Anirudh was laying on the sofa, drifting in and out of sleep. He was very sick, so he wasn't completely aware of what was happening around him. 

Was he hallucinating, when he heard someone's voice? A girl seemed to be talking to him. 

He tried to open his eyes to see, but he felt quite weak, and it was more comfortable to just keep his eyes closed.

So he opened them a little bit, to see a figure amongst the dark shadows -- he could make out braids, like Bondita would have, and the part of a school dress. 

Her face was coming closer and closer. 

"Bondita don't kiss me..." Anirudh mumbled, "I'm sick... you'll get sick too..."  

Surabhi paused, her mouth only a few inches away from his, when he referred to her as Bondita.

He was so concerned about his beloved wife getting sick, that he didn't even want her kiss! How could a man be like this? 

Maybe... just maybe... he didn't love Bondita, and that was why he didn't want her to kiss him! 

Forget it, Surabhi thought, I'm going to do what I came here to do! I can't fall weak now!

She started to bring her mouth towards his again. 

Before her lips could make it any closer to his, she felt a strong and angry grip on her arm and her eyes widened. 

-- 

In the school, Bondita shook her head at Vikram, when he asked her if he was a bad person for loving someone who was married. 

"Love can never make you a bad person!" Bondita told him firmly, "Love is beyond all social constructs Vikram!" 

She took a deep breath and she continued, "I don't know much about what my Pati Babu went through. He never told me in too much detail, but from the little bit I understood and observed, he had a hard time accepting his love for me because of these social constructs, because of what he considered moral and immoral!" 

Vikram looked at Bondita with surprise. 

"Pati Babu thought it was wrong to fall for me, because child marriage is wrong! He thought that he would ruin my life, and he thought so many other things! But do you know what he realized in the end? That there are no boundaries when it comes to love! You can love anyone!" she told him, seriously. 

Vikram continued to look at Bondita, a hope emerging in his heart. 

"The only thing is Vikram, that the other person should not feel forced or compelled. Because then that's not love! Love is freeing. It's never restrictive in nature. Love isn't about controlling others, but about admiring them, even if it's from afar!" Bondita explained. 

Vikram smiled at her and he said, "Bondita, I never want to force your Manika Didi! I only want her to be free and happy!" 

Bondita smiled back at him and said, "Then you have nothing to worry about Vikram. The feelings you feel aren't wrong. As long as she doesn't feel pressured in any way, as long as you don't force anything on her, it can never be wrong."

She continued, "And as for her being married, her husband doesn't own her Vikram. She doesn't belong to anyone. Just because he has married her, it doesn't mean that she doesn't exist for everyone else! She has her own identity! You falling for her, is unrelated to all of that! True, pure love is nothing but beautiful! It cannot be tainted, because it is not about ownership."

Vikram smiled even more widely, finding Bondita's words beautiful. 

"I knew you would understand me," he told her softly. 

"I wish Manika Didi didn't marry that man," Bondita told Vikram honestly, "He doesn't deserve her. He has hurt her already... and now she is saying he changed, but I don't know... she deserves someone like you."  

Vikram's heart fell at the idea of Manika's husband hurting her. If he had it his way, he wouldn't allow that man to touch a strand of hair on Manika's head!

However, he trusted Manika's judgement, and if she was truly happy with him, he would never ever force her to change her decision based on his own views! 

"Let's change the subject," Vikram just said, because talking about this made him worry about her. 

Bondita nodded, not wanting to hurt Vikram with this topic. 

Both Batuk and Vikram seemed to have fallen for people who they weren't destined to be with. She really hoped that their destinies served them the best possible outcomes. 

"Let me see if there's more chocolate," Bondita just said, and stood up. 

When she stood up, Vikram's eyes widened. 

"Bondita!" Vikram said. 

"Hmm?" Bondita said, as she went to look through the drawers. 

"Uh... I think... you got... your period..." Vikram said nervously. 

Bondita's eyes widened, and she turned around, a little embarrassed. 

"I'm so sorry! But there's a stain on your dress! I'm not saying it's weird, but I thought you should know!" Vikram just told her, his face flushing. 

Bondita took a deep breath, relaxing herself. It was just Vikram! And he had even stayed with her in the menstruation shack at Thakumaa's place! 

There was nothing embarrassing about having her period either and she knew it, but she didn't even like the idea of her Pati Babu seeing her menstrual blood last time, so the idea of someone else seeing it was also quite embarrassing for her. 

"You're right, I was supposed to get it today," she told him, her face slightly red. "But it slipped my mind with everything going on." 

Because of the contraceptive pills, her periods were very regular now, and she could track when they would come every month. 

"I'll go to the bathroom," she just said, and took her backpack inside the bathroom of the principal's office. 

-- 

At the haveli, Surabhi looked up with shock at the person who had grabbed her arm angrily and pulled her to her feet. 

Batuk Roy Choudhary. 

A livid expression was on his face as he dragged her out of the study, towards the front door of the haveli. 

"B - Batuk," Surabhi stammered, looking at him with fear. 

