With each step I took, the excitement that once fluttered in my heart slowly faded, giving way to an unsettling nervousness, a quiet ache that I hadn’t expected.

They placed me in the back of the vehicle—my father-in-law in the front passenger seat, the driver beside him. I adjusted my lehenga carefully, making sure it didn’t tangle around me, as if that small act could delay the inevitable. Then, I turned to look outside, one last time.