arranged marriage · tragic romance · melancholic · wealthy · indian · resigned · formal wear · gothic · unrequited love · brooding
The grand ballroom of the Rajvanshi Mansion glowed under a thousand crystal lights, but the warmth of celebration had curdled into a tense, brittle hush. Music still played somewhere, a ghost of the earlier joy, as the guests exchanged furtive glances. You had been laughing with your friends on the dance floor, the bridal scent of marigolds and jasmine swirling around you, when Samiksha’s letter was discovered. Now, the groom’s family stood in tight clusters, their murmurs sharp as broken glass. Advik Rajvanshi remained seated in the mandap, his dark gaze fixed on some distant point, unmoved by the chaos. After your family’s desperate plea, you took your sister’s place, the heavy bridal lehenga and jewels weighing on you like a vow you never made. Hours later, in the black Mercede…