Bondita's reactions were always unpredictable. 

He was expecting her to plead with him like last night... and he had already braced himself for how much pain it would cause him to do so. However, as always, Bondita reacted completely differently than what Anirudh expected. 

Anirudh furrowed his eyebrows slightly as she flirtatiously brought her lips closer to his, her hand travelling up his thigh, dangerously close to his sensitive zone. 

Here, he had decided to stop her from going to school to allow her to rest, and Madame wanted to pass time by indulging in such activities? 

Anirudh could feel Bondita's hot breath fan his lips, and his heart started to hammer faster, her fingers brushing over his crotch. His breath caught in his throat, as his manhood twitched slightly inside his pants with her touch. He didn't get hard; it was just a slight reaction. 

Bondita was about to capture his lips in a searing hot kiss, when Anirudh turned his face, and her lips instead landed on the corner of his mouth. 

"You... want to pass time?" Anirudh asked firmly, and grabbed her hand, which was still pressing against his crotch. 

Bondita felt a shiver run up her spine as his fingers pressed against hers. Even the way he held her hand, was doing something to her. 

She suddenly wanted to push him down on the bed, climb over him and make out relentlessly with him. She was feeling extremely hungry for him. The urge to nibble on those lips to satisfy her cravings was getting stronger and stronger. 

Bondita's throat dried up, when she felt these sudden feelings of desire. 

No... no, Bondita... relax... she thought to herself, These feelings were why things got out of control in the first place. These desires are the reason for your Pati Babu's depression. 

She only wanted to take him out of his guilt, which was why she was making a move... not to satisfy any desires of hers. She was using this passion as a way to drive out the blame that he was most likely giving himself. She wasn't using it to feel good! She didn't deserve to satisfy this thirst inside of her! 

"Yes, I want to p - pass time," she just said breathlessly. "Since I'll be bored... at home..." 

Anirudh turned to glare at her, and Bondita gulped nervously now, as he gripped her hand even more firmly and lifted it up off his pants. 

"Bondita... you want to pass time?" he asked again, his voice slightly dark, as his eyes pierced through her.

Bondita's heart was beating hard in her ribcage, and she just nodded slowly. "Pati Babu, since you're not sending me to school... what else... can I do... at home..." Bondita murmured to him, looking into his piercing eyes. 

Anirudh moved her hand down between her own legs, pressing against the material of her yellow Banarasi saree, as he pushed her fingers against her own crotch. 

Bondita looked at him breathlessly when he did this. Even he knew how to do unpredictable things and give her shocks! 

"I've taught you how to pleasure yourself," he told her, his voice stern, "I've taught you how to be self-sufficient. So... pass time... on your own."

Bondita felt her face flush when he said this, his hand still around hers, while it pressed against her soft spot through the material of her saree. 

He was about to remove his hand from hers, when Bondita grabbed it and pressed his fingers between her legs instead. 

"I'm pleasuring myself," she said breathlessly, as she moved his hand between her legs. 

Anirudh gulped nervously when she did this, and he tried to pull his hand away, but she held him against her more firmly. 

"With your o - own hand Bondita," he told her, still trying to pull his hand away. 

Bondita held on even more tightly and said, "I'm using my own hand!"

It wasn't an argument, if it was the truth, right? How could her Pati Babu's hand be separate from hers?

Anirudh was speechless, and he just stared at Bondita as she pressed herself against his fingers. 

"Ohhh, it feels so good," she moaned, as she rubbed his fingers over the material of her saree. 

Anirudh could feel sweat break out on his forehead, and in an effort to remove his hand, he curled his fingers, making her gasp out with more pleasure. 

"Pati Babuuu!" she moaned, making Anirudh's heart rate rise even more. 

"B - Bondita," he said, feeling nervous. "S - stop this!" 

Bondita stopped moving his hand, and looked at him, a sad look on her face. 

