The air in the Khanna mansion felt heavier as Naina stumbled up the grand staircase, her body a tapestry of pain and exhaustion. Aksh’s grip on her arm was unrelenting, his fingers digging into the bruised flesh of her wrist as he half-dragged her toward her room.

Her breasts throbbed with every step, the lingering effects of the blue liquid making them feel like twin infernos trapped beneath her sweat-soaked kurti. Her knees, scraped raw from the ritual crawl, burned against the torn fabric of her leggings. Shina trailed behind, her yellow salwar kameez swishing with each step, her braid bouncing playfully as she hummed a tune that felt jarringly out of place. The innocence in her voice was a cruel mockery of the torment Naina had just endured.