Morning arrived too quickly.

Too cruelly.

Because everyone knew Aditya had to leave today.

The house stayed unusually emotional since morning itself.

Sia kept packing extra food despite Aditya repeatedly saying no.

“Khaana already hai train mein.”

“And my food is better.”

“No argument there.”

Aryan checked his tickets twice even though Aditya already had everything arranged.

“You kept medicines?”

“Yes.”

“Doctor number?”

“Yes.”

“Drive carefully there too.”

Aditya smiled softly.

“Yes ”

Aryan tried acting unaffected hearing that.

Failed slightly.

Meanwhile Kashvi stayed strangely quiet the entire morning.

Helping him pack.

Folding clothes silently.

Keeping medicines properly.

Checking everything twice.

Like delaying his leaving somehow.

At one point Aditya quietly watched her placing his hoodie inside bag carefully.

Then softly asked,

“You’re packing or emotionally blackmailing?”

Kashvi looked up immediately.

“That hoodie smells like me.”

“Exactly why I’m taking it.”

That answer softened him instantly.

Later before leaving…

Sia forced everyone to eat breakfast together properly.

“Like normal people,” she insisted.

Aditya sat between Aryan and Kashvi while Sia served food lovingly.

And for few moments…

It actually felt like family.

Real family.

Warm.

Complete.

Then suddenly Aryan looked toward Aditya seriously.

“One thing.”

Aditya looked up.

“If anything feels difficult there…”

His voice softened slightly.

“You call.”

Not formal.

Not polite.

Just genuine.

Aditya nodded quietly.

Because somehow…

That concern affected him more than expected.

Before leaving, Kashvi walked with him till outside gate.

Neither spoke initially.

Words suddenly felt too small.

Finally Aditya softly held her face.

“You’ll miss me?”

Kashvi instantly glared emotionally.

“I already do.”

That answer hit him deeply.

He smiled faintly then kissed her forehead slowly.

Then one soft kiss near her temple.

Very gentle.

Very lingering.

Like trying to carry her warmth with him.

“Take care of yourself,” Kashvi whispered quietly.

“You too.”

“And call me after reaching.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“And medicines on time.”

“Yes wife.”

Kashvi looked around immediately.

“Adi!”

He laughed softly for first time properly in days.

Then suddenly pulled her into tight hug.

Very tight.

Kashvi instantly wrapped arms around him too.

Neither wanting to let go first.

Against her hair softly he whispered,

“I’ll come back soon.”

This time…

She chose to believe him.

Hours later…

Pune felt cold.

Empty.

Heavy.

The ancestral house looked exactly same.

Old walls.

Quiet rooms.

Memories everywhere.

Dadi hugged him emotionally the moment he entered.

And for some time…

That comfort kept him stable.

But evening destroyed everything again.

Because both his parents arrived together.

For divorce discussions.

Legal papers.

Property talks.

Formal voices.

Cold expressions.

Like years of broken marriage had finally reached ending point.

Aditya stood silently in living room while lawyers spoke nearby.

His mother looked exhausted.

His father looked irritated.

And suddenly…

Something inside him snapped.

“Enough.”

The room went silent instantly.

Both parents looked toward him.

Aditya stepped back slowly.

Laughing once bitterly under breath.

“You know what’s funny?”

His eyes looked tired now.

Emotionally exhausted.

“From childhood… my life has always been exactly like this because of both of you.”

Neither parent spoke.

Because somewhere…

They knew he was right.

“School functions…”

His voice hardened slightly.

“Birthdays…”

Another pause.

“Hospital when Dadu died…”

Pain flashed openly now.

“You both never stood together anywhere.”

His mother tried speaking softly,

“Adi…”

“No.”

For first time his voice broke sharply.

Not loud.

Just hurt.

Years of hurt.

“You know what childhood feels like when your parents only meet for fights?”

Silence crushed room completely.

Aditya looked away briefly controlling emotions.

Then laughed bitterly again.

“I spent years thinking maybe someday we’ll become normal family.”

His jaw tightened painfully.

“But you both were always too busy breaking things.”

His father finally stepped toward him slightly.

“Aditya calm down.”

That sentence somehow made everything worse.

“Don’t.”

His eyes filled slightly now though tears still refused falling.

“Please don’t suddenly act like parents today.”

The raw honesty in that sentence shattered atmosphere.

Then quietly…

Much quieter…

Aditya whispered,

“I don’t need anything from either of you anymore.”

His mother looked devastated hearing that.

But he continued anyway.

“Please just go.”

He stepped back slowly afterward.

Voice exhausted now.

“I’m happy with Dadi.”

Then after small pause he added softly,

“And honestly…”

His eyes lowered slightly remembering warm breakfast table back in Roy house.

Remembering Kashvi.

Sia.

Aryan.

Laughter.

Care.

Belonging.

“…I already found people who stay.”

That indirect confession silenced even his parents completely.

Because for first time…

Aditya no longer sounded like lonely child begging for family.

He sounded like someone who had finally found one elsewhere.

And somewhere far away meanwhile…

Kashvi sat in her room holding his hoodie quietly.

Missing him already.

Completely unaware…

That in middle of broken family chaos…

She herself had become his safest place.

Ch 47 Trust him

Night became unbearably quiet after his parents left.

Too quiet.

The ancestral house suddenly felt heavier than ever.

Aditya sat alone in his grandfather’s old study room.

