Around Midnight...At Aditya’s House
Aditya had changed out of his white shirt. He was now dressed in black.
As he unlocked the door and stepped inside, he noticed that the lights in the hall were on. His eyes moved instinctively—and he froze for a moment.
Three pairs of men’s shoes… and a woman’s sandals.
He took a deep breath and walked in.
Inside the hall sat Aniket, Shekhar, Rivan, and Ira.
Rivan and Ira were seated on either side of Shekhar, clinging to him like two mischievous little conspirators, while Aniket sat opposite them. One glance at Aniket’s face made it clear—he had just been thoroughly scolded.
Aditya entered without any visible emotion.
The moment Ira saw him, she jumped up and ran toward him, hugging him tightly.
“Bhai! After so many days—we finally meet!”
She pulled back, made a pouty face, grabbed his hand, and complained, “Don’t you miss me at all, bhai?”
Aditya smiled faintly, placed a hand on her head, and said softly, “I miss you a lot… but some things stop me.”
Shekhar’s expression shifted subtly.
In a firm, authoritative tone, he said, “Come here, Aditya. Sit.”
Without questioning, Aditya slipped his hands into his pockets and sat beside Aniket.
Shekhar spoke sharply, “Just how busy are the two of you that you don’t even have time for these kids? Rivan and Ira are organizing an art fair—an exhibition meant to support new artists. And you both are lost in your own worlds! Help them.”
Aniket replied, “Dad… I’m telling the truth. This month we conducted an internal audit for the company. We found some issues, and resolving them took most of my time. But I’ll help Rivan—I promise.”
“That’s enough,” Shekhar interrupted with a gesture, then turned to Aditya.
“And you? These days even Ruhi is handling most of your office work. Where exactly are you—”
“I don’t want to talk about this,” Aditya cut him off, standing up.
“And as for helping Rivan—you can leave that to me. I’ll handle everything. But in my own way.”
He turned to leave.
This time, Shekhar’s voice softened.
“Everyone here knows where you’ve been busy for the past six months. How long will you keep hiding it? Come here.”
Aditya tried to ignore him.
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“I said—come here, Aditya.”
Reluctantly, Aditya stepped forward.
Shekhar motioned for him to sit. Aditya obeyed, turning his face away.
Shekhar unbuttoned three buttons of Aditya’s shirt and gently pulled the fabric aside from his right shoulder.
A bandage was wrapped around his arm—still fresh, stained with blood.
Aditya looked like a child caught stealing.
Ira gasped anxiously. “Bhai! Does it hurt? And what is this terrible bandage? Who tied this—some idiot?!”
Aditya replied innocently, “I did it myself.”
Shekhar exhaled deeply.
“Ira, bring the first-aid kit.”
She rushed off immediately.
As soon as she left, Shekhar said quietly, “How many times have I told you—not to go there alone?”
“I wasn’t alone,” Aditya replied.
“My men were there. Mr. Shah too.”
Rivan puffed his cheeks.
“Then how did you still get hurt?! I can’t believe it—Mr. Shah couldn’t even take proper care of you!”
Aditya shot him a brief glance.
Shekhar began unwrapping the bandage. It was so loosely tied that it came off with barely any effort.
Ira returned with the first-aid kit. Shekhar cleaned the wound and redressed it carefully.
The moment it was done, Aditya stood up to leave.
He had just taken a step toward his room when Ira’s innocent question stopped him.
“Bhai… I really miss Delicate Flower. Haven’t you found out anything about her yet?”
Aditya’s gaze dropped. His fist clenched.
Images of his failures flooded his mind.
Without a word, he walked away.
Watching him leave, Shekhar spoke softly, like still water hiding depth.
“Stop hurting yourself, Adi. When that girl comes back into your life… and finds out you hurt yourself like this for her—she won’t be able to bear it. She already hates love.”
Aditya paused for a fraction of a second—then walked faster, shut his bedroom door, and locked it.
