The past three days had been mercifully free of Vikram's lectures, and Anika allowed herself a flicker of relief at not having to see him. She hadn't encountered him again since that fateful first meeting, and the thought offered a small comfort.
But tomorrow's field trip loomed over her like a storm cloud, tightening her chest with an almost physical weight. She had made up her mind—she couldn't leave her child, not even for a couple of days. Steeling herself, she walked toward the dean's office, her steps measured, her heart hammering in her chest.
The office was nearly empty, save for the dean, who looked up from his papers with a gentle smile. "Anu, you're here to talk about the field trip?"
Anika lowered her gaze, voice barely above a whisper. "Yes, uncle… I've decided not to go."
The dean sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Anu, little pudding is almost three years old. I know two days seems long, but this trip is important—not just for your future, but for him as well. You need to focus on your studies."
Her chest tightened. "Uncle… he depends entirely on me. He… he doesn't even eat from the babycare nurse. I go there every day during lunch to take care of him. I… I can't leave him alone. I'm sorry, uncle!"
The dean's expression softened, though his eyes remained firm. "I understand, Anu, but as a full scholarship student, missing any mandatory activity could cost you your scholarship."
Her heart sank. Without the scholarship, her future crumbled. "Uncle… isn't there any other way?" she whispered, hope fading.
He paused thoughtfully. "There might be. You need to speak to Vikram. If he writes a letter supporting your absence, I can approve it. But the decision is his."
Vikram. The very name tightened the knot in her throat. She forced herself to nod and walked toward his office, each step heavier than the last. At his door, she knocked lightly.
"Come in," his deep voice called.
She hesitated, then pushed the door open, head bowed. "Professor…"
His sharp eyes swept over her, taking in the tension coiled in her shoulders, the careful control she tried to maintain. His gaze twisted her stomach into uneasy knots.
"Professor… are you busy? I… I wanted to discuss the field trip," she said softly.
He raised an eyebrow lazily. "Go ahead."
Swallowing the lump in her throat, she said, "I… I want to quit the field trip."
He leaned back, voice calm, almost teasing. "Reason?"
She forced herself to meet his eyes for a brief moment before looking away. "It's personal," she murmured, twisting her fingers around her shawl.
Vikram's smirk tugged at his lips. "Personal, yes. But I need details to decide whether to approve it."
Her throat tightened. She chose her words carefully. "I… have someone important to take care of."
He froze, though she didn't notice, then repeated slowly, "Someone important to take care of?" His tone was calm, but every word was sharp.
She nodded, hoping her vagueness would suffice.
Vikram rapped his fingers on the desk, slow and deliberate. "Your… someone important? Is he a man?"
Her stomach lurched. Of course her little pudding was a little man, she thought bitterly, and she nodded.
His head tilted, smirk darkening. "So this 'someone important'… is more important than your future?"
"Yes," she whispered, quickly adding, "more important than anything else." She allowed herself a gentle smile at the thought of her child.
Her smile seemed to infuriate him. A low chuckle escaped his lips, grating against her nerves. "What a… romantic story! You think college is a nightclub? That you can skip a mandatory trip to play house with your sweetheart?"
Her mind reeled. Nightclub? Sweetheart? Did he just imply she was some frivolous woman? Her fury flared. "You!"
He raised a brow, clearly enjoying her reaction. She froze, realizing the precariousness of her position, and pressed her lips into a thin line.
"Professor… it's not that… he…" The word "child" threatened to escape, but she clenched her teeth. If he knew the truth, this vile man might use it against her. Better he assume it was a man than know the truth.
She forced her anger down, voice trembling. "Professor, we have no personal grudge. You don't even know me—why are you treating me like this?"
Vikram's smirk widened, eyes glinting with cruel amusement. "Don't I know you? How strange, Anumma… I was the one who drank, yet somehow you were the one who lost memories."
A sudden epiphany flickered in his eyes. "So far, you've believed I wouldn't remember anything. You thought I'd forget after I sobered up, right? That as long as you don't admit anything, I'd never know? Truly impressive!" He clapped slowly, mockingly.
Anika shook her head, desperate to deny. "I… I don't know what you mean!"
His chuckle darkened. "You really don't? That I touched every inch of you… That you were at my mercy… Or that your new lover is better at making you forget… That I've marked every inch of your body…"
Her fury exploded. "Shut up! Shut your filthy mouth! You… pervert! You forced me! You stripped me of my dignity! And now you claim those are… achievements?"
He leaned back, smiling, eyes glinting. "Achievement? I call it ownership. You reacted. That proves… what belongs to me… belongs to me. No other man can have it. You won't forget, Anumma."
Defiance surged through her. She grabbed a paperweight and hurled it at him. "You! Shameless!"
He caught it effortlessly, still smiling. "Shame? There's no shame in front of my woman. I've crossed that threshold three years ago. So, Anumma… remember my words. Every inch of you belongs to me, Vikram. No other man can touch it. I can satisfy you however I want. Stop fantasizing about others. Stop imagining you can escape me"
She laughed bitterly. "Vikram, who do you think you are? Just because you touched me once, you think you can order me around? You touched me! That's all! Just touched! It doesn't give you any right to control me!"
Vikram's eyes sparkled with dark amusement. "Do you blame me for not taking you completely? Is that an invitation?"
Anika's anger flared hotter. "Pervert! Don't even think about it! You have no right to control me!"
Vikram leaned forward, voice low, smirk infuriatingly sharp. "Try me if you dare. Seek another man. But don't say I didn't warn you."
"And the field trip tomorrow?" he asked, voice deceptively casual. "You'll attend."
Anika spat out, chest heaving with fury and disgust. "Are you threatening me?"
He leaned back, grin sharp and cruel. "Call it what you want. Attend, or tomorrow everyone will hear how Anika Rajan seduced her new professor to play… frivolously with him. Nice, no?"
She trembled, lips pressed tight. "You're repulsive… disgusting. Pervert."