After Life: Sara & Padma's Journey After Departure

I was singing to my heart

SARA:

Arjun had requested some casual photos of me, and after a while, at night, he sent me the IDs. I checked them out. He had morphed my picture to make it look more like Claura. Suddenly, I was pictured with people I had never seen before. It was challenging to discern if it was edited or not; it seemed incredibly real. 

 "Dev, look at this," I showed him the images.

 "He's truly skilled, making the Claura character come to life," Dev remarked. 

"And check this out, dressed in girly outfits, makeup—never seen you in such attire," he chuckled. 

 Glancing at the picture, he was right. The Claura portrayal featured maxi dresses, something I rarely wore, particularly not tight-fitting ones that showcased much of my figure. My preference tended toward A-line fit and flare dresses for comfort. 

 "This feels like a nightmare. Look at this one, adorned with jasmine flowers in her hair. Oh my god," I sighed. Dev couldn't help but laugh.

 "Nevertheless, I'm excited to see you in these costumes," he teased.

 "Yeah, the worst part is I've never worn such an attractive dress for you, but I have to do this for a guy like Rahul, jeez," I sighed.

 "Why, he's a good-looking guy too," Dev remarked. 

 "I mean, he's really careless, doesn't seem to care about others' feelings, just playing with women's hearts. It's not right," I explained.

 "What if he's actually a good guy? Would it make it easier for you to act?" Dev inquired.

 "It might make it even harder, you know? I'll be pretending to be interested just to use him. If he's a good person, it'll be tougher for me. I don't like to toy with people's feelings," I explained.

 "Hmm," Dev nodded, understanding my concerns.

 DEV: 

 Rahul had messaged Sara on WhatsApp, technically as Claura, and Arjun had been engaging in a conversation with him as Claura. Arjun eventually steered the discussion towards a face-to-face meeting. Sara and I reviewed the chat, and it seemed like Rahul was the one proposing the meetup, making it easier for Arjun to execute his plan. Arjun suggested meeting at a special weekend party hosted by a club named Heaven, which was taking place today. 

Sara and Antara had prepared for the occasion, shopping for dresses. I wasn't aware of the details of their preparations. Sara and Antara had already teleported to Bangalore, staying in a hotel Arjun had booked. I was waiting for Uncle at his home, hoping he could babysit my baby girl. He was still at his office. 

 So far, things between Sara and me had been relatively smooth. She hadn't uttered any twisted words, and I hadn't attempted to get close to her or inquire about the concept of 'love.' We had more of a friendly connection. Sara had spent eight hours at the office yesterday, so our time together was mainly during the nights and when Padma was awake. Sara got occupied with the recruitment of new employees. 

As Uncle arrived, I was sitting on the sofa with Padma leaning on me. "Take good care of her, Uncle," I said, standing up while holding Padma.

 "I will. Give her to me," Uncle smiled, taking my baby and cradling her. He smiled warmly, looking at her, and I chuckled. 

 "You seem to like her a lot," I remarked. 

"Of course I do. I mean, I've never been with a human right from birth, you know. And she is kind of special after all," Uncle said, smiling warmly. I nodded.