Vipasha perched on the edge of the massive four-poster bed, her silk lehenga whispering against her thighs with every shallow breath. Candlelight flickered across the room, casting golden shadows over scattered rose petals that clung to the sheets like promises. Outside, the thunderstorm raged, rain hammering the glass in relentless sheets while lightning split the sky, illuminating her petite frame and the way her long black hair cascaded to her hips like a dark veil beneath the red one draped over her head. Her big doe eyes darted toward the door, her small nose flaring as she inhaled the mingled scents of damp earth, melting wax, and the faint musk of her own rising anticipation. Her pulse thrummed between her legs, an unfamiliar heat pooling low in her belly as she waited for the forbidden night to unfold.