Chapter 5: Love in the Absence

The clock ticked like a slow heartbeat.

Asha stood near the door, adjusting her bag. "You'll be okay, right?"

Karma nodded. "You're just going to study."

"I won't be long. Rachel's waiting downstairs."

"You trust her?"

"Of course."

"Good. Then go."

His voice was calm. Almost emotionless. But his eyes followed every motion she made — memorizing her like a routine.

She closed the door softly behind her.

And Karma was alone.

---

Outside — Café Verra

"Girl," Rachel sipped her coffee, "you do know this could explode if he remembers."

Asha sighed. "I know. But until then… I want him to feel like he belongs."

"You're playing house with a man who might be a killer."

"He's not."

"You don't know that."

"I do."

---

Back at the Apartment

Silence.

Karma walked barefoot, studying the apartment. He paused at a locked drawer. With a flick of a pen, he opened it.

Medical books. Asha's journal. A photo of her with a stern-eyed man.

His pulse spiked.

In the kitchen, he opened the knife drawer. His fingers found a blade. His grip was perfect. Reflexes... too precise.

He flipped the knife midair.

Then froze.

And quietly put it back.

---

Evening — Asha Returns

The moment Asha stepped in, she froze.

The smell. Rich spices. Something sweet. And everything... spotless.

Her books were stacked. Her laundry folded. Tea waited on the table. And a five-star meal laid out like a dream.

"Karma?" she whispered.

No answer.

Then two arms wrapped around her from behind.

She gasped — until she heard his calm voice: "It's just me."

"You scared me…"

"I move quietly."

She turned — and saw it all. The food. The light. The peace.

"You did all this?"

He nodded. "And your clothes. I folded them."

"You didn't have to."

He looked at her.

"But isn't that what a husband's supposed to do?"

For a moment, the danger faded.

And the lie… felt like love.

Quote at the End:

"Sometimes the deadliest silence is the one wrapped in kindness."