The Hyderabad morning was soft, the air still carrying a hint of the night's coolness before the city's heat took over. Vikram Ramineni sat in his usual spot on the garden, the steam from his coffee curling into the air. His gaze wasn't on the newspaper or his phone it was fixed entirely on Ananya.

she moved through the garden, carefully watering the hibiscus and jasmine, she looked exactly as she had nearly three decades ago. Marriage hadn't dimmed the spark twenty-eight years had only polished it.