It was midnight again.

The hospital lights flickered softly through the glass, painting Veeresh’s face in a pale blue hue. He hadn’t moved from her side in days — his once-sharp eyes now hollow, red, and heavy with sleeplessness.

The beeping of machines suddenly changed — a shrill, uneven sound that sliced through the silence.

“Doctor!” a nurse shouted, rushing into the ICU.

Veeresh stood immediately, his chest tightening as the monitors spiked wildly.

> “What happened?!” his voice thundered, panic breaking through the control he always wore like armor.

The doctor and nurses swarmed around Poornima’s bed, calling for blood, medicine, and a crash kit.

Her organs had begun bleeding internally — her body unable to take the pressure anymore.

Veeresh watched in horror as the red light blinked on the monitor, the sound of the ventilator filling the room like a scream.

He gripped the bed railing, his knuckles white.

> “No… no, Ruby… you promised me,” he whispered, voice shaking. “You said you’ll never leave halfway…”

Tears blurred his vision as the doctor shouted orders. His men — the ones who had seen him break bones, destroy empires, and walk through gunfire — stood outside the ICU window, stunned.

They saw their king — the man who never bowed, never begged — fall to his knees beside her bed.

He held her cold hand tightly against his chest, sobbing quietly.

> “Please, Ruby… please, fight. Don’t do this to me. You’re my strength, my light. You made me human again. I’ll give up everything — the power, the throne, everything — just come back.”

One of the guards outside turned away, his eyes glistening. Another silently folded his hands, whispering a prayer.

The doctor pressed gauze, injected medicine, but her pulse faltered again.

> “She’s losing blood fast!” the doctor shouted. “We need more units, now!”

Veeresh’s voice cracked, his words raw and desperate.

> “Take mine! Take my blood — anything you need! Just save her!”

The doctor turned, startled, but nodded instantly.

> “We’ll test compatibility, sir!”

Veeresh’s guards looked at one another — every single one of them silently praying for her.

Minutes felt like hours. The machines screamed, doctors moved frantically, and Veeresh stood frozen — his hand never leaving hers.

He bent down, pressing his forehead to her palm. His tears dropped one after another, soaking her bandages.

> “You said forever,” he whispered brokenly. “You’re my wife, my heartbeat, my Ruby. Please… please come back. I can’t lose you.”

The monitors steadied slowly.

The room quieted — the longest, most fragile silence in Veeresh’s life.

The doctor turned, exhausted, sweat on his forehead.

> “She’s… stabilizing again,” he breathed. “For now.”

Veeresh closed his eyes, exhaling shakily. His hands still trembled, his heart pounding painfully. He sank back into the chair, clutching her hand like it was his only lifeline.

Outside the room, his guards stood silently — heads bowed, murmuring small prayers for Madam Ruby, the only soul who had ever made their ruthless boss kneel before destiny.