Vanjeet was restlessly pacing outside while, inside the room, Aavya lay in a fragile state. The way she was breathing made Vanjeet feel as though even his breath had started to falter. Again and again, he tried to reason with himself, reminding himself that at least he knew why she had done what she did. Vishambhar had been silently watching him, clearly worried. For the past two hours, he had witnessed Vanjeet in the same distressed state. He also knew very well that Sangeeta must be blaming herself for all of this, which is why he had sent Yogendra home, even though he hadn’t truly wanted to.

Vishambhar’s eyes drifted toward Aavya’s parents, who were both glued to their mobile phones, completely detached from the ongoing reality. Taking a deep breath, he walked up and stood directly in front of Vanjeet. Vanjeet, startled by the sudden confrontation, immediately stopped. Vishambhar looked at him with calm authority and said,