Katha paced restlessly in the room provided to her, her hands trembling as she tried to calm her racing thoughts. Each passing second seemed to tighten the knot in her chest. Her eyes were brimming, but she willed herself not to let a single tear fall not yet.

She didn’t know how she could face Agastya without betraying the storm inside her. She wanted to look indifferent, as if she had erased him from her heart long ago. But she couldn’t. She knew eyes don’t lie. If Agastya looked into hers, he would see nothing but the same love she still saw in his.