Same city, different circumstances. In the summer of 1954, as New York simmered and sizzled, Meera was suffering in a rarified air-conditioned hospital room. The worst began after the worst was over. As she came out of her medically induced coma, splitting headaches took over. Every breath was laborious, punctuated by frequent seizures. The cyanide was out of her bloodstream, but had left behind a trail of wreckage. Her lungs and heart were working on a fraction of their full capacity. Just like Meera before him, Abhimanyu learned about numerous medical terms and the regiment of patient care. He did all of it with monk-like discipline, even as he battled with his own alcohol withdrawal symptoms. The ex-lovers, a shadow of their former selves, picked up the pieces and dragged their feet on the road to recovery, one pill at a time.

As Meera finally regained her health, she was surprised to see the prince at her bedside. They didn’t converse for over two days; not a word was spoken – Meera, from the sheer lack of energy, and Abhimanyu, because he was completely at loss for words.

Their first few interactions were strictly of medical nature. ‘Take two of these,’ he would say, handing her a glass of water with pills of different colours and shapes. Meera would ask for more blankets when she felt the chills. Later, Abhimanyu began relaying messages from her family to her, informing her that Veena would soon be on her way to visit her. When she was finally able to talk again, she spoke with her mother over phone, who told her about how Abhimanyu had saved her. Back in Bombay, the wagging tongues about something being amiss between the composer and her singer had now taken a firm hold. The hushed tones had reached a fever pitch in the gossip columns. There were speculations regarding what could have transpired between Meera and Sahil that made her snub him on numerous occasions, which was perhaps what led to the mercurial Sahil taking revenge. The investigation by the media and the police came to a swift end when Sahil Malik confessed to his crime in the face of mounting circumstantial evidence. Abhimanyu tried his best to keep the news from Meera, but couldn’t hold back.

‘I have something to say to you, Meera, about this incident.’

‘Was it Sahil Malik?’ she asked without missing a beat. Taken aback, Abhimanyu tried to placate her.

‘He’s in custody.’

Meera’s face remained emotionless.

‘Do you want to talk about it?’ Abhimanyu said softly, not wanting to push her against her wish.

‘Do you?’

‘No,’ said Abhimanyu. They never broached the subject after that.

The night prior to Veena’s arrival, Meera thanked Abhimanyu for all he had done.

‘I didn’t get a chance to ask … how have you been?’