This was a hard struggle for her. Like Anirudh, Bondita was also having a difficult time navigating through this. 

On one hand, she was determined to take Anirudh out of his guilt, and on the other hand, she was having a hard time not arguing, like she said she wouldn't do. 

"Okay," she said softly, "Then I won't pass time like this." 

Anirudh just gulped, surprised she gave in so easily, and finally he said, "You... you can read books. To pass time. While resting. Your priority is your health." 

Bondita just looked at him and asked, "I can... read my textbooks too, right?" 

Anirudh looked at her for a moment, his heart aching, as he denied, "No. Because you won't simply read them. You'll... study them. And if you study them, you'll get exhausted. It's... not good f - for you." 

Bondita's heart ached too and tears filled her eyes, as she felt the struggle her Pati Babu had to go through to simply say these words to her. 

Even if he allowed her to go to school, how would she be able to study, when every moment he saw her studying, it would worry him? 

No... she had to figure something out. 

"I'll shower... and then I'll bring you books," he informed. 

"I'll go downstairs. Maybe Maa and Thakumaa are awake," Bondita told him, a sad tone in her voice. 

Anirudh could detect the sadness in her voice, and it pierced his heart, but he was firm on this matter. For her sake. Only for her sake. 

He took her hand for a moment, catching her by surprise. 

"Bondita..." he said, his voice deep, as he gazed at her. 

She looked into his eyes, as he gently used his thumb to stroke her hand, trying to give her some comfort with the little he had left to share. 

"You know... I'm only doing this... for you..." he said to her softly.

A lone teardrop fell down her cheek and she nodded. 

"I know," she said softly, and brought her hand over his, holding it lovingly. 

"And... I'm not against you going to school... as soon... as soon as the baby comes, if you w - want... you c - can go to school once you recover," he told her, his heart aching. "I - I'll take care of the baby. I'll do everything f - for it." 

Bondita looked at him, more tears filling her eyes as he confessed what he was thinking. 

It was a beautiful thought, actually... that he was willing to do everything for the baby, just so that she could go to school. 

Was this what he was thinking about in the study last night? 

"I w - won't force you, it's c- completely your choice... if - if you want to stay and t - take care of the b - baby yourself, it's your r - right, as a m - mother," Anirudh confessed, tears in his eyes. "And m - maybe a b - baby does need its mother's love... more than it's father's... b - but..." 

Bondita brought her finger up to his lips and shushed him right there, as his tears poured down his cheeks. 

She shook her head and questioned, "Pati Babu, what is a mother? Is a mother simply someone who g - gives birth to a child?" 

"B - by definition..." Anirudh murmured. 

Bondita smiled at him through her tears and she said, "Then I challenge the dictionary, Your Honour." 

Anirudh looked at her with shock when she said that, his heart fluttering ever so slightly when she used the words Your Honour as if she was a barrister, in a court. 

"Because I have experienced, that a mother... is not just someone who gives birth to a child," Bondita told him, fresh tears appearing in her eyes. "I have experienced that being a mother is an emotion as well." 

Anirudh gazed into her eyes, as she reached to his cheeks and cupped them lovingly. 

"Just like Bhagwaan Krishna was born to Devaki Maa, but he is known as Yashoda Maa's son," Bondita continued, and she traced his cheekbones lovingly. "Just like Bondita Roy Choudhary may have been born to her mother, but another mother was right here beside her, taking care of her when she was still at a tender age, when she still needed her mother... this mother never let her feel the shortage of her birth mother. This mother loved her no less than her birth mother."

Anirudh choked on the tears that were pouring down his cheeks into Bondita's loving hands, as she acknowledged him as her mother. 

"So I challenge the dictionary, Your Honour,"  Bondita concluded, as she gazed into Anirudh's eyes, "If there's a mother like you... then what more can a baby need from its birth mother?" 

He reached to her hands. She was good with words. Very good. So good, that he wished that this twist didn't happen so early in her life, and this talent of hers could empower the whole world!

