Chapter 3: A Mother’s Silent War

4:30 AM – The First Battle of the Day

Meera Mittal wakes up before the sun. Her body protests—years of neglect, stress, and skipped meals have taken their toll. Her joints ache as she moves, but she doesn’t have time to rest.

By 5:00 AM, she’s in the kitchen, making tea. She glances at the clock. Another long day ahead.

Somewhere, miles away, her son Debasish is asleep in his hostel room. She wonders if he’s studying hard. If he’s eating well. If he’s… okay.

She doesn’t know about last night. She doesn’t know he wasted hours on his phone, spiraling deeper into regret.

She only knows one thing—she’s fighting for his future, even if it means sacrificing her own health.

7:30 AM – The Classroom and the Worry

Meera enters the government school where she teaches. The students greet her, but her mind is elsewhere.

Every time she sees a student struggling, she thinks of Debasish. Is he struggling too?

During her free period, she picks up her phone and types a message:

"Beta, how are you? Did you eat?"

She waits. No reply.

She knows he’s busy. She tells herself that. But deep down, she worries.

1:00 PM – The Call That Cuts Deeper

During lunch, she finally calls him.

> Meera: "Beta, how was your mock test?"

Debasish: (Pauses) "It was okay."

Meera: "That’s good! Just keep pushing. I know you’ll do great."

Her voice is full of hope.

Debasish wants to tell her the truth—that he failed again, that he’s drowning, that he’s scared. But he can’t.

> Debasish: "Haan Maa, I’ll do better next time."

He forces himself to sound normal. Meera smiles on the other end, relieved.

She doesn’t know that her faith in him is only making his guilt worse.

5:00 PM – The Price of Sacrifice

After school, Meera goes to a private tuition job to earn extra money. His coaching fees weren’t cheap.

She gets home at 7:00 PM, exhausted. But there’s still dinner to cook. The house is empty. Silent.

She sits down for a moment, rubbing her temples. A slight dizziness creeps in. She hasn’t eaten properly today.

"Just a little longer," she tells herself.

Debasish’s dream is her dream. She will do anything for him.

Even if it breaks her.

10:00 PM – A Mother’s Prayer

Before sleeping, she checks her phone. Still no reply from Debasish.

She types again:

"Beta, don’t stress too much. Just do your best. I’m always proud of you."

She hesitates before pressing send.

She doesn’t know that, miles away, Debasish reads the message with tears in his eyes.

He doesn’t deserve her love. Not when he’s failing her like this.

He places the phone down, stares at the ceiling, and whispers to himself:

"Tomorrow will be different."

But deep down, he doesn’t believe it anymore.

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