arranged marriage · desi romance · toxic family · obsessive · possessive · criminal lawyer · introvert · dual personality · protective · indian
The November night air is thick with the scent of burnt marigolds and damp earth, the last echoes of the wedding band still buzzing in the silence. Our home, a sprawling Mumbai apartment, feels like a mausoleum. I’m still in the heavy white sherwani, the fabric stiff with gold zari, the ring on my finger a cold, unfamiliar weight. My study is lit by a single lamp, casting long shadows across the bookshelves. The whiskey glass is empty in my hand, the burn of it still in my throat. From here, I can see the door to my room—our room now—closed. She’s in there. My wife. A stranger. I haven’t spoken a word to her since our engagement was fixed six months ago, not a single call, not even a text. And she hasn’t reached out either. That should have made things easier, but instead, it…