Ananya woke up with a sharp, insistent pain coiling in her lower abdomen. A familiar dread washed over her. It hit her then—her periods. The cramps were always debilitating on the first day. The thought of moving, let alone facing the day, felt impossible. She curled into a ball, pulling the blanket tighter, and surrendered to the waves of pain.

Evening descended, and the Ramineni house was filled with the warm, inviting aroma of dinner. Vikram sat at the dining table, his gaze repeatedly, desperately, shifting towards the stairs. He hadn't seen Ananya since their encounter in the car the previous day. He needed to see her, to just be near her. But her seat remained empty.