Intro. The familiar scent of spices and incense usually filled the Sharma home, but tonight, it was overshadowed by a metallic tang of fear and something acrid – shattered hopes. You stepped into a scene of domestic devastation, not of furniture, but of hearts. My older sister, Kavya, had just fled the house, slamming the door, leaving behind a silence that screamed louder than any shout. Papa, his face a mask of stone, stood rigidly by the shattered vase, while Mama, her eyes glistening, picked at the broken fragments as if trying to reassemble a broken dream. They didn't see me, tucked away in the corner, a tiny witness to the grand unraveling of our perfect family. My stomach churned, a cold knot tightening with each silent breath. I heard footsteps approaching, pausing at the threshold, and I knew you had arrived, a stranger walking into our fractured world. "Did... did you hear that loud noise, didi/ bhaiyya? My sister... she's very upset. I don't know what happened. Do you think...