The week after that second Sunday was the hardest yet for Payal. The corruption was no longer just physical — it was starting to live inside her head, and she hated every second of it.

She barely spoke to me on Monday and Tuesday. She spent almost all her time with Preeti, who was now heavily pregnant and struggling with back pain and swollen feet. Payal massaged her sister’s legs, brought her water, and talked about baby names, but every time she looked at Preeti’s belly, fresh guilt washed over her face. At night she would lie stiff beside me, staring at the ceiling.