The morning after their outing arrived quietly, carrying the coolness left behind by the previous night's rain. The mansion was unusually peaceful, with only the faint sounds of birds coming from the garden and the occasional clatter of utensils from the kitchen breaking through the silence. The birthday decorations had finally been cleared away, leaving the living room looking almost completely normal again, except for one small yellow duck sitting on the edge of the sofa where Esha had abandoned it sometime after returning home.

Vaidehi stood in the kitchen, stirring a cup of tea while staring absently through the window. Her mind had been strangely occupied since she woke up. She had told herself it was because she had slept badly, but that wasn't entirely true. Every time she closed her eyes, she remembered the rain from yesterday evening, Esha standing between them beneath Vikram's jacket, and the way she had instinctively pulled one side of it over him when she noticed his shoulder getting wet.