The Turning Point ( Part-3)

Three hours later, Arya was in his room when he suddenly heard some noises coming from outside. The sounds seemed familiar.

"Hey! Wait! What are you doing? I said, leave me alone!"

He rushed to the door and flung it open, only to find the rich kid from earlier grabbing Aisha's wheelchair and running off with it. Aisha was shouting for help, but her mother wasn't around to stop him.

Without thinking, Arya lunged forward, grabbed the bully from behind, and stopped him in his tracks.

"Let go of her!" Arya shouted.

The rich kid turned, his face contorted with anger. "What the hell are you doing? Didn't I tell you to stay away from me? You don't understand who I am!"

Arya's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing to her?"

The bully smirked. "Oh, look! The loser's here to save you. How cute!" he taunted, mocking Arya.

But Arya wasn't intimidated. He yanked the bully's arm with all his strength and, in one swift motion, threw him to the ground. The rich kid fell hard, landing on his back with a thud.

"I don't care who you are or who your father is," Arya said coldly. "If you ever hurt her again, I'll make sure you regret it."

The bully scrambled to his feet, furious. "You don't know who you're messing with! I'll have you kicked out of this hospital!"

Arya turned his back, his expression stern. "Do whatever you want. I don't care."

The rich kid stood frozen for a moment, fear creeping in. Then, with a last defiant glare, he backed away.

"I'll get my revenge on you!" he spat before storming off.

Arya turned back and looked at Hina. He walked closer and asked, "Are you hurt?"

Hina shook her head. "No, I'm fine. And... thank you so much."

Arya smirked. "You forgot something. In friendship, there's no 'thank you' or 'sorry'."

Hina smiled.

"You know him?" Arya asked, referring to the rich kid.

"Yeah," she nodded. "We studied in the same school. He's always been like that, even back then."

"How did he find you here?"

"My mom wasn't here, and I was feeling bored in my room, so I went outside for some fresh air. That's when he saw me," she explained.

"I heard noises and came to check what was happening," Arya said. "If he ever bothers you again, call me."

Hina giggled. "Okay."

After a moment, she hesitated before asking, "I want to go to the hospital garden, but my mom isn't here. Can you take me there, if you don't mind?"

"Sure," Arya replied, grabbing the handles of her wheelchair.

They reached the elevator. As Arya pressed the button, he noticed a strange expression on Hina's face inside the lift. But before he could ask, the doors opened, and they stepped into the garden.

As they reached the center, Hina sighed. "I never really had a friend before you."

Arya hesitated before responding, "Earlier, your mother asked about my parents..."

Hina smiled gently. "It's okay. You don't have to talk about it if it hurts."

"No, that's not it. You're my friend, right? And friends share their feelings." Arya looked up at the sky. "I don't know when we truly became friends, but I want you to know... My parents died when I was a kid."

Hina's eyes widened in shock.

Arya sat on a nearby bench. "After they passed away, my relatives abandoned me. No one wanted me around."

Hina's voice softened. "You must have suffered a lot..."

"Yeah," Arya admitted. "I got used to living alone. But now, after sharing my feelings, I feel... lighter, like a weight has been lifted off me."

Suddenly, it started raining. They quickly moved to a sheltered seating area. The rain poured heavily outside, creating a calming rhythm.

As Arya gazed at the falling rain, Hina found herself lost in thought. Memories from her past surfaced—the day her life changed forever.

Flashback (Hina's, Age 12)

"Hina! Are you ready, honey?" her mother called.

"Just five more minutes, Mom!" Hina shouted back as she hurriedly packed her things.

Her father chuckled. "You'll be late if you don't hurry."

Hina rushed outside. "I'm ready! Let's go!"

Her father was loading their things into the car while her mother carried her baby brother. Hina climbed into the front seat beside her father.

"Where are we going?" she asked excitedly.

"A picnic in the hills," her mother replied. "Drive carefully, okay?"

"Don't worry," her father reassured her. But as they drove on the empty road, he muttered, "Since there's no traffic, let's speed up a little."

