The night stretched on, but neither Mukul nor Aralyn moved from their quiet corner of the garden. The silence between them was heavy, but not uncomfortable—it was the kind of silence that came when words were too fragile to be spoken.
Finally, Aralyn turned to him, her eyes searching his face.
"Mukul… do you ever want to find them? Your brothers and sisters?"
The Question That Cuts
Mukul didn't answer immediately. His gaze was fixed on the horizon, but his hand tightened over the armrest of the bench. After a long pause, he exhaled and said softly:
"Do you know how long my mother has been searching?"
Aralyn shook her head.
"Eighteen years, seven months, four days… fifteen hours."
Her eyes widened at his precision. "You counted?"
Mukul gave a faint, bitter smile. "No. I built it. A timer. A massive screen that sits in my room, counting every second since the day we were separated. My mother watches it too. We made it together so we would never forget—not even for a single moment."
A Mother's Endless Vigil
He lowered his voice, heavy with sorrow."For searching for my siblings… my mother sacrificed everything. She's been away from me for fifteen years. She searched for them every day, every hour. And while she searched for her lost children… she was separated from me too."
The tremor in his words was rare; Mukul was not one to let emotions show so openly. But now, his guard had slipped.
The Conflict
Aralyn whispered, "And what about you? Do you want to find them?"
Mukul's eyes darkened. He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees."Yes… and no."
Aralyn blinked. "How can it be both?"
"Because," he said firmly, "if I find them, I'll be happy. But it will also mean that all these years of pain, all those sleepless nights my mother endured… they can never be undone. And deep inside me, I'm terrified."
His fists clenched. "Terrified that when I see them, they won't remember us. Terrified that they'll hate my mother for not being there. Terrified that they'll hate me… for being the only one who stayed with her."
Aralyn's Realization
Aralyn felt her heart twist at his words. She finally understood: it wasn't just about reunion. It was about scars that no time could erase, and the fear of what those scars might do when the family finally came together.
She reached out, her voice steady. "Mukul… even if they've forgotten, even if they're angry… love doesn't disappear that easily. Your mother has carried them for eighteen years, and you've carried her. That love will guide you, no matter what you face."
Mukul closed his eyes, taking in her words. The timer in his mind ticked on, each second pressing down like a weight. But for the first time, sitting beside Aralyn, he didn't feel entirely alone beneath it.