Chapter 7 – Ravi’s POV: The Weight of a Promise

Ravi stood outside the hospital room, his eyes fixed on the small glass window, but he wasn’t really seeing anything inside.

Poornima’s words kept repeating in his head.

“He scolded her… in front of everyone…”
“She stayed in darkness for one week…”
“She didn’t wake up…”

Ravi let out a slow breath, but it didn’t calm him.

“98%…” he muttered under his breath, almost in disbelief. “For that…?”

He ran a hand across his face, his frustration turning into something deeper—something heavier.

“She was just a kid,” he said quietly, more to himself than anyone else. “What kind of person does that to a child…”

His jaw tightened.

For a moment, anger flashed through him—not just at her father, but at everyone who stood there and watched.

“At school… in front of everyone…” he repeated, shaking his head slightly. “And then they wonder why she broke.”

He leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes.

Now it made sense.

The way she reacted.

The way her breathing changed.

The fear in her eyes when everyone started talking, blaming, judging…

“That wasn’t just yesterday,” he realized. “She was reliving it.”

His chest felt tight.

“And we didn’t even see it…” he added, his voice low, filled with regret.

He remembered her standing in the hall, surrounded by people, being stripped of everything, being called names… and him standing there, watching it happen for a few seconds before stepping in.

“That was enough to break her again,” he said bitterly. “Of course it was.”

He clenched his fists.

“I should have stopped it earlier.”

The thought hit him harder than anything else.

Not the situation.

Not the decision he made in the puja room.

But the fact that he had allowed even a moment of it.

His mind shifted again.

To the hospital.

To Rehan.

The faint smile on his brother’s face.

“Take care of her… and the baby…”

Ravi opened his eyes slowly.

“I thought I understood what you meant,” he said under his breath. “I thought it was just about being there… protecting them from the outside world.”

He looked toward the room again.

“But it’s more than that, isn’t it?” he murmured.

Because this wasn’t just about protection.

This was about healing something that had been broken long before Rehan ever came into her life.

“She’s been carrying this alone,” he said, his voice quieter now. “All these years…”

The image of Gayathri crying, gasping for breath, clinging to him flashed in his mind.

For the first time, his anger faded.

And something else replaced it.

Understanding.

Not complete.

Not perfect.

But enough.

“She’s not weak,” he said slowly. “She’s just… been hurt too much.”

Ravi straightened, his expression changing.

More focused now.

More clear.

“Fine,” he said quietly. “If this is what it is… then I’ll deal with it.”

He started pacing slowly, thinking through everything.

“No stress,” he recalled the doctor’s words. “No triggers.”

He gave a short, humorless laugh.

“That house itself is a trigger right now.”

His eyes hardened slightly.

“No one talks about yesterday again,” he decided. “No taunts. No sympathy drama. Nothing.”

He paused.

“And darkness…” he added under his breath.

That word stayed with him.

“She locked herself in darkness…” he repeated.

A fear.

A trigger.

Something that could break her completely.

“Then she’s not going to face it alone again,” he said firmly.

For a brief second, his thoughts softened.

“Gayu…” he whispered.

He wasn’t used to this.

Caring like this.

Thinking this much about someone else’s pain.

It wasn’t his nature.

Or at least… it never was before.

But now—

It didn’t feel like a choice anymore.

It felt necessary.

He looked back at the hospital room, his expression steady.

“I don’t know how to fix this,” he admitted quietly.

Then, after a pause—

“But I know one thing…”

His voice turned firm.

“I won’t let her break again.”

And this time—

There was no anger in him.

No confusion.

Just a clear, silent determination.

A promise he had made once…

And was now beginning to truly understand.