𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 ✓

• 2 •

After dinner, Arya returned to her room, her book awaiting her. She picked up the story where she had left off, turning pages in the comfort of her world of words and imagination.

 Aryan Roy's phone rang. On the other end, a voice said, "Congratulations, son. You won the case. Are you okay?"

But Aryan's joy quickly turned to anger. He snapped, "You don't need to act like my mother. Stop it, Mom. I'm hanging up." His mother pleaded, "But, son, listen to me." He ended the call abruptly.

The fleeting happiness vanished as Aryan reached for a drink, sinking into a reclining chair. He poured a glass and drank deeply. His eyes betrayed vulnerability and deep-seated pain. Midnight had descended, and he retired to his lavish room, adorned with imported furnishings. But it lacked the one thing he longed for—a sense of home. Emotionally, he had no one to lean on, except a mother he refused to call "Mom" due to a bitter past.

|FLASHBACK TO THE PAST|

Closing his eyes, Aryan traveled back in time, revealing a haunting chapter of his life. as someone is listening his story 

"I was just 9 years old when my world crumbled," he began, his voice heavy with the weight of the past. "I believed my mother had killed my father. My father, he was a violent man, and his rage was a storm that consumed our home. There were nights when the echoes of his anger filled our tiny space, and I would hide, trembling in fear."

The memories flooded back as he spoke. "Then, one dreadful night, their argument reached a terrible climax. When morning broke, my father was gone, and my world plunged into darkness. I thought my mother had taken his life to protect us. But I was just a child, unable to fathom the complexities of their relationship."

He continued, the pain evident in his words. "My mother fled, leaving me alone to face the aftermath. I was sent to an orphanage, becoming one of the many lost souls in its care. In that place, I bore the brunt of accusations and bullying from the other children. They saw me as a murderer, a stain on their world. The torment was relentless, and I could bear it no longer. I escaped, seeking refuge in the unforgiving streets, where I was forced into child labor to eke out a meager existence."

Aryan's voice grew softer as he recounted his mother's abandonment. "Later, I learned that my mother had remarried a wealthy man and started a new family, a family that did not include me. She had made her choice, and it wasn't to keep her firstborn by her side."

Tears welled up in his eyes as he remembered, "Every night, I cried myself to sleep, longing for my mother's love. But she never came to find me. She had chosen her new family over me, thinking they didn't want me around."

|END OF FLASHBACK|

He berated himself angrily, "Did that little kid not deserve even a shred of his mother's love? Did no one care about that helpless boy?" In his frustration, he shattered a glass in his hand, yet he didn't flinch; he felt no pain anymore. That frail boy was no more. He had buried his emotions deep within, a child trapped in a demon's body.

 the other side of the story, 

someone was shedding tears while reading Aryan's painful past. "I care for you" she whispered, though she didn't quite understand why she said it. 

Reading his story had tugged at her heartstrings, and the tears welled up. She closed her eyes, feeling their weight.

When she opened her eyes again, Arya found herself in an unfamiliar room, her heart racing with a mix of curiosity and concern. She had no idea how she had ended up here or why this man was crying. It felt surreal, like a dream, yet strangely real.

Aryan, lost in his memories and his wounded hand was bleeding, was unknown  to the presence that had entered his world. He remained seated in his chair, deep in thought.

Arya took a cautious step closer, her gaze fixed on Aryan. She couldn't see his face clearly, but she could sense the pain in his posture. Her heart ached for him, even though she didn't know him.

Aryan's thoughts continued to churn in turmoil.

 He muttered to himself, "Why do I even care about that weak boy from the past? He's long gone."

Arya, now standing near him, whispered softly, "I am proud of you. You have come a really long way."

Aryan, startled, looked up, his eyes locking onto Arya's. For a brief moment, time seemed to stand still as they gazed at each other, two souls connected by an unseen thread.

"Arya, Arya, get up. You need to get ready for college."  Arya's mother calling her,

 Arya woke up abruptly, her mother's voice pulling her from the reallife like encounter. 

She groggily responded, "Maa, please let me sleep."

Her mother persisted, "Get up, dear. You'll be late, and Shivi is coming to pick you up." With a resigned sigh, Arya reluctantly agreed, "Okay, Maa."