Anirban Sir returned from the memory to the present.
With a faint smile, he turned his face toward the window—as though trying to conceal the pain and loneliness of his heart behind that smile.
Then, in a low, quiet voice, he said—
"No, Ma'am. There is… no one in my life."
A long sigh seemed to dissolve into the air.
Arundhati frowned slightly and remarked,
"What do you mean, no one?"
Anirban Sir remained silent.
Arundhati Debbarman:
"A boy as good as you, and no one in your life!"
Anirban Sir (with a sad smile):
"Yes, Ma'am."
Arundhati Debbarman (with a gentle smile):
"Don't worry. I'll find a very good girl for you. You're such a wonderful friend to Anurag! You take such good care of him! To me, you are like a second son."
The moment those final words—
"You are like a second son to me"
—reached Anirban Sir's ears, time seemed to pause for a heartbeat.
His eyes slowly widened.
Something deep inside his chest trembled—
a silent earthquake that could only be felt, never explained.
His gaze left the light outside the window and slowly turned toward Arundhati—
as though trying to fully grasp the weight of those words.
He opened his mouth to speak, but his throat closed.
"Second son…"
Those words felt like something no one had ever given him in his entire life.
Anirban had been an orphan from birth—
a child of no known origin, whose mother and father had never held him, never called his name.
And today…
for the first time, someone had said—
"You are my second son."
A mother… a woman…
accepting him as her child not out of duty, but out of genuine feeling.
This small piece of love, this small acknowledgment, was what he had yearned for throughout his entire childhood.
Suddenly tears welled in his eyes.
He lowered his head so no one would see.
Anirban Sir moved closer to Arundhati Devi and knelt on the floor beside her bed.
His voice trembled slightly as he spoke in a very low tone—
"You don't know… how precious those words are to me.
From the day I was born… I was never anyone's 'son'… this is the first time…"
Arundhati Devi looked at him with quiet surprise.
Then slowly she reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder.
"You are my son now, Anirban. Not just Anurag's friend—you are like my own son. Whenever you need anything, I am here."
Tears rolled down Anirban Sir's cheeks.
His voice shook, words faltered—
"I will try… to honor this love of yours… I will try to make sure you are never ashamed because of me, Ma'am… Ma…"
The word "Ma" slipped out, and suddenly his chest felt lighter.
An incomplete childhood, an unclaimed identity—
today, it had finally found shelter.
The roses in the vase by the hospital window trembled a little more in the breeze.
For the first time in his life, Anirban Sir's silent tears were not alone—
someone stood beside him, ready to wipe them away.
That, perhaps, was family.
That, perhaps, was love.
---
Suddenly Anirban Sir grew serious and said,
"Ma'am, there is something you need to know…
about what happened with Anurag…"
Arundhati's eyes slowly widened.
"What are you saying? What happened to my son?"
Anirban Sir took a deep breath.
"Shubhankar Chatterjee. The son of Shubhendu Chatterjee, CEO of the perfume brand 'Chatterjee Essence.'
This boy is now dating your son's ex-girlfriend, Priya—the same Priya Anurag had left behind while trying to rebuild his life.
But Shubhankar couldn't accept it.
Using his power and rage, he did something horrific—he framed Anurag with false accusations and had him thrown in jail.
And not just that… using his father's influence, he arranged for a police officer to subject Anurag to merciless physical torture all night long."
Arundhati's face turned to stone.
Her body trembled. Her eyes burned with fire.
"Shubhendu Chatterjee's son, Shubhankar…"
She spoke the name, and every nerve in her body seemed to fill with rage.
"How dare he hurt my son! In this world, no one is more important to me than my son. And anyone who dares to cause even the slightest pain to my son—I will never spare them."
Anirban Sir was stunned to see this side of Arundhati Devi.
She continued,
"They think they rule the perfume world? I'll bring them to their knees! I will make sure that Shubhankar rots in jail.
I am Arundhati Debbarman. I am the CEO of the famous perfume brand L'Essence D'Arundhati.
And my son… my own flesh and blood…
How dare they lay a hand on him? I will reduce their brand to dust.
Anyone who hurts the child I gave birth to will never know peace in this world."
Anirban Sir sat with his head bowed.
For the first time, he witnessed the fierce side of a mother—
a mother who loved selflessly, yet could strike like lightning when the moment demanded.
Today he understood—
a mother's love could be shelter, but her anger was the greatest weapon.
To be continued...