Page 27 of The Escape

Trisha chuckled, nodding as the woman sat down, finally allowing herself to relax.

“I’m Natasha, by the way.”

“I’m Trisha,” she replied, gesturing towards the man beside her. “And this is my husband, Krish.”

Natasha looked between them.

“Nice to meet you.”

“You too,” Trisha replied.

There was a brief silence before Trisha glanced at the suitcase beside Natasha.

“So, you are heading back today?”

“Yes.” Natasha nodded. “Back to Mumbai.”

That earned her a smile.

“Vacation ending already?” Trisha teased.

“I wasn’t exactly on vacation.” Natasha shrugged. “I had some work here for a few days.”

“Work?” Trisha asked casually. “Here in Maldives?”

Natasha hesitated for barely a second. “I’m a journalist. I had come here for some research.”

She offered nothing more, and Trisha didn’t press her.

Krish, who had been listening to the conversation only half-heartedly, finally looked at Natasha again. His gaze happened to fall on the bracelet around her wrist.

It was simple and understated, almost easy to overlook. But the symbol engraved on it wasn’t.

“You’re from Dharamgad?” Krish asked, a little curious.

Natasha instinctively glanced down at her bracelet before looking back at him.

“Why? What made you think I’m from Dharamgad?”

“Because that symbol is from Dharamgad.” Krish nodded towards her bracelet.

A small smile appeared on Natasha’s face as she nodded.

“This bracelet is my father’s gift. He lives in Dharamgad. I live in Mumbai, though.”

“See?” Krish turned towards Trisha with a satisfied smile. “I wasn’t wrong.”

Natasha studied him for a moment, her curiosity now clearly piqued. “But how did you know about the symbol?” She paused. “Are you from Dharamgad too?”

Krish smirked. “Dharamgad is my father’s hometown too.”

This time, Natasha’s surprise was genuine.

“Really?”

“Yeah.” He nodded. “Although I’ve never been there.”

Trisha turned towards him. “You never told me that.”