The dawn came quietly, the soft light of morning spilling through the cracks in the curtains of Anup's small flat. It was the same as any other day—still, silent, a little empty—but today, it felt different. Today, the weight of his past wasn't just a shadow hanging over him. It was a storm that had come to claim him.
Anup stood by the window, looking out at the small street below, the world carrying on like nothing had changed. People were going about their morning routines, lost in their own lives, their own struggles.
But Anup knew. He knew that today, everything would change.
The question of his identity—who he was and who he would become—had haunted him for so long. Could he continue being Anup? The man he had become after the fall? Or was it time to let go of the mask, to shed the name he had built from the ruins of his former life?
Raj had told him he didn't have to do this alone. Samraggi had made him believe he could heal. But the truth was, there was still a war inside him. A war between the man who had once been Aarav and the one who had forged himself anew.
He wasn't sure if he was ready to give up the man he had fought so hard to become.
As if summoned by his thoughts, a knock echoed at the door.
Anup's heart skipped. He didn't need to open the door to know who it was. He could feel her presence even before the knock had come.
He opened it slowly, the cool air of the morning brushing past him. Samraggi stood in the doorway, her eyes warm but filled with concern. She hadn't come as a doctor this time. She was just Samraggi—the woman who had somehow become a part of his life, his little world, his quiet solace.
"I need to talk to you," she said softly, her voice like a balm to the ache in his chest.
He stepped aside, letting her in, his heart thudding in his chest. The words he had rehearsed, the questions he had wanted to ask, all felt meaningless now. It was as if she had already answered them, without saying a word.
"About what?" Anup asked, though he knew.
She walked over to the small kitchen, where Nisha sat drawing quietly. Samraggi knelt down, her voice gentle as she spoke to the little girl.
"Hey, Nisha. How are you today?"
Nisha looked up with a shy smile. "I'm better, Dr. Samraggi. Thank you for helping me."
Anup watched them for a moment. The bond between Samraggi and his daughter had grown in ways that he had never expected. It was a comfort to him, but also a reminder of just how much he had changed. How much everything had changed.
Samraggi stood up and turned to face him. Her eyes held something more than kindness now. There was understanding. There was something deeper, something Anup wasn't sure he was ready to confront.
"I know what you're thinking, Anup," Samraggi began, her voice steady, yet vulnerable. "You're thinking about your past. About the name you left behind. About the man you used to be."
Anup opened his mouth to protest, but she raised her hand, silencing him.
"I've been watching you," she continued. "And I see the man who is trying. I see the man who wants to heal. But you're holding onto a version of yourself that's hurting you. You're afraid to be Aarav again, aren't you?"
Anup's throat tightened. He could barely meet her gaze.
"I've never been afraid of the name," he whispered. "I've been afraid of what that name means. Of what I did, and what I lost. Of how people will see me. The world changed, Samraggi. It turned me into a villain. And I... I just want to protect Nisha. I want to protect what's left of my life."
Samraggi took a step toward him, her voice low but filled with sincerity.
"I understand. But running from it won't help you protect anything. You can't keep pretending to be someone you're not. You've done everything you could to protect Nisha. But now, you need to protect yourself, too. You need to forgive yourself, Anup."
He closed his eyes, letting the weight of her words sink in. Forgiving himself—how could he? Could he even begin to undo the damage of his past? Could he ever make peace with the fact that his life, his love, had been stolen from him by lies? Could he ever return to the man who had been once full of hope, full of love for Nisha, and the woman who had been everything to him?
"I can't," Anup said, his voice shaking. "I don't know how to forgive myself for everything I lost. How do I start over when the past is still chasing me?"
Samraggi reached out, placing a gentle hand on his arm.
"You start by letting go of the past, by choosing to move forward. You've already taken the hardest step, Anup. You came here. You built something new. And now you have a chance to make a life for you and Nisha—without hiding. Without running."
Anup's heart pounded, and for the first time in a long time, he felt a tear slip down his cheek.
"I don't know if I can ever be the man I was," he whispered.
"You don't have to be the man you were," Samraggi replied, her voice soft but sure. "You just need to be the man you are now. And that's enough. You are enough."
In that moment, as she spoke those words, Anup felt the walls inside him begin to crumble. Slowly, like a dawn breaking after an endless night.
Maybe she was right.
Maybe it was time to return. To face everything he had buried. To let go of the guilt and shame that had held him captive for so long. To be Aarav again—not the man defined by his pain, but the man who had loved, who had lost, and who had fought to protect the only family he had left.
And maybe, just maybe, it was time to let others see him, too. To let them see the truth.
He took a deep breath and nodded.
"Okay," he said, his voice steady. "Okay. It's time."