The city was slowly returning to normalcy, but Vidisha and Raunak’s world was anything but settled. The aftermath of their public relationship had sparked whispers and scrutiny, both from the media and their respective workplaces. Vidisha could feel the tension whenever she walked into the fire station—the knowing glances, the hushed conversations that would stop the moment she entered a room. She’d expected it, but that didn’t make it easier to handle.
Raunak, on the other hand, seemed to take it all in stride. He had always been more composed, more practiced in managing his emotions, but Vidisha could see the toll it was starting to take on him too. His hospital colleagues weren’t as vocal as hers, but the pressure of being in the public eye—of having their personal lives dissected—was
