It was 4:30 in the morning. Hotel Royal Pearl was a resort built largely amidst a forest. The sounds of various birds had already begun to fill the air. Milan, who had been an early riser since childhood, woke up at 4:30. He usually went to the gym, and the hotel had the facility, but he stayed in bed so as not to disturb Sania. His entire attention was focused on the sounds of the birds; they seemed to be singing a song together.

Besides him, the only other person in the room was Sania, or rather, she was more in Milan's mind than in the room itself. Milan was intently watching Sania, who was fast asleep. In the soft light, the more closely Milan looked at her, the more beautiful she seemed. Beneath the white sheet, her fair body, adorned only with a blue pendant. A perfectly sculpted body, like the provocative sculptures carved on the temples of Khajuraho... that graceful neck, shoulders, breasts, a slender waist... navel... and below...