As soon as the girl's words faded in the corridor, Anirban Sir froze for a single, shattering moment.
A chill swept through his chest, turning everything inside him to ice.
"Medha… on the rooftop?"
The words had barely left his lips before his legs were already moving on their own. He broke into a frantic sprint, like a storm unleashed.
> "Medha!!!"
Anurag Sir ran after him, but there was no stopping Anirban Sir now.
The corridor lights blurred in his vision. Only one thought kept hammering inside his head—
**I slapped her… I told her "she means nothing to me"… and now she's on the rooftop… What if she does something reckless? If anything happens to her, I'll never be able to forgive myself.**
The door to the hotel rooftop was wide open. A cool, whispering breeze greeted him.
The night sky was silent, the moon strangely still. And there, in the far corner, right at the edge of the railing, stood Medha.
Her back was straight. Her hair flew wildly in the wind. Both hands gripped the railing so tightly her knuckles had turned white. Below lay the dark, plunging slope of the mountain—terrifyingly far down.
One step… just one more step, and it would all be over.
Anirban Sir's throat went dry.
He spoke slowly, his voice trembling—
> "Medha… come down from there…"
Even to his own ears, the voice sounded foreign—broken, terrified, filled with remorse.
Medha didn't turn around. She only whispered,
"I'm sorry, Sir…
I… I can't do this anymore."
Anirban Sir's legs shook. He took one careful step forward.
"Medha, listen… I… I made a mistake. In the heat of anger… I slapped you."
Anurag Sir whispered from behind,
"Speak gently… don't trigger her…"
Medha's shoulders trembled, but she still didn't turn.
"You were right, Sir.
I'm a sick girl. I'm disturbed. I tried to hurt my own sister. I… I destroyed everything because I fell in love with you. In your eyes, I'm no one anymore. So… what's the point of staying alive?"
Her voice cracked. The words, carried by the wind, cut into Anirban Sir's heart like knives.
Anurag Sir signaled from a distance—*slowly, stay calm.*
But Anirban Sir could no longer stay calm. He took several more steps forward.
"Medha… have you lost your mind? You're doing all this just because of a few angry words?!"
Medha sobbed,
"Sir, your words mean everything to me. You were right. I don't want to live anymore. There's no feeling left for me in your heart."
Anirban Sir said,
"I lied, Medha. Yes, I said there's no feeling left for you. But that wasn't true. I said it in anger."
Medha slowly turned around.
Her eyes were swollen and red. The clear imprint of his fingers still burned on her cheek. Her lips trembled.
"Then why did you say I mean nothing to you?
Why did you say you would never forgive me?
I only wanted you… nothing else. I didn't know love could be this blind. I… I was wrong, Sir. But I did everything only because I loved you. And now everything is ruined."
Tears slipped from Anirban Sir's eyes. This time he didn't hide them.
Anirban Sir:
> "Nothing is ruined, Medha… We'll start everything over, fresh. Please… just come down…"
He took one step, then another. His eyes were wet.
> "If you do anything to yourself… I'll never be able to forgive myself…"
Medha froze.
> "You… you would be hurt?"
Anirban Sir's voice broke completely—
> "I would die, Medha…"
His words struck deep inside her.
Tears poured down Medha's face uncontrollably. Her legs shook.
Anurag Sir moved closer—quietly, waiting for the right moment.
Medha whispered,
> "I'm such a terrible person… Sir…"
Anirban Sir shook his head—
> "No, Medha… you're not terrible. You're just broken. Yes, you made a mistake—a huge one. But the punishment for that mistake is not death. The punishment is to live and make it right. To stand in front of me, look into my eyes, and promise you'll never do anything like this again. And I know you've already understood your mistake."
He took one more step and stretched out his hand.
"Come to me, Medha… Come here. No more madness."
Medha looked at him with heartbroken eyes. She was crying hard. Her hand trembled. She let go of the railing and slowly stepped back.
"Sir… please forgive me. I love you so much."
Anirban Sir pulled her into his arms—tight, as if he would never let go again.
"I love you too, Medha.
And you won't ever do anything like this again, understand?"
Standing a little distance away, Anurag Sir let out a long breath. Relief filled his eyes.
In the moonlight on the rooftop corner, two shadows melted into one.
Medha whispered,
"Sir… don't ever leave me."
Anirban Sir gently stroked her hair and said,
"Never."
Anurag Sir watched them silently. He was happy to see the two of them whole again.
After that, he decided to go to Sneha.
_
_
_
The hospital corridor was deathly quiet. It was deep into the night. Only the occasional sound of a nurse's footsteps and the soft, steady beeping of monitors broke the silence.
Sneha was still lying in the hospital bed, restless with worry about Medha and Anirban Sir.
Anurag Sir walked in quietly. He opened the door gently.
Sneha startled at the sound.
She tried to sit up, but Anurag Sir raised a hand to stop her.
"Stay calm, Sneha. Don't move."
There was such a soft, deep reassurance in his voice that Sneha instantly relaxed. The tension in her eyes eased.
Anurag Sir walked over slowly and sat beside her bed. His long fingers gently rested on top of hers over the white sheet—careful, as if touching something fragile and precious.
Sneha stayed quiet for a moment, simply looking at his face. Then she whispered,
"Sir… is everything okay?"
Anurag Sir nodded with a smile. There was tiredness in it, but also a strange warmth in his eyes.
"Yes. Everything is fine."
Still anxious, Sneha's fingers trembled inside his grip.
"Medha… and Anirban Sir? Are they… are they okay? Did Medha say anything? Was Sir very angry?…"
Anurag Sir held her hand tighter. With his other hand, he softly brushed the hair away from her forehead.
The touch of his fingers sent a spark through Sneha's body.
"They're both fine. They've been through a lot of pain, but… they've found each other again. Medha is safe now. And Anirban—he was very worried about you too."
Sneha sighed and leaned her head against his strong, warm shoulder. Her body trembled slightly.
In the room there was only the soft beeping of the monitor and the sound of their breathing.
Anurag Sir kept one hand holding hers and gently stroked her hair with the other.
To be continued….