Chapter 18 The Woman at the Shrine

The sun dipped low, washing the village in amber and dusk. Arinay, restless since his return, found his footsteps wandering toward the old shrine by the withering tamarind tree-a place where villagers went when prayer felt easier than protest.

She was already there.

A woman in a weathered green sari, barefoot, with dust curled around her toes lik