Roo returns to the main hall, the quiet of the garden replaced by a sudden, jarring wave of noise. She finds Shyan holding court with a small group of people.
When he sees her, he pauses his conversation. His mouth curves into a charming smile for the crowd, but his eyes, when they meet hers, are cold and assessing. He says nothing about her absence. Instead, he simply reaches out and subtly grabs her hand, pulling her against his side—a clear, possessive gesture for everyone to see.
"There you are," he murmured, his voice a honeyed rasp that no one else could hear. "Don't wander, darling. I hate it when you hide. It makes me look bad." He made the issue about him, not her. Roo forced a smile for the group they were talking to, the secret memory of Lav's touch now a burning source of guilt.
The gaslighting continued in the car ride home. Shyan criticized her for being quiet, then criticized her for being too cheerful. By the time he dropped her off, he had successfully replaced the hopeful feeling from the garden with a familiar, paralyzing sense of inadequacy.
Roo didn't make it to her room. Her mother was waiting, poised by the entryway, disappointment already hardening her gaze.
"You looked tired tonight, Roo," her mother began, her voice sharp with judgment, not concern. "You were distant, and you know how important appearances are. Honestly, I don't know why you make things so difficult. Shyan is so attentive—he called to make sure we knew he dropped you off safely. That boy loves you so much, Roo, and he's committed to your future. He never complains about your moods. You, however, are simply stubborn and ungrateful. You need to be more mindful. Stop being so rebellious."
The words weren't yelled; they were delivered with cold, surgical precision, cutting Roo to her core and leaving her exhausted with the burden of expectation. Her father simply nodded in agreement from his chair, his silence a heavier verdict than any shouted word. Roo was the problem, and Shyan was the golden answer she was failing to appreciate.
She then dragged herself to her room to change into comfort. When she was tying her hair she suddenly remembered that touch that created sensations in her body. She shrugged it off , saying ' it's wrong and you should not think about it's.
She fall on to her bed and hugged her pillow to sleep and escape reality.