Chapter 4 Dark Corners

Every house has shadows. Some grow bigger when no one is looking.

Rina was changing.

Now in her late teens, she had found new friends - loud, rebellious, and wild.

The kind who smoked behind school walls and laughed at anyone who followed rules.

Mrs. Mehra thought it was just a phase.

Mr. Mehra was barely ever home.

Anaya noticed everything.

The new makeup.

The alcohol smell on Rina's bag.

The way she'd sneak in at 2 a.m., stumbling and whispering into her phone.

One evening, Anaya walked past the guest room and paused.

Rina was inside - with an older man.

Their trusted driver, Rajiv.

He was leaning too close. Laughing too hard.

Rina giggled... but something in her eyes looked unsure.

Anaya stepped back quietly, heart pounding.

That night, she couldn't sleep.

Something about Rajiv didn't feel right.

She remembered how he once stared at her a little too long in the rear-view mirror.

The next day, she told Mrs. Mehra what she saw.

But instead of concern, the woman snapped:

"Stop spying on Rina! She's not your responsibility. Mind your place!"

Anaya nodded and walked away.

But something inside her had shifted.

She wasn't going to be silent anymore.

Not when someone's life was at risk.

Not when a predator wore a uniform and smiled too much.

To be continued...

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