The garden was wrapped in a soft, golden hush, the kind that only appears when evening begins to melt into night. Fairy lights hung lazily from the trees, their glow brushing against the red of Siya’s anarkali as she paced slowly, phone pressed to her ear. Her voice was calm, professional, discussing schedules, timings, formalities,things that suddenly felt unreal compared to everything her heart had lived through today.

“Yes… the final rehearsal is confirmed. Please make sure the lighting cues remain the same,” she said, nodding to herself even though the person on the other side couldn’t see her. After a brief pause, she ended the call and let her hand drop to her side.