A house and a rope hanging from the second floor of that house. Someone was quietly climbing up using the rope, making the path easier by using a pipe meant for extra water from the outside, and it was not far from the window.
In no time, that person went through the window and entered the room, as if he knew the window would be open. When he jumped through the window, a faint thud was heard in the room, and the person who had taken advantage of the darkness bit his lip.
Then, the person, guessing the surroundings, started heading towards the right side of the room, as if he knew the entire layout of the room.
He stretched his hand forward and started searching for something when his hand stopped at a door. He began feeling around the door and finally found the handle and started turning it when someone came from behind and hugged him. The person froze in fear. He got startled and, like a thief, raised his hands in surrender.
"Buterfly," a sweet voice of a boy came, and the person, now able to breathe, relaxed.
Suddenly, he felt light as the boy released him and went to turn on the lights.
The person, who was wearing a cap and leather jacket, turned around.
The boy, who was by the switchboard, also turned around. His fair face was calm, with light stubble and a small silver earring in one ear. His long, silky hair made you want to run your fingers through it repeatedly.
"Little King, why haven't you slept yet?" Agni asked as he threw his jacket on the sofa.
The boy, around twenty-seven years old, came to Agni, took his hand, and brought him to the bed, which was beautiful with prints of Spider-Man, Thor, and Iron Man on the bedsheets.
The blanket had prints of the cartoon character Doraemon, and the entire room was filled with childlike things. There were many toys, but all neatly arranged.
Agni repeated, "Little King, I asked why you haven't slept yet?"
The boy replied, "I was sleeping, Butterfly, but you know, I got scared. Where did you go, Butterfly? I need you."
Agni placed a hand on the boy's face and asked, "Om, what happened? Why were you scared?"
The boy, whose name was Om, replied, "Butterfly, I watched a dream... a nightmare."
Om then immediately hugged Agni as if he would leave him.
Agni, holding Om from the side, asked, "What nightmare, my little king?"
Om, still not pulling away, innocently said, "You left me, just like Grandma says. I won't let you go anywhere, Butterfly. Please, don't leave me."
Agni pushed Om away slightly and said, "I'm not leaving you, Little King, I promise. And Grandma is just joking; don't take her seriously."
"Okay," Om quickly agreed, and a beautiful smile appeared on Agni's face.
Agni said, "Now go to sleep, Little King. It's already late."
Om obeyed and immediately lay on the bed, and Agni covered him with the Doraemon-printed blanket. Om closed his eyes, and as Agni got up to leave, Om grabbed the corner of her saree.
Agni turned around, looking at him questioningly. Om sat up and said, "Are you leaving me, Butterfly?"
Agni sat back down, cupping his face with her hands, and said, "No, Little King, I'm not leaving you. I'm just going to the washroom to change."
"Oh," Om replied, and lay back down. Agni went to the washroom and returned after a while, wearing her night dress.
Om's eyes were still open, and Agni noticed it was already 2:30 AM. As she sat on the bed, she asked, "Why aren't you sleeping?"
Om rested his head on Agni's lap and said, "I can't sleep, that's why! Can you sing me a lullaby? Maybe I'll fall asleep."
Agni didn't say anything but started gently patting Om's head and singing.
After a while, the song ended, and Om fell asleep.
Agni moved Om's head from her lap and placed it on the pillow. She then lay down on her side and covered herself with the blanket. Agni was staring at the ceiling, and just as she was about to turn over, Om turned first and placed his head on Agni's chest, with one hand sneaking inside her nightshirt and resting on her stomach.
Agni could clearly feel Om's breaths on her chest. It was a sensation she perhaps felt every day, but had never allowed herself to fully embrace.
Om's breaths traveled between the two buttons of Agni's shirt and reached her chest, causing Agni to close her eyes. The hand that Om had placed on her stomach started moving slowly as if his fingers were tracing the path, sending chills through her body.
Morning time.
Agni was still asleep, but Om was no longer beside her. She was alone in the room when she heard something break, and her eyes immediately opened.
Om was near the bed, holding a football that was a little dirty, as if he had picked it up from the mud. A glass vase had broken and scattered on the floor just a few steps ahead of him.
Agni sat up, seeing this, and as Om took a step forward, Agni shouted, "Wait, Om!"
Om had only lifted one foot, but he immediately stepped back. Agni quickly threw off the blanket, got out of bed, and let out a scream.
Ahh!
Om got scared and started coming toward Agni. Agni, however, stopped him again and moved forward herself, but a shard of glass got stuck in her foot. Agni didn't want Om to get hurt by the glass, but she didn't want to hurt herself either, yet she did.
She closed her eyes to control the pain and took deep breaths before walking over to Om. As she walked, she could feel the shard digging deeper into her foot, but she seemed to absorb all the pain.
