Dhiviya was speeding toward the clinic, gripping the steering wheel tightly as her mind raced. Every few seconds, she turned to check on her father.
"Dad, how are you feeling?" she asked, her voice laced with worry.
Vasanthan let out a small chuckle, shaking his head. "I feel fine. No, really—I've never felt this good in years!" He stretched his arms, flexing his fingers as if testing his own body.
Guna scoffed, his face twisted in disbelief. "Dad, stop talking nonsense! You just vomited a whole bowl of blood! That lunatic smacked you so hard, and now you're saying you're fine? I swear, I'm going to kill him once we get back!" His voice was filled with anger, and his shirt still bore the dark stains from earlier—a haunting reminder of the chaos they had just witnessed.
Dhiviya, still skeptical, glanced at her father again. Something didn't add up. He had collapsed from a heart attack—an emergency that should have left him weak and fragile. Instead, he looked healthier than ever. His skin had regained color, his breathing was steady, and his eyes looked sharp, even youthful. She had always known about his heart condition, the chronic blockages that had been slowly tightening their grip on his health. But now, he looked... energetic? How was that even possible?
Archana, sitting beside Vasanthan, was just as confused. Her fingers trembled as she held onto her husband's arm, as if afraid he might collapse again. "I don't understand... You were unconscious, completely lifeless. And then, step by step, Athavan brought you back. I saw it with my own eyes, but I still can't believe it!"
The car fell into heavy silence. Each of them struggled to make sense of what had happened.
But the most surprised person in the car was Vasanthan himself. Only he truly knew what had triggered his heart attack. It wasn't just his health—it was the weight of his guilt, the accusations from his old rival that had broken his spirit. He had convinced himself that he had ruined his daughter's life, that she had married Athavan only to pay for his upcoming bypass surgery.
Yet, the very same man he had doubted—his son-in-law—had saved his life.
And it wasn't just the attack. Something had changed within him. Every passing minute, he felt stronger. The constant pain in his legs, the numbness in his shoulders, the tightness in his chest—it was all gone. His mind felt clearer than it had in years, sharper, lighter.
Vasanthan flexed his fingers again, glancing down at them in amazement.
It felt as if he had shed a decade off his body.
At the clinic, after running an ECG test, the doctor gave Dhiviya and her father a strange look.
"Who told you your father had a heart attack?" he asked, puzzled.
Dhiviya hesitated, feeling slightly embarrassed. "That... that... But doctor, how is his condition?"
The doctor sighed, shaking his head in disbelief. "I've never seen such a healthy heart reading in a man over sixty. Your father is perfectly fine."
"That's not possible!" Dhiviya blurted out. "He was diagnosed with severe heart blockages before—three of them!"
"Nonsense! Who's the idiot that diagnosed him with that?" the doctor scoffed, clearly annoyed. "Your father's heart is healthier than mine!"
Vasanthan quickly stepped in. "Sorry, doctor. My kids were just worried about me. I passed out earlier due to a lack of sleep. I'm feeling much better now."
Dhiviya opened her mouth to argue, but before she could say anything, Vasanthan subtly tapped her hand, signaling her to stay quiet.
"Doctor, if I'm fine, can I leave now?" he asked.
"Absolutely. There's nothing wrong with you," the doctor replied without hesitation.
Dhiviya and Vasanthan walked out of the clinic, but before they could explain anything, Archana and Guna rushed toward them, desperate to know what the doctor had said.
Vasanthan simply gestured for them to remain silent and hurried toward the car. Both Archana and Guna were left in a state of utter confusion, unsure of what was going on.
As soon as they got into the car, Archana could no longer contain herself. "What did the doctor say? They didn't even prescribe any medication!"
"Shit!" Dhiviya suddenly snapped, startling everyone.
Archana and Guna turned to look at her, shocked by her outburst.
"What happened?" Guna asked cautiously.
"I forgot to pay the clinic bill!" Dhiviya admitted, her face filled with guilt.
Vasanthan sighed and shook his head. "Go pay it quickly. After that, we need to talk."
Dhiviya rushed back to settle the bill while Archana hesitated for a moment before turning back to her husband. "Dear... are you really okay?" she asked softly.
Vasanthan nodded but remained deep in thought, his expression unreadable.
A few minutes later, Dhiviya returned and started driving them back home. The entire car was engulfed in an eerie silence. No one spoke.
Then, finally, after what felt like an eternity, Vasanthan broke the silence.
"I think your husband is truly magical," he said, his voice calm yet firm.
Everyone turned to look at him, waiting for him to continue.
Vasanthan took a deep breath, carefully choosing his words. "To tell you the truth, my body feels like I'm in my thirties again," he confessed. Then, he turned to Archana. "Do you know what the doctor said about my ECG report?"
Archana, still trying to process his earlier statement, shook her head.
"He asked me which idiot diagnosed my heart blockages. He said my heart is super healthy!"
Both Archana and Guna gasped in shock.
Vasanthan continued, "I wasn't surprised when the doctor said that. You know why? Because I can feel it myself. My body... it's different now." He paused, then added, "He didn't panic. Not once. It was like he knew my body better than I ever did." Vasanthan tried recalled what happen earlier that evening.
"For now, please don't tell anyone about this. I' ll do another angiogram soon. Until we have that report, I don't want to talk about this further."
Then, he turned to Guna, his gaze sharp. "And you—listen to me carefully. From now on, I want you to treat your brother-in-law with respect. He is not an ordinary man."
Guna clenched his fists, frustration bubbling inside him. He was happy that his father was well, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that he had been made a fool of. Athavan had made his father vomit blood all over his face, and now everyone was acting like he was some kind of divine healer.
It didn't sit right with him.
Meanwhile, Dhiviya remained silent for the entire journey home.
Her mind was racing with thoughts.
This entire incident had turned her husband into a mystery.
She stole a glance at Guna's blood-stained shirt, then at her father, who looked healthier than ever.
A shiver ran down her spine.
"What kind of man did I marry? What are you, Athavan? A healer? A mystic? Or something else entirely?"