The wedding week arrived not like a date on the calendar but like a dream finally stepping into reality, soft, glowing, drenched in laughter, mehendi, and the kind of love that had survived storms. It wasn’t just a celebration; it felt like a homecoming, a silent whisper from destiny saying, “You’ve finally found your way back.”

Pakhi sat on the divan in her room, her friends circling her with the kind of excitement that only a wedding home could hold. Bangles jingled, music played softly from someone’s speaker, and the scent of henna mixed with jasmine petals floating in a brass bowl.