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Aashima looks at Vikrant. By now, she clearly understands that Ravindra Dhanraj is no more, so she doesn’t fear any consequences. However, when it comes to Sonia, she is still deeply sensitive and emotionally involved. She wants Vikrant to meet his mother at any cost and wishes to help Sonia escape her traumatic condition. So she continues with urgency and conviction:

“In all the history I reviewed about her, one thing was clear—her mental condition had severely deteriorated after she had a child and met with an accident. After conducting several tests, it wasevident that she was being severely beaten and, worse, sexually assaulted. Mr. Dhanraj wanted us to administer treatments that would somehow make her hatred for him transform into love—he wanted her to love only him. But the truth was, after losing her children, she had already lost her mental balance completely. The only thing that stayed in her shattered mind was the belief that it was because of Sir that she had lost her baby. Regardless of what her condition was, that hatred never faded from her eyes. Every time she looked at him, it was with nothing but pure, fierce loathing. Whenever she got the chance, she would attack him violently; anything that came to her hand, she would use to hit him. This enraged Mr. Dhanraj further. He would often beat her in return, especially in fits of rage. According to him, it was the trauma of losing a child who had unhinged her, and his twisted solution was to make her pregnant again at any cost. But nature never allowed it."

Vikrant is listening to everything very silently, but it is like burning lava in his ear. Ashima is telling him everything because she just wants to end Sonia's torturous past.

“All medical reports were clear—there was no biological reason preventing Madam Sonia from conceiving again. Yet, despite everything, she could never become a mother again. Mr. Dhanraj even tried bringing in young girls around her, perhaps to trigger maternal instincts in her, but she never looked at anyone with affection. Every time, she would lash out—her hatred toward him was unchanging. She tried to hurt him in every possible way. That rejection drove him insane; he became so obsessed that he told us explicitly to perform whatever kind of treatment necessary to make her love him, which, honestly, was impossible. He always claimed that he loved her so much, and to show his love, he always got intimate with her, which worsened her condition. She always pushes him away, and herignorance and rejection are beyond his tolerance. We are forced to give her treatment to make her love him back. But we were all trapped in that situation. Saying ‘no’ to him was not an option. Under such circumstances, several unethical experiments were conducted on her, but none of them ever succeeded in healing her or changing her behavior.”

Vikrant clenches his fists in anger and shuts his eyes tightly. Sitting next to him, Jhankar notices and gently places her hand over his, sensing the storm of emotions raging inside him. She wants to offer silent support in this painful moment. Aashima continues, her voice steady but heavy with emotion:

“One of the biggest problems was that whenever Mr. Dhanraj tried to get close to her, she got violent. Her psychotic breakdowns became more frequent; she would get aggressive, hurt herself, and even try to harm those around her. I finally gathered the courage to tell Mr. Dhanraj that what he was doing was utterly wrong and that it would severely damage Sonia Ma'am’s fragile state. But it was as if he couldn’t hear me; he just didn’t want to understand. That’s when I decided I had to meet you somehow. I knew I could never go against Ravindra Dhanraj directly. The only chance I had of saving her was by reaching you, her only hope, her son. So I tried to find you. I made it to your office, but before I could meet you, they kidnapped me. They told me I had been brought to treat Ma'am. They threatened to harm my family if I ever tried to escape. They confined me and kept a close watch on me, and though some of the men had disgusting intentions, they never acted on them because of Mr. Dhanraj’s looming threat. That fear was the only thing keeping me safe."

“Then one night, a few days ago, Mr. Dhanraj was out; where he went, I don’t know. But that night, I heard Sonia Ma'amscreaming. Her cries echoed through the entire house. I had a clear sense of what was being done to her. He is again forcing himself on her. That night, for some reason, I found the courage I had long buried. I knew I had to get out, no matter the cost. I had tried escaping before and had been beaten terribly for it. But they never killed me because they couldn’t bear to bring in another doctor; any new doctor would need to be told everything all over again, and that was too risky for them. I remember only that Mr. Dhanraj didn’t come back for three whole days, which was unusual because he used to visit Sonia Ma'am every other day without fail. So in his absence, I finally managed to slip out. I ran as fast as I could. It was pitch dark outside, the forest around me felt endless, but I didn’t stop. I had no idea where I was going; I only knew I had to escape. For two days, I wandered through the forest without food, water, or any sense of direction. My body was giving up, but I kept pushing forward. At one point, I realized that they might have sent people after me. I felt their presence; it was as though they were closing in on me. That fear pushed me to run faster, with every last ounce of strength in me. And then... the last thing I remember was being hit. I don’t know where or how—I just remember that I was running, and then... everything went dark.”

