𝑯𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈!♡♡

Author's Pov

The hospital room was quiet, except for the steady beep of the monitor and the soft rustle of footsteps outside.

Divya lay still, muscles tense beneath the thin blanket. Guards paced the hallway. No one was allowed near her without Ivaan’s permission.

Behind the glass, Ivaan stood silent, arms crossed, watching. His eyes didn’t miss the bruises, the scars, the way her body seemed ready to snap at the slightest touch.

Then the news came. Sharad’s voice was low but urgent.

“Rana’s men are making moves. They know where she is. We can’t guarantee her safety here much longer.”

Ivaan’s jaw tightened. There was no room for mistakes. No second chances.

“Prepare the car,” he said quietly.

“We’re moving her.”

No one asked questions. No one argued.

The ride was silent. Divya lay against him, fragile, the weight of her world pressed into her still form.

When they arrived, the mansion stood like a fortress against the night.

The gates closed behind them with a heavy thud.

Inside, there was no warmth waiting.

No welcome.

Only the cold, sharp gaze of a man who trusted no one.

Ivaan kept her in one of the rooms of the mansion.

Then he said to his most loyal men,

“She stays under my watch.”

Divya woke up slowly.

Not with a scream.

Not with tears.

Just a sharp inhale, like her lungs were testing the air before trusting it.

The ceiling above her wasn’t white.

That was the first thing she noticed.

It was darker wooden panels instead of harsh lights. No blinding glow drilling into her skull. No smell of antiseptic. No steady beeping of machines reminding her that she was weak, broken, dependent.

The silence pressed in.

Her fingers twitched.

The bed beneath her was too soft.

Her heart skipped.

Hospital beds weren’t like this.

She turned her head slightly, testing the world inch by inch and froze.

Tall windows lined one wall, heavy curtains drawn tight. A single lamp glowed near a couch, casting long shadows across the floor. Everything looked expensive. Intentional. Like it had been designed to intimidate without trying.  Interiors were dark and it made her scared.

This wasn’t a hospital room.

Panic slid into her chest, slow and suffocating.

She pushed herself up on her elbows, breath quickening. Her body protested every muscle aching, her head throbbing but fear drowned the pain easily.

Her gaze snapped to her arms.

No wires.

Nothing.

That should have reassured her.

It didn’t.

Her eyes darted to the door.

Two men stood outside.

Still. Alert. Armed.

Her chest tightened painfully.

Sold.

The word crashed into her mind without warning.

Her pulse roared in her ears as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. The moment her feet touched the floor, her knees buckled slightly.

She caught herself on the mattress.

“Don’t.”

The voice stopped her cold.

She turned.

He stood near the window, arms crossed, dark shirt instead of a white coat this time. No gun in sight but that didn’t make him less dangerous. If anything, it made him harder to read.

Ivaan Singh Ranawat.

Awake, he looked sharper. Colder.

Like the room itself knew better than to breathe too loudly around him.

“You’re not strong enough to walk yet,” he said calmly.

Her fingers curled into fists. “Where am I?”

“In my mansion.”

The words landed heavier than she expected.

“Your…mansion?” Her voice cracked.

“Why am I here?”

“You were not safe in the hospital.”

Her breath hitched. “You moved me without asking?”

“Yes.”

No apology.

No explanation.

Just a fact.

She shook her head slowly. “I can’t stay here.”

He watched her for a moment, eyes scanning her face like he was assessing damage only he could see.

“You woke up screaming twice,” he said. “Once when a nurse adjusted your IV. Once when someone walked past your room.”

Her throat tightened.

“And Harsh Rana’s men were asking about you before sunrise.”

The name hit like a slap.

Her hands trembled. “They… they know where I was?”

“They were trying to find out.”

Her stomach dropped.

“The hospital has too many entrances,” he continued evenly. “Too many people. Too many opportunities for someone to be paid to look the other way.”

“So you brought me here?” she whispered.

“It was the safest option.”

She laughed weakly. “This doesn’t feel safe. Besides, you’re a stranger. How can I--”

“It’s safer than the alternative,” he cut in quietly.

She looked at the guards again. “Then why are they here?”

“They’re here because no one steps into this house without my permission,” he said. “Especially not someone looking for you.”

Her shoulders sagged slightly at that.

She sat back on the edge of the bed, chest rising and falling unevenly.

“I should leave,” she said quietly.

He didn’t move when she stood again.

“Where will you go?” he asked.

Her steps faltered.

Her mind betrayed her instantly.

Her aunt’s sharp, impatient voice.

Her uncle’s calculating stare.

The locked door.

The whispered deal she was never meant to hear.

Her throat burned.

“I..I don’t know.”

“You’re weak right now,” Ivaan said. “No money. No address that won’t hand you back to the same people who sold you.”

Her nails dug into her palms.

She looked away. “I don’t trust you.”

“I’m not asking you to.”

She swallowed. “Then why are you helping me?”

A pause.

Not hesitation.

Calculation.

“You begged me to save your life,” he said bluntly. “And I did.”

Her face went pale.

“But,” he added, his voice lowering slightly, “you’re also injured. And someone did things to you that don’t align with any legal or ethical treatment.”

Her eyes flicked up to his.

“So what am I to you?” she asked softly.

His jaw tightened just a fraction.

“For now,” he said, “my patient. Under care.”

Not a prisoner.

Not a guest.

But a patient.

Something in between.

She exhaled shakily. “I don’t like cages.”

“Neither do I.”

Silence stretched between them.

“You scare me,” she said suddenly.

“You don’t need to be scared,” he replied. “You’re safe.”

She hesitated, then spoke with trembling honesty. “You.. you have a gun. You shot those men without hesitation. I’m scared of you. I don’t know if I can trust you.”

A shadow of a smile touched Ivaan’s lips. “Having a gun and shooting bad people isn’t a crime. They were taking you, so they deserved it. And…” He nodded toward the white coat draped over a chair. “I’m a doctor. I don’t hurt people who don’t deserve it.”

“Doctor?” she echoed, surprise softening her voice.

“Yeah.”

“Doctors are good people,” she said slowly, a small smile breaking through the fear. “They save lives.”

His gaze softened. “Hmm. So you can trust me.”

She nodded faintly. “I don’t have any other option.”

Her strength finally gave in.

She sat back down slowly, exhaustion seeping into her bones.

“You rest,” he said quietly. “I’ll come with your breakfast.”

He turned toward the door.

As he reached it, she spoke again.

“Why are you doing this?”

He stopped but didn’t turn back.

“Doing what?” he said, voice low.

“Umm..Nothing,” she muttered.

The door closed behind him with a soft click.

Divya sank back against the pillows, eyes fixed on the unfamiliar ceiling.

Safe.

But not free.

And down the corridor, Ivaan Singh Ranawat paused, jaw tight.

He told himself it was for her safety.

Nothing else.

Still, the unease didn’t fade.

And that bothered him more than it should have.

✿✿✿

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