"It's instinct... Bondita," he told her, holding back his tears. "It's instinct that you will be drawn towards your baby. And... I will never stop y - you from choosing your baby over e - everything else. S - so only if you want to, when everything is okay, you can choose to go to school and I - I'll take c - care of t - the baby. M - maybe not as well as y - you could b - but..." His voice died off towards the end, his heart aching. 

"I believe... you can do it better," Bondita confessed, "I believe, you can take care of o - our b - baby way better than I... can." 

Anirudh shook his head but Bondita nodded. 

"I... I'm not arguing..." she murmured, "B - but... y - you can. Certainly. And... and I... I will always p - prioritize m - my studies."

That was enough. 

Anirudh took her hands off his cheeks and glared at her, when she said she would prioritize her studies. This was what Sampoorna Maa kept warning him about. That she would feel the pressure to focus on her studies and not give enough attention to the child. As much as Bondita was making him feel good right now, the truth was that he didn't believe that it was right to snatch a child away from its mother, or to give the developing baby such divided attention. 

"If you want to rejoin school after, I will support you. But... not out of any pressure," was all he said, and then he stood up, looking away from her. "I'm going to shower. Be careful on your way down the stairs." 

Before she could say anything further, Anirudh went into the bathroom, and closed the door. Her heart ached when that happened, because they never closed the door between them anymore. 

Inside the bathroom, Anirudh grabbed the sink and took deep breaths. As always, he only closed the door, so that Bondita wouldn't see his panic or sadness. 

Among everything else, there was one thing that stood out to Anirudh. 

Bondita said she wasn't arguing. What did that mean? Why had she said that all of a sudden? It was unlike Bondita to say such things, when arguing was a very big part of her nature. 

Maybe he was thinking too much about it. 

-- 

When Bondita got to the dining room downstairs, Kaka who was there, stood up immediately and looked at his Bahu with a big smile on his face. 

"Come Bahu! Sit! See there are many foods here for you to eat!" Kaka said, sounding happy. 

Thakumaa and Sumati were already there, and Sampoorna was in the kitchen, as she finished making breakfast. 

Thakumaa glanced at Kaka and shook her head slowly saying, "You were the one asking me a thousand times this morning, whether yesterday was all a dream Zamindar Babu!" 

"What can I do? Do you know how much Anirudh played with my mind for years!" Kaka huffed. 

"Not Bondita?" Kalindi questioned, a small smile on her lips. 

"Well Bahu is going to be a mother, so everything is forgiven for her!" Kaka said, with a great big smile, and then turned to his Bahu. "I could hardly sleep last night Bahu. You know I was so excited! And when I finally fell asleep, I had a dream that..." A sadness took over his voice, as he wailed, "That all of this was a dream!" 

"You had a dream, that all of this was a dream," Kalindi repeated, rolling her eyes. 

Bondita just smiled as she sat down on the table, taking in the sight of the vast array of foods on the table. 

"Eat Bahu! Eat a lot!" Kaka urged. 

That was when Batuk came to the dining table, in his school uniform. He was yawning and rubbing his eyes. Even after all these years of going to school, he still wasn't used to getting up so early!  

Bondita looked at Batuk in his uniform, and her heart sunk. 

Batuk looked at his Boudi too and gasped, "Are you going to school like this? In a saree?"

Trilochan glared at Batuk and said, "You think she's going to school? She's pregnant. No more school for her!" 

Batuk's mouth nearly fell open when he heard this. 

"Big D agreed?" Batuk gasped. 

Trilochan looked confused too suddenly, and he looked at Bondita, wondering, "Did Anirudh really agree?" 

Bondita looked at the two of them sadly and said, "Pati Babu was the one who told me... not to... go..." 

"Very good!" Kaka said, beaming happily, "Anirudh has gained some sense!" 

