"Were they really like that…?"
The voice came from behind.
The moment Manoj and Vijay heard it, both of them froze in shock and turned around instantly.
And the second their eyes landed on the person standing behind them…
Their expressions changed.
Surprise… disbelief…
As if they had just seen someone they never expected to face at that moment.
Om stood there.
Looking at both his uncles… with a quiet, heavy sadness on his face.
He had heard everything.
Every single word they had spoken about his father.
The truth was…
Om had lost his mother and father at a very young age.
He didn't know much about them.
No long memories… no deep conversations…
Just one thing remained with him—
Their smiling faces.
Faces that somehow never lost their warmth, no matter how hard life must have been.
And now… hearing all this about them…
Something inside him broke.
His emotions rose like a storm.
Even the control he had over his senses…
Even the strength he was known for…
Couldn't stop the tears from forming in his eyes.
Because in this world…
There is no power strong enough to stop a child from becoming emotional when it comes to their parents.
But right now…
Seeing Om standing there like this…
Both his uncles were stunned.
Om finally spoke, his voice soft… trembling just slightly.
"Uncles… can you please tell me… were my mother and father really that good… that great?"
That question…
It carried years of silence.
Years of longing.
And it hit both men straight in the heart.
Manoj and Vijay both walked toward him without saying a word.
They stood close… one on each side… and held him gently, as if trying to fill the emptiness he had carried all his life.
Vijay took a deep breath… then spoke softly, trying to give him strength.
"Om… my son…"
His voice carried guilt… and truth.
"I was never able to say this… not even to your father. And by the time I understood everything… it was already too late."
A pause.
"This will always be the biggest regret of my life."
He looked straight into Om's eyes.
"But today… I will tell you everything."
"Your father… was an incredible son. A great brother. A wonderful father… and the kindest human being I have ever known."
His voice grew heavy with emotion.
"I have never seen someone so responsible… so caring… so selfless."
A tear rolled down his cheek.
"I loved him… but because he was always the best… always the ideal son in the family… I became jealous of him."
His fists clenched.
"My eyes stopped seeing a brother… and started seeing an enemy."
"And because of that blindness… I hated my own brother for years."
His voice broke.
"I spoke harshly to your mother… a woman who was like a mother to me… like a goddess."
He shook his head in regret.
"I treated her like a stranger… like she meant nothing…"
"But she…"
He swallowed hard.
"She never changed. Not once."
"She kept showering kindness on me… on my family… like she didn't even know how to hate."
"The brother and sister-in-law who were like Ram and Sita to me… I kept hating them…"
His voice dropped into a whisper.
"Shame on me… shame on my life…"
Then he looked at Om again, his eyes filled with truth.
"But listen to me, my son… your father was the best man in this world… and for me—for all of us—he always will be."
Om's eyes filled instantly after hearing about his father.
Tears slipped out quietly… but before the moment could settle—
Manoj stepped forward and held Om's hand firmly.
His voice carried his own share of guilt.
"Om… your father, Vipul brother… and your mother, Veena sister-in-law… they only knew how to give… never how to take."
"When we needed them… they stood with us without hesitation. But when they needed us… we were busy living our own lives… lost in our ego… lost in our hatred."
His grip tightened slightly.
"Maybe you don't know this… but our father had property worth crores. Vipul brother gave most of it to us… and kept less for himself… happily."
A bitter smile appeared.
"And we still lost everything."
"Even then… he fed us from his own plate… shared whatever little he had left."
Manoj's voice broke.
"But when he was going through the hardest phase of his life… we couldn't do anything for him…"
He lowered his head.
"And not just him… I couldn't do anything for you either."
His voice dropped into guilt and pain.
"Forgive me, Om… I am guilty… I have wronged you."
That was it.
Seeing both his uncles standing there… in the middle of the garden…
Crying while talking about his father…
Om couldn't hold himself anymore.
He stepped forward and pulled both of them into a tight embrace.
The three of them stood there—
Uncles and nephew—
Holding onto each other…
Crying… remembering… healing.
The garden wasn't empty.
People were passing by… stopping… staring at them.
Some whispered.
Some judged.
But in that moment—
None of it mattered.
Not to Om.
Not to Vijay.
Not to Manoj.
They were lost in their own world…
A world filled with pain… love… and memories.
After a while…
They slowly pulled away.
The tears settled.
The silence returned.
Then Om looked at Manoj.
This time… his expression had changed.
Serious. Sharp. Calm.
"Manoj uncle… I don't know why you suddenly came here…"
His voice was steady now.
"But I do know… after all these years… there has to be a reason."
A pause.
"I don't want anything to ruin this relationship again."
He took a step closer.
"So I request you… please tell me the real reason behind your visit."
Vijay stepped forward, supporting Om.
"Om is right, Manoj… tell us the truth."
His tone grew firm.
"What is the real reason behind Savita coming here? Because I don't believe that after all these years, you suddenly remembered us and decided to visit."
His eyes locked onto Manoj's.
"I think it's time you tell us everything."
Now…
All eyes were on Manoj.
His heartbeat raced.
His face went pale.
His eyes widened slightly—
Caught.
Trapped between truth… and the fear of revealing it.
And in front of him…
Om and Vijay stood waiting.
Restless.
Suspicious.
Demanding answers.