The following minutes passed slowly.
Aanya didn't ask anything else.
Not because she had no questions.
She had too many.
They were simply too large to fit into words yet.
Sagnik remained beside her.
Sometimes he spoke.
Sometimes he didn't.
Aanya noticed that he kept looking at her as though he was still trying to convince himself she was actually awake.
Every few minutes, his eyes would return to her.
She didn't mind.
There was something reassuring about it.
Eventually, the door opened.
Sagnik looked up.
His expression changed.
Not dramatically.
Just enough for Aanya to notice.
Someone stood outside.
A woman.
She paused near the doorway, one hand resting lightly against the frame.
She wasn't alone.
A small baby girl was nestled against her shoulder, half-asleep, one tiny hand curled into the fabric of her clothes.
The woman looked at Sagnik first.
Then at Aanya.
For a moment, neither moved.
Aanya knew immediately.
She didn't know how.
She simply did.
Sagnik stood.
"Araadhya."
The woman gave him a small smile.
"Hi."
Then her eyes returned to Aanya.
There was something incredibly gentle in them.
She stepped inside.
"Can I come in?"
Aanya nodded.
"Yes."
Araadhya walked toward the bed.
The baby shifted slightly against her shoulder.
Aanya's eyes fell on her.
She was tiny.
Soft cheeks.
A little tuft of hair.
Sleepy eyes that opened for a second before closing again.
Aanya smiled without realizing it.
"She's beautiful."
Araadhya smiled.
"Thank you."
She looked down at the baby.
"She usually sleeps through everything."
As if on cue, the little girl made a tiny sound.
Araadhya laughed softly.
"Usually."
Aanya smiled again.
Then her eyes returned to Araadhya.
There was a question there.
Araadhya seemed to understand.
She didn't force Aanya to ask it.
Instead, she said quietly:
"Her name is Aanya."
Aanya froze.
Her eyes moved to the baby.
Then back to Araadhya.
"What?"
Araadhya smiled.
"We named her Aanya."
Sagnik looked away.
Aanya stared at the child.
"Why?"
Araadhya adjusted the baby carefully.
"Because he wanted to."
Aanya looked at Sagnik.
He didn't meet her eyes.
Araadhya continued.
"And because I didn't mind."
Aanya swallowed.
"She..."
She looked at the baby again.
"She's really named Aanya?"
"Yes."
A small smile appeared on Araadhya's face.
"Though we usually call her Anu."
Aanya's eyes softened.
She looked at the baby again.
For a few seconds, she didn't know what to say.
Then the baby stirred.
Araadhya gently patted her back.
"She's been waiting to meet you."
Aanya looked up.
"She doesn't know me."
"No."
Araadhya smiled.
"But she's heard your name."
Aanya's eyes filled.
She looked away briefly.
Then back at the baby.
"Can I..."
She stopped.
Araadhya understood.
"Of course."
She carefully brought the baby closer.
Aanya hesitated before touching her tiny fingers.
The baby curled them instinctively around Aanya's finger.
Aanya's breath caught.
She smiled.
A real smile.
Araadhya watched her.
Then said softly:
"Sagnik used to talk about you."
Aanya looked up.
"He did?"
Araadhya nodded.
"All the time."
Sagnik immediately looked uncomfortable.
"Araadhya."
"What?"
"You don't have to tell her everything."
Araadhya smiled.
"I think she deserves to know."
Aanya looked between them.
Then back at Araadhya.
"What did he tell you?"
Araadhya laughed softly.
"Too much."
Sagnik sighed.
"Please don't."
Aanya's smile grew.
"Now I definitely want to know."
Araadhya looked at him.
"He used to come here every day."
Aanya's smile faded slightly.
"Every day?"
"Almost."
She nodded toward him.
"There was one condition."
Aanya looked at Sagnik.
"What condition?"
Araadhya smiled.
"That he would come here every day."
She paused.
"And I wasn't supposed to have a problem with it."
Aanya looked at her.
Araadhya's expression remained completely calm.
"He told me that if I couldn't accept that, he didn't know what he would do."
Sagnik rubbed the back of his neck.
"I didn't say it like that."
"You absolutely did."
Aanya laughed softly.
Araadhya smiled.
"He was very serious about it."
She looked down at the baby.
"He felt responsible."
Aanya's expression changed.
"For me?"
Araadhya nodded.
"He believed the accident was his fault."
Aanya looked at Sagnik.
He didn't speak.
Araadhya continued.
"He thought if he hadn't called you that day, you wouldn't have been on that road."
Aanya's chest tightened.
"He blamed himself for years."
Sagnik finally spoke.
"Araadhya..."
She looked at him.
"She should know."
Then she turned back to Aanya.
"He would sit here for hours."
Aanya stared at her.
"Sometimes he wouldn't even speak."
She smiled sadly.
"Sometimes he'd talk to you."
Aanya's lips parted.
"What would he say?"
