The heavy, oppressive silence of her childhood bedroom felt foreign, wrapped in a layer of dust and lingering memories that no longer belonged to her. Shivanya sat on the edge of the mattress, her fingers nervously twisting the fabric of her suit, staring down at the intricate patterns of the carpet. The door creaked open, breaking the heavy stillness, and Meera and Anamika stepped inside, closing it softly behind them.

"Kaisi ho, Shivanya? (How are you, Shivanya?)" Meera asked softly, her voice laden with a gentle, sisterly warmth that felt almost agonizingly out of place in this house.