Ruhan was thrown back by a forceful slap. Holding his cheek, he looked at Dihan, whose body was trembling with rage. The veins on his forehead were visibly throbbing, a clear sign of his fury. Without any warning or explanation, Dihan had suddenly come and slapped him. Ruhan couldn’t find any reason for such an outburst. Trupti, Snigdha, and Ranbir were also left stunned by the unexpected turn of events.
By then, a crowd had gathered in the university’s large field, watching the scene unfold. What was happening? Before anyone could grasp the situation, Dihan stepped forward, grabbed Ruhan by the collar, and pulled him up, delivering another sharp slap across his face. Just then, Trupti intervened and held Dihan back. When she tried to speak, Dihan pushed her away, causing her to stumble and fall onto Snigdha.
Trupti looked at Dihan in shock.
“How dare you?” Dihan roared. “How dare you date my sister? You hang out with me all the time, yet behind my back, you were making a move on my sister? And I had no clue? Traitor! A friend like you is better off not having at all!”
Hearing Dihan’s words, everything suddenly became clear to Trupti, Snigdha, Ranbir, and even Ruhan himself. Realizing his mistake, Ruhan remained silent. Yes, everything Dihan was saying was true. He had indeed been in a relationship with Dihan’s sister without his knowledge. Deep down, Ruhan always knew that a day like this would come. He had been prepared for it. But he never expected it to come so suddenly.
Seeing Ruhan’s silence, Dihan snapped, “Why aren’t you saying anything? Have you lost your voice? Answer me! Since when have you been in a relationship with Shuvrota?”
Ruhan still didn’t respond. His silence only fueled Dihan’s anger even more. Unable to control himself, he struck Ruhan again. And at that very moment, Trupti stepped in and delivered a resounding slap across Dihan’s face.
Dihan, stunned, held his cheek and looked at Trupti. Just as he was about to retaliate, Trupti raised her hand, signaling him to stop, and said firmly,
“Enough. Just shut up. I’ve tolerated your drama for long enough. Now, I think you’ve crossed the line. Who do you think you are? A hero? Or someone special?”
Dihan was taken aback by her words. But Trupti ignored his reaction, turned to Ruhan, and gently wiped the blood off the corner of his lips. Taking a deep breath, she looked back at Dihan and continued,
“What exactly did Ruhan do wrong? What mistake did he make? Loving Shuvrota? Is that his biggest crime? If love is a mistake, then you’re making the same mistake yourself. Don’t you love Bipasha? Or is it just because Shuvrota is your sister that Ruhan’s love for her is a crime? If that’s the case, then your sister is just as guilty, because Shuvrota loves Ruhan too. First, go and set things straight with your sister before you come to ‘fix’ someone else.”
Dihan remained silent. Seeing his reaction, Trupti went on,
“I’m disgusted by you, Dihan. How could you attack Ruhan like that? How? Just over such a trivial matter, you forgot all about your years of friendship? Shame on you, Dihan. Shame! Is Ruhan such a bad guy? So much so that he doesn’t deserve to be with your sister? In what way is he bad? You’ve known him for years, yet you have no idea what kind of person he is? I can’t believe you’re our friend. What you did today was completely wrong, Dihan. And one day, you’ll regret it—more than you can imagine.”
Dihan had no response. So, without another word, Trupti took Ruhan’s hand and led him away from the campus. Snigdha and Ranbir walked up to Dihan and said,
“Trupti is absolutely right, Dihan. What you did today was not right at all.”
Then, they too left.
Dihan stood there motionless, his fists clenched tightly.
Since last night, Shuvrota hadn’t eaten anything. After the incident, she had locked herself in her room. Sneha Siddique had tried several times to get her to open the door, but Shuvrota refused. Eventually, Sneha gave up and sat in the living room, worried.
Meanwhile, after returning from university, Dihan went straight to Shuvrota’s room.
