As soon as the door opened and Aniket saw Aditya standing there, he gave a weak smile and said, “Hey… bro! Um, actually, last night I met a friend from the office, and he—he forced me to drink… I swear!”

  Aditya’s expression didn’t change.

  There wasn’t the faintest trace of a smile on his lips, nor any sparkle in his eyes.

  It was as if he were a robot — emotionless and cold.

  He walked inside.

  In his hands was a tray with a glass of lemon water and Aniket’s clothes.

  He set it down quietly and left the room without saying a word.

  It was as though Aniket didn’t even exist there.

  Aniket blinked in disbelief, muttering to himself, “Wow, he’s really angry this time. Didn’t even acknowledge me!”

  Thinking this, Aniket drank the lemon water meant for him, while outside in the kitchen, Aditya was making breakfast, muttering under his breath, “‘My friend forced me to drink’— yeah right! As if I’ll believe that nonsense!”

  His anger was evident in the way he chopped and stirred — harsh, sharp movements — but no one could guess from his face what kind of storm was raging inside him.

  And then… his mind drifted back to a memory from years ago.

  Aniket was injured.

  There was dried blood on the corner of his lip, his hand was bleeding, and his eyes were red.

  Aditya was applying ointment to his wounds and scolding him at the same time.

  “What was the need to fight?! You could’ve just walked away! Do you think you’re some movie hero who can fight four people at once?”

  To that, Aniket pouted and said, “They had to be taught a lesson! They knew I don’t drink, but still tried to force me! I don’t tolerate anyone’s pressure. Now when they even think of forcing me again, they’ll remember their time in the hospital! I got off easy this time… but those four are gonna be there for a whole week!”

  Aditya chuckled and said, “Your ideals are not just beautiful — they’re dangerous too!”

  Aniket grinned.

  “Of course they are! The beauty in my ideals comes from your parents, and the dangerous side — that’s from mine!”

  They both laughed heartily back then.

  Now

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  Aditya’s eyes remained blank.

  He took a deep breath and sat down.

  He tried to recall his parents’ smiles…

  But the moment he closed his eyes, all he could see was his burning house — and the two lifeless bodies inside it.

  His breath quickened.

  His ears filled with countless voices, but one sound drowned out all the rest —

  the heart-wrenching cry of his little sister, Ira.

  Then suddenly, his phone rang.

  Seeing Ira’s name flash on the screen, he exhaled deeply… and a faint, beautiful smile appeared on his lips.

  It was impossible to tell what emotion lay behind it.

  Ira chirped happily, “Bhai! I just woke up, and you’re not here! I want to have breakfast with you today — made by you, just like yesterday! I’m going to freshen up now, so tell me — will you be home before that, or do I give you a penalty?”

  She stretched the last word playfully.

  Aditya chuckled, “Oh no! I get scared the moment you say ‘penalty’! I’m not taking that risk — I’ll run over right now!”

  “Okay then, see you soon, bhai!” she said and hung up.

  Aditya stood up, plated the breakfast he made for Aniket, and placed it neatly on the dining table.

  Next to it, he left a small note.

  Then he stepped out of the house.

  Moments laterbut Aditya was gone.

  The hall still looked as messy as it had the previous night.

  He checked the kitchen — no Aditya there either.

  Then his eyes landed on the breakfast at the table.

  He walked over sluggishly and spotted the note beside the plate.

  He picked it up and began to read:

  (Aniket’s expression changed — he knew this was just the beginning.)

  (Aniket sighed. ‘So now even cleaning up is forbidden?’)

  (His eyes widened. ‘That’s harsh! I’m his friend!’)

  (He smiled softly — ‘That’s more like him.’)

  (And that smile disappeared instantly.)

  Throwing the note aside, he yelled, “Man! He got all his good manners from his parents… but where the hell did he get that anger from?!”

  He made a face and sat down to eat.

  Meanwhile, Aditya reached Aniket’s house about half an hour later,

  The moment Shekhar saw him, he asked sternly, “That rascal isn’t back yet?”

  Aditya smiled faintly.

  “He was still asleep, Uncle.”

  Shekhar frowned.

  “Still sleeping?! When will that boy grow up? And by the way, he stayed at your place last night, didn’t he? Why?”

  Aditya shrugged casually. “No idea, Uncle. He just comes, eats, and sleeps. I come home late, so I never really notice when he sneaks in.”

  Aditya said this deliberately — because he knew Shekhar’s temper was explosive.

  And since Aditya himself was angry with Aniket, he didn’t mind stirring up a little extra trouble for him today.

  Before Shekhar could say more, Ira appeared.

  The moment she saw Aditya, her face lit up.

  She grabbed both Shekhar and Aditya’s hands and said, “Talk at the table! I’m starving!”

  Aditya smiled.

  “I brought breakfast from home — you said you wanted something cooked by me.”

  “Great, bhai!” Ira chirped like a child, taking the tiffin box from his hands and skipping ahead, with Aditya and Shekhar following behind.

  Meanwhile, at Anamika’s house,

  Saniya stepped out of her room into the living area — and to her surprise, Anamika was already up and dressed, sitting on the couch.

  That, in itself, was unusual.

  Saniya glanced at her once and headed toward the kitchen, saying, “So… is Aditya taking you to some art meeting or exhibition again today?”

  “I want to talk to you,” Anamika said softly — calm but firm.

  Saniya turned to look at her.

  There was no fear on her face this time — something that made Saniya quietly happy.

  What she didn’t realize was that Anamika’s heart was still trembling.

  Her hands and feet wanted to shake from nervousness, but she fought hard to stop them.

  She didn’t want Saniya to see her weakness again — not this time.

  She had promised Aditya that she would make herself stronger — strong enough to protect him… and her friends.

  And this was her first step — to ask every question she had been afraid to ask.

  Saniya sat across from her and said, “Go on. What do you want to talk about, all of a sudden?”

  Anamika closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them and looked straight into Saniya’s eyes.

  In her heart, she whispered to herself:

  “Today, I will get my answers… no matter what!

  Who gave you those earrings as a gift?

  What did your question yesterday really mean?

  And lastly… why did you hide my father’s illness from me?”

  Silence filled the space between them — but Anamika’s mind was flooded with thoughts.