Hearts in Balance: A Tale of Business and Medicine

19. A peaceful sleep!!

Hey everyone we are back with another exciting chapter!!

Recap:

Aastha made a special dinner for everyone and a relaxation day for women. The food she prepared tasted exactly like Anurag's mother's handmade food.

Let's Start!!

Anurag and Aastha were standing at the main door. Aastha came to see off Anurag.

Anurag (a little hesitant): Bacha

Aastha hummed in response.

Anurag: Can I hug you?

Aastha tried to read his face but failed miserably, "Sure."

Anurag gently wrapped his hands around her back and Aastha wrapped her hands around his neck, he hid his face in Aastha's neck.

Anurag: After freaking 25 years, I felt like my mummy had prepared dinner for me like she used to do it.

Aastha smiled, she felt something wet on her neck...

Aastha lifted his face in her small palms, "Fire..." she saw his teary eyes.

Aastha (worriedly): Fire, why are you crying?

Anurag wipes his tears from the corner of his eyes, "I'm not crying, I'm just missing my mother a little more today."

Aastha (softly, with a touch of wonder): You know, Fire, it's ironic. When your mom used to prepare food for you, I wasn't even born yet. And now... my food tastes like hers.

She smiled gently, the weight of the strange connection settling in.

Anurag (looking at her with warmth): Life has a funny way of bringing things full circle, doesn't it?

There was a quiet understanding between them as if fate had woven their paths together in ways neither could fully comprehend.

Aastha (suggesting gently): If you want, we can share my room. It's not a big deal after all.

Anurag (shaking his head with a faint smile): No, I'll be fine.

Aastha (softly): You sure?

Anurag: Yeah.

Anurag made his way towards his house, while Aastha quietly retreated to her room. She stood at the window, watching him closely. Her eyes followed his every move as if she could feel the weight he carried even from a distance.

Anurag lay down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. The weight of night pressed heavily on his chest which can't be removed by any wealth or power. Being a business tycoon or a mafia king came with its burdens, but none as heavy as the gaping void left by his parents. No matter how much he achieved, that emptiness lingered, gnawing at the edges of his heart.

He missed them in ways that can't be described in words—his mother's gentle touch, the way her smile could warm even the coldest day, his father's reassuring hand on his shoulder, the assurance in his voice that everything would be alright. The world saw Anurag Kapoor as a man who had it all, but beneath the façade was a boy who still longed for the comfort of his parent's embrace.

In the silence of the night, memories flooded his mind. He could almost hear his mother's laughter echoing in the halls, and feel his father's reassuring hand on his shoulder. The ache was unbearable, a constant reminder that they were gone, and no power, no empire he built, could bring them back. He had learned to suppress these feelings, bury them deep where no one could see—but in front of Aastha, they came rushing to the surface, raw and unfiltered.

She was the calm to his chaos, the only one who could see through the cracks in his armor. With her, he didn't need to be the unshakable Anurag Kapoor. He could be vulnerable, he could grieve. She was the only one who understood that even kings can be broken.