I am so ashamed of myself.

I looked at myself in the mirror and, for the first time, felt a chill crawl beneath my skin as I failed to recognize the woman staring back. Her eyes were hollowed by fear, her posture bent beneath the invisible weight of obedience. I had become a toy in the hands of Ganga maa-sa,her puppet, her instrument and her shadow. Whatever she demanded, I performed without question, because the alternative was far darker than anyone could imagine. I never wanted Yuvraj to suffer,not even a scratch but she wove her plans with a serpent’s calm, whispering assurances that he would only be injured, never harmed. Yet the price of her lie was his life, and in exchange she demanded something even more unbearable, distance from Hriday, the only sliver of light I had left.