Agni was finally ready to leave. Although his bag contained only a few belongings, the decision he had made carried the weight of an entire lifetime. His grandmother stood quietly near the door, trying her best to appear strong, but the sadness in her eyes was impossible to hide. Ever since Agni had told her about his decision, a constant ache had settled inside her heart. She wanted to stop him. She wanted to tell him not to go anywhere and remain by her side forever. After all, he was the child she had raised with her own hands, the child whose laughter brought happiness to her days and whose tears kept her awake throughout the nights. The bond she shared with him was far deeper than the bond of blood alone. However, despite the pain she was feeling, she knew that keeping him here would be the greatest selfishness of her life. This house had never given Agni the love he deserved. Every corner of this mansion reminded him of rejection, neglect, and loneliness. She knew that if he stayed here any longer, he would continue suffocating under the weight of expectations and indifference. A bird whose wings were strong enough to fly should never be locked inside a cage, and perhaps that was why she chose to remain silent despite the storm raging inside her heart.

Agni's physical condition was still weak. Spending two entire days inside a dark storeroom without proper food, water, or care had taken a serious toll on his body. Even now, every movement drained his energy. His face was pale, and his body lacked strength, but none of that weakness could be seen in his eyes. The fire burning within them was stronger than ever before. There was confidence in his gaze, determination in his posture, and an unbreakable resolve hidden behind his silence. Although his body belonged to a thirteen-year-old child, his soul carried the experiences of a man who had already lived through betrayal, loss, heartbreak, and death. Sitting quietly on the bed, Agni looked at his grandmother without saying anything. Among all the people living in this house, she was the only one who had ever loved him without conditions. She was the only person who had never made him feel unwanted. Whenever the world turned its back on him, she was the one who stood beside him. Whenever he cried, she was the one who wiped away his tears. Whenever he felt abandoned, she was the one who reminded him that he still mattered. Looking at her now, he couldn't help but remember everything he had lost in his previous life.

The memories of his grandfather and grandmother slowly surfaced inside his mind. They were the only two people who had truly considered him their own. In his previous life, when he was twenty years old, he had received the heartbreaking news that his grandfather had passed away. For years, the old man had suffered from a mysterious illness that slowly destroyed his body from the inside. Day after day, month after month, his condition continued worsening despite every treatment they tried. Watching the man she loved suffer like that had broken his grandmother emotionally. She spent years taking care of him, sacrificing her own happiness without ever complaining. The doctors had already declared that the chances of recovery were almost nonexistent, but she continued praying for a miracle. Unfortunately, that miracle never came. The day his grandfather died, something inside his grandmother shattered completely. She loved her husband more than her own life, and losing him created a void she could never fill. The shock was so severe that by the same evening, she too left this world. Not because she was physically ill, but because her heart simply refused to continue living without the person she loved the most.

The tragedy became even more painful because Agni never got the chance to see either of them one final time. He couldn't attend the funeral. He couldn't say goodbye. He couldn't even look at their faces for the last time. On the night before his grandfather's death, Agni had been the last person seen with him. That single fact became enough for people to accuse him of murder. Without any evidence, without any investigation, and without any concern for the truth, fingers were pointed directly at him. He was arrested before he could even process what was happening. Those days became some of the darkest moments of his life. Fortunately, his friend Yashveer refused to abandon him. Yashveer's father was a respected lawyer, and after a long struggle, they managed to prove Agni's innocence. However, by the time he was released, everything was already over. The only two people who had loved him unconditionally were gone forever, leaving behind nothing but memories and regrets.

"Dadi... bye."

(Grandma... bye.)