
She froze.
A deep… horrifying wound.
Her breath caught.
"What… what happened to her?" she whispered, staring at it. "For a girl to endure wounds like this… it must be unbearable, right?"
Om followed her gaze and looked at the wound.
Then calmly said—
"Yes… if she were an ordinary girl."
Anshika frowned slightly.
"But then how did she get hurt like this? What could she have done to end up like this?"
Om continued cleaning the wound carefully.
"These kind of injuries don't happen normally. But if someone is a bodyguard… or a soldier, then it's possible. On missions, soldiers face even worse than this."
That made sense.
Anshika nodded slightly, but curiosity still lingered.
"How can you be so sure she's a soldier or an officer?"
Om looked at her, then pointed slightly above the girl's arm without touching her.
"Look at her physique. That kind of build only comes from intense training. And the fact that she's out here, in this condition, at this hour of the night—it suggests she was on a mission."
He continued, analyzing calmly—
"Even her clothes… they clearly hint at some military or related department. And despite this much pain, the way she briefly regained consciousness… that's not normal. It points to someone highly trained—a soldier, a commando… or at least someone with similar discipline."
A faint smirk appeared.
"Could be a highly trained bodyguard too. But even they usually come from a military background. So logically… being a soldier or commando makes more sense."
Anshika just stared at him.
Impressed.
"Wow, Om… you've got some serious observation skills. You never showed this side of yours back in school."
She smiled, a little excited.
"The way you explained everything… honestly, now even I'm convinced she's definitely a soldier or something like that."
Om scratched the back of his head, laughing awkwardly.
"Thanks… but actually, I already knew she was a soldier."
He chuckled.
"All that explanation? I just made it up. I found her ID card in her pocket."
He pulled out the ID card and showed it to her, still laughing.
Anshika narrowed her eyes at him, pretending to glare.
"You're unbelievable! I really thought you figured it all out on your own."
She shook her head, smiling despite herself.
"Smart guy… you already knew everything and still acted like some genius detective."
Om laughed openly.
Seeing him like that, Anshika got a little annoyed—playfully.
She grabbed his coat from the table and threw it at him.
"Hey! You tricked me!"
And the next second—
Both of them broke into laughter.
They started running around, teasing each other, the tension from earlier melting away.
For that brief moment…
They looked happy.
Carefree.
Like nothing had ever gone wrong.
But then—
A soft sound broke through the room.
A faint… painful breath.
Both of them froze.
The girl on the bed—
Was waking up.