ShaKhi Four Shot- The Shadows of the Past

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**Note: Shuarya isn't kidnapped here ; Shagun did manage to tell Anokhi why they broke off. The story is of 3 months later; Shaurya has rejoined as a professor at SIAC and Shagun left. Phew, lol; i know a lot of changes are there; hopefully it isn't all too confusing.

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"Miss Bhalla, wait outside the cabin for a second." Anokhi nodded and stood patiently while Shaurya spoke to one of his student.

"Roshni, dropping out of college in 2nd year is not a good decision. Atleast complete your degree."

"Sir I want to, but as I informed you, I have no choice. My father has already fixed my marriage back in the town and my to be in-laws could care less about my degree."

"But, your father cares, right? So, why did he fix it? And, what about your choice?"

"He doesn't. I don't know if you remember but I am here because of my scholarship, albeit 80%, but he didn't have to spend a lot, and I am yet to see any girl's choice being take into consideration."

"But, you have a lot of potential. You have consistently been in the top 5 in your first year and also in the ongoing semester."

"Many girls do, sir, but it doesn't matter. I somewhere hoped that my to be husband would support me, but he won't. He thinks women are only good as homemakers, and he added to it, that why do I need to earn, he earns more than enough." She sighed and added, "I don't have it in me to rebel anymore, since I have done the same my whole life, and till when? After marriage, even if I do rebel, everyday would be a warzone. One can only fight for so long."

Silence befell in the atmosphere as Shaurya didn't know what to say. Her to be husband was crushing her dreams, due to the same mentality that .....he also, possessed. But were they the same? Not at all. If I was there in place of him and hear her say that she doesn't want to become a homemaker, I would have not forced her to give up her career, respecting her choice. Though, in his engagement, he didn't pressurise Shagun for the wedding, still he insulted her for her choice, beliitling her ambition. But, I have atleast changed this much to respect a woman's choice even if it doesn't align with my thoughts. Although, he can't take a moral highground because of this, since the basic mentality is still the same.

"There is honestly no solution, sir. I have thought about this a lot and just came to this conclusion that my mother did the same, and perhaps your mother must have done the same, countless women do, how does it matter if one more girl is added, but I don't have it in me to fight anymore."

Shaurya didn't quite understand the intricacies of it all, but somewhat understood that she is stuck in this situation. Having said that, She mentioned his mother, which led to him thinking, 'well that woman obviously didn't have to sacrifice anything."

Roshni trying to fight away the tears threatening to fall away from her eyes took shaurya's permission and left.

But, there was someone else whose tears where threatening to spill but she couldn't fight it. Anokhi's eyes met Roshni's in front of his cabin, and though they didn't interact much before today, at present their eyes conversed of the same pain to eachother and both understood what eachothers' silence meant.

Roshni ran through the corridors wiping her tears away.

Anokhi saw her retreating figure, she wiped her tears away, took a deep breath, in a hope to stop her mind from playing scenarios of the time when she was in the same place, and after seeking his permission, enters the cabin.

"Good afternoon Sir."

"Good afternoon, Take a seat Anokhi, I hope you are ready with whatever doubts you wanted to ask"