He didn't say anything. He just pulled her out of the house. Thunder was still roaring in the skies, and the rain did not seem like it would stop anytime soon.

Batuk angrily threw her down the front stairs of the haveli, where she nearly fell to the ground, but she managed to catch her balance. 

She was completely drenched by the rain now. 

Batuk then angrily stormed towards her, getting drenched himself, and she fearfully took steps back. 

Before she knew what was happening, he had grabbed her arm again, and pulled her back up the stairs this time. He pushed her against the brick wall, beside the main entrance. 

Her back hurt, because he pushed her with force. 

"What are you doing B - Batuk?" Surabhi stammered. 

Batuk took her arm and pinned it against the brick wall so hard, that she was sure it got scratched. 

"What the fuck were you doing?" Batuk asked, a dark look in his eyes. 

She had never ever seen this side of Batuk before.

"Batuk, I was... checking... his fever..." Surabhi tried to lie. 

"SHUT UP!" he yelled, making her shiver, "I SAW YOU!" 

He threw her arm down and placed his hands on the wall on either side of her body, making sure she had no way to escape. 

Surabhi looked at him with fear, wondering how to get out of this one. 

"You were going to kiss him, weren't you?" Batuk asked darkly, "You were going to kiss my Boudi's husband, weren't you?" 

Surabhi shook her head, but another look of anger reached Batuk's face. 

Before she could even fathom what he was going to do, Batuk leaned dangerously close to her, her heart beating fast out of fear. 

"What... are... you... doin --" she started, but Batuk didn't let her finish. 

Because he had pushed his lips on hers. 

Her eyes widened, and she grabbed on to his shirt, trying to push him off her, but he refused to let go. He kissed her more deeply, forcefully, and tears sprung in her eyes. 

It was a long kiss, and she kept on struggling, but he didn't let go of her. 

Only when he wanted, he let go, his dark eyes on her face. 

Her eyes were red and she just looked at him, heartbroken. 

Then she lifted her hand to slap him, but Batuk grabbed her hand mid-air. 

"How could you do that?" Surabhi asked, sounding broken, tears pouring down her cheeks, "How could you violate me like that?" 

"You can do it to my Dada, but you bloody hell can't take it?" Batuk asked sarcastically, "You care about consent, but you don't care about fucking getting it from others?"

An ache reached her chest, as Surabhi finally realized her mistake. 

Where she had gone wrong. 

Batuk knew that his Dada and Boudi would both be very angry with him for his step. They were about talking sense into people. They were all about two wrongs don't make a right!

But Batuk was angry today! He was so angry that someone dared to come between his Dada and Boudi, the two people he would give his life for, that rational thinking didn't even enter his mind. 

He needed to teach her a lesson, one that she would never forget in her whole life. Even if that meant he had to scar her for it. He didn't care. Anyone who dared to try to hurt the ones he loved the most, would get no sympathy from him. 

"You deserve only this Surabhi," he snarled, and she looked at him with an expression of pain and repentance.  

Batuk then grabbed her arm again and threw her down the front steps of the haveli, back into the rain. 

"Get out of here!" he hissed. 

She fell to her knees, knowing that they would bleed. Surabhi looked up at him, but Batuk stormed back inside. 

"B - Batuk..." she said in a meek voice as she watched Batuk go back in. 

Her heart was hurting so much, her lips and body paining. There was a warm ache in her eyes from the crying. 

"I was wrong," Surabhi sobbed, as her tears merged with the rain. "I was wrong... I shouldn't have... I knew deep down that it's wrong, but my whole life I was never shown why... today I learned... I learned harshly, how wrong I was." 

But now there was nobody to hear her, and she was all alone in the dark, rainy night. 

After Batuk went inside the haveli, he got the driver to find Surabhi and take her home. 

He was mean, but he wasn't so heartless to send a girl home all alone at this time of night. 

Afterwards, Batuk just leaned against the wall of the hallway, taking deep breaths and shivering with guilt and shame. 

"I kissed someone I shouldn't have..." Batuk said, his voice cracking. "I'm sorry Dada... I'm sorry Boudi... I know you'll be ashamed of me... I'm so sorry..." 

He squeezed his eyes shut, as his own eyes filled with warm tears. He was sure he wouldn't have only disappointed his Dada and Boudi today, but he had also disappointed himself. 

Batuk could not become like the people he looked up to. 

Just like his abysmal marks in school, Batuk Roy Choudhary felt like he had failed in life too today. 

-- 

Precap: 

Trilochan, Anirudh and Batuk enter the principal's office with the principal early the next morning, where they discover Vikram and Bondita. 

What will happen now? 

-- 

Twists, twists, and more twists! 

I may post another chapter soon, so give this one a good response! 

What do you think of the events in this chapter? 

What did you assume from the title? Was it scary? 🙈

I hope you enjoyed this part, and are eager to see what happens in the next part. 

This track is an important one, because what it will lead to is something important in their journey. 

You'll see why soon! 

Press star and please leave your comments! 

Love you all endlessly! ❤️