(Karen’s POV – Present Tense)

It’s strange how silence feels different when it’s chosen.

For the first time in years, my world is quiet — not empty, not broken, just… still.

The trial is over.

The papers have moved on to a newer scandal.

And Yasmin—

She’s vanished.

They say she left the city two weeks ago. No note, no forwarding address, no dramatic goodbye. Just absence — neat, complete, like she was never really here.

Sometimes I wonder if that’s her way of surviving ...