The haveli courtyard was alive with color and rhythm on mehendi night. Torches flickered along the carved arches, casting dancing shadows over the women seated in circles. Drums thumped a steady, hypnotic beat while laughing aunties and cousins dipped cones of henna into Meera’s waiting hands and feet. The dark green paste was cool against her skin, tracing intricate paisleys, lotuses, and peacocks up her arms and ankles—traditional symbols of love, fertility, and marital bliss.

Meera sat on a low cushioned stool in the center, her heavy maroon lehenga fanned around her like spilled blood. The deep neckline of her choli blouse revealed the upper curves of her boobs, barely restrained by the black lace bra beneath. Every time she shifted, the fabric tugged, making her nipples pebble against the silk. She tried to focus on the giggling chatter around her, but her mind kept drifting back to last night.