*"Bekhayali"* played softly in the background somewhere outside the office, while Anika sat in her chair, lost in thought. The Anika everyone knew was now completely different—or in medical terms, she was a patient of depression. Thousands of questions ran through her mind, but there were no answers to free her from the prison of her thoughts. Her chain of thoughts was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Excuse me, ma'am," her P.A. entered the room.

"Yes... anything important?" she asked in a cold tone.

"Ma'am, a lady named Mallika is here to see you," he informed her. For a moment, Anika had forgotten about her best friend, with their friendship having passed down to their children, Ansh and Nisha. Anika had met Mallika when she moved to Bangalore with 2-year-old Ansh. Mallika had been her neighbor. When Nisha's father got transferred a year ago, she had to move with her husband, leaving Anika behind. When Mallika heard about Anika's parents' death, she rushed to India, but despite being there for her, Anika avoided her. Mallika was heartbroken but never gave up, continuously calling Anika with no response. Frustrated, she showed up at her office today.

"Tell her I'm busy in a meeting," Anika told her P.A., asking him to lie. Unfortunately, her attempt failed when Mallika rushed into her cabin and confronted her.

"Can I speak with you for a minute, ma'am?" she asked angrily. With no other option, Anika asked her P.A. to leave. He exited the room. She sighed heavily, sat comfortably in her chair, and gestured for Mallika to sit.

"Oh... yeah... thank you," Mallika said sarcastically, taking a seat.

"By the way, my name is Mallika. I was once called your best friend... remember?" Mallika asked seriously. There was no response from Anika—neither a reaction nor a glance away from her fixed gaze.

"I'm asking you something," Mallika said, slamming the table, which startled Anika.

***********

"Ansh, there's a notification on your school site... 'Students applying for T.C., today is the last day to apply,'" Nisha read from his phone.

"What? Today? How can we get it done so soon?" Ansh asked, startled.

"Relax... we'll plan. Let's do one thing. We'll leave for Bangalore now. It'll take a maximum of three hours to reach. Get ready," Shivaay suggested a plan, and everyone, including Nisha, got ready. Shivaay went home to change.

Nisha texted her mom, *"Mom, Ansh, Shivaay uncle, and I are leaving for Bangalore to apply for Ansh's T.C."*

***********

Mallika's phone beeped. She opened it, read her daughter's message, and put the phone back in her bag. She turned back to face Anika, who showed no trace of pain on her face, remaining numb.

"Anika... you're testing my patience. Tell me what happened to you? Why are you ignoring everyone? You haven't been home for a week," Mallika started venting, but nothing seemed to reach Anika.

"I'm asking you something... I already told you, Ms. Rao, ignorance won't solve anything," Mallika said, her words filled with disappointment. Anika remained silent.

"Ma'am, we're getting late for the meeting," her P.A. informed her. Without a word to Mallika, Anika stood up and headed for the door. Mallika felt devastated by Anika's coldness. Her heart ached, but she controlled her emotions and stared at her with bloodshot eyes.

"Anika, I came here to see you... you can't just ignore me like this... Anika, I'm talking to you!" Mallika called after her, but Anika didn't care and moved toward the door.

"You've made yourself an orphan, and now you're making your son feel like one, even though you're still alive!" Mallika shouted just as Anika was about to leave the cabin.

Anika froze at those words. She didn't turn around, but the phrase "making Ansh feel like an orphan" echoed in her mind. Slowly, the clouds seemed to clear from her isolated thoughts. Mallika's words had cut deep, and Anika began to question herself. Was she really making Ansh feel like an orphan? She could hardly bear to imagine her son's pain caused by her negligence. Her heart started blaming her for everything. Overwhelmed with guilt, Anika fainted on the floor. Mallika rushed to her, calling her name.

