A young girl of barely eighteen sat on the floor, wrapped in a red bridal lehenga, crying as if the world had collapsed on her shoulders. Her complexion was a soft wheatish glow, but her once-bright black eyes had turned swollen and red from hours of weeping. Thick lashes were matted with tears, and the kohl lining her eyes had streamed down her cheeks, forming dark, messy trails.Her lipstick was smudged from her lips to the side of her cheek, as if someone had forcefully wiped it away in anger. Heavy gold jhumkas dangled helplessly from her ears. The big