Araadhya thought for a moment.
"Everything."
Aanya waited.
"He'd tell you about his day."
A faint smile appeared.
"Complain about work."
Aanya glanced at Sagnik.
He looked embarrassed.
Araadhya laughed.
"He'd tell you stupid things too."
"Like?"
"He once spent twenty minutes telling you about a man who had taken his parking spot."
Aanya laughed.
Sagnik groaned.
"I was angry."
"You were devastated."
"I wasn't."
"You were."
Aanya laughed again.
The sound seemed strange in the room.
Warm.
Almost normal.
Araadhya smiled.
"That's what I mean."
She looked at Aanya.
"He didn't only come here to sit beside you."
"He brought pieces of his life with him."
Aanya looked down.
Araadhya continued.
"On your birthday, he brought a cake."
Aanya looked up.
"He celebrated?"
"Yes."
"Here?"
"Here."
Aanya's eyes filled.
"What did he do?"
Araadhya smiled.
"He bought a small cake."
She paused.
"He didn't know what flavor you liked."
Aanya looked at Sagnik.
He looked away.
"So he bought three."
Aanya laughed through her tears.
"Three?"
"He said he couldn't risk getting it wrong."
Sagnik muttered:
"That was reasonable."
Araadhya laughed.
"He sat beside you and cut the cake."
Aanya's smile faded slightly.
"And?"
"He waited."
"For what?"
Araadhya's voice softened.
"For you to wake up."
Aanya looked down.
Araadhya continued.
"He kept a piece aside."
Aanya's eyes burned.
"He told me you'd eat it when you woke up."
Aanya couldn't speak.
Sagnik looked at her.
Araadhya smiled faintly.
"He did that every year."
Aanya's eyes widened.
"Every year?"
"Every birthday."
She looked at Sagnik.
"He celebrated you."
Sagnik's eyes dropped.
"And then he'd get angry."
Aanya looked at her.
"Angry?"
"At you."
Aanya blinked.
"Why?"
Araadhya laughed softly.
"Because you wouldn't wake up."
Aanya stared.
"He'd say things like, 'She's doing this deliberately.'"
Sagnik closed his eyes.
"I was frustrated."
"He'd tell you that you were being stubborn."
Aanya laughed weakly.
"Sounds like him."
"It was."
Araadhya's smile softened.
"And then, when nobody was looking..."
She paused.
"He'd cry."
Aanya went still.
"Every time?"
Araadhya shook her head.
"Not every time."
A pause.
"Enough."
Aanya looked at him.
Sagnik didn't defend himself.
He simply sat there.
Quiet.
Araadhya adjusted the baby against her shoulder.
"Sometimes I'd find him asleep beside you."
She smiled.
"Sometimes he'd be holding your hand."
Aanya looked down at her own hand.
The same hand he'd been holding.
Araadhya continued.
"He always woke up when I entered."
Aanya smiled faintly.
"Even when he was exhausted."
"Especially when he was exhausted."
A pause.
Then Araadhya laughed.
"Once, he fell asleep while talking to you."
Aanya looked up.
"What did he say?"
"I don't remember."
She smiled.
"But he woke up suddenly and continued the sentence."
Aanya laughed.
"He didn't even realize he'd slept."
Sagnik finally smiled.
"I was tired."
"You were exhausted."
"I know."
Aanya looked at him.
There was something different in her expression now.
Not jealousy.
Not anger.
Something much more complicated.
She looked at Araadhya.
"Thank you."
Araadhya blinked.
"For what?"
"For telling me."
Araadhya smiled.
"You deserved to know."
Aanya looked at the baby again.
Her tiny fingers were still curled around hers.
"What does she know about me?"
Araadhya looked down at her daughter.
"Not much."
She smiled.
"But she knows her name."
Aanya's eyes filled again.
Araadhya stepped closer.
"You don't have to decide what any of this means today."
Aanya looked at her.
"Okay."
"You've just woken up."
Aanya nodded.
"You have time."
For the first time since waking, Aanya felt something other than shock.
Not peace.
Not yet.
But something gentler.
She looked at the baby.
Then at Sagnik.
Then at Araadhya.
The woman who had become his wife.
The woman who had lived beside him while Aanya slept.
The woman who had somehow carried her name into a new little life.
And somehow, impossibly—
there was no hatred in Aanya's heart.
Only a strange ache.
And gratitude.
Araadhya smiled.
"Would you like to hold her?"
Aanya looked at the baby.
Then slowly nodded.
"Yes."
Araadhya carefully placed the little girl into her arms.
Aanya held her awkwardly at first.
Then adjusted.
The baby settled against her.
Aanya looked down.
Her eyes filled.
"Hi, Aanya."
The baby stirred.
A tiny hand touched her shirt.
Aanya smiled through her tears.
"I'm sorry I'm late."
Across the room, Sagnik looked away.
Because that sentence—
more than anything else—
Nearly broke him.