When I woke up again, the room felt quieter.
Not empty—just calm.
A man in a white coat stood near my bed, checking my vitals. Tall. Sharp eyes. Calm expression that somehow felt familiar.
Arshia noticed I was awake and leaned closer.
“I’ll go check on Divyanka,” she whispered. “You rest.”
I nodded. The moment she left, the man turned toward me.
“Good morning,” he said gently. “I’m Dr. Aaron Casanova.”
Before I could even process that—
Karl walked in.
For a second, the room felt too small for the two of them.
“This is my younger brother,” karl said. “Aaron.”
I looked from one to the other. Same eyes. Same presence. Different energy.
“You’re his brother?” I asked slowly.
“Yes,” Aaron replied with a small smile.
Something clicked in my head.
Then another question slipped out before I could stop myself.
“Why weren’t you at our wedding?”
Alex answered before Ates could.
“He was busy.”
That was it.
No explanation. No details.
I didn’t know then—
That busy sometimes meant blood, borders, and battles.
I didn’t even know Ates was mafia too.
Flashback
Ates stood beside Diksha’s bed during her check-up.
She was unconscious. Pale. Fragile.
But when she stirred slightly and frowned in her sleep, something in his chest shifted.
He adjusted her IV himself.
Lowered his voice instinctively.
Stayed longer than required.
And for the first time in a long while—
Dr. Ates Volkov forgot the world outside the hospital walls.
Present
Ates looked at me again, hesitating for just a second before asking—
“Bhabhi… is Diksha single?”
I blinked.
“Yes… but—what kind of question is that?”
Alex raised an eyebrow slightly.
I ignored them both and asked the only thing that mattered.
“Is she fine? Can I see her?”
Ates nodded. “She’s stable. Sleeping right now. You can see her after some time.”
Something—relief, maybe—washed over me.
But I didn’t miss it.
The way Ates’ lips curved faintly after hearing she was single.
Alex noticed too.
“Ates,” he said coldly, “leave us alone.”
Ates gave a knowing look, then nodded and walked out.
The door closed.
Silence.
Alex moved closer and took my hand.
Not tight.
Not controlling.
Just… grounding.
“You scared me today,” he said quietly.
I looked up at him, surprised.
“You didn’t let yourself fall,” he continued. “You held on for her. For everyone.”
I swallowed. “She’s my family.”
His thumb brushed over my knuckles.
“And now,” he said, voice low, “so are you.”
I didn’t reply.
But for the first time—
His words didn’t feel like a cage.
They felt like a promise.
The room was quiet.
Machines hummed softly, steady and reassuring. Pale light filtered through the curtains, brushing over Diksha’s face—still, fragile, but alive.
Ates stood near the window, arms crossed, trying to look like a doctor on duty.
Trying.
He had already checked her vitals twice.
Adjusted the IV once more than necessary.
Stayed longer than protocol allowed.
Then—
Her fingers twitched.
Ates turned instantly.
“Diksha?” he said softly, stepping closer.
Her eyelids fluttered. A small frown formed, as if waking up hurt more than sleeping. Slowly… painfully… she opened her eyes.
The first thing she saw—
Was him.
A stranger in a white coat. Sharp eyes. Calm face. Too composed for the fear she felt.
She tried to sit up.
“Hey—no,” Ates said quickly, placing a hand near her shoulder but not touching her. “Don’t move. You’ve been through a lot.”
Her voice came out weak. “W-where am I?”
“You’re safe,” he replied. “You’re in my hospital.”
She looked around, confused. “Your… hospital?”
He nodded. “I’m Dr. Ates Volkov.”
She blinked. “Volkov…?”
Before she could ask more, pain flashed across her face. She winced, gripping the bedsheet.
Ates moved instantly this time, steadying her gently.
“Easy,” he said, voice lowering without him realizing. “Breathe. Slowly.”
She followed his voice.
In.
Out.
Her breathing calmed.
She looked at him again—really looked this time.
“You don’t talk like other doctors,” she murmured.
Ates paused. “Is that a complaint?”
A weak smile tugged at her lips. “No… it’s just… you sound like you actually care.”
Something shifted in his chest.
He cleared his throat. “You were in an accident. You lost blood. But you’re stable now.”
She swallowed. “Kanika… where is she?”
“She’s here,” he said immediately. “Same hospital. She’s okay.”
Relief flooded her face so strongly that her eyes filled with tears.
“Thank God,” she whispered.
Ates watched her quietly.
Strong enough to worry about someone else before herself.
Soft enough to cry without shame.
“You stayed,” she said suddenly, noticing he hadn’t moved away. “Most doctors leave after the patient wakes up.”
“I…” He stopped himself. Then said honestly, “I wanted to make sure you opened your eyes.”
She frowned slightly. “Why?”
He met her gaze.
And for once, Dr. Ates Volkov didn’t have a perfect answer.
“…Because some people,” he said slowly, “don’t realize how close they came to not being here.”
Silence filled the room.
Then she whispered, almost teasing despite the pain,
“You’re strange, Doctor.”
