‘But he stopped interacting with us. He would abruptly get angry at the littlest of things. He would talk to his reflection in the mirror. He would do or say things that he would later forget. The rest of us began fighting with each other since we didn’t know how to cope with his behaviour. He would lock himself in his room and study the entire day. He often complained of severe headaches and on some days he would say that he couldn’t feel his legs, that his vision was blurry. We were seriously worried that he was gravely ill.

‘We took him to various doctors but he misbehaved with all of them. However, we secretly medicated him, which helped suppress some of his violent impulses and mood swings. Some doctors said he was bipolar, others said he was depressed, but no one could successfully diagnose him. We believed all of them out of desperation. While we were happy that Madhav was doing so well academically, we were concerned about his erratic behaviour.

‘Since you’ve come into his life, I have seen him get better; he has started interacting with us and is smiling more than ever. I have this feeling that only you can help my son, Radhika. So many therapists have talked to him and prescribed medicines. But only something beyond that can bring the real Madhav back and that is your love. Please don’t give up on him. Help bring our son back.’

Tears welled up in Mrs Mehra’s eyes as she shared what was in her heart. Even though she didn’t know exactly what had happened to Madhav after Parth’s death, her maternal instinct told her something connected to the incident was haunting him. Radhika held her hand and said, ‘Aunty, I promise I will help your son.’

Mrs Mehra smiled and kissed Radhika’s palm. ‘He loves you so much. I have seen it in his eyes,’ she said.

Radhika knew there was more to the story than what she had just heard and it was up to her to help Madhav confront his demons.

She was now sure that it wasn’t merely a behavioural disorder that caused Madhav’s strange episodes, it was something he had kept buried for years. Something has been festering inside him and had a dark, malicious hold over him because he has been repressing it instead of dealing with it. She knew she had to recreate certain circumstances to elicit an honest confession from him, to make him realize the truth of his condition.

Radhika bid Mrs Mehra goodbye and left, knowing that Madhav had locked himself in his room. She didn’t go upstairs to meet him because she knew he wouldn’t respond and sensed he needed some time alone.

12

It was a chilly January morning in Delhi and the excitement of the New Year had just about died down. Radhika sat on the couch in her balcony as the 7 a.m. fog swirled around her. She sipped coffee and read the newspaper, her glasses perched on her nose, wrapped in a woollen shawl. It had been a day since the incident at his house and Madhav had not called or messaged her. Radhika wanted to give him enough time to dwell on things so she decided not to call him either. She decided to work out a plan, but what happened next threw a wrench in the works.