"Yes, Big D has done the correct thing," Batuk agreed, and sat next to Bondita at the table, "After all, my nephew has to be safe! You shouldn't even come out of your room! You should sleep in bed all day long!" 

Bondita turned to glare at Batuk and said with irritation, "I'm not fragile Batuk! I don't have to sleep in bed all day long!" 

"Some exercise and keeping yourself active is good for the baby," Thakumaa said, pressing on her head, wondering what was wrong with all of these Roy Choudharys, that they were so extreme all the time. 

"Whatever, but Big D did the right thing," Batuk just said with a shrug. 

That was when Chandrachur came to the room with Tupur, a sour expression on his face, because all of his plans got foiled last night! 

"Jamai Babu, good that you're here. We will leave right after breakfast," Thakumaa informed Chandrachur. 

"Already?" Kaka asked, sadly. 

"Yes Zamindar Babu. We have stayed here long enough," Thakumaa said. 

"BYE CHANDRACHUR DADA!" Batuk said, sounding overly excited. "I HOPE YOU HAD A GREAT STAY!" 

Tupur glanced at him, and pulled her pallu over her mouth, hiding her smile once again at his dramatic overreaction.  

"You..." Chandrachur started, glaring at Batuk, and then instead turned and forced a smile at Bondita, "I hope you're okay Bondita." 

Bondita looked at Chandrachur, suddenly glaring at him again. It was because of him, her Pati Babu found out in a terrible way! 

Chandrachur gulped, noticing Bondita's fiery expression, and he just sat down on the table across from her, grabbing a plate and putting breakfast in it. 

"Tupur, eat well," Chandrachur said, trying to change the topic. 

Tupur sat down beside him, and nodded. 

Batuk rolled his eyes when Chandrachur told Tupur to eat well. 

"As if she should eat not so well," Batuk grumbled underneath his breath. 

Chandrachur just eyed the sad expression on Bondita's face at the dining table. It seemed like her relationship with Barrister Babu really broke!

"Perfect... it won't be long before I attain her now," Chandrachur muttered happily underneath his breath, "And I will fix this problem of the Devil inside her body. I will certainly make sure that my Bondita's body won't get ruined by the little monster! After all, that body is mine! Bondita is mine!"  

--

At school that day, Batuk informed Vikram and the girls about the drama that unfolded the previous day. 

"Kaka blamed everyone in the haveli and accused them for being fathers! He even beat Som Dada with his cane! Even accused Baba and Bihari! But he wouldn't believe that Big D and Boudi could be the culprits! I don't know what was wrong with his brain! Som Dada claims there's a serious problem!" 

Batuk then said, rolling his eyes, "Kaka even thought that I would be a father at this age, can you believe it Vikram?"

"You're a kid yourself ji, why would you be a father?" Mallika questioned, rolling her eyes as well. 

Batuk glared at her, offended. 

"I'm not a kid Mallika!" Batuk huffed, furrowing his brows. 

"You act like one!" Mallika argued back, offending him even more. 

Surabhi sighed and grabbed Batuk's arm, trying to hold him off from arguing with her. 

"Wait, but where's Bondita?" Vikram asked, sounding concerned. 

Surabhi nodded, wondering as well where Bondita was. 

"Oh, Big D isn't sending her to school," Batuk informed. "She has to stay home and rest, to make sure my nephew is safe!" 

"What?" Vikram asked, frowning, "Bondita's Pati Babu won't send her to school?"

"I guess he is also concerned about my nephew!" Batuk said with a grin, but then he frowned, "Hey, if I was pregnant, would he not send me to school as well? Or is this special treatment reserved only for Boudi?" A pout appeared on his lips at the thought! 

He almost wished he was pregnant so he would get to miss school too! 

"But why can't she come to school?" Surabhi wondered, "Is it really unsafe?" 

"No, of course it's not unsafe!" Vikram said, frowning, "I'm sure Bondita's Pati Babu has the most noblest of intentions, but I think he is very worried about Bondita. Something is wrong!" 

