CHAPTER 1: The Girl Who Didn't Cry
The rain was pouring heavily that evening, as if the sky itself couldn't hold its pain anymore.
Akansha stood near the roadside, drenched completely. Blood slowly trickled down her forehead, mixing with the rainwater. People passed by, some glanced, some ignored—but no one stopped.
She didn't ask for help.
She never did.
Her eyes were blank, not because she was strong… but because she had already cried enough in life.
Suddenly—
A bike stopped in front of her with a sharp screech.
"Are you blind?!" the boy shouted, removing his helmet. His voice was rough, filled with irritation.
It was Rudra.
He looked at her properly for the first time—and froze.
"You're… bleeding."
Akansha didn't reply.
Didn't even look at him.
That annoyed him even more.
"I'm talking to you!" he snapped.
Still nothing.
Silence.
That silence hit harder than any reply.
Rudra clicked his tongue in frustration, grabbed her wrist, and said,
"Stop acting tough. You'll faint."
For the first time, she spoke—her voice weak but steady:
"Leave my hand."
Rudra paused.
There was something strange in her tone… not anger, not fear… just emptiness.
He slowly let go.
But he didn't leave.
Instead, he took off his jacket and threw it over her shoulders.
"Get on the bike," he said, this time quieter.
"I don't need help."
"You do," he replied firmly. "You just don't want it."
Their eyes met for a brief second.
That was the moment everything changed.
Because Rudra saw something no one else did—
A girl who wasn't afraid of pain…
because she had already lost everything worth protecting....