Kunal sat in a quiet corner of the garden, far away from the noise, laughter, and celebrations happening around him. The place was beautifully decorated, lights glowing softly, people moving around happily, but none of it reached him anymore. He felt completely detached from everything, as if he was sitting in a world that no longer belonged to him. His head was slightly lowered, elbows resting on his knees, and his hands loosely clenched as he tried to control the storm building inside him. His eyes were wet, but he wasn’t even bothering to wipe the tears anymore because at this point, it didn’t matter. The pain had already gone beyond control, beyond understanding.

“I really thought…” he whispered to himself in a broken voice, staring at the ground blankly, “I really thought I still had time…”