She reached Om, grabbed him, and said, "Are you okay, Little King? Did the glass hurt you?"
Om shook his head and said, "Sorry, Butterfly, I came to pick you up, but the football slipped from my hand, bounced, and hit the vase. I'm sorry, I won't be naughty again."
Agni approached Om and said, "No, Om, nothing like that. You can play, but play with things like football outside in the ground, not inside the house. Okay?"
Om immediately nodded and bent down to kiss Agni on the cheek before running off, but he left a lingering sensation in Agni's body.
Agni forgot the pain in her foot, went to the washroom to remove the glass shard, and when she came back to the room, she noticed the changes. The servant had come and taken the broken glass, replaced the vase, and cleaned up the room.
Agni looked around the room and then her gaze went to the wall beside the bed. Above the bed, there was a large photo frame with a picture of Agni and Om in wedding attire. Agni was wearing a red outfit, and Om was in a sherwani. Both of their expressions were neutral in the photo.
Agni picked up the phone lying on the bed. The wallpaper was a picture of both of them. Agni was smiling brightly, and Om was kissing her cheek. It was a candid photo taken by Om's sister, Gauri, during a family trip, and it was given to Agni as a frame on Om's birthday. After a certain incident, Agni had removed the framed photo from the room.
The moment was now just a wallpaper on her phone.
Agni was ready in a sky-blue saree, with her hair left open. She wore the mangalsutra around her neck, which she always wore, and the sindoor of Om's name in her parting.
After that, Agni took her phone and left her room, passing through the corridor and heading towards the hall.
As soon as Agni came downstairs, she first met Om's mother, Parvati. Parvati smiled when she saw her and said, "Come on, have breakfast, your husband is enjoying his breakfast."
Upon hearing this, Agni looked towards the dining area, which was open and could be easily seen from the hall. Om was sitting there, enjoying his chow mein.
Agni smiled upon seeing Om. She knew very well that Om loved chow mein and fast food. Before and after losing his memory, Om never forgot to eat fast food.
Agni asked Parvati, "Did you make fast food for breakfast today? Won't this be bad for Om's health?"
Parvati sighed deeply, and Om, who was sitting and enjoying his chow mein, also heard Agni's words. His face stiffened, but he didn't say anything. Parvati replied, "I forgot that we have a dietitian in our house. Eating something from outside once in a while won't harm him. Besides, I made it at home, it's not like I ordered it from outside."
Agni said, "Yes, Mummy Ji, I know you made it at home, but still, the amount of ingredients used in it is excessive, and it's not good for Om's condition."
Om was listening to everything and, showing a bit of annoyance, he said to Agni, "Butterfly, you always want me to eat healthy, khichdi, salad, and you never let me enjoy tasty food."
Agni, following Om, said, "That's not true, Om, I haven't stopped you. I just want your health…" But before Agni could finish, Om interrupted, "I don't want to hear anything from you, you're so mean, Butterfly," and then he left his breakfast unfinished and ran to his room.
Agni felt bad! She wanted to go after Om, but Parvati held her hand and stopped her, saying, "When you leave for work and don't reach his room for two hours, he will come running down and ask, 'Where is my Butterfly?' Don't worry, this happens every day with him."
Agni didn't say anything, just nodded, and with faltering steps, she went to the dining area and sat down at her place.
Agni had removed the glass shard, but her foot still hurt.
Agni left the house and as soon as she came outside, the driver said, "Madam, please get in."
Agni didn't want to go with the driver at all, so she told him that she would go alone and not with him. The driver didn't think much of it, as Agni often took a taxi to the office by herself.
The Rai Vansh mansion had many cars, which Agni had full access to, but she still didn't use them and preferred to take a taxi to the office.
Since Om had lost his memory, Agni had taken full control of Om's company, his business, and all the profits and losses. She had been running the company for the last two years and was the new owner of it. In the beginning, Om's father, Shankar Singh Rai Vansh, had some doubts about how Agni would handle the entire company alone without any help. But when he saw the first project she took on soaring to success, he was convinced that Agni was made to be a businesswoman.
Agni was 22 years old when her marriage was arranged with Om, and at that time, Om had a huge name in the business world. But when Om met with that dangerous accident and lost his memory, the family had another tension: if Om didn't recover soon, who would handle the business? Om had built his business with his own hard work. His father wasn't a businessman; he was just an ordinary employee. The idea of starting a business had come to Om when he was only 15, and he started his business at 17, beginning with small things. By the time he turned 22, his business started reaching new heights, and as Om's business soared, he never looked back and kept touching new milestones. When Om turned 24, he married Agni.
But just a year after their marriage, the accident happened that changed both their lives, and Agni took over the entire business. Who knew that an arts student could handle a business so well? If she were their rival or another businesswoman, she would have been able to compete with Om.