Chapter 3

Rahul hauled Manju upright by her thick black hair and shoved her toward the hallway mirror. Her sari hung in tatters, blouse ripped open, heavy breasts spilling free with the rope still biting deep into the soft flesh. The gold septum ring Prem had given her swung wildly with every sob.

“Look at that nose,” Rahul sneered, forcing her face close to the glass. “That round, plump nose with those wide, flaring nostrils—perfect for what I have planned.”

Manju’s cheeks burned with shame. Her nose was undeniably striking: perfectly round at the tip, the bridge elegant, and the nostrils wide, dark, and inviting. The thick gold ring sat snugly through her septum, the holes themselves smooth and slightly stretched from the heavy jewelry. Rahul pinched her septum between two fingers, making the ring tug painfully.

“These holes were made to be used,” he growled. He threaded a thin leather cord through the ring and yanked downward, forcing her head to tilt back. The cord became a leash, pulling directly on the sensitive septum. Every tug sent sharp pain and made fresh tears spill down her cheeks.

He dragged her back to the kitchen table by this new leash. Manju crawled awkwardly, the cord keeping constant pressure on her nose, her round nostrils flaring wider with each panicked breath. Rahul tied the cord to a table leg so her face stayed lifted, mouth open, the gold ring stretched taut.