Suhani wiped her face with her sleeve, then started pacing in front of the sofa. Her movements were restless, but her expression stayed tight, disbelief shadowed by the weight of too many questions. She had answers now, but none of them felt whole. What was truth, what was lie, what was old, what was new—she couldn't tell anymore.

Rhea leaned back slightly, wiping her own face, her gaze fixed on some far corner of the room. She wasn't smiling, not really, but there was a strange quietness about her now. A relief that came from finally letting go of a burden that had been welded to her chest. It didn't feel like winning. It felt like breathing after years underwater.