Whispers of the Mind

At the Hospital.

The moment the family reached the hospital, they found out that Kartik had already been rushed into the operation room.

Terrified, Riya kept asking Ketan the exact same question over and over again, "My Kartik will be fine, right? Nothing will happen to him, right?" Her voice shook violently, her eyes were swimming with tears, and her face had turned completely pale.

Ketan tried his best to comfort her, but he had absolutely no answers.

Janvi stood silently in a corner, watching everything unfold. Her heart ached with a sharp pang of guilt. Once upon a time, her own daughter had the right to ask these very questions. But now, the bitter reality was that Kartik belonged to Riya. There was no choice but to accept this harsh truth. She quickly brushed her thoughts away and took a deep breath.

Meanwhile, Shraddha had also quietly arrived at the hospital, but she couldn't gather the courage to face Riya, Ketan, or even her own mother. Her heart was hammering against her chest and her eyes felt heavy with unshed tears, but she forcefully held herself back.

Just then, Riya stopped a nurse who was rushing past the operation room. "How is my Kartik? Please, tell me something!"

The nurse gave her a sympathetic look and said, "If you are the patient's family, please go to the reception first and fill out some forms. Kindly complete the formalities there."

Riya’s lips trembled as she asked again in a crying voice, "But he is going to be okay, right? Nothing serious happened to him, right?"

The nurse remained quiet for a brief moment, then replied in a calm tone, "Look, nothing can be said for sure right now. The doctor is performing the surgery. As soon as the checkup is complete, he will give you all the details."

Standing in the corner, Shraddha heard everything. Her heart began to beat wildly. She desperately wanted to see Kartik just once. But the moment she took a step forward, the horrifying memory of the night Kartik attacked her flashed vividly before her eyes.

Her footsteps froze. Her eyes showed a strange mix of deep pain and intense anger, and her expression hardened completely.

Inside a luxurious mansion in Delhi, the entire Oberoi family was gathered.

Rhythm sat comfortably on the sofa with his legs crossed, observing everyone with a deep, scanning gaze. Sitting across from him were his mother Aruna, his father Ajay, his uncle Nilesh, and his aunt Ankita. Ankita’s two children—Aryan and Sneha—were also there.

Rhythm was the sole heir of his parents, but his father had a deep, ongoing conflict with his elder brother. The two families absolutely despised each other.

Seeing Rhythm’s dead serious expression, Aruna asked, "Now tell us, why did you call all of us here together?"

Ajay also looked worried. "Rhythm, why do you look so serious? Is everything okay?"

Rhythm—or rather, the Water Protector—kept a close eye on every movement in the world. He had gathered his family because he wanted to read the deepest secrets of their minds. They all looked so loving sitting together, but he knew the reality was far from what it seemed.

He thought to oneself, *'Every face is smiling, but I will have to find out what is actually brewing inside their hearts.'*

He walked over to his mother and asked with a slight smile, "Mother (*Maate*), did you cook breakfast for me?"

"Mother?"

Aruna stared at him in utter confusion. Rhythm instantly realized his slip-of-the-tongue and quickly covered it up, thinking, *'Oh, how could I forget? This is the human world.'*

Aruna still looked puzzled. Rhythm nodded gently and corrected himself, "Mom, why do you look so shocked?"

Aruna let out a long sigh. "Rhythm, I’ve stopped going into the kitchen entirely. You know very well that my joint pain never goes away. The doctor has strictly advised me to rest, which is why I can't cook breakfast for you anymore."

Rhythm smiled faintly. He could easily read anyone's mood even without using his powers, but he disliked using his abilities just to understand his loved ones.

Just then, Sneha playfully locked her arm into his and teased, "Brother, did you call us all the way here just for breakfast? If that was the case, you should have just invited us straight to the dining table!"

Rhythm looked down at Sneha. Eighteen-year-old Sneha was innocent and beautiful. Looking at her, a gentle smile appeared on Rhythm's face. He thought to himself, *'She looks exactly like my own sister.'*

He affectionately patted her head and said, "Make sure you focus properly on your studies."

Sneha giggled, "Brother, do you even know how terrified I was when I heard the news of your accident?"

Rhythm smiled softly, but a strange look crossed his eyes. Seeing Sneha’s innocence, a thought struck him — *'Sneha is just like my sister. Innocent and sweet. But how long will this innocence last? Only time will tell.'*

Then, his gaze shifted to his uncle and aunt. Looking at them, he never felt like they could be his enemies. He considered them a true part of his family, so he didn't try to dig deeper into their thoughts. But then, his eyes locked onto Aryan.

Aryan—twenty-two years old, smart, and highly fashionable. He wore ripped jeans and a loose black shirt that suited him perfectly. However, Rhythm looked at him with a hint of disapproval.

"You need to stop running around with your friends and focus more on your career," Rhythm stated firmly.

Aryan immediately shot back, "Brother, I am doing perfectly fine in my studies, and I take good care of my friends too. You can ask Sneha if you don't believe me!"

Sneha immediately rolled her eyes in annoyance. "That’s not true at all, brother! He is always hanging around girls. Sitting, chatting, partying—it's always with them. You can even ask his friend Raghav!"