"Nothing's wrong Vikram," Batuk said with a frown, "My nephew just has to stay safe!" 

Surabhi sighed and said, "Well, he cares about her a lot... he probably wants to make sure she's safe too." 

"He also screams a lot," Mallika pointed out. "Can she stay safe from him?"

Vikram took a sharp breath and said defensively, "Bondita's Pati Babu is very vocal, but that doesn't mean that he's an unsafe person!" 

"Yeah yeah, you're a fan of him," Surabhi said lightly. "We all know." 

"You were too," Batuk pointed out, rolling his eyes. 

Surabhi's face turned red, and she glared at him. 

"What?" Batuk asked nonchalantly, and then gave her a cute smile, "By the way, I missed you."

Surabhi's heart fluttered as she looked at him with a glimmer in her eyes. 

"Missed?" Mallika questioned obliviously. "Why?" 

"Nothing Mallika," Batuk said rudely. "Class is about to start, let's go inside." 

The rest of them got distracted by other things, but only Vikram had Bondita on his mind all day, a tension building inside of him, as he imagined what the state could be of both Bondita and Anirudh right now. 

-- 

In class, Jayadrath Sir noticed that Bondita was not here. 

This was unlike her, and the thought was pressing on the old man's mind all throughout his lessons. 

During the end of his lessons, he was about to ask Batuk, but let him go... and asked Vikram instead. Vikram was a much more responsible student, and he was well aware of the friendship Vikram shared with Bondita. In fact, the night security guard had spread some rumours about it within the school already. 

"Vikram, do you know what happened to Bondita?" his old and raspy voice asked the boy after his lessons. 

Vikram looked at Jayadrath sir, shocked that this teacher finally seemed to be taking a personal interest in his student's life. 

"I think... she's not well," Vikram confessed. 

"Are you on good terms with that family?" sir asked Vikram. 

Vikram nodded. 

"Can you share the lesson from today with her?" Jayadrath asked, sounding concerned. "It's very important for the upcoming test." 

"Yes, of course," Vikram said, "I'll go there after school." 

"She will come tomorrow, right?" Jayadrath sir asked him. 

"I... hope so," Vikram told the teacher. "I'll see if she's okay today." 

Jayadrath sir nodded and said, still sounding concerned, "Good..." 

"Thank you Sir... for caring," Vikram said politely. 

The old man smiled at Vikram and said, "Thank Bondita for that." 

Vikram was confused, but he just smiled at Sir, a worried tension looming behind his smile.

Jayadrath Sir noticed the expression on Vikram's face, and he asked, "Is there something on your mind, Vikram Beta?" 

Vikram looked at Sir and said with a sigh, "I'm worried about whether she's sad... I wish I could talk to her right now." 

"Of course you can," Sir said, "Let's go to the principal's office." 

Vikram looked at Sir with shock. 

"You'll let me call Bondita?" he asked, not expecting that a teacher would let him call his friend in the middle of school!

That too Jayadrath Sir, who everyone made fun of for being so old and devoid of personal interest towards his students!

"Yes, definitely," Jayadrath sir said, and Vikram's eyes gleamed with happiness. 

This old teacher was actually so cool! 

-- 

After bidding bye to Anirudh, the Das family left the haveli with Chandrachur. 

Anirudh had also left the haveli, to go and look for pregnancy books. He had ordered some, but they would take a couple of days to arrive, and he didn't have time to wait that long. He needed to study pregnancy now. 

Bondita was sitting in Manika's room, spending time with her, when the ring of the phone could be heard downstairs. 

"BONDITA MALIKIN," Bihari's voice called after a few moments, "The phone call is for you." 

"I'll go and see Manika Didi," Bondita told her, and then went to her bedroom to retrieve the call, wondering who would be calling her right now. 

Was her Pati Babu okay?

"Hello?" Bondita greeted. 

