The elevator doors opened on the ground floor, but Khushi remained inside for a second longer.

Her reflection stared back at her from the mirrored wall.

Calm face.

Straight shoulders.

Not a single sign of what had happened upstairs.

Then stop behaving like you still do.

She could still see the stunned look on Arnav’s face.

Khushi closed her eyes briefly.

She shouldn’t have said it.

She definitely shouldn’t have enjoyed leaving him without an answer.

But after spending the entire day listening to his taunts, it had slipped out before she could stop herself.

And now she had to go back tomorrow.

A quiet groan escaped her.

The elevator doors began closing again.

Khushi quickly stepped out and adjusted the bag on her shoulder.

Enough.

The office was over.

Arnav Singh Raizada could stay there with his attitude, his ridiculous questions and his unsigned papers.

She was going home.

The moment Khushi reached her floor, she could already hear the faint sound of cartoons coming from inside the apartment.

A smile appeared on her face before she even opened the door.

She turned the key.

The door had barely opened when small footsteps came rushing toward her.

“Mommy!”

Aarav ran straight into her.

Khushi dropped her bag beside the door and bent down just in time to catch him.

His little arms wrapped tightly around her neck.

“Hello, my baby.”

She lifted him into her arms and kissed his cheek.

Just like that, the tension of the entire day disappeared.

Aarav pulled back almost immediately.

His face became very serious.

Then he pointed toward the kitchen.

“Preeto aunty was mean to me.”

Khushi raised her eyebrows.

Before she could ask anything, Preeto’s voice came from the kitchen.

“Yes, yes. Complain about me first.”

Khushi pressed her lips together to hide her smile.

She looked at Aarav.

“What happened?”

Aarav placed both hands on her shoulders.

“She made me eat carrot.”

The accusation in his voice made it sound as though Preeto had committed a terrible crime.

Preeto walked out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel.

“One piece.”

Aarav immediately stretched his hands as far apart as he could.

“It was this big.”

Khushi looked at the enormous space between his hands.

Then she looked at Preeto.

Preeto stared back at him.

“It was smaller than your finger.”

Aarav’s eyes widened.

Without another word, he slipped out of Khushi’s arms and hid behind her legs.

“No,” he said firmly. “She’s lying.”

Khushi bit the inside of her cheek.

She could already feel the laughter rising inside her.

Turning slightly, she looked down at the little face peeking out from behind her.

“Preeto is lying?”

Aarav nodded with complete seriousness.

“Yes.”

Preeto folded her arms across her chest.

“Should I tell your mommy what you did after that?”

The confidence vanished from Aarav’s face.

His eyes widened.

Slowly, very slowly, he stepped away from Khushi.

Then he began walking toward the hallway.

Khushi watched him take one careful step after another.

“Aarav.”

He stopped immediately.

His back remained toward them.

Khushi crossed her arms.

“Where are you going?”

Aarav turned his head slightly.

“To my room.”

“You were just telling me something.”

“I’m finished.”

Preeto let out a laugh.

“No, no. I’m not finished.”

Aarav closed his eyes.

Preeto looked at Khushi triumphantly.

“He put two chocolate cookies in his pockets.”

Khushi looked at her son.

Aarav looked at Preeto.

Then, as though suddenly remembering something extremely important, he shoved both hands into his trouser pockets.

His face fell.

“Oh no!”

Khushi took a step toward him.

“What happened?”

Aarav slowly pulled his hands out.

Chocolate covered his fingers.

What remained of the cookies had melted inside both pockets, leaving behind a sticky brown mess.

Aarav stared at it in horror.

“My cookie melted.”

For one second, Khushi and Preeto remained silent.

Then both of them burst out laughing.

Aarav looked from one woman to the other, deeply offended.

“It’s not funny.”

That only made Khushi laugh harder.

She bent down in front of him, trying to catch her breath.

“You put chocolate cookies in your pockets?”

Aarav frowned.

“Preeto aunty said I couldn’t eat them.”

“So you hid them?”

“I was saving them.”

“For when?”

Aarav thought carefully.

“Later.”

Preeto shook her head.

“He walked around with them in his pockets for almost an hour.”

Khushi looked at Aarav’s stained trousers.

“And you didn’t notice?”

He shook his head.

Then he looked at the melted chocolate on his fingers.

“Can I still eat it?”

“No,” Khushi and Preeto answered together.

Aarav’s mouth dropped open.

“But it’s still chocolate!”

“It was chocolate,” Preeto corrected him.

“Now it’s part of your trousers.”

Aarav looked down at his pockets as though they had betrayed him.

Khushi reached for his hands.

“Come on. Let’s clean you up.”

She began pulling him toward the washroom.

Aarav resisted.

“Wait.”

“What now?”

He looked at the chocolate on his fingers.

Then at Khushi.

“Can I lick this first?”

Khushi stared at him.

Aarav smiled hopefully.

“No.”

His face fell once again.

Preeto laughed from behind them.

“Your mother is being mean to you now.”

Aarav immediately pointed at Khushi.

“See? Both of you are mean.”

Khushi gasped dramatically.

“Me?”

“Yes.”

“I came home and hugged you.”

Aarav considered this.

“That was nice.”

“And I didn’t make you eat carrot.”

He looked at Preeto suspiciously.

“That was very nice.”

Khushi smiled.

“So I’m not mean.”

Aarav stared at her chocolate-covered fingers wrapped around his.

Then he looked up.

“You’re a little mean.”

Khushi laughed and pulled him into her arms.

“You little monster.”

Aarav giggled as she carried him toward the washroom.

Preeto picked up Khushi’s bag from near the door.

“He waited for you the whole evening,” she said.

Aarav immediately protested.

“No, I didn’t!”

Preeto raised an eyebrow.

“Really?”

“I was watching cartoons.”

“And asking me every five minutes when your mommy would come.”

Aarav covered Khushi’s ears with both hands.

“Don’t listen to her.”

Khushi smiled and kissed his forehead.

“I missed you too.”

Aarav lowered his hands.

“Very much?”

“Very, very much.”

Satisfied, he rested his head against her shoulder.

Khushi carried him inside while he continued explaining how the carrot had, in fact, been much bigger than Preeto claimed.

For the first time since morning, Khushi laughed without holding anything back.

Far away from that small, noisy apartment, the office had fallen completely silent.

The lights outside Arnav’s cabin had been switched off.

Only the lamp on his desk remained on.

Arnav sat alone in his chair.

The coffee cup was still in his hand.

It had gone cold a long time ago.

But he hadn’t put it down.

His thumb moved slowly over its rim.

The faint taste of cinnamon still lingered.

Six years ago, Khushi had remembered everything about him.

How much sugar he took.

Which side of the bed he preferred.

How he loosened his tie when he was irritated.

How he hated being disturbed while working but secretly waited for her to disturb him anyway.

Then she had looked him in the eyes and said none of it had meant anything.

That he had meant nothing.

Arnav tightened his grip around the cup.

“After everything you did…”

His voice sounded strange in the empty cabin.

Quieter than he intended.

Less angry.

He looked toward the desk where she had stood only minutes ago.

“After everything you said…”

The image of her placing the coffee in front of him returned.

No hesitation.

No question.

Just cinnamon, exactly the way he had always liked it.

Arnav lowered his eyes to the cup.

“How do you still remember?”

There was no one there to answer him.

Only the silence.

And somewhere beneath all the anger he had carried for six years, a doubt had begun to grow.

Small.

Unwelcome.

Impossible to ignore.