Haruv lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

He felt… strangely happy.

His thoughts circled back to only one thing.

Will she like the food?

The question lingered far longer than it should have.
Eventually, the night deepened, the world grew quiet, and sleep finally claimed him.

Across the street, Ashi stood on her balcony.

The air was cold, but the sky was unusually clear.

She held a cup of warm water between her hands, letting the heat sink into her fingers. Her eyes wandered upward—to the stars, the calm night, the peaceful stillness outside.

But inside her heart, the past stirred.

Slowly. Painfully.

Her grip tightened around the cup.

The accident crept back into her thoughts.

That night.
The car.
The sudden chaos.

She remembered being thrown out of the vehicle…
And her parents, still inside.

The brakes had failed.

Her throat tightened.

She lifted her eyes to the sky.

“Maa…” she whispered.
“Why did you throw me out of the car?”

Her voice trembled.

“It’s so hard to live in this world without you and Papa. You should have taken me with you. Living like this… being cursed… it hurts.”

Her vision blurred.

“No one trusts me. No one talks to me properly. Some people are even afraid of me.”
A shaky breath escaped her.
“Life is so hard…”

Tears slipped down her cheeks as she stared at the stars, her shoulders trembling.

After a while, she wiped her face and forced herself to breathe.

Slowly… she calmed down.

That’s when her eyes drifted across the street.

Haruv’s house.

Her breath caught.

He was standing on his balcony.

Looking at her.

His expression was quiet… full of concern.

He couldn’t hear her words.

But he could see her pain.

The way her shoulders shook.
The way her face held too much weight for one person.

Haruv understood that much.

And when Ashi realized he was there—watching her—her heart skipped.

Shy. Embarrassed.

She turned away quickly and stepped back into her room, sliding the balcony door shut behind her.

Across the street, Haruv remained still.

Watching the door.

Wondering.