Aarohi had come to the orphanage to see Golu. He had caught a fever due to the cold.
Sitting beside an olderly woman, Aarohi said,
[Bebe-"Usually called by Punjabi Indians to their Mother"], Bebe you should rest at home. You already have knee pain, and today you've been walking around carrying Golu on one leg. Tonight, you'll complain about your knees again and throw the entire house into chaos. Come on, go home and rest Now!"
"Show your bossiness at your office, not here. I'm your mom, not your employee. Don't order me around," Aarohi's Bebe,Urmila ji snapped back, irritated.
Actually, Urmila is Tanya's mother and also Aarohi's guardian. Since Tanya and Aarohi are best friends, Aarohi calls Urmila 'mom'.
Aarohi stared at Urmila, said,
I'm not ordering you, Bebe, I'm just asking you to take care of yourself. And if you don't listen, your weekly sweets privilege is revoked."
Bebe turned her face away like a tormented woman from a dramatic soap, wiping her eyes as if she were crying.
"Oh, so now you threaten me? You'll keep sweets away from your bebe? Fine, I'll just ask Tanya to bring them for me."
"I've blocked all her cards. So… no options," Aarohi replied, patting Golu gently, her face expressionless.
"Aru, you're heartless. How can you treat us like this?" Urmila was ready to start her usual drama.
"No drama, Bebe. I know very well how dramatic you and Tanya can get. You both can flip the whole house upside down," Aarohi said, getting ready to leave as she had some work.
Bebe, annoyed by her words, moved ahead and picked a child from the arms of a caregiver and said,
"Look, son, this girl right here—she threatens her bebe, scares her, and doesn't even let me eat sweets."
The little boy tried to grab Urmila's cheeks. He looked at her with wide, curious eyes, as if he had understood what she said. He placed his tiny hand on her cheek, trying to comfort her.
Aarohi glared at Bebe. Bebe, noticing her look, said,
"What? Why are you staring like that? He's just a child—he'll get scared."
"Bebe, right now you seem younger than the child. And by the way, when did this child arrive here?" Aarohi raised an eyebrow.
Urmila frowned and glanced at the woman standing beside her—Meena. Meena also looked back at Urmila. Both of them looked tense, and Aarohi didn't miss the concern on their faces.
"What's going on, Bebe? Are you hiding something from me?" Aarohi asked seriously.
Urmila hesitated and then said, "He's Mansi's child. She left him here."
"When did she get married? And why did she leave her child here?" Aarohi asked, sensing something was off.
"Actually, Aru… the baby's father refused to marry Mansi. She had no choice but to leave the child here," Urmila said with a heavy heart.
Aarohi's eyes darkened. She and Mansi had met at this orphanage. Mansi, 21, had started working there the previous year. Over time, she had built a bond with everyone, especially the children. Lately, she had been out of touch.
Feeling sorry for Mansi, Urmila said, "Aru, I think we should call Mansi back here. At least the child will have his mother. She was so attached to the children here—how can she stay away from her own baby?"
But Aarohi didn't respond. She sat clenching her fists, her eyes turning red with anger. A vision from the past flashed before her.
---
Flashback
A little girl mocked young Aarohi:
"Haha! You're not meant for this place. He doesn't even look at you. You think he'll talk to you? He's my daddy, and don't forget it—he only loves me."
"You're mean! How can you say that? He's my papa—he loves me!" Aarohi shouted, trying to hit the girl with her tiny hands.
Just then, a man came and picked up the other girl, pushing Aarohi away. Aarohi fell hard on the floor, her eyes filling with tears from the pain.
The man, furious, yelled, "Stay away from everyone! You have no place in this house. And if you touch my daughter again, forget about getting food."
Little Aarohi sat in silence, tears in her eyes, staring blankly at the man.
---
Flashback Ends
Aarohi snapped out of her thoughts, composed her emotions, and walked away from Bebe without meeting her gaze. Her cold, expressionless eyes gave away nothing about the storm raging inside her.
Urmila, watching her leave, called out worriedly,
"Ar-u! Where are you going? Stop!"
But maybe Aarohi hadn't even heard her. She disappeared like a rocket.
Bebe took a deep breath. She realized Aarohi was extremely angry right now.
