Kiara stared at her reflection in the ornate mirror, her eyes haunted by shadows that sleep no longer contained. Her nightmares had evolved, becoming something worse than fleeting terrors-they were constant companions that followed her into waking hours. She could feel him there, her father's presence lingering behind her like a second shadow, threatening to drag her into the dark recesses of the ancient haveli where she feared she might never return.

The answers she desperately sought lay with her mother, but Veer had become an immovable barrier between them. Her husband had changed, grown distant and clinical where once there was warmth. Yet his response remained frustratingly consistent whenever she mentioned visiting her mother: a firm, unyielding no.