The mansion at night was a different beast. The golden grandeur had faded into charcoal shadows, and the silence was so thick it felt heavy. Parched by the lingering effects of her medication, Meira slipped out of her room, moving toward the kitchen Seema had shown her earlier.
After filling her jar, she began the long walk back. As she neared the isolated wing, she caught a glimpse of a figure slipping through the gloom—Raghav. He was moving with a strange, frantic energy near the corridor of the locked room. Curiosity overcame her fear, and she followed him at a distance, but Raghav vanished into a side door before she could see where he was headed.
Meira found herself standing alone in front of the locked door once more. The air turned frigid.
Hiss. Scratch. Hiss.
The sound was clearer now—a jagged, rhythmic breathing. Then, a voice, low and distorted, seeped through the wood like a poison.
"I missed you..."
The words hit Meira like a physical blow. The glass jar slipped from her trembling fingers, shattering against the marble floor with a deafening crash. The sound echoed like a gunshot through the hollow halls.
Moments later, footsteps thundered down the hall. Yamini and Taniya arrived, their silhouettes sharp against the dim light. Meira was backed against the opposite wall, her body shaking violently, her eyes fixed on the door.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Yamini's voice was a whip, showing zero concern for Meira's visible terror.
"I... I went for water," Meira stammered, pointing a shaking hand at the door. "But I heard... I heard someone inside. Someone spoke to me."
Yamini's face hardened into a mask of pure malice. "Stop acting! I know exactly what you're doing. You're lurking in the dark, trying to find something to steal, aren't you? You think you can creep around our home and play the victim?"
"Mom, please! Look at her, she's terrified," Taniya pleaded, stepping between them. She turned to Meira, her voice soft but urgent. "Meira, it's okay. Just... please, go back to your room. I'll handle the mess."
"But the voice—" Meira tried to explain, but Taniya's eyes were pleading.
"Please, Meira. Just go."
Meira whispered a hurried thank you and fled, her heart hammering a frantic rhythm against her ribs. Once the sound of Meira's footsteps faded, Taniya turned to her mother.
"You have to be gentler with her, Mom. She's just a normal girl caught in a mess. Stop making these horrible assumptions about her character."
Yamini let out a sharp, cynical laugh. "You are too innocent, Taniya. You believe everyone has a soul. We are in the middle of a crisis, and you are worrying about a 'normal girl' who is standing between us and our legacy?"
Yamini stepped closer, her tone shifting to a cold, practical edge. "We have been working tirelessly to find a suitable match for you. Negativity is following that girl like a shroud, and I will not have you tainted by it. DS's death was a shock, and it ruined our timeline, but the new suit will arrive in a week. You must be ready, Taniya. No distractions. No Meira."
Taniya's shoulders slumped, the weight of her mother's expectations crushing the spark in her eyes. She looked at the shattered glass on the floor—a mirror of the peace in the house—and slowly nodded.
"I understand, Mom," she whispered.
Meira didn't stop running until she reached the safety of her room, slamming the door and twisting the lock with trembling hands. She collapsed onto her bed, pulling the duvet tightly around her shoulders as if it could shield her from the house itself.
Her mind was a chaotic storm. Why me? she wondered, her breath hitching. Why am I hearing these things when no one else does? The voice hadn't just been a sound; it had been an invitation, a recognition that chilled her to the bone. She wasn't just a stranger in this house anymore—she was starting to feel like she was part of the very haunting she was trying to escape. As she stared into the dark corners of her room, she realized the most terrifying thought of all: the voice hadn't sounded like a stranger. It had sounded like it had been waiting for her.