After Life: Sara & Padma's Journey After Departure

where did you go?

SARA: 

 We arrived home yesterday, and I was utterly exhausted. I decided to inform Rani about Dev, and her reaction was one of shock. I also made up my mind to confront Chitragupta about the situation. If he had been aware of this all along and kept it from me, I would make sure he regretted not telling me. I dropped Padma off at daycare and headed straight to Chitragupta's office. 

I could hear KK's voice from inside, and I walked in, asking, "Where is he?" 

 KK replied, "He won't be here today. He has some work in his world."

 I sighed and considered my next move. KK noticed my distress and asked, "Do you think he knew about it all along?" 

 "I believe he did," I responded. 

 KK tried to calm me down, saying, "Don't get angry. He must have had his reasons. You know how responsible and focused he is on his work."

 I sighed once more, grappling with the unexpected revelation about Dev. "Let me ask you a question," I began, my voice heavy with emotion.

 "Imagine if Rani had died, and you were unable to see her body. Everyone around you believed she had taken her own life, even Rani herself wrote a letter stating so. But I knew she was alive, living somewhere but without her memories. You spent years mourning her, believing she was gone. Now, if you found out I had been hiding the fact that she's alive, can you understand my perspective?" I asked, my eyes filled with tears.

 He simply looked at me, lost for words. "Can you?" I continued, my voice trembling.

 "You can't, can you? These past six years, nobody can truly grasp what I've been through. I've kept it all to myself because I didn't want to burden the people who cared about me. It was somewhat comforting to know he was still alive, but the pain never truly went away. These six years can't be recovered. Padma's growth, her milestones, he missed it all. It can't be rewound. I raised her alone, and she never got to experience a father's love. He wasn't there when she took her first steps or said her first word. Do you know what her first word was? 'Appa,' but he wasn't there to hear it. He wasn't there to hear her say 'appa.' Everything is shattered, everything," I lamented, my heartache pouring out. 

 KK's eyes reflected his own pain as he listened. I sighed and added, "Forget it, I was just a bit angry. I'm sorry." 

I stood to leave, but to my surprise, he suddenly hugged me. Hugs between us were rare, and I was taken aback by the unexpected gesture, leaving me momentarily frozen in shock. "I'm sorry, I failed to see how much you've been struggling all alone," KK admitted with sincerity. 

"I've always considered you my sister, but I've failed to be the brother you needed. I didn't bring up these topics unless you wanted to discuss them, thinking it might make things harder for you. I'm sorry." 

 "It's okay," I replied, my voice a bit more composed. 

"Can you move back, though?" I asked, needing some space. He backed away, looking at me.

 I couldn't help but tease, "What's going on? Is this how we get along now? We're always fighting, and suddenly you're hugging me. It's weird."

 He smiled, and I returned the smile. "I'll let you know when he comes back," KK said.

 I nodded and said, "Goodbye, then," before leaving his office. 

 Back in my own office, my assistant had prepared a black coffee for me. I took a sip, and it was scalding hot, causing me to spill it on my white t-shirt. I cursed silently and quickly headed to the restroom within my office to change. I decided to teleport back home to do so.