Chapter 29

“Would you like to go elsewhere?” Dhruv asked, his voice filled with amusement.

It had been a while since the car had entered the paved driveway, past the dark metal gates. It now stood underneath the domed entrance supported by four enormous carved pillars. From where Shanaya sat, she could see the swarm of people gathered inside the hall.

She recognized some of Dhruv’s relatives, even though she had not seen them in years. It was a bitter reminder of how involved their families once had been.

“That’s Misha and Yukta, right?” she asked, pointing at the two girls standing near the staircase, just outside the main door. “Remember when we once told them a scary bedtime story? And they couldn’t sleep without their mom for the next few weeks?”

Dhruv nodded, his hands still on the steering wheel. “Maybe we can spend the whole night here recollecting old memories?”

“Not here,” Shanaya answered absent-mindedly. “That’s a better place,” she suggested, looking at a scantly illuminated corner