RADHE RADHE READER'S.
ENJOY THE CHAPTER.
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Two days...
Passed far too quickly.
For the first time in months...
Abhimanyu had laughed without forcing himself For two precious days...
It had felt like home had come to him. But every reunion...
Must end.
---
The next morning...
The boarding school gates stood open. Pratap's car waited outside.
Anu stood beside it...
Unable to move. Her eyes were already filled with tears. Abhimanyu smiled gently.
"What happened?"
"I thought my brave Anu wasn't going to cry."
That was enough. She ran into his arms. Wrapping them around him as tightly as she could.
"No..."
"I don't want to go."
"I want you to come home."
"I don't like it here."
"I miss you every day." Abhimanyu hugged her just as tightly.
"I miss you too."
"So much." He kissed her forehead. "But you have to be strong."
"For both of us." Anu shook her head continuously. "I don't want to be strong."
"I just want my brother MY ABHI." Her words broke everyone's heart.
---
Pratap quietly walked toward them. "Abhimanyu." The little boy immediately bent to touch his feet.
Instead...
Pratap pulled him into a warm embrace. "My brave boy."
Abhimanyu smiled. "I'll study hard, Bade Dadu."Ā
"I'll make everyone proud." Pratap gently placed his hand on his head. "I already am proud of you."
Abhimanyu looked up. His eyes shimmered. Those words...
Were exactly what he had needed to hear.
---
The final goodbye came.
Anu refused to let go.
"Dadu..."
"Five more minutes."
"Please." Pratap smiled sadly. "We have to leave, beta."
Abhimanyu slowly loosened her grip.
He wiped away her tears. "Listen..."
"You'll smile, okay?"
"And every Sunday..."
"You'll answer my call."
Anu nodded through her sobs.
"And you..."
"You won't skip your meals."
"You'll wear your sweater."
"You'll sleep on time."
Abhimanyu laughed softly.
"Yes, ma'am."
She tried to smile.
But failed.
---
As the car slowly drove away...
Abhimanyu stood at the school gate.
Smiling.
Waving.
Until the car disappeared. The moment it vanished... His hand slowly fell. The smile disappeared.
And once again...
He was alone.
---
Back at the Oberoi Mansion...
Life continued.
Days turned into weeks.
Weeks turned into months.
Then...
Months turned into a year.
---
Every Sunday...
Without fail...
Anu spoke to Abhimanyu. Sometimes for twenty minutes. Sometimes only ten.
But she never missed a single call. Pratap and Anu also visited him whenever work allowed.
Every visit reminded him...
That the smile on Abhimanyu's face never quite reached his eyes.
---
Hundreds of kilometers away...
Mumbai...
Every week...
A new letter arrived at the boarding school. The envelope always had the same handwriting.
From: Butterfly ā¤ļø
Inside...
There were stories about Jai's latest prank.
Sketches made by Ishika.
Little doodles from Riya.
Funny complaints about Jai eating everyone's chocolates.
Every letter ended the same way.
"Come back soon, Maan.
Your partner in crime is incomplete without you."
Abhimanyu treasured every letter. He carefully folded each one and kept them inside a small wooden box.
And every week...
He wrote back.
---
Dear Butterfly,
Hostel food is still terrible.
Jai still owes me chocolates.
Study hard.
Take care of Filo.
Tell her I miss her.
And don't let Jai blame everything on you.
Miss you both.
ā Your Maan ā¤ļø
---
The letters became their bridge.
The distance never became smaller...
But neither did their bond.
---
Meanwhile...
At the Oberoi Mansion...
Life slowly settled into a new routine. Rahul became more involved in family activities.Ā Breakfast conversations revolved around him. Family outings included him. Festivals were celebrated with him.
Not because anyone wanted to replace Abhimanyu...
But because he was the child who was there every day. The house slowly adjusted to his presence. And with time...
Abhimanyu's room became quieter.
His name was spoken less often.
Not because he was unloved...
But because the family convinced themselves...
That boarding school was making him stronger. Only Anu refused to accept that silence.
Every night...
She sat in Abhimanyu's room for a while.
Sometimes she spoke to Filo.
Sometimes she read his old storybooks.
Sometimes she simply stared at his photograph.
Waiting.
Always waiting.
---
Pratap watched everything quietly.
He noticed how easily life had moved forward. He noticed how no one had planned a visit. He noticed how excuses replaced promises.
"They're busy."
"We'll go next month."
"After the holidays."
But those holidays never came.
One evening...
Pratap stood alone in Abhimanyu's room.
He picked up the latest letter lying on the table.
A small smile crossed his face.
"My child..."
"You still write as if everyone is waiting for you."
He looked around the silent room.
Then whispered,
"I only hope..."
"They don't realize your worth..."
"When it's too late."
Outside...
The evening wind gently fluttered the curtains.
And on the study table...
A year's worth of letters waited patiently...
For the day their owner would finally come home.
To be continued...
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