Upasana switched the TV off. She opened the windows and took a deep breath. It was a clear day. The evening was perfect, a pale moon hung in the sky already as if waiting for the sun to dissolve and the night to take over. After ages a small smile crept over her face. The moon was beautiful. The moon was impatient to hang in the sky. Its pale benevolence was just a façade. It commanded a key place in mythology and in time. They said strange things happened when the moon was full. Perhaps Rajjo had succumbed to a lunar episode. Upasana smiled at the moon; it was the most beautiful moon she had ever seen in the wide blue sky.

Harsh stood on the terrace of a hotel in Pune. His phone was switched off. After continuous babble for the last four days he wanted some silence. The roof-top terrace had an infinity pool on the other side but thankfully it was empty at this hour. A panorama of tiled roofs lay beneath him. Harsh could barely breathe. He was losing all sense of place and time. The lively street running through the back of the hotel, the tooting of horns, the hum of traffic reminded him that he was still in the same place. The only difference was Rajjo was gone.

She had decided to keep her promise. Despite innumerable attempts, threats and pleading, Rajjo had chosen this path for him. The news reports hounded him as the entire country had erupted in a heated debate over her announcement of self-immolation. His head ached with everything he had to process. He looked down at the city and felt he was floating above it. The infinity pool gave a false sense of comfort. A glass room placed on the far end of the terrace with beautiful expensive plants and flowers offered a sweet haven. It was a good place to hide. He just wanted to sit here and think about Rajjo. Rajjo was on the run from the authorities, hiding in deep dark places as the law of the land had banished her. It made his blood boil but he was helpless and defeated. Rajjo was going to burn. Rajjo was going through all this because of him. And all she had asked of him in return was to let her go.

He could go with her too. But was he ready to go?

She had begged him to stay on and live the life he was supposed to lead. She wanted him to lead the party to victory and fulfil his family’s dream. But Harsh had adamantly told her if she left him he would come after her. He knew he was limiting her options and putting pressure on her but he was unable to let go. And now she was gone.