Chapter Fifty-Three: The Call That Shook Him

Morning at Rathore Industries in began like any other—structured, fast, and precise. Veeresh walked into his cabin, already immersed in his schedule, files waiting, decisions lined up.

But today—

His mind wasn’t entirely there.

Fragments of the previous night still lingered.

Her words.

Her silence.

The way she had let go.

He had barely settled into his chair when his phone rang.

Gayathri.

He frowned slightly before answering.

“Yeah?”

Her voice wasn’t calm.

“Did you speak to her father about the land?”

The question caught him off guard.

“Yes,” he said shortly. “Why?”

A second of silence.

Then—

“Come to City Hospital immediately, Veeresh.”

Everything inside him stilled.

“What?” his voice hardened instantly. “Gayathri, tell me—”

But the call had already ended.

For a fraction of a second—

He didn’t move.

Then suddenly—

The chair pushed back.

Files forgotten.

Everything else irrelevant.

He grabbed his keys and walked out—fast, sharp, controlled… but the urgency was clear in every step.

The drive felt longer than it was.

Every signal.

Every second.

His grip on the steering wheel tightened.

City Hospital.

The words echoed in his head.

And only one thought followed—

Poornima.

When he reached the hospital, he didn’t wait.

Didn’t slow down.

He walked in like a storm, his eyes scanning until they found them—

Gayathri.

Ravi.

“What happened?” he demanded, his voice tight, controlled but edged.

“Gayathri—tell me.”

Before she could answer—

A doctor stepped forward.

“She’s stable.”

Two words.

But they didn’t calm him.

They only confirmed what he feared.

Something had happened.

And his chest tightened at the realization—

Because no matter how strong she was, how calm she seemed…

Every time her name and a hospital came together—

It felt like he was about to lose something he had just begun to hold onto.