Glarring at Aryan with slight irritation, Rhythm warned, "Drop all of this nonsense, or I will force you to become a regular employee at my office. Got it?"

Hearing this, Aryan quickly pleaded, "Oh no, brother! Nothing like that will happen. Don't worry at all, Sneha is totally lying!"

Aryan shot an angry look at Sneha, but she just laughed carelessly. Aryan was instantly silenced.

Rhythm then looked at his father, Ajay, who was staring at him intensely. Noticing this, Rhythm asked, "What’s wrong, Dad? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Taking a deep breath, Ajay smiled gently and said, "I am just amazed that you finally found the time to ask about our well-being."

Rhythm chuckled softly. "You are my family. Checking up on you is my hobby, and taking care of all of you is my responsibility."

Ajay was overjoyed to hear this. He rarely got to see his son, and ever since Rhythm had grown up, his heavy responsibilities kept him so busy that he barely spoke to the family. But today... today he had come on his own to check on everyone.

Just then, Aruna walked up to him and lovingly caressed his head. "Rhythm, you must take care of yourself. You barely survived that horrific accident. You know it well, if something happens to you, I will die a living death."

Tears filled her eyes. A mother could never bear to see her child in a terrible state, no matter what the reason was.

Rhythm gently held her palm to comfort her. "I am perfectly fine, Mom. And I will always be right here with you."

But would that truly happen? Or was there a bitter truth that this family was completely unaware of?

By now, Rhythm had met everyone except his grandparents, who had gone away on a religious pilgrimage.

Evening was setting in. A heavy sadness hung under the harsh white lights of the hospital. Kartik lay in the ICU—in an extremely critical condition. The doctors informed Riya and her family in a flat, cold tone, "Kartik has slipped into a coma."

Riya’s entire body shuddered. Her loud sobs echoed heavily down the hospital corridor. It had only been a single day since her wedding, and today, her husband was hanging between life and death.

Shraddha's mind was also in complete chaos. Her eyes remained fixed on Kartik’s room, but even if she wanted to, she couldn't go inside. Kartik's family stood like a solid wall between them. With heavy steps, she walked out of the hospital and sat down under a barren tree.

Her tears flowed uncontrollably.

"This shouldn't have happened," she whispered to herself. Kartik was in a coma.

But in the very next second, a shocking thought flashed through her mind — *'Rhythm!'*

Her heart skipped a beat. Could Rhythm have done all of this? Just to take revenge for her?

Shraddha’s tears stopped instantly. Her heart began to race violently. She needed answers from Rhythm. Right now!

Shraddha rushed back home, pacing frantically around her room in extreme anxiety.

"How do I even talk to Rhythm? I didn't even get his number," she muttered to herself.

And right then —

"Were you calling for me?"

Shraddha's heart leaped into her throat.

She spun around quickly and saw Rhythm standing right there in front of her!

He looked completely calm, as if he had all the time in the world. But for Shraddha, time had completely frozen.

Backing away in a panic, she gasped, "D-Don't just pop up out of nowhere like that!"

Rhythm stepped closer to her, but Shraddha held up a hand to stop him. "Stay away from me. That would be best for you."

Rhythm smiled faintly. "You say that as if I am about to do something terrible to you."

Shraddha looked straight into his eyes — they were cold, but carried a hint of playful mischief.

"Why did you call me?" Rhythm asked directly.

A deep sadness clouded Shraddha's face. In a cracked, emotional voice, she asked, "Kartik... did you do something to hurt Kartik?"

Not a single emotion crossed Rhythm's face.

"Kartik? Who is Kartik?" He shrugged his shoulders carelessly.

Shraddha’s throat went dry. In a trembling voice, she explained everything that had happened at the hospital. But Rhythm just listened in dead silence.

"Why aren't you saying anything?!" Shraddha demanded anxiously.

Suddenly, Rhythm stepped forward and grabbed her wrist firmly. His eyes were completely serious now.

"What happened was bound to happen. And you... you need to stop thinking about that man. Understand?"

Shraddha tried to wrench her wrist free, but Rhythm’s grip was unbreakable.

"How can I just forget?" Tears pooled in Shraddha's eyes. "Kartik was my love. All those beautiful moments I spent with him..."

But before she could utter another syllable — her voice cut off completely.

Her lips moved, but absolutely no sound came out. She was left entirely speechless.

Rhythm had used his powers!

Shraddha’s anger boiled over. She frantically gestured with her hands, demanding that he fix her throat, but Rhythm was not about to listen to her.

Shraddha began hitting his shoulders in frustration. Rhythm narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "If you ever take that man's name from your mouth again, things will not end well for you."

Hearing this, Shraddha’s face distorted with absolute fury, but she was completely helpless since she couldn't speak. She walked a little distance away to stand by herself, but Rhythm stepped right in front of her again and asked, "Do you want some water or something?"

Shraddha glared at him and fiercely gestured with her hands, clearly signaling, *'I want to strangle you!'*

Rhythm understood her gestures perfectly. Seeing her fiery behavior, he burst out laughing. Meanwhile, Shraddha’s eyes overflowed with fresh tears—she was still completely traumatized by the shocking news of Kartik slipping into a coma.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***