Her voice cracked slightly at the end.
Keshav: I’m sorry, Mom. I never meant for you to find out like that. I never planned for any of this to happen.
Kalpana: How did this even start, Keshav? How did you become “Aryan”? How long have you been doing this?
Keshav took a deep breath.
Keshav: It started almost seven months ago. During Holi, when I came home. I saw some things on your phone… private pictures and videos. I got curious and created the fake account. I never thought it would go this far. But as we kept talking… it became something I couldn’t stop.
There was a long silence on the other end.
Kalpana: So all this time… you knew it was me. And you still continued. You let me send you those pictures. You let me do all those things on the video call. You even called me… Mommy.
Her voice was a mixture of pain, confusion, and something else Keshav couldn’t quite identify.
Keshav: I know how wrong it sounds. And I’m not going to make excuses. But Mom… I got addicted to talking to you. The way you opened up, the way you trusted me… it became the most important part of my day. I know it was wrong. I know I should have stopped. But I couldn’t.
Kalpana: Do you have any idea how I felt when I realized it was you? My own son? The person I was sending nudes to… the person I was masturbating with… was my own child. Do you understand how disgusting and wrong that is?
Keshav: I do. And I hate myself for it. But at the same time… I can’t lie to you. A part of me doesn’t regret it. Because for the first time in a long time, I felt close to you. Even if it was through a fake name.
Kalpana was quiet for a long time.
Kalpana: These eleven days have been hell for me, Keshav. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t focus on anything. Every time I closed my eyes, I kept seeing your face on that screen. I kept remembering all the things I said to you… all the fantasies I shared. I felt like the worst mother in the world.
Keshav: You’re not a bad mother. You’re human. We both got carried away with something that should have never started. But it did.
Kalpana: I deleted the account that same night. I blocked you everywhere. I thought if I cut off all contact, maybe I could forget it ever happened. But I couldn’t. No matter how hard I tried, I kept thinking about you. About us. About everything we talked about.
Her voice dropped lower.
Kalpana: I even thought about calling you many times in these eleven days. But I didn’t have the courage. Tonight… I finally couldn’t stop myself anymore.
Keshav: I’m glad you called, Mom. Even if it’s difficult. I’ve been going crazy not knowing what you’re thinking or feeling.
Kalpana: I don’t even know what I’m feeling, Keshav. I’m angry. I’m ashamed. I’m confused. And… there’s something else too. Something I don’t want to admit.
Keshav: What is it?
Kalpana: Even after knowing it was you… even after all the guilt… a part of me still thinks about our conversations. About the things we did. About how it felt. And that scares me the most.
Keshav closed his eyes. His heart was beating very fast.
