The drinks had melted the night into a warm, dizzy haze. Dimple leaned against the bar, holding a glass she didn’t remember ordering, the music pulsing through her like a second heartbeat. Her lipstick was smudged, her cheeks flushed with heat. Around her, the club swirled in a blur of lights and bodies, and she felt both untouchable and adrift.

Just a few hours ago, Dimple had walked in on her boyfriend fucking another girl. They were both completely naked, limbs tangled, the girl’s breathless moans muffled against her boyfriend’s shoulder.

The sharp rhythm of their bodies meeting, the heat shimmering off them, the slick sheen of sweat burned into...