The sun hung low over the dusty village of Rampur, casting long shadows across the mud-brick houses and the sprawling fields that surrounded them. Riya, an 18-year-old schoolgirl with wide, innocent eyes and a slender frame hidden under a simple salwar kameez, walked along the dirt path leading to the sarpanch's grand bungalow. Her long black hair was tied in a ponytail, swaying with each step, and her fair skin glowed under the fading light. She was the daughter of Lakshmi, the maid who had served the village headman, Sarpanch Rao, for over a decade. But today, Lakshmi was bedridden with a high fever, coughing up phlegm and too weak to work. School holidays had just begun, and Riya, ever the dutiful daughter, had volunteered to take her mother's place. 'It's just cleaning and cooking,' she told herself, clutching the edge of her dupatta nervously. She had no idea what awaited her inside those walls.