Kartik quickly boarded a local bus. Everyone present in the bus looked at him in shock.

Messy hair, a face withered by despair, red eyes as if he had cried endlessly, and clothes in terrible condition.

Kartik extended a fifty-rupee note toward the conductor and said,

“Give me a ticket to Ganga Devi Hospital.”

Even the conductor was stunned to see Kartik because he wasn’t an ordinary person. He was the son of the Goenka family, one of the richest and most influential families in Indore.

The Goenka family’s pictures were often published in newspapers and magazines, and Kartik was always mentioned in them.

But today, the son of such a wealthy family was struggling in a local bus. And on top of that, he had asked for a ticket to a municipal hospital. It was truly shocking.

As soon as the bus stopped in front of the hospital, Kartik rushed inside.

He went straight toward the general ward section. He saw many patients lying on beds spread directly on the floor while receiving treatment.

Walking through them, Kartik stopped near a mat. But the mat was empty. Beside it lay a plastic bag containing a plate, bowl, spoon, and a shawl. On the other side were saline bottles and some medicine packets.

But there was no patient there.

Kartik grabbed a nurse and asked anxiously,

“Sister, my mother was here. Where did she go?”

The nurse replied,

“Oh... Auntie passed away this morning.”

Kartik was hit with a deep shock. His mother had left this world that very morning. The ground beneath his feet seemed to slip away.

Holding the nurse tightly, he shouted,

“What nonsense are you talking about? My mother was perfectly fine till yesterday evening. How can she suddenly die?”

At that moment, some hospital staff came and pulled the nurse away from Kartik. One of the ward boys said,

“What could we do once she died? We kept telling you to get the operation done, but you never brought the money. Poor woman came to the hospital only to die without treatment.”

Crying helplessly, Kartik asked,

“Where is my mother’s body?”

The nurse answered,

“A man came and took her away.”

Kartik shouted furiously,

“How could you hand over my mother’s body to a stranger? I was with her, wasn’t I? You should have waited until I came back. Tell me clearly—who took my mother away?”

Kartik was still arguing with the hospital staff when suddenly someone grabbed his shoulder from behind.

Turning around hopelessly, Kartik saw a forty-four-year-old man standing there.

With tearful eyes, Kartik whispered,

“Tarun Mama…”

Tarun ji turned Kartik toward himself and wiped his tears.

“Kartik, come home. Your mother is with us.”

Tarun ji brought Kartik home with him. His mother was laid on the funeral bier. Seeing her in that state, Kartik completely lost control. He ran to her, hugged her tightly, and broke down crying.

“No, Maa... you can’t leave me. I have no one in this world except you. I’ve become an orphan, Maa. I’m all alone in this world. Take me with you too. Who have you left me with?”

Kartik was shattered beyond repair. Tarun ji somehow managed to calm him down.

With the help of a few close relatives and acquaintances, Kartik’s mother was cremated.

It was nighttime now, and Kartik sat silently in Tarun ji’s house. He had completely lost awareness of the world around him.

In his entire world, he had no one except his mother. Those relatives who pretended to be his own were only relatives by name.

During the last days of her life, his mother had longed for proper treatment, but those snake-like relatives didn’t help even with a single penny.

Poor Kartik had gone from place to place, begging and arranging money somehow to buy medicines for his mother.

Kartik was drowned in grief when suddenly voices from inside the room reached his ears.

“How long is he going to stay here?”

Tarun ji replied,

“Sadhana, have some shame. His mother died today.”

Sadhana, Tarun ji’s wife and Kartik’s aunt, spoke again,

“So what? Have I opened an orphanage here? He’s the son of such a wealthy family. Let him go back to his own people. Not one of them came forward when money was needed. Even the funeral expenses were paid by us. What do you expect? That I’ll feed this burden for the rest of my life?”

Furiously, Tarun ji said,

“Sadhana, show at least a little humanity. You very well know what kind of people the Goenka family are. And you want me to leave this innocent child with them? They’ll kill him.”

Sadhana scoffed,

“This twenty-one-year-old strong young man doesn’t look helpless to me. And I don’t care about any of this. He will not stay in my house.”

Tarun ji and Sadhana were still arguing when suddenly there was a knock on the door. Their eyes shifted toward it, only to find Kartik standing there.

Looking at Tarun ji, Kartik said softly,

“Mama ji, it’s very late now. I should leave.”

Tarun ji glared angrily at Sadhana before turning back to Kartik.

“No, son. Where will you go at this hour? Go to the room and rest. We’ll talk in the morning.”

Kartik shook his head.

“No, Mama ji. There’s nothing left to talk about. I don’t want anyone to suffer because of me. I’ll leave.”

Saying that, Kartik turned toward the door.

Tarun ji glared at Sadhana once again before quickly running after Kartik.

“Listen to me… just one minute.”

Kartik stopped.

Taking him outside near the gate, Tarun ji said softly,

“No matter what the world says, you are my sister’s son. After her, you are the last memory I have of her.”

“Yes, it’s true that I can’t keep you against my family and society. But I also cannot break my relationship with you. So please… just listen to your uncle this once.”

He took out some money from his pocket and placed it in Kartik’s hand.

“Go to Bhopal. I have a friend there. I’ll talk to him. Stay with him until things settle down.”

Joining his hands, Tarun ji pleaded,

“Please listen to your uncle this once.”

Kartik quickly held his hands and said,

“What are you doing, Mama ji? Fine... if you want me Mom to stay with your friend, then I will.”

Tarun ji seated Kartik in an auto and handed him the address of his friend.