What about the promise that you had made to me? 

How was he supposed to tell her that he didn’t mean to hide from her? 

“Never mind,” she said, taking her question back, “continue.” 

He didn’t have to look at her to know that he had let her down. Let her trust down. He had no justification to offer at that moment. Perhaps, even if he had one, he wouldn’t have dared to. 

“I deliberately forced myself to forget that night but what happened the next day dragged me back to Netra…” 

Flashback…

Shashank was on the way to his home when he caught a group of people surrounding a woman trembling under a tree on the side of the road. Her hair was all over her face, blocking the view of her. He slowed his bike and heard the whispers of the crowd. 

Shouldn’t we call the police? 

I don’t want to get into a mess. I don’t have time for this. We chased that guy away. I am done. 

He is right. I don’t want unnecessary trouble either. 

Shashank got down from the bike and approached the scene. As he drew closer, his eyes fell on the bag lying beside the woman which felt extremely familiar. 

It looked strikingly familiar. He was sure he had seen it somewhere. But where? 

And suddenly it struck him, filling him with a sense of unease. Pushing aside his bag with one hand, he bent to grip the woman’s arm, a petrified whisper making its way out of him, “Netra?”

He watched her taking her hands down from her face, confirming his guess. He let go of her arm as he sat on his toes. “What happened to you?” 

“Do you know her?” 

He nodded in response to the question asked by someone from the crowd. The murmurs of the onlookers turned into a collective decision to disperse as they muttered c’mon, let’s leave to one another.

Shashank’s eyes scanned her from head to toe after catching finger imprints on her arms right above he had held her a minute ago. There were no other visible injuries but the way she was trembling gave away that she wasn’t frightened. 

He called her name again to get her out of the trance.

“Shashank Sir,” she murmured as if finally registering his presence, staring at him for several long seconds before she frantically grabbed his arm. The sudden pull forced him to press his heels down when she broke down on his shoulder. 

“Ae-Netra…” Startled, he hesitantly tapped on her back to move away but all in vain. 

“Ma-mala ple-ase gh-ghari… sodun deta? Please?” 

“Ho sodto! Tu uth aadhi!” He helped her stand up while grabbing her bag alongside and he handed it to her.

In Netra’s house

“Tu saangnaar aahes ha sagla kay prakaar aahe ki mi jaau?” Shashank asked, breaking the silence they were sitting in. 

Netra wiped her tears before wrapping her hands around herself. “Ch-Chi-Chjraag… I went there to see Chiraag.” 

“I tried to make him understand.”

“But he…” 

“He tried to… fortunately, there were people around. I screamed and he had to leave.”

Netra made a series of statements, revealing the situation.

“Do you even understand what you’re doing to yourself? Is this a joke?” Shashank yelled, leaving his chair. “Just because you got lucky once or twice doesn’t mean you’ll be able to escape every single time. Why don’t you file a complaint?”

She met his angry gaze and mustered all the courage she could find. “I-I want to but…”

There we go with the but again! He turned around, buying himself some moments to calm down. 

“I can testify against him,” he said, looking back at her, keeping his frustration aside, “I was there yesterday. I’ve seen the doll, the note, the messages-”

He was interrupted by her sobs.  

Maybe, he should just leave her alone for the time being and talk to her later when she is stable. He concluded. She looked traumatized from the incident and it didn’t feel right to say anything that would aggravate her panic. 

Just as he was about to leave, he heard her sobs seize. 

“I admit I’ve made a mistake by trusting Chiraag. I’m already paying for it, ain’t I? I don’t know if I can deal with the shame and humiliation that will come along if I make the matter public.” 

“So you’re willing to risk your life… even worse, your dignity for that?” He shot back a question in response. 

“Don’t think you can understand what I’m going through!” Her voice was suddenly rough and her eyes, cold

A sarcastic chuckle formed its way out of his lips as he reached her in two long strides. Pressing his hand on the armrest of the couch, he leaned down a little. “I might not but I guess I’ve had my share of trouble and distress that someone’s obsession can bring. Don’t you… think so?” 

She held his gaze for a moment before he moved away from the couch, retreating himself.

“But it’s worse for you, I’m not denying that. Quite dangerous to be precise,” he added. “And that is exactly why you should file a police complaint and seek protection. You do it or else…” 

She cocked an eyebrow at his threatening tone. “Or else?”

“I’ll not hold myself back. Sarika Aatya will know everything and then it will be between you two.” 

She banged her hand on the couch, getting up in frustration. “This is my matter. Why can’t you just stay out of this?”

“I am not blind. Don’t expect me to act like one.” He began walking toward the door. “I have a conscience. Why should I feel guilty if something happens tomorrow? Once I let your mother know, I’ll be done.” 

She ran behind him and slammed the door shut that he had just opened. 

“Stop. I beg you,” she said, urging him to step away from the door.

He looked at her hand clutching the doorknob so as to not let him leave after the statement he had just made. 

Despite her welled-up eyes, he didn’t budge. He stood indifferent in his place until she fell to her knees and held his feet.

Startled, he immediately tried to get away but she held onto him tighter. 

“Please. Please, don’t involve her.” She pleaded, looking up. “It will just make things tougher for me.” 

“Paay sod maze aadhi. Kay karteyes tu?” Irked up, he bent to take her hands off him but she refused to let go. 

He banged a fist on his forehead. “Fine. Let go of me first.” 

With a small nod, she hesitantly started to pull her hand back as if still unsure that he might just march out without listening. 

He stepped away from her while she still stayed on the floor. When her cries didn’t subside, he sat on his feet in front of her. “Can’t you see I am doing this for your own good?” He forced his voice to soften after seeing her reddened face due to the continuous crying. 

“Give me a week. Just a week. If I can’t resolve this on my own, I’ll file a complaint, I promise.” 

With a heavy sigh, he found himself reluctantly nodding. 

end of the flashback

Why didn’t Netra Tai want anyone to know about it? Apurva was a bit too lost in the story to notice Shashank’s gaze on her. 

Victims choose silent suffering over public humiliation. She wasn’t unaware of it. She still remembered the girl who was brought to her father’s hospital three years ago. 

Bruised body.
Bite marks.
Severe damage to intestines. 

Her suffering had lasted months before she could seek medical help. Assaulted by her own relative with the threat to ruin her life by circulating intimate pictures and videos, she had endured the torture to the point of destruction. 

The mere memory of her traumatizing shrieks in the hospital made Apurva’s skin crawl.

“Did she file a complaint or did he back off?” she asked, without casting him a glance. 

Her questions rang in his ears. 

Did she file a complaint?
Or
Did he back off?

What do you think about the chapter?