Her mother frowned. "I told you not to Before she could finish, a sharp turn appeared ahead. Her father turned the wheel, but he didn't notice another car speeding toward them.

CRASH!

Their car collided violently. The impact struck Hina's side the hardest.

When she opened her eyes, she was in the hospital. Her leg was bandaged, throbbing with pain. The doctor's words echoed in her ears.

"She won't be able to walk again."

Tears streamed down her mother's face. Her father stood silently, his hands trembling. After that day, their home was never the same.

They argued. Every. Single. Day.

Her mother blamed her father for the accident. "It's all your fault! If you had driven carefully, this wouldn't have happened!"

Her father lashed back. "Do you think I wanted this?

Months passed, but their fights never stopped. Then, one day, they finally made a decision—divorce.

Hina watched as her father packed his bags and left. Her mother was awarded custody of both children. Hina saw the pain in her mother's eyes.

"She left my father because of me."

Her father remarried and moved to another city. Her mother worked tirelessly, never letting her struggles show. But Hina could see it. She blamed herself for everything.

"If I hadn't gotten injured, none of this would have happened."

Back in the present, Arya's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Hina…?"

She blinked and looked at him. "Huh?"

"You were lost in thought. Are you okay?"

Hina forced a smile. "Yeah… I'm fine."

But deep inside, she felt something shift.

"I thought I was the only one suffering. But after hearing Arya's story… maybe I'm not alone after all."

Arya looked outside. "The rain looks nice, doesn't it?"

Hina nodded, watching the raindrops fall.

'In this world, nothing happens the way we want,' Hina murmured, watching the rain.

'Huh?' Arya looked at her.

'Nothing… forget it,' she said quickly.

She's hiding something, Arya thought, observing her expression. But I can't ask her directly.

The rain started slowing down.

'Let's go back before it starts again,' Arya said, standing up.

'Okay,' Hina nodded.

As they returned to the hospital, Hina's mother was waiting outside her room.

'Where have you been, honey?' her mother asked.

'I went to the garden,' Hina replied. 'I was bored, and you weren't here.'

'But it's raining outside. Did you get wet?' her mother asked with concern.

'No, I'm fine,' Hina reassured her.

'Come on, it's time for your medicine,' her mother said, taking her inside.

Hina turned to Arya and smiled. 'Bye, Arya.'

'See you later,' Arya said, watching her go.

'Arya,' a nurse called out.

'What happened?' he asked.

'The doctor is calling you. Fourth floor,' she said.

Arya studied her face. 'Are you new? I haven't seen you before.'

'No, I was out of town for a week,' she replied with a small smile.

'That's why I just noticed you now,' Arya muttered before heading to the elevator.

Meanwhile, another nurse entered Arya's room, glancing around.

'Did you see Arya?' she asked the first nurse.

'No, he wasn't here when I arrived,' the nurse answered.

'I have his report. The doctor is calling him for a meeting,' the second nurse said.

The first nurse's face changed slightly. 'I'll wait here. When he comes back, I'll send him up.'

The second nurse nodded and left.

Something about her reaction doesn't feel right...

Another nurse entered the doctor's office. The doctor looked up and frowned when he didn't see Arya.

"Where is he?" the doctor asked.

The nurse hesitated. "When I went to call him, he was already gone… but there was another nurse there. I don't know why, but something about her felt off. Her expression, the way she spoke—it didn't seem normal."

The doctor narrowed his eyes. "What was her name?"

"Riya," the nurse replied.

The doctor's expression darkened. "Riya…? That Riya?"

"You know her?" the nurse asked.

"Yes. She just joined today. Before this, she worked as a caregiver for our CEO's father," the doctor explained.

The nurse's eyes widened. "Now I understand why she's here. It must be related to that rich kid. Earlier, I overheard Arya and that kid fighting again. I have a bad feeling about this… like something is about to go wrong."

The doctor's face turned serious. "Then we need to find Arya. Now."

Without wasting another second, they rushed out of the office.

Meanwhile, Arya reached the fourth floor but had no idea which room he was supposed to go to. As he walked down the hallway, he noticed one of the doors slightly open.

Curious, he pushed it open and stepped inside.