Part 2
The laughter inside the venue was soft now, like the tail end of a once-loud melody. Plates clinked faintly, a spoon stirred tea in a glass, and the echoes of celebration clung to the air like perfume after a guest had left. But something had shifted. There was a whisper in the room silent but screaming.
Meera’s smile faded, her fingers stiffening slightly around the rim of the teacup. It trembled just enough for a drop to escape and stain her saree. She didn’t blink. She didn’t breathe. Her eyes scanned the air like a radar, heart thrumming a dangerous rhythm that had nothing to do with joy or music.
Samar was mid-conversation with Jaggu when he caught the flicker of change in her eyes. A man learns to read silence when he’s loved someone long enough. He leaned slightly toward h
