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He didn't ask me to follow him into the dark—he made sure I had no choice
~ Annahita Thakur
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The hurried footsteps in the corridor sent a ripple of unease through me. My hands faltered as I adjusted the pleats of my saree, the deep red silk suddenly feeling heavier than before. Sunlight caught on the golden embroidery, making it gleam, but my thoughts were tangled elsewhere.
Adhiraj had just stepped out, his attention stolen by Deepu's panicked voice.
"Adhiraj Bhaiya, it's him." Her words wobbled, laced with fear. "Shekhar Bhaiya is here. He... he's in the meeting hall. He's saying he's here to take me back. He'll be angry. What will I do? Mummy-Papa will scold me. Bhaiya, Dadi will kill me—"
Shekhar.
The name alone was enough to chill the air around me. I had heard it before, in passing, in hushed conversations that stopped the moment I walked in. I had seen the way Adhiraj's expression darkened at its mere mention.
Shekhar—his cousin.
A man who had severed ties with his own mother and sister. A man Adhiraj detested, though I never knew why.
"Go to your room, Deepu," Adhiraj's voice was calm, but there was steel beneath the softness. "Koi haath bhi nahi lagayega humari gudiya ko. Shekhar ho ya koi bhi, kuch nahi kahega." (No one will lay a hand on my little girl. Whether it's Shekhar or anyone else, no one will say a word.)
Deepu hesitated. "But—"
"No arguments. Now. And don't panic, don't cry."
A shuffle of small feet. A door closing. Silence.
I exhaled, my pulse thrumming in my ears. Shekhar was here. After all these months, after all the warnings Adhiraj had given, he had finally come.
