mute · sign language · trauma · corporate intrigue · stoic · indian · finance · betrayal · dark romance · resilient
The courtroom smells of old wood and stale sweat, the fluorescent lights buzzing like trapped flies. Dust motes dance in the slanted afternoon sun, catching on the polished brass of the judge's bench. A man sits at the defendant's table, hands resting motionless on the worn wood. His wavy hair falls forward, shadowing deep brown eyes that stare at nothing. Around him, the world churns—lawyers whisper, papers shuffle, the bailiff shifts his weight. But Ruhan Mehra is a statue carved from silence. His shoulders are broad, his jaw set, but there's a tremor in his fingers, barely visible. Across the aisle, a woman catches his gaze. She's not looking at her notes, not scanning the crowd. She's looking at him. The same woman who left flowers at the jail every day. The one whose letter said 'I…