As thoughts of my past and its potential repercussions in the present swirled in my mind, the door swung open, jolting me back to the present.

"Is it true that Dad tried to kill Abhimanyu uncle?" My daughter's voice pierced the air as she entered the room, trailed by a nurse who attempted to interject, reminding her of hospital protocols, "Miss, you can't enter without permission." I motioned for the nurse to allow her, explaining that the teenager was my daughter.

"How are you?" I deflected, trying to steer the conversation away from the sensitive topic.

"Mom, don't try to change the subject," she replied, her tone serious and unwavering.

"How did you find out about this?" I inquired, taken aback by her sudden knowledge. It had only been yesterday that I had discussed my suspicions about Abhinav's involvement in Abhi's car accident, yet here she was, confronting me about it. Inspector Veer had stressed the importance of keeping the investigation under wraps, but it seemed that information had already been leaked.

"Does it matter? Please tell me it's not true. I don't want to hate him anymore, Mom, it hurts a lot." My daughter's voice trembled with emotion as tears streamed down her cheeks. Without hesitation, I pulled her into a tight embrace, holding her close. She was just a teenager, innocent and undeserving of such pain.

As I attempted to soothe my daughter, a knock interrupted us, and a nurse entered the room. "Ma'am, Mr. Sharma is here and he urgently wants to meet you," she informed me, her words adding to the growing sense of unease swirling within me. Did this mean my suspicions were true? How did the Sharmas come to know about Abhinav's involvement in the case unless they were somehow tracking the investigation and potentially involved in the crime themselves?

Before I could gather my thoughts, another knock echoed through the room, and Mr. Alok Sharma entered. "Sir, I asked you to wait in the waiting room," the nurse reminded him sternly.

"I won't take much time," he assured her before turning to me with a serious expression. "Can we talk?" he asked, his tone heavy with urgency. Sensing an opportunity to confront him and uncover the truth behind my suspicions, I nodded, instructing the nurse that I would handle the visitor.
"Abhira, honey, can you wait outside while I talk to her?" Mr. Sharma requested, turning to his granddaughter.

"Grandpa, I..." Abhira began to protest, but I interrupted, urging her to wait for us in the waiting room. I couldn't bear the thought of subjecting my daughter to any more emotional turmoil, especially considering the traumatic events she had endured in her past, witnessing her father's reckless actions that led to her younger brother's tragic death.

As Abhira left the room under the watchful eye of one of the bodyguards accompanying Mr.Sharma, he turned his attention back to me. "Would you like to talk here or outside?" he inquired, gesturing towards Abhimanyu's unconscious form lying on the bed. Despite the option to move our conversation elsewhere, I chose to remain in the room, hoping that if Abhi was indeed listening, our discussion might trigger some response from him.

"It took years for my son to finally begin to heal from that trauma," He began. "He's finally making progress, and I won't allow anything or anyone to jeopardize that progress. Neither him nor my granddaughter should have to endure further mental battles. So, whatever it is, please stay out of my son and granddaughter's lives," Mr. Sharma warned me sternly.

"Don't you think all this will only strengthen my suspicions?" I countered, my tone firm as I faced Mr. Sharma."How would you know about Abhinav being suspected in Abhi's accident if you weren't somehow involved or informed?"

"You know I have connections with people of influence who can easily inform me of such matters," he replied confidently, his demeanor unwavering.

"Are you attempting to influence the case through these connections, especially with the investigating officer being transferred mid-investigation?" I cut to the chase, refusing to dance around the issue.

"One thing you must understand clearly: we want no involvement with you whatsoever," he shot back, his voice laced with accusation. "I may have failed as a father to my son in the past, neglecting him and depriving him of affection, which you then used to manipulate and ultimately ruin his life. But now, I'm here to protect my family. I won't allow you to destroy them any further. He's barely even conscious, and yet you're accusing him of attempted murder. It's you and your husband who have killed my son, even though he's still breathing. I know you're shameless and cruel, but you're also heartless. Enough is enough, Akshara. Stop ruining my son and granddaughter's lives any further."

His words stung, but I refused to back down. I needed to uncover the truth, no matter the cost.

As I tried to compose a response to Mr. Sharma's accusations, my attention was suddenly drawn to Abhi's bedside. Tears glistened in his eyes, the first sign of responsiveness we had seen in nearly three weeks. Ignoring Mr. Sharma's presence, I rushed to Abhi's side, grasping his hand tightly.

"Abhi, can you hear me? Are you back?" I whispered urgently, my heart pounding with a mixture of hope and fear. His tears continued to flow, prompting me to ring the bell for the doctor.

"I'm leaving now," Mr. Sharma announced abruptly, his tone stern. "Consider this a warning. Keep my son out of your troubles, or I won't hesitate to take action. I hope your husband regains consciousness soon, and you uncover the truth behind all of this. But understand, we want no part in your affairs."

With that, he exited the room, leaving behind a lingering tension. Moments later, the doctor and nurses arrived to examine Abhi, and I stepped outside to give them space.

After what felt like an eternity, Dr. Shashank emerged from the room, his expression thoughtful. "It's a positive sign," he informed me gently. "Mr.Birla seems to be responding to our voices. Whether he's been able to hear us all along or if this is a recent development, we can't say for certain."

Tears of joy welled in my eyes at the news, a glimmer of hope amidst the chaos. Yet, amidst the relief, uncertainty lingered. Mr. Sharma's visit, my daughter's questions, and my lingering doubts about Abhinav and possibly Parth's involvement left me feeling overwhelmed and unsure of what to do next.

...................................................................

A/N

Hello everyone,

Thank you so much for reading my story. I'm especially grateful to all the readers who voted and commented on the previous chapter—your support means a lot to me.

If you enjoyed this chapter, please click the vote button and share your thoughts in the comments.

I will be offline for a few days, so the next update might be a bit delayed. In the meantime, feel free to check out my completed stories.

Take care and happy reading!

Bye for now.