2 a.m.
Ruhi and Rudra walked out of the police station!
They were both heading towards the parking area when Ruhi stopped and asked Rudra, “So, just because of one patient’s personal dispute, you come here every day to check if her husband hasn’t escaped from jail again?!”
Rudra stopped, turned back with a smile, and said, “Maybe… I shouldn’t be doing this, I know. But in my opinion, as long as she’s in my hospital, her safety is my responsibility! I’ll try my best to make sure that before her treatment ends, the case in court is over and her husband gets punished for what he’s done!”
Ruhi stared at him silently for a moment, so Rudra, half-joking, said, “Now, I know I look like a hero and do heroic things… but don’t start falling in love with me now!”
Ruhi laughed sarcastically, “Your work may be heroic, but your behavior is more like some crazy side character. So stop dreaming that every girl is crazy about you, Mister.”
Rudra made a pout like a child, “That’s it! I’m leaving!”
And he turned to go.
Ruhi followed behind him, “Yeah, me too! I’m sleepy!”
Hearing that, Rudra stopped again suddenly, making Ruhi bump into him.
She gave him an annoyed look, while in his eyes… there was a faint hesitation.
Ruhi stepped away, and Rudra averted his gaze.
With a little hesitation, he asked, “So… where exactly are you going at this hour?”
Ruhi replied, “I’ll go to a hotel! It’s too late to trouble anyone, and… I can’t go home, so a hotel is fine!”
To this, Rudra said, “No..! Hotel is definitely not a safe option! I might look like a rom-com fan… but I’ve seen enough murder cases to know — it’s the easiest place to kill someone!”
Ruhi didn’t believe him and asked, “And where exactly have you seen murder cases?!”
At her question, a dark room flashed before Rudra’s eyes… memories from his past.
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His father, in the early days, worked as a forensic psychiatrist. Rudra had lost his mother at a very young age.
Leaving him alone at home was almost impossible for his father, so he would often take his nine-year-old son along to crime scenes.
Sitting in a police station, doing homework while surrounded by cries, pain, and complaints had become normal for him.
But slowly, it began to deeply affect his behavior. Seeing this, his father left his work as a forensic psychiatrist and used his savings to build a hospital instead.
It was easier to bring his son along to the hospital and work while keeping him nearby — but even then, truly paying attention to him was almost impossible.
Rudra had learned to live alone… but seeing his father’s concern for him, he understood that there was no place in this world for the kind of person he had become.
He changed himself… so his father wouldn’t worry. But still, no one could deny that somewhere deep inside, there was still a child who could read people’s eyes… catch their lies… and doubt their intentions.
He still had the habit of looking at things closely and figuring out the reason behind them. He stayed quiet, but catching lies was second nature to him now — and so was hiding his past.
He didn’t want to bring up his past because now he wanted to live a life where people looked at him with trust. He feared that, just like in childhood, the truth might make him lonely again. That’s why he hid his past and his true nature from people.
He believed that no one liked a person who could read others’ minds and know everything without being told.
Coming back to the present, Rudra smiled at Ruhi and said, “By the way… I could also ask you — where did you learn to tell the police half the truth? Look… maybe I don’t have as much experience as you think, but I’m skilled enough to know you lied in there… when you said you haven’t argued with anyone recently.”
Ruhi stopped in her tracks.
She couldn’t believe that the lie even a police officer didn’t catch… Rudra caught so easily.
But still… he stayed quiet, though a question lingered in his mind.
Seeing her nervousness and their hands brushing together, Rudra thought to himself, “I shouldn’t have said that… I know… no one likes it when someone can read their mind so easily.”
Then Ruhi said, “Yes, I lied… because I had no other choice!”
There was pain in her voice, one she tried to hide… but it was impossible to hide from Rudra.
She steadied her voice and said, “If I didn’t lie, they would have suspected him. But I know he could never do such a thing! We may have differences… but not hatred. He would never hurt me!”
After that, silence fell between them…
Her lowered eyes, his gaze fixed on her…
Rudra smiled and said, “Maybe my brain is crazy for thinking this right now, but don’t you feel like we’re acting like the hero and heroine of some story?”
Ruhi looked at him, then stomped on his foot angrily, “Nonsense!”
Rudra grabbed his foot, wincing, while Ruhi began to walk away.
But she stopped when he said, “Will you come to my house?”
Standing up straight, Rudra leaned slightly toward her, looking into her eyes, “My house has excellent security. No one can step inside without my permission. So… what do you think? Will you come, or should I tell Aditya or Aniket so they can make proper security arrangements for you?”
Ruhi stared at him in shock — there wasn’t a trace of worry on his forehead. His smile was mischievous, but when she looked into his eyes… She felt he was serious.
So, Ruhi agreed to go with him.
MeanwhileFinally, Saniya’s phone had been switched on, and her location showed she was at Anamika’s house. That meant she was safe and sound.
Seeing Saniya at the door, Anamika felt a slight hesitation in her heart.
Something inside told her Saniya hadn’t come from the hospital but from somewhere else… but she didn’t have the courage to ask.
She didn’t want her question to be misunderstood or make Saniya feel like Anamika didn’t believe her.
So, she let it go and simply smiled, saying, “Welcome home!”
After a little conversation, Saniya wished Anamika good night and went to sleep.
The night ended here… but the questions it raised still lingered.
