The door closed softly behind them, sealing away the noise and the rituals that had followed them throughout the day, leaving behind only a quiet space that now belonged to the two of them in a way it never had before.

Kavya stepped in slowly, her eyes moving across the room she had seen before, and yet this time her gaze lingered longer, as if she was trying to understand how something so familiar could suddenly feel so different, so much more permanent.