---
Scene Shift
A boy burst into a room where another young man was furiously punching a boxing bag. That boy was Riyan.
He approached his friend cautiously and said, "Bro, we've got a serious problem."
The guy with the gloves didn't react. He continued throwing punches, completely ignoring Riyan's words.
Riyan, knowing this cold behavior was typical, still pleaded,
"Dad found out about me and Mansi. He's refusing to accept our marriage. Worse, he's already fixed my engagement with someone else—it's in two days!"
The guy finally stopped. With a sarcastic smirk, he said, "Oh nice. So you're here to invite me to your engagement?"
Riyan ignored the sarcasm, almost begging, "Agastya, please don't say that. Talk to Dad. Please stop all this. I really love Mansi. I can't live without her."
Agastya's smirk vanished. He landed a heavy punch on Riyan's shoulder and growled,
"You had the guts to marry her secretly. Had the guts to father a child with her. But no guts to face your father?!"
Riyan staggered from the punch. But more than the hit, the truth in Agastya's words hurt him. He bowed his head in shame.
"You're right, bro. I shouldn't have been such a coward. I just… got scared of Dad."
Agastya grabbed his collar, his pitch-black eyes glaring.
"Then kill your cowardice. And don't say sorry to me—say it to Mansi. Or else… You know me."
Riyan nodded quickly, understanding the weight of his words. Soon, the two of them left together.
Scene Shift , Mansi's House
(Knock! Knock! Knock!)
Loud banging echoed at the door.
Mansi, who was in the kitchen, frowned.
"Oh jejus,Mom and Dad came back from the wedding already? They were supposed to be late."
She went to the door and opened it. Aarohi was standing there.
"Sis? You? What happened ,everything okay?"
"Why? Can't I come to visit you?" Aarohi asked.
Flustered, Mansi moved aside and said,
"No, no! Of course not, Sister. Come in, please! I've been thinking of you."
Aarohi walked in and sat with Mansi on the sofa. Mansi offered her food, but Aarohi refused and said straightaway,
"Mansi, I didn't come here to eat. I need to talk about your child."
Mansi froze. She didn't understand how Aarohi knew. Her parents had strictly told her not to tell or talk anything about the baby. Panic arise ,what if mansi's parents returned while Aarohi was still here? Aarohi wasn't one to listen Bullshit.
Aarohi was still staring at her, waiting for reply but suddenly she asked,
"That bastard… he's refusing to accept the child? didn't he? Did he promise to marry you and then leave you knocked up?"
Mansi looked toward Aarohi and, bowing her head, said, "No, it's not like that. Riyan married me. We got married secretly because I was still studying, so we didn't tell anyone. But now his ultra rich family is not ready to accept me. I even tried to tell them about My son, but when I found out that his family was forcing him to marry someone else, I didn't have the courage to say anything to them. What if they permanently keep me away from Manav? At least in the orphanage, I'll able to see him, but after My baby being taken away by Riyan's parents, how will I live without my child?"
As she said this, Mansi started crying. She was already suffering from being separated from her child, and on top of that, she couldn't even call her husband her own. She would have to see him marry someone else. All of this was a kind of cruelty imposed on an innocent girl.
Aarohi didn't know how to comfort anyone, but seeing Mansi cry, she held her hand and said, "I swear I won't let anything bad happen to you."
Aarohi was very angry. She was remembering a dark truth about her life, and the words ringing in her ears were: "You are illegitimate." Lost in her thoughts, Aarohi clenched her fist tightly.
At that moment, footsteps were heard at the door. Aarohi was lost in her own thoughts, but Mansi's eyes went toward the two boys standing at the door.
Mansi's lips parted involuntarily, "Riyan."
Hearing this, Aarohi looked in that direction and saw a very attractive man standing there. He was about six feet tall, had a fair face, deep black eyes, a well-built, muscular body like a bodybuilder, and messy hair — he looked like a male model. At that moment, a scary and mysterious atmosphere seemed to surround him.
Meanwhile, Aarohi stood as Mansi moved toward him, but she grabbed Mansi's hand and stopped her from going forward.
Mansi looked at her and softly said, "Sister, Riyan…"
Without answering her, Aarohi punched the man standing at the door hard.
The man's face turned to the side from the force of Aarohi's punch.