A Bond Of Intellect

Chapter - 4

Evan was losing his control even more by Riti's lack of response. He clenched his hands and said, "I am warning you, tell me everything before you regret it." But Riti was too scared to speak properly. Then she told him everything "F-from a few d-days ago, some boys were following me... a-and then some girls added me to a group, and messages started coming... b-but I have blocked them many times, but every time, a new number came... and t-today, a girl took my notes..." She spoke while lowering her head.

Evan yelled at her, "Why didn't you tell me before that they were following you?" He then said, "So that's why they sat behind you that day." Riti's tears fell down uncontrollably, and Evan's anger was getting the best of him.

He said, "You... if the letter hadn't fallen into my hands, you would have never told me about it, right?" He then yelled at her, "ANSWER ME, Riti!" Which make her flinched

Riti was getting more scared and couldn't reply. Evan, seeing that she wasn't responding, stood up from his chair and said to her, "Get up." Riti, confused, said, "W-what?" Evan repeated, "I said, get up," this time with an even angrier voice.

As Riti tried to stand up, Evan held her wrist tightly and pulled her towards the door. Riti was confused and asked,"Where are you taking me?" she asked, trying to free her hand from his grip. But Evan's hold only got stronger.

"I'm taking you outside," he said. "You'll stay there until you're willing to answer my questions honestly." Riti was terrified and cried even harder. "N-no, I'm not going outside, please..." she pleaded, but Evan didn't listen.

He opened the main door of the flat and made her stand outside, then closed the door. Riti felt embarrassed, worried that someone might see her like this. She knocked on the door and said in a low voice, "Please, let me in." But there was no response.
Then she said, while putting her pride aside"I'll answer you properly everything you ask me."
After sometime the door suddenly opened, and a hand reached out, grabbing Riti's arm and pulling her inside. The door closed behind her, and Evan dragged her to the room. "Now, tell me why you didn't tell me about this before," he demanded, still holding her arm tightly.

Riti felt a surge of pain from his grip but didn't say anything about it. "I-I don't know, how to say it... I was feeling shy," she stammered, tears streaming down her face.

Evan's expression turned incredulous. "Are you really crazy?" His grip on her arm tightened, causing Riti to flinch. "You're not a child who doesn't understand anything. I warned you before that if something happens at college, you'll tell me straight away. But you're not taking it seriously." He said by scolding her and next,
Evan's eyes darkened as he asked, "You're not involved with anyone yourself, are you?" Riti's eyes widened in shock, and she immediately responded, "No, no, it's not like that! I don't know anything about it. I just know some boys were following me for a few days, but beyond that, I really don't know." She spoke in one breathless sentence.

Evan's grip on her arms tightened, his hands holding hers in a firm grasp. "Let me make one thing clear," he said, his voice low and menacing. "The day I find out you're involved in any kind of relationship, no one will be worse than me."

Evan released his grip on her arms and stepped closer, his face inches from hers. He whispered menacingly in her ear, "That's your last chance. Next time, if I find out anything like this, you won't be able to stand properly."

Hearing Evan's ominous warning, Riti became even more frightened, her body trembling uncontrollably as warm tears streamed down her face. Just then, a knock at the door broke the tense atmosphere. Evan stepped away from Riti and opened the door to find his mother, brother, and sister-in-law standing there.

"What took you so long?" Shivani asked Evan. "Where's my daughter? I've come to see her." But Evan didn't respond. Shivani's eyes met Evan's, and she sensed something was wrong. She quickly rushed to the bedroom.

Inside, she found Riti standing in a state of distress. "What happened, beta?" Shivani asked, embracing Riti. She then turned to Evan, who is also present there . "What happened here? Why is she in this state?"

Ruhi and Vivan, who had been waiting outside, entered the room, concerned. "What's going on?" Ruhi asked. Evan then said . "Why don't you ask her yourself?"

Shivani consoled Riti, asking her gently, "What happened, Riti? Tell us, did he scold you?" Riti struggled to speak, but Ruhi intervened, offering her a glass of water. After taking a sip, Riti composed herself slightly.

"There was a letter... in my notebook," Riti began, her voice trembling. "I don't know who it was from..." She glanced up at Evan, whose intense gaze made her shut her mouth.

"Don't scare her, Evan," Shivani cautioned. Evan retorted, "I'm not scaring her, Mom. She's not realizing how serious this is." He then explained the situation to his family.

Shivani turned to Riti, her voice soft but firm. "Riti, you should have told Evan about this from the very beginning." Riti nodded, lowering her head in shame.

Vivan intervened, "Evan, we get it that it's wrong, but she's still young. Don't be so hard on her." Evan's anger flared up. "She's my wife. I hope you guys don't teach me how to treat her. If she's young and naive, then she should have listened when I told her what's right and wrong."

The room fell silent, with everyone aware of Evan's simmering anger. Shivani broke the silence. "We were just out shopping and thought we'd drop by to visit Riti. Thankfully, we arrived ; who knows how much you would have scolded her?" then Evan's response shocked everyone"It's good that you're here. Take her with you to home."

Shivani's eyes widened in surprise. "What do you mean? It's not that serious that .... And She has to go to college."
Seeing the misconception Evan clarified , his voice firm. "She won't be going to college for a few days, until I resolve this issue. It's better for her to stay with you than live here alone."

After some time, Evan's family left with Riti. Throughout their departure, Riti avoided eye contact with Evan, and he remained silent. Once they were gone, the tension in the air was palpable.
At his family's home, Riti shifted to Evan's room ,
As the day drew to a close, Riti retired to her
room, exhausted. She fell asleep early that day and other days plays with adhya and arun .