A Chance

Chapter 4: Everything, Taken From Her

Chapter 4: Everything, Taken From Her

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" What… what do you mean I can’t see him? "

Her voice came out weak, barely above a whisper, as if even forming the words was taking more strength than she had left.

The room was already full when she opened her eyes— Her mother. Her aunt, Vedika. Her cousin brother, Umang.

All watching her, holding their breaths in the silence, afraid that even the smallest movement might break something fragile.

Because the moment she regained consciousness, she asked for only one person— Noah.

Meera leaned forward immediately, her fingers brushing gently against Myra’s hair, her touch soft, almost desperate.

" My Jaan… you’re very weak right now, " She said, her voice trembling despite her effort to keep it steady.

" We can’t let you move. It’s not safe. "

(My Jaan - my love)

But Myra looked reluctant, her brows pulling together slightly, her gaze restless as if refusing to accept what she was being told.

" You should listen to your mother, Mimi dear, " Vedika added quietly, her tone calm, careful, as if choosing every word, afraid that even the slightest misstep might break her further.

Right from her childhood, Myra had never been particularly close to her parents.

Her father had always despised her for being a girl— fragile, weak, not what he had wanted.

Her mother… she loved her, in her own quiet, restrained way, but she was never the one who stood up for her, never the one who chose her over silence.

It had always been her grandfather and her aunt, Vedika— the only ones who truly saw her, who supported her, who encouraged her to live life on her own terms, to choose for herself, even when no one else did.

" Noah… " Myra whispered, the name slipping out instinctively, as if it had been waiting on her lips all along.

Her hand moved weakly, trembling as it drifted toward her stomach, a quiet instinct guiding it before her mind could fully catch up.

" My baby...!? "

" How is my baby… " Her voice broke, fear seeping into every word, her breath uneven, fragile, " my baby is safe, right? "

The room fell into a heavy, suffocating stillness as no one answered, each of them bound by Anirudh’s warning— not to say a single word about the abortion.

" I asked you something, Maa… how is my baby? "

Meera’s breath hitched, her eyes filling instantly as the question settled into her, heavier than anything she had heard so far. Her lips parted, but no words came out— only silence.

Vedika’s gaze dropped, unable to hold Myra’s eyes any longer, while Umang looked away, his jaw tightening as the weight of it all became too much for him to bear.

In that suffocating silence, the door opened and Anirudh stepped inside. His presence shifted everything, settling over the room like something heavy and inescapable, changing the air before he even spoke.

" Your baby? " The words came out sharp, cold, and unforgiving, cutting through the silence as Myra’s eyes snapped toward him.

" Have you lost your mind? " He continued, his voice rising slightly, anger cutting through every word. " How dare you even think you could carry someone’s child without marriage— and that too an orphan’s child? "

In the two days while Myra had been in a coma, Anirudh had already made a few calls. He knew enough about Noah— an artist, a musician, a man with no real standing. That was all that mattered.

" Papa— " Myra’s voice broke, but she forced herself to speak, her breathing uneven, her eyes filling, " Please, don’t say such things. I love him. "

She wasn’t someone who talked back— especially not to Anirudh, not to anyone— but when it came to Noah, she wouldn’t stay silent. No matter how weak she was, this was one thing she wouldn’t let go of.

" Love? " Anirudh let out a harsh, humorless scoff. " Love my foot. "

The words hit harder than they should have, pulling tears from Myra’s eyes as her chest tightened painfully, her head shaking weakly in denial.

" I don’t care what you think about any of this. "

Her voice broke as she continued, desperation taking over everything else. " Just… just tell me, " She pleaded, barely holding herself together.

" Where is Noah? Is he… and our baby safe? Please… I’m begging you… "

" That baby of yours died along with its father, " Anirudh said coldly, the words leaving him with a ruthlessness that stripped the room of every remaining trace of softness.

The words didn’t sound loud, yet they filled the room, drowning out even the faint beeping of the monitor and the soft hum of machines.

But they shattered everything, not violently but completely, and Myra went utterly still.

As if her body had forgotten how to react, how to breathe, the words sinking in slowly, painfully, settling somewhere deep where they couldn’t be undone.

Her hand remained over her stomach, unmoving now, as if still searching for something that was no longer there.

' That baby of yours died… '

' …died along with its father… '

Her father’s words echoed in her mind and her eyes remained fixed on him, wide, unblinking, as if she was waiting— waiting for him to take it back, to say something else, anything else.

But he didn’t. And that silence— that silence said enough.

In that weak, shattered state, something inside her refused to stay still. Her fingers tightened against the bedsheet as she tried to push herself up, her body protesting immediately, pain shooting through her before she could even steady herself.