One dim lamp on.

Rain outside again.

And silence pressing against his chest painfully.

His grandfather’s chair still stood near window exactly same way.

Books untouched.

Spectacles still kept beside table.

Everything looked frozen in memories.

For first time since evening…

Aditya’s control finally cracked little.

Not loudly.

Not dramatically.

Just exhausted silence breaking slowly.

He rubbed both hands over face tiredly and leaned back against chair.

His parents’ voices still echoed inside head.

Arguments.

Coldness.

Distance.

Years of emotional emptiness.

Then suddenly his eyes fell on phone screen.

Kashvi’s wallpaper smiling back at him.

And something inside him softened immediately.

Painfully softly.

Without thinking much he pressed call button.

The moment Kashvi answered…

Everything inside him stilled little.

“Adi?”

Just hearing her voice felt like breathing again.

“You reached?” she asked softly.

“Hm.”

“Did you eat?”

“No.”

“Aditya.”

There it was.

That familiar scolding care.

And somehow…

His chest hurt emotionally hearing it.

Kashvi instantly sensed something off.

“You okay?”

Aditya closed eyes briefly.

Lie stayed at edge of lips.

But tonight he sounded too tired even for pretending properly.

“Hm.”

“Liar.”

A small broken smile appeared on his face.

Because only she could identify his silence this quickly.

For few moments neither spoke much.

But somehow…

Even silence with her felt comforting.

Safe.

Meanwhile downstairs in Roy house…

Kashvi walked toward kitchen still holding phone after call ended.

Aryan sat there drinking water quietly.

The moment he looked at her face…

He knew she was worried again.

Kashvi sat beside him softly.

“Dad?”

“Hm?”

“You and Adi are hiding something from me.”

Straight question.

No hesitation.

Aryan stayed silent for moment.

Then sighed softly.

“Yes.”

Kashvi’s chest tightened instantly.

“What is it?”

Aryan looked toward her calmly.

Then softly said,

“Trust him little more.”

Her eyes immediately searched his face.

“He’ll tell you himself when he’s ready.”

Kashvi stayed quiet after that.

Because somewhere…

She trusted both of them too much to force answers.

So finally she nodded slowly.

“Okay.”

But her heart still felt restless.

Back in Pune…

Dadi quietly entered study room carrying warm milk.

Then stopped seeing Aditya lost in thoughts again.

“You spoke to her?”

Aditya looked up slightly surprised.

“How do you always know?”

Dadi smiled knowingly.

“Because your entire face changes after talking to that girl.”

Small real smile appeared on his lips this time.

Rare.

Soft.

Dadi slowly sat beside him.

“She makes you peaceful.”

That sentence hit him unexpectedly hard.

Because yes.

Kashvi really did.

For years his life felt divided between broken relationships and emotional distance.

But Kashvi somehow made everything feel simple.

Warm.

Certain.

Home-like.

Dadi gently touched his hair.

“You smile differently nowadays.”

Aditya looked down quietly.

Then softly admitted,

“She feels like home.”

Meanwhile next evening at Roy house…

Sia unconsciously made extra tea again.

Then stopped midway.

“Oh.”

Aryan looked up from newspaper.

“What happened?”

“I still make four cups.”

Silence followed briefly.

Because everyone missed him already.

Even Aryan noticed house felt strangely empty without random teasing and loud arguments.

No one stealing Kashvi’s food.

No one annoying him purposely.

No one calling him Mr. Roy every ten minutes.

CH 48 ALWAYS

Later that night Aryan quietly took phone and called Aditya himself.

Pune room stayed silent when phone vibrated.

Aditya looked surprised seeing caller ID.

“Mr.roy”

The name itself softened him unexpectedly.

He answered quickly.

“Hello?”

Aryan’s calm voice came immediately.

“You ate something?”

Simple question.

Simple concern.

Yet Aditya went completely silent for second.

Because nobody really asked him things like that before.

Not genuinely.

“Hm,” he answered softly.

“Medicine?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

Small silence followed.

Then Aryan spoke again much softer this time.

“And stop carrying everything alone.”

Aditya’s throat tightened unexpectedly hearing that.

Before he could answer…

Aryan casually added,

“Kashvi is pretending she’s fine by the way.”

Immediate concern entered his voice.

“What happened?”

Aryan almost smiled slightly.

“She misses you idiot.”

That answer finally made Aditya laugh softly again.

Real laugh.

Later that night Kashvi video called him.

The moment her face appeared on screen…

Aditya instantly relaxed visibly.

Kashvi noticed immediately.

“You looked tired before.”

“You look cute now.”

“Deflection.”

“Observation.”

She narrowed eyes but smiled anyway.

And for almost an hour…

Both simply talked quietly.

Random things.

College gossip.

Sia’s overfeeding.

Aryan missing someone to argue with.

Small things.

Comforting things.

At one point Kashvi slowly lay down holding phone near pillow.

“Come back soon.”

Aditya stared at screen quietly.

At her sleepy face.

At softness in her eyes reserved only for him.

Then very softly whispered,

“Always back to you.”

Few minutes later Kashvi unknowingly fell asleep during call itself.

Phone still near cheek.

Breathing soft and peaceful.

Aditya stayed watching silently.

Not disconnecting.

Just looking at her quietly.

And somewhere inside lonely Pune night…

For first time after years of family chaos…

He no longer felt alone anymore.