My body convulsed with another violent shiver as I faced the mirror, each tremor rippling through me like aftershocks of an earthquake. The reflection was a blur through my unfocused eyes—a haze of crimson and gold that seemed to mock the bile rising in my throat. My wedding lehenga, heavy with intricate embroidery, pressed down on my shoulders like a burial shroud, each crystal and thread catching the light in a way that made my head swim.