Epilogue

A month had passed since the storm that had nearly torn their lives apart. The echoes of fear and betrayal had faded into a quiet calm, and the once-frantic energy in the house had settled into the soothing routine of parenthood. Their son and daughter, now safely back in their arms, were asleep, their soft breaths the only sound in the house as Mridula quietly stepped into their room.

It should have felt perfect. Everything should have felt complete. But as Mridula sat down at the dressing table, combing her hair with slow, deliberate strokes, she couldn't shake the lingering sense of something unresolved between her and Kalyan.

For months, their relationship had been strained, the rift between them widening without either of them fully noticing. And though the terror of their son's abduction had brought them closer, Mridula knew that the cracks hadn't entirely healed. Not yet.

She repeated the words she had practiced over and over in her mind, trying to summon the courage to speak them aloud. I want to fix things between us, Kalyan. A proper fix. We've drifted away for months, and though we've come closer, I still feel the distance.

She had said it to herself a thousand times, but every time, the words seemed to fall flat. How do you fix something when the cracks run so deep?

Kalyan, sitting on the edge of the bed, was flipping through a book, unaware of the turmoil churning inside her. His profile was bathed in the soft glow of the bedside lamp, his expression calm and peaceful. It was a moment that seemed so serene, so perfect—yet Mridula's heart felt heavy.

She put down the comb and took a deep breath. Now or never.

"Kalyan," she began softly, her voice catching slightly. "Can we talk?"

He glanced up, his eyes immediately softening at the sound of her voice. He set the book aside, giving her his full attention, though there was a faint trace of concern in his expression. "Of course."

Mridula hesitated, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of the dressing table. "I've been thinking... about us. About everything that's happened. I just feel like... there's still something between us. A distance. And I want to fix it. Properly."

Kalyan's brow furrowed slightly, but his expression remained gentle. "Mridu..."

She swallowed hard, trying to keep her voice steady. "I know things have been hard these last few months. We've drifted apart in ways I didn't even realize until it was almost too late. And I just—" She paused, gathering her thoughts. "I just want to make sure we don't let that happen again."

Kalyan's gaze softened further as he stood up and crossed the room. Without a word, he took her hand, pulling her up from the chair and into his arms. His embrace was warm, strong—familiar in all the ways that had once brought her so much comfort.

"Mridula," he said quietly, his voice thick with emotion. "Whatever happened in the past... let's leave it there. We've been through so much, and we're still here. Together."

Mridula's heart pounded in her chest, the practiced speech she had repeated so many times slipping away like sand through her fingers. "But I feel like I've failed you. Like I let us drift apart..."

Kalyan shook his head, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. "You haven't failed me," he whispered. "If anyone failed, it was me. I let work, life—everything—pull me away from what's most important. But none of that matters anymore."

He cupped her face in his hands, his eyes filled with a tenderness that made her throat tighten with emotion. "You've always been special to me, Mridu. You're the love of my life and the mother of our beautiful twins. There's nothing in this world that could ever change that."

Tears welled up in Mridula's eyes as she looked up at him, the weight of his words sinking in. The tension she had been holding onto, the worry that had gripped her heart, began to unravel in the warmth of his gaze. She realized, in that moment, that Kalyan had never stopped loving her—he had just gotten lost along the way, just as she had.

"But what if we drift apart again?" she whispered, her voice trembling. "What if...?"

Kalyan smiled softly, pulling her closer, his forehead resting against hers. "We won't. Because we've already been through the worst, and we made it through together. We'll fight for each other, just like we always have."

Mridula's breath hitched as her tears finally spilled over, but this time, they weren't born of fear or pain. They were tears of relief—tears of love.

"I love you, Kalyan," she whispered, her voice cracking. "I don't want to lose us."

"You never will," Kalyan replied softly, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. "We'll be okay, Mridu. I promise."

They stood there in the quiet of their room, wrapped in each other's arms, the soft sound of their babies' breathing filling the air. The distance that had once felt so vast between them had finally closed, and in its place, there was only love.

No more fear. No more doubt. Just the two of them, together—stronger than they had ever been before.

~ When our love is strong, no other forces could break us apart ~

:: END ::