A corner of his lips lifted. “I get that a lot.”
She smiled—small, tired, but real.
In that moment, something unspoken settled between them.
Not love.
Not yet.
But the kind of beginning that quietly changes everything.
Outside the room, unseen—
Fate smiled.
And for the first time since the accident—
Diksha wasn’t afraid anymore.
“I want to meet Diksha now,” I said firmly. “I’m fine. I can walk.”
Alex didn’t even think.
“I’ll carry you.”
I stared at him like he’d lost his mind.
“Are you dumb?” I snapped. “Everyone is here. Doctors, nurses, patients. What do you think you are, huh? Mr. Everything-is-mine?”
He blinked.
I didn’t stop.
“Do you even have a brain in that head or is it just empty space?” I demanded, pointing at his forehead. “I can walk. I said I can walk.”
The corridor went quiet.
Too quiet.
Alex stood there, completely still.
No anger.
No shouting.
No threats.
Just… listening.
His head lowered slightly.
At the doorway, Ates stood frozen.
He had seen his brother terrify entire rooms.
Make grown men beg.
End conversations with a single look.
But this?
This was new.
Someone was shouting at Alex Volkov.
And Alex… was letting her.
Ates folded his arms slowly, eyes sharp, observing every detail.
Interesting, he thought.
Alex finally spoke, his voice low.
“You’re in pain. You fainted. I don’t want you falling again.”
“I won’t,” I replied, still breathing hard. “And if I do, I’ll fall on my own feet. Not in your arms like a child.”
That hit something.
Alex looked at me.
Really looked at me.
Then he stepped back.
“Fine,” he said quietly. “But I’m walking beside you.”
I didn’t argue.
We walked.
Slowly.
My legs trembled, but I didn’t let it show.
As we passed Ates, he smirked faintly at Alex.
“Didn’t know you could be this patient,” he murmured.
Alex shot him a warning look.
“Ates.”
But Ates only smiled wider.
“You’re learning,” he said calmly. “That’s dangerous.”
Alex didn’t respond.
When we reached Diksha’s room, my hand tightened around Alex’s sleeve—not because I needed support, but because suddenly I was scared.
He noticed.
Without a word, he placed his hand over mine.
Not possessive.
Not controlling.
Just there.
And for the first time since this forced marriage began—
I realized something powerful.
Alex Volkov wasn’t silent because he was weak.
He was silent because…
he was choosing me.
And Ates Volkov?
He had just witnessed the one person in the world who could stand in front of his brother, shout at him—
And walk away unharmed.
Before I could enter Diksha’s room, I heard Ates speak.
Not as a doctor.
Not as a mafia.
As a man.
“Alex,” he said quietly, stopping his brother in the corridor. “I have feelings for Diksha.”
Alex turned slowly.
Ates didn’t look away.
“She matters to me. More than a patient. More than I expected.”
There was a long pause.
Anyone else would have been scared to say that.
But Ates was a Volkov too.
Alex studied him for a moment, then said only one thing:
“If you hurt her, you won’t be my brother anymore.”
Ates nodded once. “I won’t.”
That was all.
I went inside Diksha’s room.
The moment she saw me, her eyes filled with tears.
“Kanika…” she whispered.
I didn’t say anything.
I just hugged her—carefully, gently, like I was afraid she’d disappear if I held her too tight.
“I’m here,” I said softly. “I’m not going anywhere.”
She cried into my shoulder.
“I was so scared,” she murmured.
“So was I,” I admitted. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”
After a while, I looked at her and said gently, “Rest. I’ll talk to you later.”
Then I turned to the others.
“Please… leave us alone for a few minutes.”
They did.
In that quiet space, we talked—not about the accident, not about fear.
About home.
About India.
About small things that made us feel normal again.
Outside the room, Alex and Ates stood near the window.
“She’s strong,” Ates said. “Both of them are.”
Alex nodded.
“You’re not used to caring,” he added. “Be careful.”
Ates smirked lightly. “Coming from you?”
Alex didn’t reply.
Later that night, arrangements were made.
Diksha would be kept under observation for a few days.
Ates personally ensured her care.
Akshara had already left after making sure everything was stable.
Germany felt colder somehow.
Different.
I went home with Alex.
The mansion greeted us with silence—too big, too empty.
As I sat on the bed, exhaustion finally caught up to me.
“This place still doesn’t feel like home,” I said quietly.
Alex stood near the window.
“I know,” he replied. “But you’re safe here.”
I looked at him.
“I’m in Germany because of you,” I said. “You married me and brought me here. Diksha and Akshara are here for their jobs. Their families are in India.”
“And you?” he asked.
I hesitated.
“I don’t know where mine is anymore.”
For a moment, Alex said nothing.
Then he spoke—slow, careful.
“Until you decide… stay.”
It wasn’t an order.
It was an offer.
And for the first time, I wondered—
Maybe this story wasn’t just about control, fear, or cages.
Maybe it was about finding where you belong, even in the most unexpected places.
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