The mobile screen lit up for the hundredth time and Tej threw an irritated glance at it. Svetlana was calling again. He declined the call one more time and finally mustered up the courage to block her number. There was only so much that he could take, even from Svetlana. He sank back into the foldout couch and allowed it to absorb some of the tension that he was carrying around. It had been a very long and tiring day.
Sighing, he stared at Shivaay's sleeping form that was dimly illuminated by the monitors' light around him. The silence in the room was broken by the soft sound of the monitors that would beep periodically. Shivaay remained deathly still all thanks to the gazillion drugs that they had pumped into him. The only proof of him being alive was that his chest kept rising and falling gently. He was alive, Tej thanked god again. However tough, he was going to make it.
Tej rubbed a tired hand on his face. The past two weeks had been nothing short of an ordeal for the Oberoi family. Death threats, multiple attempts at sabotaging their business, underhanded tactics to destroy their reputation; it was the norm for the Oberoi family. Tej himself had escaped many such attempts on numerous occasions. And he was sure so had Shakti and Shivaay. But never had the danger knocked on their door so intimately. Never had he in his wildest dreams thought that Shivaay would get shot. The worst part? It was because of his own deeds. Had he not lost the plot, none of this would have happened. If only.
Tej took a breath. He and Jhanvi had a dream marriage only for it to spectacularly fall apart. He had fallen for Jhanvi's vivacious personality during their courting days. The fact that this woman was gutsy enough to look into his eyes and challenge him was enough to drive him crazy with desire. She was beautiful, smart, and educated. But after three decades of marriage and three children between them, the fire had doused. The very things that had lured him towards Jhanvi, began to annoy him. They both drifted apart. They both knew that their marriage was only for namesake. It meant nothing to either of them. And it only unravelled further when Svetlana walked into Tej's life. She was young and beautiful. More than that, she listened to every single thing that Tej told her to do. He was a hot-blooded man. He took immense pleasure in having a young girl willing to go out of her way to fulfil all his whims and fancies. Soon, they were having a roaring affair. Perhaps, that must have been the start of his downfall, deduced Tej.
His mobile screen lit up again. This time around, Anika was calling. Tej hastily answered the call.
"Yes, Anika..." he breathed.
"Uncle, I am so sorry to disturb you right now," Anika said apologetically from the other end. "But I was feeling a little restless. I just wanted to know how is Shivaay doing."
Tej smiled. He had sent the family back to the Mansion for the night. There was no point in waiting at the hospital when Shivaay wasn't awake. Moreover, a good night's sleep was in order for everyone. Everyone was beyond exhausted and fatigued. Especially Anika. Even though Tej never said it aloud, he had come to like Anika a lot. She reminded him of Jhanvi, just the polished bit was missing. He could totally understand why Shivaay had fallen so hard for Anika.
"He is fine, Anika. He is sleeping soundly," assured Tej. "Shall I send you a picture?"
"Oh god no!" exclaimed Anika. "It's just that I can't sleep. So I ended up worrying."
"Anika," Tej clicked his tongue. "Please get some rest. We don't want yet another sick person in the family. One is enough."
She managed a small chuckle. "I know. If only I could switch off my mind."
"You can," said Tej. "Open Shivaay's chemist shop. You will find a sleeping pill strip in it. Take half a pill. You will feel better."
"Are you sure?" Anika asked apprehensively.
