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The way Vikrant looks at her in that moment makes Jhankar feel like she wants to tell him everything. But she finds herself speechless, as if caught in the magic of his gaze. Chitrali doesn’t take long to understand what Vikrant is trying to convey. She quietly goes into the kitchen, and Raghunath comes and sits beside their daughter, lovingly stroking her head. Vikrant watches Raghunath with admiration as he comforts Jhankar. His eyes then follow Chitrali into the kitchen, where she is boiling something in a pan. He walks over to her without delay and watches her closely. Chitrali smiles softly at his presence and begins explaining.

“This herbal water brings a lot of relief during this time. Drinking it two or three times helps ease the pain significantly. If Jhankar drinks it now, she’ll start feeling better soon and if she takes it again before bed, she’ll get a restful sleep because the pain will have reduced by then.”

Vikrant nods attentively, carefully noting everything she does. Chitrali boils the mixture properly, strains it, and allows it to cool slightly for Jhankar to drink comfortably. Vikrant’s eyes keep darting toward Jhankar, he’s clearly distressed seeing her in so much pain. Chitrali brings the warm drink to Jhankar and helps her sip it gently, ensuring she doesn’t burn her lips in haste. Vikrant watches every moment intently, and Jhankar canfeel his gaze something about it sends a strange flutter through her entire body. The pain is still intense, but Vikrant’s constant attention keeps distracting her from it, making her focus only on him. A few moments after drinking the warm remedy, Jhankar feels a bit of relief and lies down, resting her head in her mother’s lap. Raghunath looks at the mother and daughter fondly and turns to Chitrali with a smile.

“You just take care of our daughter. I’ll handle dinner tonight.”

Vikrant glances at him in surprise, but Raghunath simply smiles at him and walks into the kitchen. Vikrant quickly takes off his coat and follows Raghunath into the kitchen. Seeing Vikrant enter, Raghunath smiles and says,

"My daughter really enjoys dal (lentils) and rice when it’s full of good spices, and she eats it quite well too. That’s why we often cook the same dish."

Vikrant gently nods and starts observing Raghunath closely, watching how he prepares everything. Raghunath glances at Vikrant now and then, clearly pleased by the genuine interest Vikrant is showing. Meanwhile, Vikrant also looks toward Jhankar, who seems to have fallen asleep resting her head on her mother’s lap. She looks much more relaxed now. Seeing all this gives Vikrant a strange but comforting sense of happiness. After a while, once the two men finish cooking, Chitrali looks at them with a smile and gently strokes Jhankar’s head as she says,

“Jhankar, the food is ready. Come, let’s eat quickly. Then you can have that herbal water again to help you feel even better.”

Jhankar looks at her mother and then shifts her gaze toward the dining area, where Vikrant is standing with Raghunath, setting the table. She quickly sits up upon seeing him. His shirt sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, and several buttons of his shirt areopen. She knows very well how hot it can get in the kitchen, and Vikrant isn’t used to that kind of heat. Silently watching him, she walks toward the dining table and sits down, then asks her father,

“Did you cook the food?”

Raghunath immediately pats Vikrant on the back and, smiling, says to Jhankar,

“Yes, we both cooked the food.”

Jhankar looks at Vikrant, who is smiling back at her. But she herself can't bring herself to smile back, overwhelmed by the thought that he went through all this effort just for her, even when he didn’t have to. She remains silent and joins everyone at the table for the meal. Vikrant also sits down and starts eating with them, which makes Chitrali smile softly. Everyone eats quietly and peacefully, but Jhankar keeps stealing glances at Vikrant. Deep down, she feels a strange restlessness a feeling she can’t quite explain. After finishing dinner, Chitrali looks at Jhankar, who now seems much better than before. Smiling, she says to Vikrant:

“It’s been a long time since I had something sweet. I had prepared something earlier, I’ll just warm it up and bring it. But you look quite exhausted from the heat, so you should go rest in Vyom’s room , there’s an AC there; you’ll be more comfortable. Jhankar, take Vikrant to Vyom’s room.”

Vikrant immediately wanted to protest, but as soon as Chitrali asked Jhankar to take him there, he fell silent. Jhankar stood up from her seat, and Vikrant followed her. Although Vikrant had visited this house many times before, he had never properly explored all the rooms. As they walked past Raghunath and Chitrali’s room, Vikrant glanced at it and asked Jhankar,

“Uncle and aunty must struggle a lot in the heat. The AC should’ve been in their room. Why is it in Vyom’s room instead?”

Feeling much better now, Jhankar smiled as she entered Vyom’s room, turned on the AC, and replied playfully,

“It used to be in Mom and Dad’s room, but Brother would always barge in and sleep there just for the AC. It was a huge inconvenience for both of them. Now just imagine, what happens when a giant thorn suddenly shows up between two lovebirds? Of course, it causes problems… So, to solve it, they simply removed the AC from their room and placed it here. That way, he had no reason to sneak in. Though, after that, the two of us used to be secretly scared that some unknown third sibling would suddenly show up demanding a share in the property…”

Hearing this, Vikrant burst out laughing. Jhankar turned around and looked at him, amused, as he kept laughing and said.

“How do such brilliant ideas even pop into your head?”

“I don’t need special classes for this,” she replied with a smirk. “My mood is always good, that’s probably why you remain tolerable too. Though I have no idea why you suddenly act all grumpy sometimes.”

Looking at her intently, Vikrant responded,

“You have a lovely family, so you wouldn’t understand how hard it is for a single parent to raise children. There are many things in life that don’t allow you to smile. Anyway, I don’t want to talk about that woman.”

Jhankar knew quite well about Vikrant’s mother, but the way he referred to her just now didn’t sit right with her. Looking at him seriously, she said,

“I don’t know how justified your hatred is, or what exactly she did that was so terrible. Because from what I’ve seen so far, your father doesn’t seem to hate her. But what surprises me is that he never stopped you from hating her. So tell me, is the love he had for your mother real, or is the hate he allowed to grow inside you the real truth?”

Vikrant seemed visibly shaken hearing this. It was as if something deep inside him had been stirred. He couldn’t bear to hear anything negative about his father, and he couldn’t accept anything positive about his mother. Looking at Jhankar angrily, he pointed a finger at her and snapped,

“When you don’t know much about something, it’s better not to speak about it at all. That’s the situation with you right now. You don’t know anything, so it’s best you keep your mouth shut.”

Jhankar looked at Vikrant closely. Just a while ago, he had been so different, and now this sudden change, he was like a completely different person. Walking closer to him, she looked into his eyes and calmly said,

“You have your opinion, and I have mine. You can’t impose yours on me. So don’t try to stop me from saying what I feel. I’m only expressing what’s in my heart.”

“You know absolutely nothing about that woman,” Vikrant said sharply. “You don’t know how much my father loved her. That’s why you shouldn’t say anything about this matter. But I guess women like her will never understand. Because she was a woman, she’ll always seem right to you, and everyone else will seem wrong. That’s how you women are. I showed you just a little bit of care, and you forgot your place. I never gave you the right to speak to me this way. I don’t want any dessert. Sharda Maa had already told you not to come to the house, but since you weren’t well, I brought you here. Now I know exactly whatneeds to be done. We’re going home. You’re not staying here any longer.”