8 . A lie for love

Chahat was still standing against the wall, frightened and trembling.

The man had let her go and stepped back, after which Chahat nervously turned her head to look at the person who had been threatening her. As she shifted her gaze, she saw Ashwat standing right in front of her with his arms crossed, staring directly at her.

Seeing him glaring at her with those blood-red eyes made Chahat feel like her breath had stopped. Ashwat looked as though he might kill her just with that furious gaze. Chahat somehow calmed herself and looked at him as she said,

"What do you even want? I don't have anything to do with you anymore, so why do you still have a problem with me?"

Her voice trembled as she spoke, because Ashwat was still staring at her without blinking.

Hearing her question, Ashwat took a step toward her. She got scared and moved backward, sticking tightly to the wall.

"Look, if you have something to say, say it from a distance. There's no need to come close to me... or else—" Chahat said, her voice filled with fear.

Hearing her words, Ashwat frowned. He stepped closer to her in anger, placing both hands on either side of her against the wall, making her even more frightened. Leaning in close to her face, he looked at her and said,

"Or else what? What will you do? Start crying again?"

"What do you even want now? First, you told me to stay away from you, and now when I'm doing just that, you still have a problem?" Chahat said, looking directly at him.

Ashwat moved even closer, forcing her to press herself fully against the wall. She couldn't understand what was going on with this man. What had suddenly gotten into him that made him chase after her like this? She knew Ashwat wanted to get rid of Vrinda, and now that she (Chahat) was helping him with that, he still had a problem. What did he even want?

Ashwat stared at her face for a few seconds, where fear was clearly visible, and then suddenly stepped back. He turned and left the room.

Chahat opened her eyes and saw no one in front of her. In anger, she picked up a pillow from the bed and threw it on the floor.

"What does this man even want? When things didn't go his way, he tortured poor Vrinda. And now that I'm trying to help get her away from him, he still has a problem! I think he's not a man but a donkey... no, a mule... Mule Ashwat!" she muttered angrily to herself and sat on the bed.

---

The next morning, Chahat was sitting in the hall, bored, with nothing to do. She watched TV for a few minutes, but nothing interesting was on. She turned it off when Shalini Ji came and sat beside her.

"What's wrong, dear? Is everything okay? Why do you look upset?"

"I have nothing to do... That's why I'm bored. I don't know what to do," Chahat said, placing the remote next to her.

"Vrinda, can I ask you something?" Shalini Ji asked, looking at her. Chahat nodded.

"How did you suddenly change so much? I mean... ever since that river incident, you've completely changed. You never used to talk like this before, and using English words—forget about it! You used to only speak in village dialects. What happened?"

Hearing that, the color drained from Chahat's face. It looked like she'd just been caught red-handed.

She had no idea how to react. What if she got caught? How could she possibly explain that she wasn't Vrinda at all—but Chahat, from a world outside this story?

She looked around, trying to think quickly, and suddenly her eyes landed on a newspaper article about learning English. Her eyes lit up, and she looked at Shalini Ji and said,

"Actually, Maaji, I was doing a course to learn English. I didn't tell you because I wanted to surprise Ashwat... but then everything happened so fast."

Hearing that, Shalini Ji smiled.

"You really like him, don't you?" she said, stroking Chahat's head. Chahat gave an awkward smile and nodded.

What else could she do? Poor girl—she had suddenly dropped into this story and was now telling more lies than she ever had in her whole life.

"To be honest, I don't want you two to be apart either. But the way Ashwat behaves with you... I can't let you stay with him. I made a promise to your grandfather that I'd always take care of you, no matter what. And now that it's my own son who is troubling you, it's my responsibility to protect you... Don't worry, I'm always with you."

Shalini Ji looked at her lovingly and spoke gently.

Hearing such caring words brought tears to Chahat's eyes. Her own parents had never shown her this much concern, and here this woman was giving her so much love in just one day. Chahat looked at her with teary eyes and a soft smile.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying? Did I say something wrong?" Shalini Ji asked.

"No..." Chahat said, wiping her nose.

She looked at Shalini Ji for a few seconds and then said softly,

"I want to do something..."

Surprised, Shalini Ji looked at her.

"What?" she asked curiously.

"I want to open a bakery shop. I want to stand on my own two feet..."

Chahat shared her dream with her, and Shalini Ji looked at her in surprise.

Chahat stared back with anxious, hopeful eyes, wondering if she would allow her to open a bakery—or if she would react like her parents did, and refuse. Chahat had once asked her parents to let her open a bakery, but they had said no. Because of that, her dream was left unfulfilled. But this time, maybe she had a chance. All she needed now was Shalini Ji's permission... and for that, she waited, a little scared.

---

What's going to happen next?

What's really going on in Ashwat's mind that he's behaving like this with Chahat?

What will Shalini Ji say now?

Will she allow Chahat to open her bakery, or will her dream remain incomplete again?

To know more, keep reading

Rebirth in Novel

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