As they stepped out of the restaurant, the low murmur of voices and the clink of cutlery faded behind them. The evening air wrapped around Siya gently, cool and scented with damp earth and flowering shrubs. Her steps slowed without her realizing it.

Her eyes wandered first to the distant hills blushing under the dying sun, then to the tall trees swaying lazily, their leaves whispering secrets to one another. For the first time since morning, her shoulders eased, just a fraction. There was something about the quiet here that felt untouched, unexpecting.