" Myra— no, don’t— " Meera’s voice broke as she rushed forward, trying to hold her back, while Vedika reached for her too, both of them trying to stop her before she hurt herself further.

But Myra didn’t listen.

She couldn’t.

With trembling hands and unsteady breath, she forced herself up, her movements slow, fragile, yet driven by something stronger than the pain— something that wouldn’t let her stay lying there.

Tears streamed down her face, blurring her vision as she took one step… then another, each step heavier than the last, her body swaying, barely holding itself together.

She moved toward the door— toward her father.

Anirudh stood there, exactly where he had been, unmoved, unchanged.

She stopped in front of him, her breath uneven, her eyes searching his face as if hoping— still hoping— that what she had heard wasn’t real.

" Papa… " Her voice trembled, breaking under the weight of it all, " tell me the truth… where is Noah? "

Her breath came uneven, her chest rising and falling painfully as she tried to hold herself together.

" He was injured too, right? " She continued, desperation creeping into her voice. " Tell me… you didn’t harm him? "

Anirudh’s gaze hardened instantly.

" For that bl*ody orphan, you’re questioning your own father? "

" Yes… I am, " Myra said, her voice weak but laced with anger, her eyes burning despite the tears. " Because that’s the kind of man you are. "

" Meera, tell your daughter to shut up, " Anirudh snapped, his voice low but threatening. " Otherwise I will forget that she is injured. "

Meera rushed forward immediately, her hands gently but firmly holding Myra by the shoulders.

" Mimi beta, please… lie down, you’re not healed yet, " She pleaded, her voice breaking as she tried to steady her.

" No, Maa!!! I want answers! "

" Myra! " Vedika stepped in this time, her tone sharper, but her eyes filled with something softer, something pained. She moved closer to Myra, holding her carefully.

" They found his body in the car, " Vedika said quietly, each word heavy.

" It caught fire… Noah couldn’t survive it. "

The words settled and something inside Myra gave way. Her tears flowed freely now, her body losing what little strength it had left as her knees buckled beneath her.

" Myra— ! "

Meera and Vedika both reached out, catching her before she could fall completely, easing her down as gently as they could.

" NO…!!! " she cried, her voice breaking into something raw, something almost unrecognizable.

" That can’t be true…! "

Her head shook weakly through the tears, panic and denial crashing into each other as the reality refused to settle inside her.

" He was so happy when he found out about the baby… " she choked out, her words stumbling between sobs. " We were happy… we were so happy… "

Her breathing turned uneven as she looked around desperately, as if searching for someone— anyone— to deny it.

" You’re all lying to me…! "

Vedika pulled her into a tight embrace immediately, holding her trembling body against her as Myra clutched onto her desperately, shaking uncontrollably.

" Please… tell me the truth… please… " she begged, her voice collapsing into helpless sobs.

Vedika’s hand moved slowly over her hair, trying to soothe a pain she knew couldn’t truly be soothed.

" I wish I could change this truth, my child… " she whispered, her own voice trembling now. " I truly wish I could. "

" He saved me… Fufo…! " Myra sobbed, the words barely forming properly through her grief. " He pushed me out… but he couldn’t save himself… "

Her fingers tightened painfully against Vedika’s clothes.

" I killed him… "

" No, you did not, my child, " Vedika said softly, holding her even closer.

" He saved me… and… and our baby… "

Meera’s eyes filled again, her heart breaking all over as she knelt beside her.

" I’m sorry, my Jaan… " She said softly, her voice trembling as she chose her words carefully. " But due to the impact of the accident… the baby couldn’t survive. "

She had to say this.

If not the full truth, then at least this much— so Myra could mourn both losses together, rather than relive the pain piece by piece, shock after shock.

" He saved me… " Myra murmured, her voice breaking as her sobs took over, each word dragged out through uneven breaths she could no longer control. " And I… couldn’t save him… I couldn’t even save our… "

Her words fell apart as the sobs consumed her completely, leaving her gasping, unable to finish what she was trying to say, her grief spilling out in a way that no words could fully hold.

" I killed them. "

No one interrupted or tried to correct her, knowing there was nothing they could say that wouldn’t make it worse.

While the machines kept their steady rhythm and the room remained the same, Myra wasn’t— something within her had changed in a way that was neither loud nor visible, yet permanent.

" Noah…! Oh God… " She cried, her voice breaking as it echoed through the room.

Vedika tightened her hold around her slightly, resting her chin lightly against Myra’s head, her eyes closing for a brief second as she held her together— because she knew, in that moment, Myra wouldn’t be able to hold herself.

" I can’t… I can’t live without him… please… give him back… " Myra cried, her words dissolving into sobs, each one more desperate than the last.

" Please… give him back..! "

" Please... "

Grief didn’t scream.

It settled.

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