In line comments please guys!

Third person’s pov!

“Hey, Aryan…” Yug’s voice was quiet as he slid into the seat beside him in the hospital canteen.

Aryan looked up, offering a faint nod. The dark circles under his eyes told stories Yug wished he didn’t know. Sleepless nights. Worry. A mind that never stopped racing.

“Yug,” Aryan acknowledged, taking a slow sip of his coffee.

There was a weight in the silence between them—one that came from years of friendship and an unspoken understanding of each other’s grief.

“How’s Maa?” Yug asked gently.

“Stable. The BP’s under control now. But you know how she is—she refuses to rest. I caught her in the kitchen this morning, trying to make sambar.” Aryan set his cup down with a sigh. 

“Aryan…” Yug frowned. 

“I know.” Aryan ran a tired hand through his hair. “We already have help at home. One lady takes care of errands, another does the cleaning. But Maa won’t let anyone near the stove. She says no one gets the spices right.”

“Well, she is not wrong,” Yug offered with a faint smile. “Your mom’s rasam could fix a broken heart.”

“True. But still... I would rather have a bland meal than see her collapse again. When she fainted last week, I felt like my heart stopped.” Aryan huffed a laugh. 

“Then take control. Hire someone who can cook. There’s an agency nearby, about two kilometres from here. I know someone who found their housekeeper through them. Come on, let’s check it out. Your shift’s over, right?” Yug leaned forward, more serious now.

“Yeah. If I can get someone who is good and can start tomorrow, it would really help. Maa won’t admit it, but she is pushing herself too hard.” Aryan nodded slowly. 

There was a beat of silence before Aryan added, more quietly, “Ever since they moved here, she’s been... restless. Maybe she is homesick. Maybe she just needs something to hold on to.”

Yug didn’t press further. He knew the Acharyas had uprooted their life recently for Aryan. Aryan had just bought a villa in Bangalore, moving from the apartment he had been living in for over a year now, bringing his parents and youngest brother, Atharv, with him. The second brother, Adithyan, was still in Mumbai, tangled in the final stages of wrapping up their massive family business there. It might take him another year to tie up everything and shift their head office to Bangalore.

The two friends rose from their seats, coffee cups forgotten on the table, and walked out toward the agency.

The employment agency was on the second floor of a modest four-storey building. The signboard outside was slightly faded, but the interior was neat and organized.

As Aryan and Yug stepped in, a young woman, barely in her early or mid-twenties, looked up from behind the front desk. She straightened quickly, offering a professional smile.

“Hello, Sir. I am Remya. My husband and I run this agency. How can I help you today?”

“We are looking to hire a cook,” Yug replied politely.

“A live-in cook would be preferable,” Aryan added. “Hygiene and cleanliness are non-negotiable.”

“Of course, Sir.” Remya nodded.

Just then, a man stepped out from one of the cabins—tall, in his early thirties, with an air of authority softened by familiarity. He gave a brief nod to the visitors, then looked at Remya with an unspoken understanding in his eyes.

“This is my husband, Arun,” Remya introduced quickly.

“One moment, please.” Arun offered a smile, then turned to Remya and gestured subtly for her to follow him inside. 

“Don’t tell me what you are thinking.” Once the cabin door closed behind them, Remya looked at her husband anxiously.

“Remya, this might be the best option for Mahima. You know it too.” Arun didn’t hesitate. 

“You want me to send her to a stranger’s house as a cook? A servant!” Remya’s brows drew together.

“And she won’t have a choice for long,” he said gently. “Maa will be back from Di’s place next week. It’s been a month since Mahima came here, and we have done all we can to protect her. But you know Maa—she will never allow her to stay once she finds out.”

Remya looked away, biting her lower lip. Mahima and Remya were friends since school days. They even went to college together, until they married her off halfway through her second year.

“Mahima doesn’t even have a degree, Remya. People with degree certificates are finding it hard to find jobs. Life has been cruel to her, Remya. And right now, she needs a safe space to start over. That man—I know him. He is Dr Aryan Acharya—he’s a good one. He comes from a respectable family. All down to earth people from what I have heard. She and the baby will be safer there than anywhere else.”

Remya swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded slowly. 

Together, they walked out.

“Sir,” Remya began, folding her hands on the desk, “we may have someone suitable. She can join as early as tomorrow.”

“That would be ideal,” Aryan said, his voice laced with relief. “My mother isn’t well, and we would prefer someone who can step in immediately.”

“There is one thing you should know, though,” Remya added cautiously. “She is a single mother. Divorced. Her child would be with her. We only take on candidates after full background checks, and she’s… well, someone we trust deeply.”

Aryan went silent for a beat. His eyes flicked to Yug, then back to Remya.

“Any other candidates available?” He asked quietly.

“Not right now, Sir. She is the only cook on our list who can start immediately.” Remya hesitated for a moment before lying. 

Another pause. Then Aryan gave a curt nod. 

“Alright. Please tell her to join tomorrow morning. You can share the address with her. Here is my card—have her call me if she has questions.”

“Thank you, Sir. I will make sure everything is arranged.”  Relief flickered across Remya’s face, though she kept her tone professional. 

After exchanging a few more formalities, Aryan and Yug stepped out.

Inside the office, Remya sat down heavily. She had to speak to Mahima.

*****

Mahima let out a long, weary breath, her shoulders relaxing for the first time in days.

“You don’t know what this means to me, Remya,” she said softly, her eyes brimming with quiet determination. “I will take the job. I don’t care what it is—as long as I can raise my daughter without fear. Without judgment. I have been helping out in the kitchen since I was a teenager. It’s not a burden for me.”

Remya watched her friend for a long moment, her heart aching. 

“I still hate the thought of sending you to work as a cook,” Remya whispered. “If I had another option… If things were different…”

“I know,” Mahima said gently. “But this isn’t shameful for me, Remya. Do you know what would be? Going back to that house. Letting them win. Handing over my daughter to Anika, just to earn their acceptance.”

Her voice didn’t waver, but the pain behind it was unmistakable. The day her divorce was finalized, she had walked out with nothing—with very little money, no plan, only her daughter in her arms and a phone number she had dialed on instinct.

“I still remember how they looked at me when I left,” she continued, her lips twisting into a faint, bitter smile. “They were so sure I would crawl back—broken, apologetic, desperate. But I would rather scrub floors for a living than ever return to that house.”

“I just wish you didn’t have to prove anything at all, Mahi. You don’t deserve this.” Remya reached out and held her hand tightly.

“You and Arun bhaiyya gave me more than a roof—you gave me a chance to breathe. After I called you that day, I boarded the train at night with no idea what my future looked like. I didn’t even have a proper bag packed, just my daughter and her essentials. And yet… I felt free for the first time in years.” Mahima gave a small smile. 

Tears welled up in Remya’s eyes.

“But I can’t keep staying here,” Mahima continued, her tone firm but warm. “I won’t take advantage of your kindness and love. This job… it’s not a fall. It’s the beginning. Please, Remya. Let me take it.”

“You will always have us, Mahima. No matter what.” Remya pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly.

Mahima nodded, her throat tight with emotion.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “For everything.”

A/N

Please do vote and comment...

Love❤️