“You’re here now,” Shanaya murmured, letting go but still holding her arms around him. “That’s what matters.” “You were right. I should’ve believed you,” he said, his voice laced with regret. Shanaya shook her head, touching his cheek softly. “We couldn’t know. But yeah, it was horrible. I can’t believe Priya was going through this.” “Did you inform the police?” “Yes, I did. They were just here asking me questions,” she told him, turning around to find Michael. The artist was watching them with a strange look—she comprehended it as delighted. Looking back at Dhruv, she sighed in relief. “This is not the best situation but he deserves such an intro, I guess. Always the one for drama. Come, you need to meet him.” When they halted right beside the chair where Micheal sat, he stood up confidently, a charming smile coming over his face. “A good distraction I see,” he commented. She passed him a weak smile which was all she could muster. “This is my artist friend. I found out peo

Shanaya reached out for the doorbell but her attention was momentarily taken away by a white cat that ran past her. She jumped, startled at the intrusion in her thoughts. It was only now she asked herself how she got upstairs. Her mind had been so occupied with her work and Priya’s divorce process that she had absent-mindedly boarded the stairs. She tapped the doorbell, and sighed, leaning against the wall. Her eyes eyed the entrance—the wall decorated with mandala art. It was a decent place, she concluded. At least on the outside. On the inside, she was confident she’d find a lot more colorful and eccentric things. She had not expected her sister-in-law, Kirti, to own an apartment in such a quiet place. She had temporarily moved here with Neil and their little daughter Ahana. Shanaya had not asked the reason for it as it seemed too intrusive. However, when she received a call from Kirti that morning, asking her to babysit Ahana, she quickly agreed. It was a Sunday and alt

When Shanaya entered through the door of her family mansion, her doubt was confirmed. Something was definitely amiss. Harish, her uncle, sat with his hand holding his head. His face was covered with a worried expression. She could breathe the discomfort in the air—something grave had happened. Suhala was sleeping in her wheelchair. Well, at least her eyes were closed as her she leaned back, her head resting against the edge of the backrest. “Uncle,” Shanaya greeted, carefully treading forward. Harish jumped in his seat, startled by her approach. He held a hand against a chest before he stood up and nodded. “Shanaya,” he said. That was all he said. “Tell me what has happened,” she demanded, her voice unwavering. Suhala was awakened by their loud conversation. Her wearing eyes looked around the room in search of someone, before they finally landed on Shanaya. “Oh, my child. You’re here finally.” “Dadi,” she mumbled, facing her momentarily before she gazed at Harish again. She

The sun was shining outside, casting a bright and warm glow into the room through the pushed-back curtains. After a continuous spell of rain that had almost got Shanaya worried, the sky had cleared. ‘Everything is fine,’ she told herself. ‘I’m happy.’ But that was the way to jinx it—admitting that things were good. And then her brain did all it could to dampen her mood. This time, however, Raunak was there to distract her. “Alright, one more step… Ah, that’s great. You’re doing good,” Raunak claimed, helping Suhala get back to her wheelchair. “You’ve made a lot of progress, Mrs. Arora. It won’t be long before you’re sprinting up and down these stairs.” Suhala laughed it off, the sound of her croaky laughter echoing in the room. She sat down with a sigh, leaning her head back. If the venture had exhausted her, that was the sign. However, Shanaya could see nothing on her face that implied any pain. Shanaya smiled to herself, acknowledging that Raunak’s words were an exaggeration

As the morning sun bathed her white cabin in warm hues, Shanaya sat at her desk, engrossed in her work. She had things to take care of that day and with Priya back to work, she was glad to have someone to rely on. After the previous night had ended, Shanaya was reluctant to leave Dhruv’s side. She wanted to continue being in his arms, his touch bringing her the comfort that she craved. But then when Dhruv told her that at the end of the day, she’ll be back in his arms, she smirked at her and laughed it off. She teased him, making him look like a lovesick person. Once more, the world was abuzz with discussions about them. The rumors surrounding their relationship intensified, particularly when Anjali confidently appeared in public with her high school sweetheart and declared their engagement. Speculations arose regarding the nature of the bond between Anjali and Dhruv, yet neither of them contributed to the gossip mill. Dhruv reassured Shanaya that if she wasn't bothered by people's