When Meera entered the Metro, she was more in awe of the Belgian chandelier hanging at the center than the bevy of stars milling around in the lobby while suited ushers navigated the crowd, balancing a dozen drinks on silver trays. Thankfully, she was able slip-in to the backstage before too many people were able to spot her, so that she could prepare for her performance. Not that she needed much of a rehearsal – she could have performed the three-song set from Sarhad in her sleep. An assistant came to inform her about the seat that had been reserved for her in the audience, but she declined. She simply couldn’t bring herself to watch Sahil take the stage if he won. But the thick walls of the green room were not enough to insulate her from her nightmare – she could hear the roar of applause when his name was announced as the winner of the ‘Best Music Composer’ award. Worse still, she could hear Sahil call out her name in his speech.

‘A composer dreams,’ he said, ‘but it is up to my artists to make my dream a reality. And I can’t thank them enough. Above all, Meera.’

The crowd cheered.

‘Some of you may not believe me; you may think that I am being humble on this stage. Soon enough, when she performs in a few minutes, you’ll see … hear for yourself. Thank you.’

Meera was up next. She felt nauseous upon being introduced on stage by the monster who had physically assaulted her, and then had the gall to threaten her. Now, he had introduced her with lavish praise, and she felt but a helpless pawn in his grand scheme of things. It took a lot of courage for her not to thank Sahil for his ‘kind’ words. Instead, Meera walked on to the stage and launched into her first song straight away.