“They said a child like him — smart, obedient, beautiful — could be sold.
Trained.
Used.”
Her stomach twisted violently.
“I begged. I cried. I fell to my knees in the middle of the road.
They laughed.
They said I had one chance:
Either give them our son…
or disappear before they took him by force.”
Lightning cracked outside, illuminating the room in a flash of white.
Anya covered her mouth to keep from screaming.
“So I took him. I took our son, and I hid him.
I couldn’t tell you, Anya. Because if they saw you searching, they would have gone after you too. And I couldn’t risk it.”
Tears blurred her vision.
She whispered into the empty room:
“Why didn’t you come back…? Why didn’t you tell me…?”
The letter answered her.
“I promised you once that I would never lie. But this was the one time I had to.
I contacted an old friend — a police officer who owed me his life — and we escaped to a safe village in the north.
For years, I feared they were still watching you.
But last week, I was told the man who threatened us… died in prison.”
Anya blinked hard.
Dead?
Then why didn’t Rakesh return?
She grabbed the last page.
“Anya, I am sick. My lungs are failing. The doctor says I don’t have long.
By the time this letter reaches you, I may not be alive.
But Aarav… he is alive.
He is safe.
He is waiting.
Please — go to the place written below. The people there will guide you. I pray you will forgive me for the ten years you had to suffer alone.
I did everything… everything… because I loved you both more than my own life.”
Her vision blurred entirely.
She didn’t even know when she started crying — only that she was suddenly doubled over, clutching the letter to her chest.
Ten years of emptiness.
Ten years of unanswered questions.
Ten years of swallowing grief until it hollowed her out.
And the truth hit her like a monsoon wave.
Rakesh had never abandoned her.
He saved their son — even if it cost him his own life.
Her grief twisted into purpose.
She wiped her tears, grabbed her shawl, tucked the letter into her blouse, and rushed out the door.
She didn’t care about the rain.
She didn’t care that her sandals slapped through mud and puddles.
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