6 PM, Evening…
At Anamika’s house…
Saaniya had returned early from the hospital today. As soon as she unlocked the door, her eyes landed on two pairs of sandals inside. She frowned and thought, “Ruhi’s home early today?”
Curious, she stepped inside—only to hear an unfamiliar voice echoing from the hall.
She followed the sound…
In the hall, Anamika was sitting with another girl. Both were playing a video game.
Anamika looked calm and composed, but the girl with her was shouting like a child who just lost a candy war.
And that girl… was Ira!
She was standing on the sofa, yelling like a wildcat. Her fingers were furiously smashing the controller buttons.
She seemed frustrated and was screaming non-stop—
“Shoot him! Ugh! SHOOT, you idiot! Get up…! Oh no… no no no! Anamika! Stop hitting me like that!!”
She was losing. Repeatedly. Without mercy.
Saaniya stood frozen near the doorway, her mouth slightly open and eyes wide.
The coffee table was a complete disaster — empty chip packets, a few dirty plates, water bottles, and random trash scattered around.
Anger flashed through her eyes.
She stormed straight to the TV and switched it off—the same TV connected to the game console.
Ira yelped, “Hey!! Why’d you turn it off?! I was about to win!!”
Like a cat, she jumped off the couch and walked over to Saaniya. But Saaniya didn’t speak. She was furious—and when she was furious, she preferred glaring over talking.
Under that intense stare, Ira stuffed her hands in her pockets, then circled Saaniya like a curious cat, head low, inspecting her mood.
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She finally said, “You look angry! What happened?”
Saaniya didn’t reply. She simply gave Anamika a pointed look and walked away.
Ira turned to Anamika and asked, “Did I do something wrong?”
Anamika shook her head and sighed, “No… it wasn’t you. It was my fault. Anyway… I’ll go check on her. Meanwhile, can you please clean up this mess?”
Without waiting for a response, Anamika walked off. Ira looked around at the chaos and muttered, “Me? Clean this?! I only know how to make a mess! Cleaning isn’t in my skill set!”
Meanwhile, inside Saaniya’s room…
Saaniya sat on her bed, arms crossed.
Anamika entered quietly and said, “I’m sorry! I know… I mean, I really made a mess. But we’ll clean it up, okay? The house will be just as neat and beautiful as before!”
Saaniya turned her face away and said, “When did you even get here? You didn’t call or message once!”
Anamika walked over to the dresser, picked up a box, and brought it to Saaniya.
“I knew you’d be mad about that…”
Saaniya looked at her. Anamika now stood there with the box in her hands and an adorably guilty expression, like a child waiting for forgiveness.
Saaniya rolled her eyes. “Don’t think that innocent face will melt me. You could’ve at least told me you were coming. I would’ve picked you up! And… who is that crazy girl outside?”
Anamika extended the box toward her, “I’ll explain everything! But first, check out this gift I brought just for you!”
Saaniya stared at the sparkle in Anamika’s eyes, then took the box and opened it.
“This is the first gift you’ve brought for me from a trip,” she said softly.
Anamika beamed and nodded like a proud kid, “I gave specific instructions to the chef to make it exactly how you like it!”
Inside the box was a small, simple but beautiful cake. It looked plain… but tempting.
Saaniya smiled as she stared at it, then looked at Anamika and said, “This is really cute!”
Anamika lit up, “Isn’t it?! Come on, let’s go eat it together outside!”
But Saaniya clutched the box like a possessive cat and snapped, “Nope. It’s mine. I’m not sharing it with that wild jungle lunatic out there!”
Anamika blinked. Jungle… lunatic… wild?! Ira?!
She quickly replied, “Hey! Ira’s not like that!”
But Saaniya calmly dipped a finger into the frosting and tasted it, “Whoever she is, I said I’m not sharing. So I’m not sharing.”
Anamika raised an eyebrow, “You never used to act like this before.”
Saaniya’s tone turned cold. “Because before, it was only the two of us.”
Anamika sat beside her. “Didn’t you like it?”
Saaniya paused. Her expression softened.
After a deep breath, she stood up and said, “No… I liked it. I’m just teasing. Come on, let’s share it with her. What was her name again? Ira?”
She was about to walk out when Anamika stopped her.
“No! That’s not necessary. I brought this cake specifically for your taste. I don’t think you should share it. I’ll get another one for Ira.
Anyway… I’m not afraid to talk to people anymore.”
She walked toward the door and said one last thing:
“Finish the cake and come outside. I’ll properly introduce you to Ira.
By the way… she’s Aditya’s sister.”
With that, Anamika left.
But Saaniya froze.
“Aditya’s sister?!”
Her eyes showed a strange emotion, as if something deep had been triggered.
In her ears, a voice from the past echoed—
“Didi (sister)… please save my mom and dad! Please!”
And the cold reply that had once broken her soul returned—
“Focus on staying alive. When monsters go out hunting, they show no mercy. In times like these, saving your own life matters more.
Relationships mean nothing. Save the ones who are alive and let the dying… die.
If you get yourself killed in front of the monsters, who will keep your brother happy then?”
Saaniya sank back on the bed and whispered,
“I need to apologize to her. But… I can’t.
No matter how much I want to… I can’t say sorry.
My hands are stained with blood…
How can I seek forgiveness with these hands?”
The past—it's easy to speak of, but hard to outrun.
We often try to walk toward the future, hoping life will be better…
But our actions from the past always catch up.
Be it mistakes made in ignorance or under pressure—karma doesn’t care.
It follows you.
So what is the karma from Saaniya’s past that has returned now?And how does she know Ira?
