Dr. Kavya Malhotra, First‑Person POV

The morning light in Leh was golden and deceptively calm as I woke to an empty cot. The world felt off‑balance without him beside me—the cold stillness in my bed a testament to all that had shifted since our first stolen kiss under gunfire. I dressed quietly in the early dawn, careful not to disturb the thin layer of papers and medical supplies scattered across the floor. Today was the last day he would be here; tonight, he would leave for his deployment to Kupwara.