"maa.. I can't marry him" "why?" "because.. because.. he is a professor" "so what?" "please ma.. not him please. A professor should not marry a student. Its forbidden you know" I pleaded which went in to deaf ears. Another short story.

In 1800s Awadh, marriages were for honor - not love. Avantika became the wife of Virendra Thakur, a powerful zamindar, widower, and father of two, knowing her place was bound by duty. On their wedding night, he told her she would have the respect of his household... but nothing of his heart. Yet respect cannot quiet longing. In the candlelit halls of the haveli, every stolen glance, every brush of his hand, and every night spent under the same roof only deepened the ache between them. And in the stillness of those nights, where power and pride ruled the day, they fought a private war - of desire, restraint, and unspoken truths. **** Will Avantika melt the walls around his heart... or will she be consumed by her own yearning? When respect, pride, and forbidden passion collide - what will win? Most important... will she survive being The Thakurain?