Episode 4

“Has Somya woken up?” Anamika asked.

Rihan snapped out of his thoughts.

“No, Mom. This girl isn’t waking up at all.”

Anamika walked closer to the bed and smiled.

“Somya, wake up, beta.”

In her sleepy voice, Somya murmured, “Golu… just five more minutes…”

Anamika’s heart melted.

She’s so cute, she thought.

“Wake up, beta,” Anamika said softly.

“Eat something first, then you can sleep again.”

Suddenly, Somya’s eyes opened.

She froze.

“Aunty?” she said in shock.

Then she noticed Rihan standing there and felt even more awkward.

“I’m sorry,” Somya said softly. “I thought I was at home.”

Anamika smiled warmly.

“What do you mean?” she said. “Am I not like your mother? I’ve always wanted a daughter. Now that I have the chance, why would I let it go? Think of this as your own home, beta.”

Her voice was gentle and comforting.

“I brought soup for you,” Anamika added. “Drink it quickly before it gets cold.”

As Anamika spoke, she noticed Rihan avoiding eye contact.

I know it, she thought. He’s started liking her—but he won’t admit it.

“Drink your soup,” Anamika said aloud. “I have some work to do.”

She smiled and left the room.

Rihan turned to Somya.

“Who is Golu?” he asked casually.

Somya froze.

How does he know that name? she wondered.

“I call my mother Golu,” she replied.

“But how do you know?”

Rihan smiled slightly.

“You were saying it in your sleep,” he said. “You kept saying, ‘Golu, I’m not hungry. I don’t want to eat.’”

Somya felt her cheeks burn.

“Oh… sorry,” she said softly, blushing.

Rihan pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down. He leaned slightly toward her and said near her ear,

“Your voice was cute.”

Then he added coldly, “But you didn’t look cute. Grow up, kid.”

Somya stared at him.

What a rude man, she thought angrily.

Before she could reply, Rihan stood up and walked out of the room.

Somya watched him leave, confused and annoyed—

—and completely unaware that this strange bond had already begun to change both their lives.

After Rihan left, the room fell silent.

Somya slowly picked up the soup bowl. Her hands were still shaking a little. She took a small sip. It was warm, comforting—something she hadn’t felt in days.

She looked around the room.

Everything was unfamiliar. The walls, the curtains, the faint smell of the house—it wasn’t hers. For a moment, fear crept into her heart.

Where have I come? she thought. Why does everything in my life keep changing without asking me?

Her mind went back to the accident… the truck… the voice on the phone.

She closed her eyes tightly.

God, she thought, please don’t test me anymore.

At the same time, outside the room, Rihan stopped near the staircase.

He told himself he didn’t care. That she was just a responsibility. Nothing more.

But still—

Her sleepy voice echoed in his mind.

“Golu… five more minutes…”

He frowned.