Pranati's scooter rattled to a halt in the narrow lane of the chawl. She switched off the engine, still carrying the lingering calm of the pooja, the scent of incense clinging to her clothes.
She unlocked the door.
The moment she stepped inside, her breath caught.
Utensils lay scattered across the floor. A chair was overturned. The small framed picture of Shiva hung crooked on the wall, as if even the room had been shaken.
"Mom…?" Pranati called out, panic creeping into her voice.
Her eyes landed on Jassi, slumped near the cot, one hand clutching her arm, her dupatta stained, her face twisted in pain.
Pranati dropped everything and rushed to her.
"Mom!" She knelt beside her, holding her shoulders. "What happened? Who did this?"
Jassi winced, playing the part perfectly. "I—I didn't want you to know, Pranu," she said weakly. "But they came… they destroyed everything."
"Who came?" Pranati demanded, her voice shaking.
Jassi hesitated, then spoke as if ashamed. "A corporator. A big man. He paid me in advance."
Pranati stiffened. "Paid you for what?"
"For a dance," Jassi whispered. "His brother-in-law's bachelor party. On a yacht."
Pranati pulled back instantly. "What? You know I don't do that."
"I told him that!" Jassi cried. "I refused him after taking the money. That's why they did this. They warned me—said if you don't agree, this will be nothing compared to what they'll do next."
Pranati stood up abruptly. "This is harassment. We're going to the police—right now."
She reached for her phone, but Jassi grabbed her wrist.
"No!" Jassi said sharply, then softened her tone. "Please… think. We have no proof. They'll say I cheated them. Took money and didn't keep my word."
Pranati hesitated.
"The police will arrest me," Jassi continued, tears welling in her eyes. "Fraud charges. Do you want that?"
Pranati's hand dropped slowly.
"Why," she asked quietly, hurt seeping into her voice, "did you take money in the first place?"
Jassi looked away, her voice breaking just enough to sound real. "Your grandmother… in the village. She's very sick. Treatment is expensive. I had no choice."
Pranati's anger dissolved into shock.
"Dadi?" she whispered.
Jassi nodded, wiping her eyes. "I did it for family."
Silence settled between them.
Pranati closed her eyes briefly, torn between instinct and emotion. When she opened them again, resolve replaced doubt.
"Okay," she said softly. "I'll think of something."
Jassi exhaled in relief, hiding the flicker of triumph behind her wounded expression.
Outside, unseen and unknowing, fate tightened its grip—
for this lie would push Pranati exactly where destiny wanted her.
Morning light filtered through the glass façade of the Motwani Group office, sharp and unforgiving.
Pranati stepped inside, her jaw set, her dupatta pulled firmly around her shoulders. She barely acknowledged the curious glance of the receptionist before asking for the name she had come to confront.
"Neil Motwani," she said. "Tell him I'm here."
Minutes later, the cabin door opened.
Pranati didn't wait to be invited.
She walked straight in.
Neil Motwani—twenty-seven, sharply dressed, confidence dripping from every movement—looked up from his desk. Surprise flickered across his face, followed quickly by interest.
"You must be—" he began.
Pranati slammed her palm on his desk. "You sent men to my house."
Neil leaned back slowly, studying her as if she were a puzzle. "I sent reminders," he said casually. "Your mother took an advance and backed out."
"She refused," Pranati shot back. "That gives you no right to threaten or harass her."
Instead of answering, Neil tapped on his tablet. He turned the screen toward her.
A transaction history glowed on it.
"This money," he said calmly, "went into your mother's account. Signed agreement. Witnessed. If I take this to the police—"
"You'll ruin her," Pranati whispered.
Neil stood, walking closer. "I'll arrest her for fraud. I'll make sure every chawl knows why she was thrown out of the village years ago."
Pranati flinched.
He softened his voice, falsely gentle. "Unless you perform tonight."
He placed a sleek card on the desk and slid it toward her. "Bachelor party. Yacht. My brother-in-law."
Pranati stared at the pass as if it burned.
"This isn't a request," Neil added. "It's an obligation."
For a moment, she looked at him—really looked. Then she picked up the card with trembling fingers.
Without another word, she turned and walked out.
Outside, the city felt louder. Crueler.
Pranati sank onto a bench, the polished towers mocking her helplessness. Tears spilled before she could stop them.
She hugged herself, memories flooding in—
women whispering, doors shutting, her mother being judged and driven out of the village…
and her own vow, made long ago:
I will never trade my dignity for survival.
Her sob broke free.
"But what choice do I have now?" she whispered.
Fear for her mother outweighed pride.
And destiny, once again, demanded a price.
To be continued....