As the evening stretched on, the rain continued to pour, its rhythmic sound filling the quiet house. Inside, the atmosphere was different from before — softer, warmer, the heavy tension that had lingered between them dissipating, if only for a moment.

Atharva followed her into the living room, his heart still racing, not from fear, but from the strange shift he felt. She moved to sit on the couch, carefully adjusting her position to accommodate her growing belly. He hesitated for a moment before sitting beside her, but there was something different now, something unspoken but understood between them.