The morning air carried a strange stillness. The curtains swayed faintly with the breeze, but the room itself felt heavy, weighed down by something unspoken.

Since Riya’s return, life had tilted, and though Aadhya tried — truly tried — to keep her composure, she could feel the imbalance growing. At first, she stood firmly by Reyansh’s side. She told herself he needed her strength, that she had to support him while he carried the weight of Riya’s fragility and his own guilt.