The Oculesics- Ek Kahaani Junoon Ki

33.

Vote Target- 150+

Author's Pov-

The nurse hesitated only for a second before slipping the vials into the box. Her hands trembled, not from guilt but from fear—fear of her boss, whose orders were clear and cold: Trinetra must not recover. If she began to improve, questions would arise, truths might surface. That could not be allowed. On her superior's command, the nurse carefully replaced the new batch of genuine medicine with coma-inducing drugs—odorless, colorless, and designed to mimic the originals perfectly. Once injected, the deterioration would seem natural, inevitable.

Dr. Kaushal had been watching Trinetra closely. Too closely. Her vitals had shown signs of improvement—tiny, fragile flickers of hope.

Trayambak was already uneasy. The sudden improvement felt… unnatural. He scoured the CCTV footage obsessively, his eyes bloodshot, watching frame by frame. Only Dr. Kaushal was seen administering the injections, and that in itself deepened the mystery—Kaushal was too cautious, too clean. Why would he risk tampering, knowing every moment was being recorded?

Then one moment stopped him cold.

In one particular footage, Dr. Kaushal was seen unsealing a fresh box of medication—a box that looked exactly like the standard issue, but Trayambak’s gut twisted violently. Something felt off. That box didn’t come through his desk. His instincts screamed.

Without wasting time, he confronted Dr. Kaushal, who—visibly shaken—handed over the vials without protest. They sent the bottles to the lab.

The results confirmed Trayambak's worst fear. Every vial was laced with a coma-inducing compound, perfectly disguised. Rage flared through him, but it was quickly followed by confusion and dread. For a moment, his heart whispered doubt—Could Kaushal be behind this? But logic intervened. If Kaushal had tampered with the drugs, he wouldn’t have done it on camera. No, he was a pawn. And Trinetra was the target.

Trayambak’s voice trembled with restrained fury as he met Kaushal in the hallway. “From now on,” he said, his eyes blazing, “you will only use the medicines I hand to you personally. I don’t care who asks, who orders, who begs—you don’t touch anything else. And no one—no one—administers anything to Trinetra but you.”

Kaushal nodded, stunned and shaken.

Without another word, Trayambak called in private security. Within the hour, a dozen armed guards were stationed inside and outside Trinetra’s room. Every hallway was monitored. No one came close without clearance.

He stood at her bedside that night, watching the slow rhythm of her breath, a storm of rage and guilt in his chest. They want you gone, he thought bitterly. But they don’t know who they’re dealing with.

Trayambak's Pov-

It had been a month since someone altered her medicine.

Trinetra’s health was gradually improving—physically, at least. But mentally... emotionally... she was still lost somewhere. Her eyes remained blank, her expression untouched by anything around her. She wouldn't respond—no smile, no flicker, no movement.

Her parents visited every day. Dhimahi came too, with me. But nothing changed. Nothing stirred inside Trinetra.

The doctor, observing her unresponsiveness, had finally suggested something different.

“Bring someone new,” he had said. “Let’s see if her mind reacts to unfamiliar emotional stimuli.”

I knew I couldn’t just pick anyone. It wasn’t that simple.

And then, like a jolt, it struck me—Dhanay.

My heart hesitated. But my instincts... they were certain.