Chapter 3: Shadows and Comfort The hospital was cold, sterile, and silent in a way that made every sound — the beep of monitors, the distant footsteps of nurses, the low murmur of conversations — echo painfully in Niyati’s mind. She sat on a hard chair beside her mother, who held her trembling hands tightly. Her father leaned against the wall, staring blankly, his face pale and drawn. The smell of antiseptic stung her nose, and the bright white walls seemed to close in on her. Niyati felt numb. Every heartbeat thumped painfully in her chest, a constant reminder of