Manjha A String of Complicated Relations

Would She Forgive Him ?

Aniket arrived back at the academy. He knew what he had to do. He knew it might make Shambhavi hate him but it needed to be done.

Aniket and Nitya had already planned everything. He just needed to have enough strength to carry it out.


Shambhavi had not been expecting to see Aniket back so soon but she was glad for it nonetheless.

Shambhavi could see that Aniket was not in a good mood. Something was troubling him but the day he arrived, she had not gotten the time to talk to him, and the next day he had been out of the academy all day long. For a second, she had a feeling that Aniket might be avoiding her but then she brushed it aside assuming that she was overthinking.

It was the third day since Aniket had arrived back. Shambhavi was free and was going to talk to him when an orderly told her that she had a call waiting.

"Hi, Di," Nitya shouted on the other side of the phone.

"Uff, Nitya, calm down. You are going to blow my ear out," Shambhavi replied, flinching and pulling herself away from the phone's receiver.

"Are, Di, I am busy and don't have too much time but I have couriered you a few documents from college that need your signature. I got a message that they have just been delivered. Could you please sign them and then Express it back?," Nitya asked, sounding rushed and Shambhavi knew that she must have forgotten about the documents until the last moment.

"You are so careless, Nitya. You should have sent the documents on time. I would have read them," Shambhavi scolded her lightly. "Wait on the line. I'll get them and sign whichever page you say," she said keeping the phone on hold.

Shambhavi went to the administrative desk and asked if there was any parcel for her. When they handed her the parcel, she went back to the phone.

"Hmm, tell me what are the documents and where do I need to sign?" Shambhavi asked Nitya while holding the phone between her ear and shoulder and using her hands to open the parcel.

"Umm... the first two pages, they are permission forms for hostel and stuff and the last two pages, they are a few official documents with respect to my age on the Name Changing Affidavit," Nitya said a bit hesitantly.

"Oh, that's why the last two pages look like legal papers... hmm. You have read all the legal papers, haven't you?" Shambhavi asked while glancing over and then signing the first two sheets.

"Yes, I have. I read them very carefully, You just need to sign them, so I can proceed forward with the affidavit," Nitya said, trying to stay as calm as possible.

"Alright, then," Shambhavi said and signed the legal papers. "I have signed all your papers and I am going to courier them back now, so you will get them by tomorrow," Shambhavi told Nitya who sighed in relief and a bit of guilt.

"Alright, Di. You go and courier them. I'll call you when I receive them," Nitya said, and both the Vyas girls bade goodbye.

Shambhavi was hurrying out of the door when she bumped into Aniket and the file of papers fell from her hands. Aniket steadied Shambhavi first and then both went on to say sorry together only to laugh out together.

Shmabhavi bent down to pick up the papers. Aniket also bent down, "Let me help. What is this? Where were you hurrying off with so many papers?" Aniket asked.

"It's Nitya's. She needed her guardian's signature on a few documents so she sent them here and then I signed them and now I have to send them back to her. I tell you, this girl is so lazy at times. She didn't even give me time to read them properly," Shmabhavi said, putting all the papers back in the file.

"Are, it's fine. She is young and she does get busy with her studies, you know. Come on, I'll help you," Aniket said and both of them went to town to courier them.

They had a good time and finally got the chance to talk a little, although Shambhavi thought that Aniket seemed to avoid the topic of Kumbhalgarh. She thought he'd tell her whatever was troubling him when he would be ready to share.

The next day Nitya called to inform Shambhavi that she had received the documents and that she would submit them the next day. The Vyas girls talked for some time before bidding each other goodbye.

Aniket was going over a few papers in his office when his phone rang. He picked up without looking at the caller.

"I sent the file to the shop you told me to. What are you going to do now?" Nitya asked Aniket straightaway.

Aniket's breath hitched. He took a sharp intake of breath and said, "Send them to me. I'll sign them and get a judge to sign them as well. I'll keep a copy and send one to you but the original will be with Arti aunty."

"Alright, I uh..." Nitya was unsure of what she should say. She was unsure of everything that was going on. "Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked Aniket,unable to keep the question to herself.

"I am. It is the only way I will be able to save her and by extension you and Adhya," Aniket replied calmly even though he was anything but calm.

"Also, did you sign your paper? Because I know that Adhya's papers have already been signed and Mrityunjay sent them to Arti Ma'am already," Aniket said, trying to change the topic.

Nitya knew she could not argue with him because he was right. She also knew just how stubborn he was so it was a futile effort to argue.

Nitya did as she was told and the papers arrived on time knowing he just needed to sign them and get it over with. He read through them twice. He picked up the pen and kept it down again at least five times. This was harder than he thought.

Frustrated, he went for a walk. The fresh air might help him, right?

Only, it did not help him. It just increased this pit in his stomach. He was going to go back inside when a voice stopped him. Her voice, her sweeter than honey and softer than the voice of the winds.

"You look like you have swallowed a cyanide pill, Aniket Sir," his Shambhavi said. For a moment he just looked at her, a soft peach colored suit with the dupatta flying lightly around her as if it were her wings. Her long black hair was open, possibly a bit wet, meaning she just had a bath, blowing all over, with a few tendrils sneaking on her face that she kept swatting away. She looked like a vision to behold, simple, sweet, a bit flustered by the intensity of his gaze.

This was his Shambhavi, someone he loved above everything, someone he would give his life for, someone he was going to betray.

She was still waiting for his answer, "I have to do something. I know it is right but the way to go about it is wrong. And I can't do it. I just... can't," his voice cracked a bit.

"Is it done with the right intentions?" she asked him and he nodded.

"Is it necessary, meaning is it the only possible way, the only way? No other options left?" she asked him another time, and again he nodded.

"Are you guilty because it might hurt someone?" she voiced the biggest of his concern.

"Yes! God knows Shambhavi, I do not want to do this. I don't want to hurt them like this. I don't want to break their trust. It is the most valuable thing that I have. They are everything to me. And I know what I am about to do is wrong, so wrong. It will break their trust in me but it is the only way to save their life," Aniket let out all that he could without outright saying what was happening. He wanted to scream everything to her, right then and there.

He sat there, beside her and ran a hand over his face.

"Well, then you do what you are supposed to do. Don't think of right or wrong, Just of that person and their life. A lie told to save a life is better than a hundred truths taking someone else's life," Shambhavi said quietly and put his mind at ease.

"What about their trust?" Aniket asked, looking at her. Maybe she could understand that he was talking about her.

"I am sure if you make them see why it was necessary, they will consider it. At least I know I would because I know that you would never break someone's trust unless it is absolutely the only way. I mean, look at you. You look like a mess just thinking about it," Shambhavi said with a concern that warmed his heart, her worried gaze running all over him.

Aniket just sat there thinking for a few moments. Somehow her presence had made his mind calm enough to think properly. He took a deep breath and took a good look at the woman sitting next to him, he was filled with determination anew.

He got up and looked at her. She gave him a smile and an understanding nod as if to say 'go do what you have to do.' How much he loved this woman! If he was not at the academy and she was not a student, then for sure he would have kissed her senseless right then and there, possibly would have done more... a lot more...

No, bad Aniket!

He rushed back to his room. He saw the papers lying where he had left them and for a moment closed his eyes. He saw Shambhavi the way she was a few moments back, her hair loose, face flustered, eyes on him and a soft smile on her face, and with a final breath, he picked up the pen and signed the papers.

He had just sealed everything. Their lives were going to change drastically.

He just hoped that she would forgive him.