About an hour later…
Aniket had fed the baby and put him to sleep. Watching the little one rest so peacefully in his arms filled the mother’s heart with joy.
She said softly, “Thank you…! If only my hand wasn’t fractured, I would have done all this for my child myself.”
Aniket smiled warmly. “Oh, come on! It’s nothing big. By the way… your baby is really cute! Honestly, I feel like taking him home with me. But there’s already a little girl there—well, not little in years, but definitely in mischief! If I take him along, she’ll surely trouble him.”
At that very moment, back at Aniket’s house, Ira—who had just woken up—sneezed. She rubbed her nose and muttered, “Hmm… looks like someone is thinking about me…”
Meanwhile
The woman looked at him and said gratefully, “Your friend… Dr. Saaniya, she’s truly amazing. No one risks their own life for a stranger. If that night… if she hadn’t been there, then—”
But Aniket cut her off, his expression suddenly serious.
“Forget it. Forget what happened… why it happened… how and when it happened. I know it’s hard, but for the sake of your child—! For him to be happy, his mother must stay happy. So the best way is to let go of everything that disturbs you.”
Hearing this, the woman suddenly remembered Rudra’s words:
“Remember everything that happened to you. It matters—so you never make the same mistake again. (with a soft smile) I don’t want your child to ever live under the shadow of that man. That’s why I’m doing everything I can to ensure he gets punished. But you, too, must remember this incident. Because if you raise your voice again in the future—just as you did today—you will always find help!”
The woman smiled faintly and replied, “I will forget the incident… so its shadow doesn’t haunt my child. But I will never forget the lesson it taught me. I will make myself stronger.”
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Aniket smiled, while Rudra—who had been silently watching from outside—turned away. His expression was hard to read, but one thing was certain: he was relieved to see the woman finally trying to step beyond her fears.
Rudra walked back towards his cabin, while elsewhere, Anamika sat in hers.
She was drawing a panel for her manga, but tears brimmed in her eyes as she quickly wiped them away.
The panel showed a woman mercilessly strangling a cat. The sight triggered a painful memory from her past.
When Anamika was five, she had a cat. Her father had gifted it to her for her birthday. She adored it. But a month later, the cat disappeared. A few days later, she found its lifeless body buried in her own garden—with a DVD lying beside it.
When she played the DVD, her five-year-old world shattered.
In the video, a woman was strangling the cat to death. There was no sadness or guilt on her face—only pleasure. The cat’s claws left scratches on her hands, yet her eyes gleamed with twisted satisfaction.
Tears streamed down little Anamika’s face, but her tongue refused to move. It felt as if her soul had slipped out of her small body.
Her gaze, however, was fixed not on the cat—but on the faint scratch on her own hand, made accidentally while playing with it.
Even then, and even now, Anamika asked herself the same question: “How can a single scratch… deserve death?”
Her hands trembled. Curling herself tightly into her chair, she buried her face in her arms.
Meanwhile
A little while later…
The meeting ended. Ruhi picked up the summary papers to hand over to Aditya. But as she approached, he hurried out, leaving her puzzled.
Aditya walked straight towards Anamika’s cabin and knocked. No answer.
His heart pounded, but he didn’t want to repeat the mistake of barging in—like he did on the first day. He knocked again. Still silence.
Just then, Ruhi arrived behind him.
“What happened, sir?” she asked.
“Anamika isn’t opening the door,” Aditya replied, worried.
Ruhi twisted the knob casually and said, “Then let’s just see what our lady boss is up to!”
They entered. The room was dim. Anamika sat slumped over her desk, fast asleep.
“There you go!” Ruhi chuckled. “Lady boss is just enjoying a nap. And you were worrying for nothing!”
Aditya hesitated.
“Right… I’ll come back later. Put the file in my cabin for me.”
“Okay!” Ruhi nodded and walked away.
Now alone, Aditya stepped closer. Brushing aside a few strands of hair from her face, he froze—her eyes were swollen. His chest tightened.
He gently lifted her into his arms, and that’s when he noticed the manga panel on her desk.
“Was she… crying while drawing this? Is this scene the reason behind her tears? What… does it mean?”
Questions flooded his mind, but more than curiosity, it was concern that weighed on him.
He carried Anamika to the couch. Just then, her small hand clutched his suit jacket. The hold wasn’t strong, yet it felt like something she desperately needed.
Aditya smiled softly. He slipped off his shoes, sat down on the floor beside her, and held her hand tightly—promising silently that she wouldn’t have to feel afraid anymore.
When he caressed her forehead gently, Anamika clasped his hand with both of hers, as if she wanted him to stay close.
