She Is Still With Me

The Beginning

People say that money and kindness are inversely proportional to each other, meaning that an increase in money leads to a decrease in kindness. However, in this case, things are different. Let me tell you about him. Do you know anyone in your college who is friends with almost everyone? Well, that's how Raj was in college. He didn't even leave out the guards. You could rarely find him alone on campus. Most of the time, he was surrounded by at least two girls. Thankfully, girls weren't allowed in the men's washroom. This wasn't just because his father was a wealthy businessman and the richest person in the city; it was because of his kindness. He was incredibly polite. I tried hard to learn his secret charm so that girls would also notice me, but every time he would say, "It's natural, I don't need any magical drink." He was my best friend in college. You could always find us together in college, that is if you could find us before the girls found Raj! Our friends used to call us "Ra-van," combining the first two and three letters of Raj and Vansh. Apart from "Ra-van," I don't think they remembered my name. They always referred to me as "Raj's friend." Well, at least I hope you remember my name. 🙂

Yes, Raj was my best friend during our college days, but who knows what the future holds? After one year of completing our graduation, Raj's dad suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away. As the only son, Raj inherited his father's wealth, becoming the richest person in the city. Numerous rumors spread throughout the city, alleging that Raj had murdered his father for the inheritance, but he had his hands full managing his own company, so he brushed off these allegations. Due to the pressure and responsibilities, he started distancing himself from friends and relatives. However, now that his company has stabilized, I thought it was time to meet him, and not just for a casual visit. I had a marriage proposal in mind, not for myself, of course, but for my sister. She had always dreamt of marrying Raj. I knew he wouldn't refuse my proposal, so I went to his home. I knocked on the door, and to my surprise, Raj himself opened it, as if there were no servants in the house. I was astonished that the richest person in the city didn't have servants to attend to him. I snapped out of my thoughts when he waved his hand in front of my eyes. We both exclaimed, "Ra-van!" with happiness, as if we were two mad patients in an asylum. He invited me inside, and we sat on the couch in the living room.

We started reminiscing about the old college memories-how we used to cram for exams the night before and eat lunch during lectures at the back of the class. As the room fell silent, I presented my proposal to him. The room fell silent again, as if there was no one there. Breaking the silence, he uttered a sentence that left me shocked. "Is your sister ready to marry a married man?" I didn't know how to respond. He made me stand up and took me to a room. When he opened the door, I was even more surprised. What was she doing on the bed with her eyes closed? It was Anya, Raj's college girlfriend. They were a couple straight out of a fictional love story. However, nobody believed they had broken up in the last semester. But what was she doing here, connected to numerous medical instruments? I couldn't help but ask Raj the same question that had popped into my mind. And he replied "She is still with me." I said "Wait, what ? What do you mean ?"

Raj's side:

Life has never been easy for me. When she broke up with me last semester, I was depressed and helpless. I started ignoring everybody, and then our graduation was completed. I didn't even have sufficient time to move on when my father passed away. People started blaming me for my father's death, even though all the property was going to be mine. Why would I kill my father for this? After all this, my life seemed to have ended. But somehow, I managed to keep going. I started going to the office daily to get involved in other activities and try to forget the past, but I knew it wouldn't be easy. In those difficult days, I heard a waterfall in the desert.

One day, while I was in my cabin, the peon knocked on the door. When I asked him to come in, he handed me a letter and said, "Someone got it for you and said it is urgent." I took the letter and opened it. I was shocked when I read its contents. The letter said, "Anya left her home on the day of her engagement and is coming today to live with you. Meet her at Nirvana cafe. She will be there soon." Without wasting any time, I called the driver to bring the car. I came out of my cabin and saw that there was no one in the office. I checked the time and realized it was 9:00 PM. I had been so busy thinking about the past that I even forgot about the time.

I stepped into the car and went to the Nirvana cafe. I was waiting for her outside the cafe when suddenly I saw her running on the road towards me, and then she had an accident. I was trying to understand what had happened when Anya's parents came out of a car and took her to the hospital. I was lost in my thoughts when a man passing by pushed me. I got into the car and asked the driver to follow them. We reached the Alpha hospital, and they took her inside and admitted her. I had a 30% partnership with the Alpha hospital, and everyone from the staff knew it very well, so nobody questioned me when I went inside the personal area meant only for the patient's family members. Her parents asked me who I was, so I told them I was her friend and that I saw her accident, which is why I came there.

After half an hour, the doctor came out of the room and remained silent. We bombarded the doctor with questions, and eventually, he said that she was in a coma. Everyone present there became silent, as if they were trying to hear a distinct voice. I asked the doctor how long it would take for her to recover. The doctor's reply chilled my blood and stopped my heart. He said, "She will not recover from the coma; she has a severe brain injury." I cursed my fate. Nothing good could happen to me at any cost. I had found her again, but in this condition.

I started coming to the hospital every day to see Anya. One day, I brought flowers for her. While I was outside her room, I began waving my hand through my hair and adjusting my clothes, as if Anya could see me. Then I heard something from inside the room-it was her parents. They were having a serious conversation. I tried to listen from outside, which is a bad habit, but I did it. After much effort, I found out that they were discussing letting Anya be free from her life. I was furious. I pushed the door open and entered the room aggressively. I started shouting at them, saying, "She is still alive, and you are talking like this. She will be fine one day. If you

don't have enough money and love to keep her alive, just leave her with me. I will give her proper love and treatment. She is still with me!" After hearing this, they said, "Okay, if you love Anya that much, take your Anya and get lost. We can't bear the cost of a dead person." I couldn't imagine how someone could think like that about their own daughter. Without delay, I called the doctor and asked him to transfer her to my home. He said, "You must have a relation with the patient to take her home." I took it seriously, and this time, I didn't want to lose Anya, so I called my family lawyer and married Anya in the hospital. Then I asked the doctor to arrange proper treatment for her at my home.

The next day, she was at my home. Now she is not just my friend or girlfriend; she is my wife. After all the struggles in my life, finally, my life is with me, sleeping beside me at home. So what if she can't speak with her mouth? She says "I love you" with her breath in my ear. She eats meals like a normal person, even though her utensils are medical injections. She thinks of me all the time, even though she can't express it. Everyone says she is almost dead, but I know she is still with me!

At present:
Vansh's POV:

As I listened to Raj's story, I completely forgot about my marriage proposal. But joking aside, there are some questions lingering in my mind. Why did Anya leave her home on the day of her engagement? Why is she coming back to Raj? Who brought the letter and gave it to the peon? What were her parents doing there at the time of the accident? And most importantly, why did they hand over their daughter to Raj so easily without any questions? There are many unanswered questions, and I am determined to find the answers one day because I am Vansh, a regular police inspector to everyone, but in reality, I am a secret agent working for the government. Let's meet in the second part and uncover the answers together.