My mind was a complete blank. It felt like someone had hit the "mute" button on the world. I stood there, shivering in my black net saree, staring at Shreya as if she were a ghost. Did she really just say that? Was this a twisted joke? I looked at the guests, the elite, the criminals all of them were watching us like a car crash they couldn't turn away from.

Then, Shreya’s voice, now fragile and desperate, cut through the ringing in my ears.