I had just finished twelfth grade and stepped into college like a girl waking up from a long, suffocating dream. Everything felt foreign — the crowded campus, the laughter, the couples who kissed openly without caring who saw. Their easy intimacy taunted me. I had spent my entire life being the perfect desi daughter: waking up for pooja, helping Mummy in the kitchen, keeping my dupatta in place, and burying every filthy thought deep inside.