The following morning arrived far too quickly.
Sunlight filtered through the curtains, filling the room with a warmth Aarav could no longer feel.
He quietly sat up, looking around the room one last time.Everything remained exactly as it had the day before.
Only one thing had changed.Its owner would never return.He folded the blanket neatly, just as his grandmother always did, picked up his backpack and walked out of the room.
The house was unusually quiet.
Most of the relatives had already left after the funeral.Without speaking to anyone, Aarav made his way towards the front gate.
He had no reason to stay.
The only person who had ever made this house feel like home was gone.
Just as he reached the gate, a voice stopped him.
"Aarav."
He turned around. A man dressed in a black suit walked towards him, carrying a leather briefcase.
Behind him stood his father, stepmother, elder brother, and a few relatives.
The man offered him a respectful bow.
"I'm Advocate Sharma. I was your grandparents' legal advisor."
He handed Aarav a sealed envelope.
"This was entrusted to me by your grandmother."
Aarav looked at it but made no effort to take it.
"I don't want anything."
The lawyer smiled gently.
"I'm afraid refusing isn't an option."
"This wasn't written because she wanted to give you wealth."
He paused before continuing.
"It was written because she wanted to give you a future."
After a moment of hesitation, Aarav accepted the envelope.Inside were legal documents and a handwritten letter.
He quietly unfolded the letter.
His grandmother's familiar handwriting greeted him.
My dearest Aarav,
If you're reading this, it means I have finally reunited with your grandfather.
Don't cry for me, my child. I have lived a beautiful life because I had the privilege of loving you.
Your grandfather and I bought a small house in Norway many years ago.
It was our dream to spend our old age there together, surrounded by mountains, peace, and snow.
Life had different plans for us.We never got the chance to call it home.
So now, I want you to.That house is yours.
Not because it is valuable, But because I hope it becomes the place where your heart finally finds peace.
Live the life we couldn't.Be happy for us.
With all my love,
Grandma.
His vision blurred.
Before he could speak, his father stepped forward.
For a moment, he seemed unsure of what to say.
Then, quietly, he spoke.
"Your grandparents bought that house many years ago."
"They dreamed of spending the rest of their lives there together. But after father's death everything changed so now, they want you to have the life they couldn't."
He looked at Aarav for the first time.
"Accept it."
A long silence settled between them.
Aarav looked down at the documents in his hands.He understood.The house wasn't an inheritance.It was the last dream of the two people who had loved him most.
Slowly, he folded the papers.
"I'll accept it.But only because it was their wish."
His father gave a silent nod.Neither of them spoke again.There were countless words trapped between them.
Yet neither knew how to bridge the distance.
Aarav adjusted the strap of his backpack.
Without another glance behind him, he walked towards the waiting taxi.
This time...
He didn't look back.
Not because he hated the people standing behind him.
But because there was no longer anyone waiting at the gate, smiling warmly and telling him to come home safely.
As the taxi disappeared down the road,
A chapter of his life quietly came to an end.
Ahead of him lay Norway.
A place he had never truly called home.
A place where, unknowingly...
Fate was preparing him for the person who would one day change his life forever.