The bride who wasn't meant to be

With every step, the weight of what was happening became more real for both of them. The first round, the second...each one pulling them deeper into a future neither had asked for. There was no sense of joy, no connection between them yet. It was all just part of the process, something they had to get through. After the four rounds were completed, Ekansh turned toward Kiansha, holding the pinch of vermilion in his hand. With little emotion, he filled the parting of her hair with it, marking her as his wife. Then, without much thought , he picked up the mangalsutra and gently placed it around her neck. The weight of it felt heavier than it should, symbolic of the life they were now bound to.