The moment the SUV left the mansion gates, Vikram increased the speed. The silence inside the car felt as heavy as a stone. Riya sat facing the window, tears in her eyes and a burning jealousy for Shalini raging in her chest. Vikram glanced at the girl sitting beside him — wrapped in that short skirt, she looked like a wounded deer.

The city crowd was left far behind. Suddenly Vikram turned the car off the highway onto a rough, deserted side road where only tall trees and silence stretched for miles. Under the shade of a dense tree, he slammed on the brakes.