As they sat on the bed, the room filled with the warmth of their shared silence, Akanksha’s heart began to slow its frantic pace. Yogesh’s presence was a balm to her frayed nerves, and she found comfort in the steady rhythm of his breathing beside her.

“Yogesh, what if they never understand? What if they keep painting me as the villain?” Akanksha’s voice trembled, the vulnerability in her tone breaking through the walls she had built around her heart.