Disha's phone buzzed insistently on Thursday evening, cutting through the quiet pretense of her study session in the cramped college dorm room. She had been staring at her open textbook for the past hour without absorbing a single word, her mind wandering between upcoming exams and the growing knot of anxiety in her chest. The caller ID flashed "Maa," and her heart sank even before she answered.

"Beta, suno toh! Ladka bahut achha hai! (Beta, listen! The boy is very good!)" her mother exclaimed, her voice bubbling with uncontainable excitement. Words tumbled out rapidly in Hindi, laced with the typical enthusiasm of a parent arranging her daughter's future. "Software engineer hai, Haryana mein hi job hai. Ghar walon ne milke decide kar liya. Engagement fix ho gaya hai—tu weekend pe aa ja, beta. Sab kuch arrange kar rahe hain. (He's a software engineer, has a job right here in Haryana. The families have decided. The engagement is fixed—come home this weekend, beta. Everything is being arranged.)"