Gauri was working as quickly as she could, her eyes repeatedly shifting toward the clock. Her heart was beating faster with every passing minute, yet her hands did not stop. She moved between the computer and the files without wasting a second.

She transferred the required files on the computer while adjusting the physical files with her other hand. Every few seconds, she glanced around the office and noticed people slowly leaving. The sight only made her anxiety grow stronger.

Her fingers moved faster, almost as if she were silently praying for everything to finish before the clock betrayed her. She looked at the time again, then immediately returned to her work, refusing to let her panic slow her down.

Two minutes later, her eyes returned to the clock. Every passing minute seemed to make her heartbeat louder. Just then, two hands gently settled on her shoulders, making her suddenly tense. She lifted her head in alarm and looked behind her.

“Taru.”

Taru smiled and immediately sat in front of her, then playfully held her own ears in apology. Gauri stared at her with worried eyes, already knowing what her friend was about to say.

“I am really sorry... What can I do? Apurav simply refuses to listen. You should leave. I know you have a lot of work, and you really do not need to wait here for me… I will finish everything by nine and come home. Do not worry about me. Apurav has already reached the office, so he will stay with me and drop me home safely.”

Gauri released a deep breath, as though those words had lifted a heavy weight from her chest. The relief lasted only a moment before she looked at the clock again, quickly grabbed her bag, and hurried toward the exit.

“Okay bye I am going…”

“Hey, do not hurt yourself while rushing around… You always do this.”

Gauri hurried out without stopping, barely hearing Taru's worried voice behind her. The moment she stepped outside, she checked the time and felt her heartbeat quicken when she saw it was already seven fifteen.

“I cannot wait for the bus.”

She immediately raised her hand, and within seconds, a taxi stopped beside her. Gauri quickly opened the door and climbed inside, giving the driver her destination before settling into the back seat.

“Model Road.”

The taxi moved toward Model Road, and Gauri quietly opened her purse. She carefully counted the money inside, keeping it hidden from the driver's view while calculating every note twice. Today was the twenty-eighth, leaving only two days before the month ended.

Her salary would arrive on the second, which meant she had to manage everything carefully for the next few days. She pressed her lips together, took a deep breath, and then smiled faintly as she closed her purse.

“Nothing is more important than you.”

The taxi continued through the evening traffic before finally stopping outside a large building. Above the entrance, the name AYUSH HOMES was written in large letters. Gauri quickly paid the driver, stepped out, and hurried toward the entrance.

The moment she turned around, a wooden stick struck the ground loudly in front of her. Gauri flinched and looked up to find an elderly man with a thick moustache glaring at her angrily, his expression already filled with frustration.

“Madam, how many times have I told you not to come late? Do you not understand something when I tell you once? Do you have any idea how much trouble your late arrivals cause me every evening?”

Gauri stood silently, staring at him. The harshness in his voice made her nervous, and for a few seconds, her mind seemed to go completely blank. She tried opening her mouth to answer, but no words came out. The man continued scolding her, but before Gauri could gather enough courage to respond, he suddenly grabbed his leg and began hopping painfully.

Gauri immediately lowered her gaze and saw a little boy standing beside him. The five-year-old had both hands firmly placed on his waist and was glaring at the old man with unmistakable anger. Before he could strike the man's other leg, Gauri quickly reached down and caught him from behind.

“Nivaan stop…”

The boy immediately tried pulling himself free, his small face filled with indignation. As soon as he managed to free his hand, he stepped forward and glared at the man before shouting with all the strength in his little voice.

“How dare you scold Nivaan's mumma?”

The watchman immediately looked at Nivaan, who was tiny in height but had remarkably chubby cheeks. His cheeks appeared even fuller with anger as he continued glaring at Govind with such fierce determination that the old man could not help smiling.

“You have raised quite a mischievous boy, Madam. He troubles me all the time. Come and take him on time, but if you keep coming late, one day I might hit him with this stick instead of the ground.”

As the watchman says this while skillfully twirling the wooden staff he is holding, Nivaan immediately shouts out.

“If you say anything to my mother again, Govind, I will break your other leg too.”

Gauri immediately lifted Nivaan into her arms and gave him a stern look, trying to hide the smile threatening to appear on her face. She gently scolded him while adjusting him against her shoulder, reminding him that he should always respect elders.

“How many times have I told you not to call elders by their names? You should not speak like that.”

Govind smiled at Nivaan's innocent complaint because he knew the little boy very well. Nivaan had never believed that being afraid of anyone was necessary, and whenever something angered him, he simply addressed the person directly by their name.

Govind understood that habit better than anyone. He immediately held both his ears and looked apologetically at Gauri, his earlier irritation completely forgotten as he tried to make peace with the little boy.

“Forgive me, beta. I scolded you in front of your son.”

Gauri smiled softly and shook her head before looking affectionately at Nivaan, who was still watching Govind with suspicious eyes. She gently adjusted his hair and then looked back at the old watchman.

“It is okay, Uncle. He gets angry just like this. He has definitely taken after his father.”

“My papa used to get angry like me?”

Nivaan looked at his mother with sudden curiosity, and Gauri simply nodded. The answer seemed to make him strangely happy, and his face immediately brightened with the sweetest smile she had ever seen.

Gauri leaned forward and kissed his chubby cheek, then thanked Govind before picking up Nivaan's bag and carrying her son securely in her arms. Together, they walked away from Ayush Homes, leaving the evening behind them.

“When will Taru come home?”

Gauri looked down at him with a questioning stare, but Nivaan remained completely unaffected by her expression. He simply continued resting comfortably in her arms, already preparing his next complaint.

“Why does Apurav not leave Taru alone? He is always around her.”

Gauri closed her eyes tightly, trying to control her patience while Nivaan stared at her without the slightest sign of regret. His expression made it very clear that he had no intention of taking back his words.

“I don't like Apurav.”

“There is no need to talk such nonsense. Apurav and Taru are getting married next month.”

Nivaan immediately held his mother's face between his tiny hands, turning her toward him with sudden seriousness. His innocent question made Gauri stop walking, because she knew exactly how much Taru's presence meant to both of them.

“Then Taru will not live with us anymore?”

Gauri slowly nodded, unable to hide the sadness that briefly crossed her face. Before she could say anything, Nivaan smiled confidently and wrapped his little arms around her neck, speaking with complete certainty.

“Okay, no problem. You don't be scared, mumma. Nivaan will not let anything happen to you. As long as Nivaan is with you, nobody can say anything to you. I will always protect you.”

A soft laugh escaped Gauri as she heard those words, and her eyes filled with warmth. She hugged Nivaan closer, holding him against her heart as though protecting the most precious part of herself from the entire world.

Nivaan was not simply her son. He was the reason behind every sacrifice, every difficult morning, and every night she had survived alone. He was her entire world, and as long as she had him, Gauri believed she could face anything.

She kissed his forehead and held Nivaan tightly against her chest as she walked, listening to his endless little stories and occasional complaints. She looked down at him with a soft smile, but beneath that tenderness lived a fear she had never managed to silence.

Nivaan kept talking, completely unaware of the emotions hidden behind his mother's eyes. Gauri listened quietly, watching every movement of his face, every familiar expression that reminded her of the man whose face she could never erase from her memories.

Sometimes, looking at Nivaan felt like holding a piece of her past against her heart. His eyes, his smile, and certain little expressions carried a face she could never forget, and somewhere deep inside, that familiar face still frightened her more than she could ever explain.