- AUTHOR'S POV -

Chaya’s eyes moved restlessly across the hall, scanning faces, corners, entrances—anywhere he could possibly be—but Yash was nowhere in sight. The crowd felt louder now, more suffocating, as if his absence had somehow amplified everything else around her. She adjusted her saree slightly, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of her clutch, her gaze drifting again in search of him. “Yash is lucky to have you,” Krittika’s voice broke through her thoughts, warm and sincere, her smile gentle as she looked at Chaya. “You are a very nice human being, Chaya.”