The engagement party finally dissolved into soft laughter, fading music, and guests reluctantly making their exits. The decorators had begun taking down the floral arches, and the chandeliers dimmed to a warm honey glow. The Sharma mansion felt suddenly quieter...almost too quiet after an evening filled with clinking glasses and camera flashes.

Mrs. Meera Sharma walked inside the house, her steps slower than usual. There was a strange heaviness in her chest, something she had not allowed herself to feel for years—