The morning sunlight filtered gently through the curtains of the Acharya mansion.
"Mummy... are we going?" Mayank asked excitedly, already wearing his tiny school uniform and holding his Iron Man backpack.
Mia stopped in the doorway.
For a moment, guilt flickered across her face.
She slowly knelt in front of him and cupped his little cheeks.
"Not today, sweetheart."
Mayank blinked.
"...Why?"
"You'll stay home for a few days."
His smile disappeared instantly.
"But... I have school."
"You can study here."
"But..." His little voice became quieter. "My friend will leave soon."
Mia's heart clenched.
"He said he'd come again. I want to meet him before he goes."
He hugged his backpack tightly.
"My Iron Man friend is waiting for me."
Mia looked away.
She knew exactly who he was talking about.
"No, Mayank."
"But Mummy..."
"I said no."
His eyes began to fill with tears.
"I just want to say bye..."
Mia pulled him into a gentle hug.
"I'm sorry, baby."
He buried his face in her shoulder.
"Did I do something wrong?"
Her heart shattered.
"No... never."
"Then why can't I go?"
For a few seconds, she couldn't answer.
Finally she smiled softly and stroked his hair.
"Grandpa isn't feeling well."
Mayank looked up immediately.
"Grandpa is sick?"
She nodded.
"He needs company today. Can you stay home and play with him?"
Mayank loved his grandfather more than anyone after Mia.
He looked toward his room, then back at his mother.
"...Will Grandpa be lonely?"
"He will."
The little boy sighed dramatically.
"Okay..."
His tiny shoulders dropped.
"I'll stay with Grandpa."
Mia kissed his forehead.
"Thank you, my brave boy."
Just then, an elderly man entered the room with a warm smile.
"My superhero is staying with me today?"
Mayank nodded.
"But only because you're sick."
His grandfather laughed.
"I'll recover much faster with you beside me."
Mia smiled thankfully at her father.
He already knew everything.
Everything about Leo.
Everything about the past.
Everything they were trying so desperately to protect.
Before leaving for work, Mia turned to one of the house staff.
"Please don't let him leave the house."
"Yes, ma'am."
She looked back at her son one last time.
I'm sorry, Mayank...
I'm only trying to protect you.
Acharya Multi specialty Hospital stood proudly in the heart of Bangalore, one of the city's most prestigious hospitals, built by the Acharya family and trusted by thousands of patients every day.
Inside her consultation room, Mia tried to focus on her patients.
One after another.
Diagnosis.
Treatment.
Advice.
Work had always been the easiest way to silence her thoughts.
But today...
Her mind refused to cooperate.
Every few minutes she remembered Leo's face.
His confused eyes.
His questions.
His silence.
"No..."
He has to leave today.
Everything will go back to normal.
A nurse knocked gently.
"Doctor, your next patient."
"Please send them in."
She opened the file without looking.
Patient Name: Arjun Mehta.
"Come in."
The door opened.
Footsteps echoed across the room.
Something about them felt...
Familiar.
She slowly looked up.
Her breath stopped.
Leo Alexander Kane.
He quietly closed the door behind him.
The file slipped from Mia's fingers onto the desk.
"You..."
Mia mind frozen for a second.