***********

Shivaay, Ansh, and Nisha arrived in Bangalore to apply for Ansh's transfer certificate. Both Nisha and Shivaay tried their best to cheer him up, but while Ansh acted like he was responding, in reality, he was yearning for his mother. He wanted her back like she was before. He was feeling lost, consumed by her absence. Only after reaching Bangalore did he realize how happy they had been in their little world, where all they needed was each other's presence. Now everything had changed—neither of them were by each other's side, and neither were they happy.

"Ansh, we've arrived at your school," Shivaay informed him, pulling him from his thoughts. He nodded and stepped out of the car.

A flood of happy memories washed over him as he entered the school. He remembered his mother holding his hand and walking him to his class. His first drawing on the theme of family, which Anika had framed and placed in their living room. Her meeting with the principal about his low marks in math. Her fake anger used to shield him from the teachers' scoldings. All these memories weighed heavily on him. He fought to control his emotions and succeeded, though neither Shivaay nor Nisha were aware of his inner battle.

"This way..." Ansh pointed toward the office. The trio entered and completed the transfer certificate procedure. As they were leaving, Ansh noticed his friend Rithwik standing in a corner. He walked over and tapped him on the shoulder. Rithwik turned with a start.

"Woah, relax, bro... it's me," Ansh reassured him.

"Bro... what's up?" Rithwik hugged Ansh.

"Tell me you're not mad that I shared your top position in math," Ansh teased. He knew Rithwik had taught him the entire 9th-grade math book in a month, enduring all of Ansh's struggles and complaints.

"I'm thanking God my efforts didn't go to waste," Rithwik teased back.

"Thank you, bro," Ansh hugged Rithwik, who playfully pinched him for saying thanks.

"By the way, how's aunty?" Rithwik asked. Ansh paused for a moment before replying, "Yeah, she's fine."

"And how's your mom?" Ansh asked in return. Rithwik fell silent, making Ansh suspicious.

"Everything okay, bro?" Ansh asked, concerned.

"Yeah... yeah, everything's fine..." Rithwik replied quietly. Ansh eyed him skeptically.

"Mom found out I've been talking to my father," Rithwik admitted. Ansh was shocked, knowing his parents had divorced two years ago and his mom had fought for his custody. Rithwik had been secretly speaking to his dad without his mother's knowledge—until now.

"What happened?" Ansh asked, alarmed.

"She... attempted suicide, bro," Rithwik said, wiping away tears. Ansh was stunned and immediately hugged him. His friend's confession made him think deeply about his own situation. Their hug was interrupted as Shivaay and Nisha approached them.

"Hey, Rithwik!" Nisha greeted him.

"Hey, Nisha... what a surprise!" Rithwik responded with a smile.

"Hi, I'm Shivaay, Ansh's father," Shivaay introduced himself, extending his hand. Rithwik glanced at Ansh, who was still shaken by the earlier revelation.

"Hi, I'm Rithwik, Ansh's friend," Rithwik introduced himself, shaking hands with Shivaay. Nisha and Shivaay enjoyed Rithwik's company, but Ansh remained lost in thought, worrying about what would happen when Anika found out about his relationship with Shivaay.

"Okay, nice to meet you, uncle. Bye, uncle, bye Nisha, bye Ansh," Rithwik said.

"Yeah..." Ansh replied, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Shall we leave?" Shivaay asked.

"Can we stop by my home? I left something precious there," Ansh asked. Shivaay nodded, and they drove to Ansh and Anika's house. When they arrived, Ansh rushed inside, leaving Shivaay and Nisha waiting outside.

After about 10 minutes, Ansh emerged holding a framed painting. "Shall we go?" he asked.

"What's that?" Shivaay asked.

"It's the painting I made for my mom," Ansh said, showing it to him.

Shivaay was amazed by the painting, which clearly depicted the happiness they had shared over the past 14 years. He was moved by how Anika had raised Ansh and felt bad for both of them. Meanwhile, Anika's question, "Aren't we enough for each other?" echoed in his mind.