Reva's POV
The hospital smelled like antiseptic and fear.
Reva sat on the cold metal bench outside the operating theatre, her knees drawn together, hands clasped so tightly in her lap her fingers ached. The white lights overhead buzzed softly, relentless, like they had all the time in the world.
Myra sat beside her, one hand wrapped firmly around Reva's. Aarav was on the other side, unusually quiet, his leg bouncing with nervous energy. Across from them, their mother paced.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Savitri's foot struck the floor in a steady, anxious rhythm. Her hands were folded, unfolded, folded again. Her lips moved silently, prayers slipping out without sound.
The doors to the operating theatre stayed shut.
Too shut.
Myra squeezed Reva's hand gently. "What happened out there?" she asked softly.
Reva stiffened.
She knew exactly what Myra meant.
Not the fire. Not the car. Not the chaos.
Him.
Her jaw tightened. Her fingers curled instinctively around Myra's hand, grip sharpening as the memory surged forward, unwanted and vivid.
"You lit something you don't know how to put out. Firefly."
The words echoed in her head, sharp and deliberate. The way he had said it. Low. Certain. That infuriating smirk tugging at his lips, like he already owned the ending to a story she hadn't agreed to be part of.
Her blood boiled.
Reva forced herself to inhale. Slowly. Deeply. She unclenched her fingers before Myra could notice.
"Nothing," she said, her voice even despite the storm in her chest. "He just likes hearing himself talk."
Myra studied her for a moment, unconvinced, but didn't push. She just nodded and leaned her head briefly against Reva's shoulder.
Minutes stretched. Maybe hours. Time lost its shape.
Then the doors opened.
All four of them stood at once.
The doctor stepped out, removing his mask, his expression calm in the way that made Reva's knees threaten to give out.
"He's stable," he said. "Dr. Vijay is out of danger."
The air rushed back into Reva's lungs.
Her mother let out a shaky breath, one hand flying to her mouth. Aarav's shoulders sagged in relief. Myra squeezed Reva's hand again, this time hard.
"But," the doctor continued, "he needs rest. No stress. At all. For the next few days especially."
"Yes. Of course," Savitri said quickly, nodding. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
The doctor gave a final nod and walked away, already being pulled into someone else's crisis.
Savitri turned to Reva then, her eyes sharp despite the relief swimming in them. She took Reva's face in her hands.
"You will not tell your father anything about today," she said firmly. "Nothing about the accident. Nothing about the man. Do you understand?"
Reva nodded immediately. "I won't."
"You should go to college," her mother continued. "Classes. Routine. He doesn't need to sense worry."
"I'll go," Reva said. "If you need anything, call me. I'll come back right away."
Savitri brushed her hair back once, a rare, tender gesture. "Go."
Reva left the hospital with a weight still pressing against her ribs, relief and dread tangled together.
---
College felt wrong.
Too loud. Too normal.
Reva had barely stepped onto campus when someone grabbed her arm.
"Reva."
She turned to find Aria standing there, eyes wide, face pale, words tripping over themselves.
"That guy," Aria said breathlessly. "The one from the accident."
Reva frowned. "What about him?"
Aria swallowed. "The guy you slapped."
Reva's heartbeat skipped.
"What about him, Aria?"
Aria looked at her like she was about to drop something fragile and irreversible.
"He's Kamyar Malhotra."
The name landed heavy.
Final.
Reva stared at her, the world around them blurring at the edges.
Kamyar Malhotra.
The smirk.
The certainty.
The words we are not done yet echoing back with new meaning.
So this was it.
This was the consequence everyone had warned her about.
Reva exhaled slowly, jaw setting, something fierce and unyielding settling into her spine.
"Good," she said quietly.
Aria blinked. "Good?"
Reva's lips curved, not in a smile.
"Now I know exactly who I didn't back down from."
And somewhere deep inside, she knew.
They were very far from done.
---