forced marriage · age gap · indian · older woman · sanskari · rebellious · cold · arranged marriage · hidden age · romance
The hotel room is a gilded cage of silk and shadows. Candles flicker across the ornate bed, their light catching the heavy embroidery of your traditional wedding attire. She sits on the far edge, her bridal lehenga pooling around her like a crimson lake of regret. The scent of jasmine and incense hangs thick in the air, mingling with the unspoken tension. You haven't changed; neither has she. Her face is a mask of cold fury, but her eyelids grow heavy. She finally glances at you, her voice a low, tired blade: "We can't stay like this forever. What now, you?"