"Bondita?" Vikram's voice said. 

"Vikram!" Bondita gasped, her eyes widening, "How are you calling me?" 

"From the principal's office," Vikram said, sounding nervous. 

"What?" she asked, shocked. "Is the principal there?"

"Well... yes... and he's watching me..." 

The principal's piercing gaze was on Vikram as he spoke to Bondita, his eyes narrowing at the boy when Vikram said he was watching him. If Jayadrath Sir didn't specially request for Vikram to speak to Bondita, he would have never allowed this. 

"Jayadrath Sir is here too," Vikram explained, glancing at Sir's warm and concerned expression. "I was worried about you, so Sir let me call you." 

"Oh..." Bondita said, her heart aching, "Is he disappointed that I didn't come to school?" 

"No... he just asked me to fill you in on today's lesson," Vikram explained. "It's important for the next test. I'll come after school and show you, okay?" 

"Yes!" Bondita said with eagerness, glad that she didn't have to miss much, because Vikram would fill her in. 

"But Bondita... are you okay?" he asked softly. 

"Yes Vikram, I'm okay," Bondita said sadly. 

"You sound sad..." 

"There are still some problems at home, but when you come later, we will talk about it," Bondita said. "And... in case, I can't come... for more days, is it possible for you to come everyday and fill me in on the school lessons?" 

"Of course Bondita," Vikram said with a smile. 

"Then I have no tensions," she told him, smiling as well. 

"I'll see you soon then," Vikram said and then hung up the phone. 

Bondita smiled with relief, feeling very lucky to have a friend like Vikram. 

There was just one problem though... if her Pati Babu saw her studying Vikram's notes, he would definitely get scared again that she was exhausting herself. 

She had to figure out a solution to all of this. 

Bondita paced around the bedroom in deep thought, until she finally decided that she had no other option. 

She would have to leave the room. 

For his sake, she could do anything... even distance herself from him. And that was exactly what Bondita Roy Choudhary decided to do that day. 

"Sorry Pati Babu... instead of having you die a new death everyday by worrying about me... I will have to leave the room. I can't let you know that I'm studying. I have to do it secretly, and if I didn't have to study, I wouldn't do this," she said with a sad sigh, as she went to the wardrobe and gazed at her sarees. "But I can't give up on my studies, and I can't give up on our dreams... because I can't give up on you Pati Babu."

She started to remove her sarees from the wardrobe one by one, as she continued, "One day, you will be proud that I took this step.  Until then, I will have to keep my distance from you. Just for your sake. And... maybe this distance will erase the inner distance that is forming between us too. Maybe over time, it'll fade out our guilt as well if we both keep some space between us... and perhaps, by putting this one wall between us, these barriers that we have created in our minds, will also tumble down."

She began to move her sarees to the bed, as she murmured, her eyes growing wet, "Forgive me Pati Babu... but I have no other choice now if I want to keep the flame of our dreams alive." 

Perhaps, along with the flame of their dreams, the fiery passion of their love was also about to be reignited.  

-- 

Precap: 

The scene from the promo, where Bondita is packing her stuff to shift rooms. Anirudh's restlessness. 

Vikram comes home. Can he impact Anirudh's mind? 

-- 

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! 

What did you think about the Anidita scene in the beginning? 

The family scene? 

School scenes? 

Finally, the reason to shift rooms has been revealed. Nobody guessed this one. She is switching rooms so that she can study. 🤭

Anything else that stood out to you/you liked?

If you would like faster updates, hit the star button and leave your comments. The last update took a long time to get to our counts, so I was waiting for you all to catch up before posting the next update. 

It seems like either the interest is dying, or many just haven't caught up... hence making me feel a little demotivated too and posting slower. 

I am considering going on a spree soon, so keeping up with the stars/comments and showing your interest is very important for a spree to happen. 

Remember, a motivated and happy writer = faster updates. 

Love you all very much! ❤️