A nurse stole a kiss from a billionaire in a vegetative state because she thought he would never wake up, but he unexpectedly embraced her…
In a quiet hospital room, where the steady sound of a heart rate monitor seemed like a monotonous melody, Ananya – a young nurse in the intensive care unit of a major private hospital in Mumbai – never imagined that a moment of impulsiveness would change her life. A meaningless kiss on the lips of a man who had been motionless for two years dragged her into an unexpected cycle of fate…

Ananya is 26 years old, her daily routine consists of checking machines, changing bandages, cleaning patients, and, above all, caring for one special person – Mr. Raghav Malhotra, a real estate billionaire who has frequently appeared in the Indian press, but is now merely a body lying motionless in a hospital bed. He died in a road accident and remained immobile for over two years.
To most of the staff, Mr. Malhotra was simply a “long-term care case”—a body surviving on nutrition and a ventilator. But for some reason, every time Ananya attended to him, she felt a strange sense of compassion. Occasionally, the afternoon sunlight would stream in through the glass window, illuminating the man’s face, enhancing his once handsome features, making her think: “If he were still conscious, he’d be a very attractive man.”

That night, Ananya was on night duty. There was just a dim yellow light in the hallway. She entered the room, sat beside the bed, and quietly replaced the IV. Suddenly, a strange thought flashed through her mind: “He’ll never wake up… A kiss… What a…”

Ananya’s heart was pounding. She was both scared and laughing at herself. But for some reason – perhaps because of months of caring, the loneliness of the job, or because the image of that man was deeply etched in her mind – she leaned in, and gently touched her lips to his.

Just for a moment.

Just as Ananya was about to pull back, something terrible happened: the hand that had seemed motionless suddenly moved. Then… a light grip gripped her shoulder.

Ananya was stunned.

The man the entire hospital thought was unconscious suddenly opened his eyes. His dark pupils stared at her.

“Who… are you?” – a hoarse voice echoed, vague but so clear that Ananya trembled.

That night, in the empty room, Ananya understood: her life would never be peaceful again.

Mr. Malhotra’s awakening was a major shock to the entire hospital. The board of directors immediately formed a medical board; the doctors were both happy and worried. After two years in a coma, the patient suddenly opened his eyes and spoke—a rare occurrence that was almost a miracle. But for Ananya—who witnessed that moment—the emotions were both joy and fear.

She didn’t dare elaborate…that the moment he woke up was when she kissed him. In the report, Ananya simply wrote: “The patient showed signs of self-awareness, moving his hands and opening his eyes. Unexpected improvement in consciousness; special monitoring is advised.”

From that moment on, whenever Ananya entered the room, his heart would beat irregularly. Although Mr. Malhotra was still weak and his voice was slurred, his eyes were unusually bright. He didn’t remember everything, just vaguely aware that he had been lying down for a long time. Every time Ananya fed him through a tube or bathed him, he would look at her intently, forcing her to pretend to be busy to hide her confusion.

A few days later, the entire department was abuzz. News of Mr. Malhotra’s regaining consciousness spread rapidly. Journalists, relatives, and colleagues flocked to him; everyone considered it a miracle. Ananya’s heart was heavy with fear that the secret of the “awakening kiss” might be revealed.

One afternoon, after checking her IV, Ananya was about to turn away when Mr. Malhotra’s hand landed on her wrist. He looked at her slowly and said softly:

“You… were the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes. I remember… a strange feeling. As if… called from some distant place.”

Ananya panicked and, trying to remain calm, removed his hand:

“I’m just the nurse on duty. You woke up thanks to your health and the doctor.”

He didn’t say anything further, but his eyes were understanding.

After a week, his health gradually improved: he learned to sit up and speak clearly. The Malhotra family was overjoyed, especially the eldest son, Rohan Malhotra. He had handled most of the work while his father was in a coma, and now he was faced with “his father’s return.”

Rohan is a young businessman, sharp but cool. When he first met Ananya, he simply nodded:

“Thank you for taking care of my father. From now on, the family will hire a private senior nurse. You won’t have to work so hard anymore.”

This statement strangely disappointed Ananya. She was used to being at Mr. Malhotra’s bedside every day, taking care of every detail. Now, with the patient recovering, that attachment was gone.

That night, as Ananya was preparing to hand over her shift, Mr. Malhotra suddenly called her name. His voice was weak but firm:

“Ananya, I want you to continue taking care of me. No one else. If necessary, I will speak to the family myself.”

At that moment, Ananya didn’t know whether to be happy or worried. It was difficult enough to hide that kiss; now that she was with him, she feared exposure, feared his scrutinizing gaze. But deep inside, there was also a vague warmth—a connection she hadn’t dared to admit.

Ever since Mr. Malhotra woke up, Ananya’s life had changed dramatically. She was no longer an unknown nurse, but suddenly “special” in his eyes. Despite the children’s objections, he insisted on monitoring her health.

The Malhotra family didn’t trust outsiders, especially when such vast wealth was embroiled in a secret dispute between siblings. To them, Ananya was just an ordinary nurse, “not on the same level.” Seeing that Mr. Malhotra trusted and connected with Ananya more than anyone else, his suspicious gaze grew even stronger.

Rohan made his attitude clear. One afternoon, when Ananya left the room, he stopped her in the hallway:

“Ananya, to be honest: my father just woke up, he’s not in his right mind. If you want to take advantage of him, I won’t let him go.”

Ananya was taken aback, simply bowing her head:

“I was just doing my job, please don’t misunderstand.”

But Rohan’s suspicion didn’t diminish; he kept an even closer eye on her.

Meanwhile, Mr. Malhotra’s need for Ananya was growing. He often asked her to sit down and talk, telling her about his childhood days, his journey from a poor boy in Uttar Pradesh to a billionaire in Mumbai. Sometimes he would look her straight in the eyes, joking:

“Perhaps, you were the one who called me back to this world.”

Every time she heard this, Ananya’s heart would race, but she tried to remain calm. She couldn’t accept that… he had actually kissed her in that fateful moment. If that secret were revealed, everyone would become even more suspicious.

In the days that followed, tensions grew within the Malhotra family. Some relatives whispered: “This nurse is not simple.” Some wicked people even spread rumors in the hospital that Ananya was “scheming to connect with billionaires.”

Ananya was in a dilemma. She wanted to leave to avoid trouble, but whenever she saw Mr. Malhotra holding her tightly, she couldn’t turn away. Moreover, the moment she woke up, she realized that her heart was no longer as indifferent as before. Beyond the confines of “nurse-patient,” a quiet bond had quietly blossomed.

Late one night on duty, Mr. Malhotra, leaning on his bed and looking out the window at glittering Mumbai, whispered:

“Ananya… I don’t know what lies ahead. But trust me… I won’t let you harm anyone.”

At that very moment, Ananya’s nerves are broken. She knows the road ahead isn’t easy: on one hand, responsibility and professional honor, and on the other, ambiguous feelings for a man beyond her reach. The simple story of a young nurse transforms from here into a challenging one: love mixed with suspicion, honesty versus benefits, and a secret never before revealed—the kiss that started it all.