Rivan sighed and said to Ira, “Big bro has convinced himself that Anamika will only be found in the underworld. All of this started because of Rudra. He connected Saniya’s accident with Anamika’s disappearance and theorized that someone linked to Anamika’s mother from the underworld might’ve taken her.”
Aniket replied seriously, “If Rudra said it, there must be a reason. He understands Anamika and Saniya’s past better than anyone. That’s why I trust his theory. I want to search for Anamika too—but Aditya insists I stay with Saniya.”
His voice faltered.
“I’m scared… the day Saniya wakes up, she’ll want to see Anamika. What will I do then?”
His eyes lowered.
Silence filled the room.
Then Ira chirped like a little bird, “Don’t worry! I’m sure my brother’s Anamika is safe. He’ll find her—and if he doesn’t, I will! Delicate Flower promised me she’d display her painting at this exhibition when I shared the idea with her six months ago. I just need to recognize her painting!”
Her eyes sparkled with mischief and faith.
Elsewhere…
Aditya lay curled up on his bed.
It wasn’t cold—but he felt cold.
He wasn’t sick—yet his heart ached.
Moonlight spilled through his balcony as he stared at it silently.
At the same time
Ruhi stepped out and paused at her door.
Rudra was sitting there, leaning against it, arms crossed—fast asleep.
She walked over and crouched beside him.
Her face was unreadable.
She gently ran her fingers through his hair, then squeezed his shoulders lightly.
“Stop acting, drama king.”
Rudra smiled, grabbed her hand, and looked up. “You knew I was awake? How, sweetheart?”
“When you’re asleep and I touch your hair,” she said calmly, “you always grab my hand and pull it to your chest like a soft toy.”
“Oh?” he laughed.
“Learned something new about myself today. How many times have you seen me asleep?”
“In these six months, you’ve been doing a lot of overtime at the hospital,” she replied.
“And sometimes when I visit, I find you asleep from exhaustion.”
Rudra stood up slowly.
“I’m just trying to do Saniya’s work in her place. I could hire another doctor—I already have—but my heart doesn’t agree. She’s in a coma… and every time Aniket visits her, I realize that somehow… all of this is my—”
“It’s not your fault,” Ruhi interrupted gently, opening the door.
She held his hand, looked into his eyes, and said firmly, “Six months ago, when I learned the truth about you, Saniya, and Anamika—and even today—I’ll keep saying this every day: none of you were at fault for what happened in the past. Not you. Not at all.”
She took a breath.
“Anamika’s disappearance… Saniya’s accident… maybe they aren’t coincidences. But they were never your responsibility. None of it was your fault. Understand?”
Rudra leaned closer with a mischievous smile.
“And if I don’t understand… is there a special way you’ll make me, sweetheart? A very beautiful way?”
Ruhi puffed her cheeks and walked inside.
“If you never want to understand, then I’ll never meet you again.”
As she removed her sandals, Rudra grabbed her from behind.
His large hands held her waist—firm, but gentle.
Resting his head on her shoulder, he whispered, “Please… don’t say that. I don’t want to ache for my love like Aditya or Aniket. Please.”
Ruhi cupped his cheek and smiled. “Then will you agree with me?”
He nodded like a cute puppy.
She pulled him inside, saying, “Since you’re with me and near me—you’re mine. And I won’t ever let you go. So what’s there to fear?”
Elsewhere…
In the room where Anamika was imprisoned, moonlight slipped through a small window in the ceiling.
Lying on the floor, she gazed at the moon and whispered, “Are you sad? Don’t be… smile. Eat well.”
At the same time, Aditya stood before his mirror.
He buttoned his shirt carefully, hiding his wounds.
After a deep breath, he smiled softly.
“I’m taking care of myself. I try to smile every day—so that when I meet you again, I can tell you with a beautiful smile what my decision is… what I think after knowing your truth.”
