The next day, everyone was having breakfast, but Sarangi still had a sulky expression on her face. She felt it was completely unfair—she had been enrolled without her consent, and now she was being forced to study.
"Mom, please talk to him..." she said to Shanti ji.
"He's not wrong, dear..." Shanti ji replied calmly.
"Mom, you're taking Mr. Rajvansh's side too?" Sarangi said in disappointment.
"I'm taking the side of what's right..." Shanti ji responded.
"Karnika, you..." Sarangi turned to her.
"Please, bhabhi, you're not a child… and if Bhai has said something, he must have thought it through," Karnika said sharply, and everyone looked at her in surprise.
"Karnika, is that how you talk to your sister-in-law?" Sarvam ji scolded her.
"Dad, did I say anything wrong...? I'm studying too, Rudr is also studying, and we don't make such a fuss..." Karnika defended herself.
"Shut up, Karnika… she's older than you. Say sorry to her," Sarvam ji said firmly.
"But why, Bhai... I didn't say anything wrong..." Karnika questioned.
"Being disrespectful to elders is always wrong, Karnika." Sarvam ji emphasized.
Karnika got up angrily and walked off. Shanti ji started to go after her, but Sarvam ji stopped her, "Let her go… some time alone will bring her to her senses."
"Didi, come, I'll drop you," Rajveer offered, but Sarangi looked at Vairagya again. When he didn't look back, she quietly walked to her room.
Rajveer was waiting outside when Karnika came up from behind, "What's the matter, Raj? Aren't you getting late today? You're always too busy for me."
Rajveer looked at her and said, "I've taken the day off from the office today..." and went back to looking at his phone.
"Raj, why don't you understand..."
"No, you're the one not understanding, Karnika ji... you—" He stopped mid-sentence as he saw Sarangi coming from inside, so he went quiet.
"Karnika, you're going to college too?" Sarangi asked.
"Yes, so?" Karnika replied curtly. Sarangi's face fell.
"Then come with us..." Sarangi offered.
"No need. My brother is a big businessman, he's not short of drivers..." Karnika snapped sarcastically.
"Why are you talking to me like this? Did I do something wrong...?" Sarangi asked sadly.
"Oh please, bhabhi... don't act so innocent..." Karnika said angrily. Rajveer, holding back his temper, quietly said, "You can't talk to Didi like that..."
"Why not? Is your Didi some kind of queen?" Karnika retorted.
"Stop it, Karnika!" Vairagya's voice came from behind. She froze."What kind of behavior is this? She's your bhabhi, my wife… She deserves just as much respect as I do. I keep ignoring you thinking you're still a child, but that doesn't mean you forget your limits..."
"Bhai, even you..." Karnika's eyes welled up.
"What about me, Karnika? You made a mistake, so I scolded you. I'm your elder brother, and I have every right to correct you..." Vairagya said clearly.
Karnika rushed out.
"You shouldn't have scolded her..." Sarangi said, and Vairagya gave her a long look.
In the evening, Rajveer and Rudraksh left for Shimla.
As soon as they landed at Amritsar airport, Rudraksh jumped with excitement,"Yahoo... I'm coming, Shimla!"
Rajveer smiled at his enthusiasm.
Since the journey from Amritsar to Shimla was about 7 hours, they stayed in Amritsar for the night. The next morning, they visited Sri Harmandir Sahib and then left for Shimla.
Rajveer rented a car, and the two of them sprawled comfortably in it as the car set off for Shimla. Rudraksh was completely absorbed in looking at the scenery and taking pictures, while Rajveer glanced at him once and said:
"Being born rich is a blessing… Even if you don't do anything, you still get a luxurious life. Everything comes so easily, while we middle-class people have to work day and night for it. And that's exactly why I don't want to stay middle-class. I want to earn money—loads of it. So much that my kids never have to crave for anything, so that my parents never have to lower their heads in shame… so that my sister never has to endure anyone's insults… Very soon, very soon, I will become rich—filthy rich… Yes, that's my dream, my goal, my life."
Rudraksh pulled his hand excitedly and said, "Look at this, man! What a view!"
Rajveer looked outside—the beautiful valleys of Shimla had started to appear, snow falling gently over them, as if this was heaven itself.
The entire journey, Rudraksh kept either clicking pictures, gazing out the window, or playing games on his device. Rajveer, on the other hand, was glued to his phone, checking the stock market—searching for a quick route to wealth.
By the time they reached Shimla, it was already night, so they decided to stay at a hotel and planned to meet Shikha the next day.
College (Fictional Name)Sarangi stood outside the college. Despite all her pleading, Vairagya had dropped her off and left. Now, she just stared at the college board. Until now, she had only ever studied with Shikha. They went everywhere together. But a year ago, after Shikha completed her graduation, she moved to Shimla for her post-graduation, and Sarangi stayed back at home.
This was all new to her—very new. She had never been anywhere without someone beside her. There was always someone to protect her—either Shikha or Raj… She had always been kept in a comfort zone, and now, she had to step out of it all by herself. It was a huge challenge for her.
Sarangi took her first step. Her hands were trembling with fear, and tears welled up in her eyes but didn't fall. She kept getting angry at Vairagya—how could he just leave her like this? Is this why they got married? So he could leave her alone?
Somehow, she reached the notice board and began searching for her class. Just then, someone came from behind and moved her aside to check the list.
Sarangi was furious. Was she really that useless, that invisible, that anyone could just push past her? She wanted to scream, to cry—but she didn't have the courage.
That boy checked his class and started to walk away. But then he turned and asked,"Hey miss… do you need any help?"
"No…" Sarangi replied, wiping her tears.
The boy looked at her once, then picked up her ID card and read her name,"Sarangi Rajvansh… Class B… Your class is on the second floor, third room on the right—Room 33. And there's no need to cry at every little thing. You're not a kid. Finding your way is far better than being scared and cowardly."And with that, he walked away.
Sarangi kept watching him as he left.He was right, she thought. What else did she even know besides crying and being scared? Always depending on someone else—that's all she'd ever done.
No… I want to be independent, she said in a trembling voice, the lack of confidence in her tone painfully evident.