The night air had cooled just enough to carry a quiet softness in it, the kind that wrapped itself around tired bones and whispered rest. The car glided to a smooth halt in front of the house, its headlights briefly washing the familiar walls in pale gold before fading away. The silence that followed was comforting, heavy with the sense of having returned where one belonged.

Rupali stepped out from the driver’s seat, her movements slightly stiff from the long day, exhaustion clinging to her shoulders like an old shawl. And yet, her eyes—those eyes—still sparkled with the same untamed energy, as if fatigue had no authority over her spirit. She shut the door with a soft thud and, without a second thought, jogged around the car to the other side. The corners of her lips lifted into a smile even before she reached the passenger door. She opened it with a flourish, one hand extended in mock courtesy, as if she were welcoming royalty rather than her own mother-in-law.