Vikrant stood still, unable to say a single word after hearing everything. Jhankar gently placed her hand on his shoulder, but he still didn’t respond. She understood too well that for a son, hearing all this about his mother was devastating. After a long pause, Vikrant finally turned to the doctor and spoke.

“You must have heard everything about Mr. Dhanraj by now. As for my mother, I want her treatment . I want the best doctors for her. If there’s any change needed in her treatment, or if there’s even the slightest hope, please tell me. I’m willing to do whatever you say.”

Ashima simply nodded softly in agreement. Vikrant then turned to look at Jhankar, whose gaze was fixed gently on him. She smiled faintly and said with warmth in her voice:

“I want to meet her too. Let’s go home now. I don't want to stay in the hospital anymore.”

“Jhankar, please. We’re not going anywhere. You insisted on coming here as it is…”

“Well, since you already gave in to that stubbornness of mine, then please agree to this little as well too. Let’s go home. I know you don’t want to stay away from your mother anymore either.”

Vikrant listened quietly with his head lowered, her words sinking deep into his soul. Without saying anything further, he gently lifted her in his arms and held her tightly, so firmly, as if in that moment, she was his only anchor. Jhankar, fully aware of the emotional storm he was going through, simply wrapped her arms around his neck and silently assured him, I’m here with you, in everything.

~~~

Jhankar looked toward Sonia. Her attention was nowhere near them; as usual, she was fully immersed in talking to her doll. That first glimpse of Sonia pierced Jhankar’s heart so deeply that it almost stopped. But she steadied herself, holding back her tears, and grasped Vikrant’s hand, asking him gently:

“What have you thought about her…? She doesn’t recognize you, and she isn’t ready to listen to anyone either.”

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do… or how to do it. But slowly… I believe we’ll figure it out. I’ll have to give a lot of things time now. I need to focus entirely on her.”

Sharda had been watching them and quietly walked over with a plate of food. She looked at Vikrant and spoke with affection.

“You go eat at the dining table. Jhankar can eat here comfortably. Sitting on the sofa will be easier for her than a chair.”

Vikrant glanced over at Sonia, who was sitting a short distance away, still occupied with her doll. He approached her and said gently,

“Lunch is served. We should eat now.”

Sonia immediately looked at him, then turned to glance at Sharda, and then clutched her doll as she stepped closer with hope.

“She’s hungry. I’ll feed her. Just give me a little food. I won’t trouble you. I’ll even do whatever you say, but she’s hungry. No one feeds her.”

Sharda instantly choked back her tears and looked toward Vikrant, whose gaze was still fixed on Sonia. Jhankar, who was sitting nearby, didn’t wait a moment. She quickly scooped some rice and lentils into a bowl, mixed them gently, and offered it to Sonia.

“It's really tasty. Please, feed her. She’ll like it.”

Sonia looked at her with a sweet smile, took the bowl without hesitation, and sat down on the floor right there. Every eye in the room was on Sonia now, watching her carefully feed her doll with a spoon. Even though the food was spilling more onto the ground than going into the doll’s mouth, for a mother, the simple act of feeding her "child" was enough to bring peace. Vikrant immediately turned to the staff and said firmly,

“Serve everyone’s food right here. We’re all eating here today.”

Sharda was stunned for a moment. Vikrant had always preferred sitting properly at the dining table, with every formality in place. But now, he simply smiled and sat down on the sofa, ready to eat where Sonia was. Vikrant moved closer, sitting on the floor directly in front of Sonia. Sonia looked at him and smiled; she was genuinely happy that her "daughter" was eating. Vikrant, on the other hand, only wanted to see that smile. That alone gave him strength. Sharda stroked Vikrant’s hair affectionately. He gently held her hand and laid his head on her knee, craving the same comfort he used to find in her lap as a child. Lunch soon arrived.

Vikrant picked up the first bite and offered it to Sharda, who smiled and kissed his forehead lovingly. Then, without delay, he extended the second bite toward Sonia. She looked at the food, then at him, and hesitantly asked,