Chapter 7

The Truth Hidden in a Mother's Heart

A few years later...

Mishty and Pari had completed their medical studies and joined Sanjeevani Hospital as junior doctors, following in the footsteps of Kunal and Mouli.

Radhika looked proudly at them.

Radhika: "Today, both my granddaughters have fulfilled our dream."

Mouli smiled.

Mouli: "I'm proud of both of them."

Pari's face lit up for a moment, but the happiness disappeared when Mouli immediately added,

"Mishty, you handled the emergency case brilliantly today."

Pari silently looked away.

At the hospital...

A young businessman entered the emergency ward with an injured child in his arms.

"Doctor! Please save her!"

Mishty immediately attended to the child.

The surgery was successful.

The businessman folded his hands.

"Thank you, Doctor."

Mishty smiled.

"Saving lives is our duty."

The businessman introduced himself.

"I'm Ruhaan Khan."

Mishty smiled.

"I'm Dr. Mishty Sheik. If you remember, we were friends from childhood. We were sharing everything."

Mishty: Yes, I remember. I received your first email when you left the city because of your dad's transfer.

Ruhaan: Since then, we have communicated via email until we got our cellphones.

For the first time, their eyes met.

Neither of them realized that destiny had just introduced two soulmates.

Elsewhere...

Pari was examining a patient.

A familiar voice called out,

"Dr. Pari?"

She turned around.

Standing before her was Arnav, now an architect.

He smiled.

"Looks like destiny wants us to keep meeting."

Pari smiled warmly.

"You still remember me?"

Arnav: "Some people are impossible to forget."

Both laughed.

Their friendship slowly began once again.

Days passed.

Ruhaan started finding excuses to visit Sanjeevani.

Sometimes he donated blood.

Sometimes he came for routine checkups despite being perfectly healthy.

One day Mishty laughed.

Mishty: "Mr. Ruhaan, if you keep visiting like this, people will think you're always ill."

Ruhaan grinned.

"The illness is real, Doctor."

Mishty became worried.

"What happened?"

He placed his hand over his heart.

"My heart refuses to listen to me whenever you're around."

Mishty blushed.

She tried to hide her smile.

Meanwhile...

Pari and Arnav had become good friends.

One evening, Arnav dropped Pari home.

As they reached the gate, Mouli saw them together.

She looked at Pari sternly.

"Who was that boy?"

Pari: "His name is Arnav. He's my college friend."

Mouli: "From tomorrow, come straight home after work. People start talking unnecessarily."

Pari quietly nodded.

"Okay, Mumma."

Mishty noticed the difference.

When she came home late with Ruhaan after attending a charity event...

Mouli smiled.

"Did you both have dinner?"

Mishty: "Yes, Mom."

Mouli: "Good."

Pari silently watched everything.

She didn't feel jealous...

Only hurt.

Late that night...

Radhika entered Pari's room.

She found Pari sitting near the window with tears in her eyes.

Radhika: "Why are you crying?"

Pari wiped her tears.

"Nothing, Dadi."

Radhika lovingly caressed her hair.

"You're hiding your pain again."

Pari broke down.

"Dadi... I know Mumma loves me... but sometimes I feel she only loves me because she made a promise to my mother."

Radhika hugged her tightly.

"Don't ever think like that."

Pari: "Whenever Didi makes a mistake, Mumma smiles. Whenever I make the same mistake, she scolds me."

Radhika sighed.

She knew Pari wasn't wrong.

The next morning...

Mishty accidentally spilled coffee on Mouli's important medical file.

Mouli laughed.

"You're still as careless as before."

A little later...

Pari accidentally dropped a glass while serving water.

The glass shattered.

Mouli instinctively raised her voice.

"Pari! Can't you be careful?"

Pari quietly cleaned the broken pieces.

Mishty could no longer stay silent.

Mishty: "Mom..."

Mouli looked at her.

Mishty: "When I spilled coffee on your file, you smiled."

"When Pari broke a glass, you scolded her."

"Why?"

Mouli was stunned.

She had no answer.

Mishty continued,

"Pari has never considered herself different from me."

"Then why do you unknowingly make her feel different?"

Pari immediately interrupted.

"Didi... please don't say anything. Mumma has every right to scold me."

Mishty held Pari's hand.

"No."

"You're my sister."

"If anyone hurts you—even unknowingly—I won't remain silent."

Mouli's eyes filled with tears.

For the first time...

She realized that somewhere deep inside...

The wounds of the past had unconsciously affected the way she treated Pari.

That night...

She stood outside Pari's room.

Pari had fallen asleep while hugging an old teddy bear that Nandini had gifted her as a child.

Mouli softly kissed Pari's forehead.

Tears rolled down her cheeks.

Mouli (whispering): "Forgive me, Pari."

"I promised your mother that I would never let you feel like an orphan..."

"...yet somewhere, I failed."

Outside the room...

An emotional Radhika watched everything.

She folded her hands before God.

"The day Pari learns the truth about her mother... I pray she doesn't lose the family she has today."