"Don't say like that, dear… My grandson loved your sister with all his heart and soul. I still don't know the reason why they got separated that day. I fear he's been living with the guilt ever since. That's why his entire nature has changed drastically. He has almost turned into a beast. Everyone is scared to go near him. Even our doctors refuse to go to him. He hits and throws out any doctor who tries to approach. Only you can bring him back to his old self.
If you could just stay with him for a few days pretending to be Aadhira and help him return to the person he once was, that alone would mean everything to me. At this old age, my only heir is my grandson, Chaithanya. If he too leaves me, I wouldn't be able to bear it," said the old man, tears welling up in his eyes despite his age.
Seeing him in that state, Anvitha felt something stir inside her. She went close, held his hand, made him sit on a chair, and handed him a glass of water.
After drinking it, the elder urged her to give him a reply. She kept saying she couldn't do it, but when the old man folded his hands in front of her and pleaded, she was at a loss for words.
The idea of going to Chaithanya pretending to be Aadhira frightened her—especially since she despised the man who had betrayed her sister. On top of that, the old man seemed unaware of some facts. Anvitha and Aadhira might look alike in appearance, but their personalities were completely different. She was sure Chaithanya would easily recognize the difference. Still unsure of how to refuse, she turned to look at the table.
There was a photo on it, facing toward the old man. The moment she saw it, she instinctively knew it was Chaithanya. Yet, she hadn't seen his face before.
The photo was turned slightly sideways. Something compelled her to pick it up and take a closer look. In it stood a man in a doctor's coat, posing stylishly. His eyes seemed to be staring straight at her.
Those eyes… They sent a shock through her, leaving her speechless. Her head began to spin again. She nearly collapsed, but the old man caught her just in time and helped her into the nearby chair.
Anvitha kept staring at the photo for a long time. "This... This is..." she stammered. "Yes, dear, this is my grandson Chaithanya," said the old man with pride.
Upon hearing that, Anvitha couldn't hold back her tears. She cried uncontrollably.
The face that had haunted her thoughts for so long—what was God trying to tell her by bringing her here? The very next moment, she looked up at the old man and said, "Sir, I will go to Chaithanya as Aadhira."
The old man couldn't believe what he heard. "Are you serious, my dear?" he asked.
She silently nodded.
The old man felt immense relief. He had expected it would take great effort to convince her, never imagining she would agree so soon.
He gently took her hands in his and said, "I can never forget this help even if I take a hundred births."
When his tears began to fall on her hands, Anvitha was taken aback and pulled away. "Please don't cry like this, sir," she said, wiping her eyes and looking at him. "But I have a few doubts, sir. If you can just clarify them for me, then I can think about what to do next."
Surprised at how quickly she'd regained her composure, the old man gestured for her to sit back down, smiling in approval.
She sat in the same chair, and he returned to his own seat. Looking at her again, he said, "Let's stop this 'sir' business, okay? I'm your grandfather now. Just call me thaatha."
Smiling, she nodded.
Looking at her fondly, he asked, "Was your sister also like you?"
She replied, "Yes. Now tell me, what should I do next?"
"Chaithanya is conscious, dear. But he can't walk. Just three years ago, you should've seen him—majestic like a lion. Just his arrival would make everyone at the hospital tremble. As short-tempered as he was, he was also equally loving. But now, no one can even go near him. He won't allow anyone inside his room," he said, distressed.
"Why is that, thaatha?" she asked.
"That's better," he smiled. "Since he's conscious now, can't you start his treatment again? Maybe he'll start walking eventually, right?"
"That's the issue, dear… He doesn't allow anyone to treat him. We know well that if Chaithanya cooperates, he can walk again quickly. His spine wasn't that badly damaged.
But he refuses treatment and won't even let us enter his room," the old man said.
"But why? Isn't he a doctor himself? Doesn't he understand his own condition? Why won't he cooperate with the treatment?" she asked.
"That's the biggest mystery for all of us. He says he doesn't want to live anymore. Just last week, when we insisted and somehow gave him some medicine, he smashed a glass tumbler on the doctor's head, injuring him badly and threw him out.
That same doctor is now being treated in this very hospital. After hearing about that, no doctor dares go near Chaithanya. That's how dangerous he has become.
But when I go in, he'll at least talk patiently for five minutes. After that, even I'm not spared. He throws me out by grabbing my collar."