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✨ Chapter 68: The rain broke without warning.

The rain broke without warning.
By noon the veranda lay shrouded in mist. Beyond it the garden blurred into a trembling green haze.

Rain beat against the haveli's roof like a thousand small questions, none with answers.

Inside, the air smelled of wet earth and fear.

Meenal sat by the window, her face pale, her body drawn from too many sleepless nights.

The cup of milk beside her had gone cold. She stared out at the storm, unease blooming in her chest.

Every sound in the house—footsteps, whispers, doors closing—scraped against her nerves.

Arun’s laughter once filled these halls; today it grated against her skin, foreign and unfamiliar.

“Maa, look!” he cried, running to her, holding a paper boat. “It floats in the rainwater!”

The word rain struck her like a blow.
A flash—thunder, silk, the scent of sandalwood—surged and vanished. Her breath hitched; nausea rose like tidewater.

The room spun.

“Not now, Arun,” she murmured, her voice unsteady.
But he didn’t hear. He laughed again, pushing the boat toward her lap.
“See, Maa, it can swim—” He tugged at her saree, eyes wide with wonder.

"Not now, Arun…" she whispered, pushing him away gently.

She closed her eyes. The memories surged; she fought to breathe.

"Maa…the boat…," Arun said, tugging at her saree. "It's starting to sink."

Her hand shot out before her heart could stop it.
She tore the paper boat from his grasp. “Enough!”
The word was sharper than thunder.