Chapter 1

After the long meeting, Arun finally walked out of the room and checked his phone. There were several missed calls. He hadn't heard them because his phone was on silent. He immediately called back.

“Arun…” Sudhan uncle answered. His voice was unusually quiet.

“Where are you?”

“At the office. Why?”

“Come to the hospital.”

There was a long silence.

“Is Mom okay?”

Sudhan uncle didn't answer.

“Sudhan uncle?”

“Just come, Arun.”

Arun knew what he was hiding. He grabbed his keys and drove toward the hospital.

As he drove, memories began coming back. He remembered the first time he had seen her. She had walked into the orphanage and stopped in front of him. She smiled warmly and asked, “You are Arun, right?” He had nodded.

That was the beginning of everything. She cared for him from her heart, and Arun loved her as his real mother. He always tried his best to make her happy. And she was genuinely happy for him. Whenever something good happened in his life, he could see the happiness in her eyes.

But every evening, she would sit before her husband's photograph and talk to him. She told him everything—about her day, about Arun, and about all the little things happening in their lives. A small smile would appear on her face, as if nothing else mattered for those few moments. She was only concerned about him, and Arun never interrupted her.

It was through those conversations that he eventually realized something he had never understood as a child: the man in the photograph shared his name—Arun.

The hospital appeared ahead. He parked the car and ran inside. She was lying weakly on the bed. When she saw him, she smiled.

“Arun… you came.”

He sat beside her, holding her hand. No words came from him. But the silence was enough for his mother to understand her son.

“Be strong, my son.”

Tears rolled down his face. She looked at him for a moment.

“Thank you, Arun… you are such a good son.”

She said it almost as if, even after all those years, she still felt she hadn't done enough for him.

She gently held his hand.

Then she looked toward the empty space beside him.

“My Arun has come,” she whispered.

A peaceful smile appeared on her face.

“He's come to take me.”