Two days after the men arrived, Aarohi's elder sister, Meera, came home from university. Meera was twenty-two—strong, intelligent, and confident. Aarohi almost collapsed when she saw her, relief and fear crashing together.
That night, Meera noticed the tension in the house. She noticed Aarohi's silence, her avoidance, the way she flinched at footsteps. By morning, Meera understood the truth.
And the truth was worse than anything she had imagined.
When Meera confronted her father, he didn't deny it. He warned her instead. Silence, he said, was safer.
Soon, Meera was no longer just a witness.