Vikram discovers that Anya was Meera’s best friend and unknowing accomplice—Anya had designed the floral arch for the wedding and, as Vikram believes, passed the encrypted drive to Meera. Vikram devises a “trap of thorns”:
The thorny trap of love novel is not an accident. It is a carefully engineered narrative structure designed to hijack the brain’s reward system. Most romance novels follow a formula that is as addictive as it is predictable: thorny trap of love novel
: The phrase originates from classic imagery of love being both beautiful and painful. It is prominently used in poems about legendary lovers like Layla and Majnun to describe falling into a "thorny trap" of doomed or difficult affection. Guide for Readers If you are looking for this specific story or theme: Vikram discovers that Anya was Meera’s best friend
The thorns are: