A Reunion of the Past

"Who's here, Dad?" Vijay Uncle's daughters ask as they come down the stairs.

Meanwhile, Om and Sharda are silently looking at each other. Sharda Aunty is confused about who this boy is, but she senses a familiarity in Om's eyes. She wonders to herself, "Who is this boy, and why does he feel so familiar?" She then asks Om, "What's wrong, dear? Why aren't you saying anything? And why are there tears in your eyes?"

Om snaps out of his daze, wipes his tears, and smiles, saying, "It's nothing, Aunty. Just something got into my eye."

Aunty smiles and responds, "Alright, no worries. But who are you, dear?"

Om is about to reply when Vijay, who had gone into the kitchen, comes out and says, "Don't you recognize him? He's Om, my elder brother's son. Have you forgotten him?"

Upon hearing Om's name, Sharda Aunty's joy knows no bounds. She exclaims happily, "Are you really Om, Veena Di's son? My nephew, Om?" Tears well up in her eyes.

Om, smiling, replies, "Yes, Sharda Aunty, I am your nephew, Om."

Sharda Aunty, overwhelmed with emotion, embraces Om, crying, "I've longed to see you, Om. Why did it take you so long to remember your aunt? You never came to visit us… Have we become so distant, Om?"

Seeing Sharda Aunty in this state, her daughters and Vijay are surprised. Although Sharda had never mentioned Om out of fear of Vijay's anger, today, seeing Om in front of her, she couldn't contain her love for him. Her daughters had also heard about Om but had never seen him before.

Om gently tries to console Sharda Aunty, saying, "How could I visit, Aunty? After Mom and Dad passed away, I was left all alone. There was no one to take care of me, and I couldn't move past that sorrow. I spent every day waiting for them to return. I forgot everything else."

Om, too, starts tearing up. After a moment, Sharda Aunty wipes her tears, smiles at Om, and says, "Now don't leave your aunt's side. Stay with us for a few days."

She then looks at Vijay and, with a hopeful smile, asks, "Isn't that right? He can stay with us for a few days, can't he?"

Vijay, who was lost in thought, snaps back to reality upon hearing Sharda's voice and hurriedly says, "Yes, yes, of course, he can."

Sharda Aunty, overjoyed, then says to her daughters, "Ria, Soumya… come quickly and meet your elder brother!"

Ria and Soumya, seeing their mother so happy, quickly rush over to Om. Both of them had heard a lot about Om from their mother. However, they could never mention Om or his father in front of their dad, as Sharda Aunty had told them that Vijay didn't like to hear or talk about them. Sharda then introduces Om to her daughters. The elder daughter, Soumya, is 18 years old and has just started college, while the younger one, Ria, is still in primary school.

After chatting for a while, Ria, delighted, says to Om, "Om Bhaiya, you look so nice! Will you be the prince for my doll?"

Everyone laughs, and the atmosphere becomes light-hearted. Sharda Aunty smiles at Om and says, "Om dear, you go ahead and explore the house with Ria and Soumya. I'll make something special for you to eat today."

Om, still smiling, replies, "There's no need for that, Aunty. I'll be happy with whatever you make."

Sharda Aunty, ignoring Om's words, says, "How can I not make something special? After all, you don't come here every day."

With that, she heads into the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Ria and Soumya take Om to show him around the house. After a while, they bring Om to their room. Soumya, teasingly, says, "Om Bhaiya, you look so handsome. You must have a girlfriend, right?" The three of them laugh at this.

In no time, Om gets along well with Ria and Soumya. He laughs and replies, "Well, I stay away from girls because I don't know how to talk to them. And besides, I never had time to think about such things with all my work."

Hearing this, Soumya, a little saddened, says, "We know what you've been through, Om Bhaiya. Mom always worries about you. She has even gotten scolded by Dad many times because of you."

This makes Om fall silent for a moment. Ria then adds, "Mom wanted to keep you with us, but Dad didn't want you here. Om Bhaiya, you're such a good person, so why didn't Dad ever invite you over?"

Saying this, Ria looks at Om with innocent eyes.

Om lifts Ria into his arms and smiles, saying, "No, my dear Ria, your dad and I always talked, but Om Bhaiya was just too busy with work to come and visit his sister."

Ria, with a sad look, says, "You're lying. We've seen Dad get angry with Mom because of you many times. Why didn't you come to protect Mom earlier? And will you leave us again, Om Bhaiya?"

Hearing this, both Ria and Soumya become visibly upset, and seeing them, Om's face also falls.

But then, Om tickles Ria, saying, "No, Ria, now Om Bhaiya will visit you often. And from now on, Om Bhaiya will play with his sister Ria."

Ria, now happy, laughs loudly and says, "Really, Om Bhaiya? Mom is right; you're so sweet."

Meanwhile, Sharda is happily cooking in the kitchen, and Vijay is talking to her. Seeing Sharda so happy, he says, "So, you were really worried about that boy. That's why you started crying as soon as you saw him, isn't it?"

Surprised by Vijay's sudden words, Sharda hesitates and replies, "Maybe, but you don't like him either, yet you brought him home. I love him like my own son, but I don't know why you've always seen him as an enemy. Why do you hate that innocent boy so much? Who knows what kind of childhood he had… Who knows how he's been living? We're his real uncle and aunt, yet we know nothing about his life because you don't like him. You and your brother left that poor child to live like an orphan, even though he had a family."

Hearing this, Vijay, getting angry, says, "Yes, I don't like him because he's Vipul's son, and he looks just like him. He has all of Vipul's traits. Even when we were all together, everyone only talked about Vipul. He was everyone's favorite because he was perfect at everything. I don't know what magic he had… That's why I never liked him, nor do I like his son."

Hearing Vijay's words, Sharda laughs and says, "So, you never got along with Vipul Bhaiya just because he was good at everything? And after he passed away, you left his son, a small child, to grow up alone, despite having a family, just because of such a small grudge? You turned an innocent child into an object of hatred… Wow, what a mindset you have. I don't even know what to say to you."

Vijay couldn't bear Sharda's sarcastic words anymore. Thinking about Om and his father was already making Vijay's blood boil. At that moment, he notices a knife lying nearby. Without thinking, he quickly grabs it and moves toward Sharda, holding the knife.