Pakhi didn't know what to do; her mind had gone numb. She was about to say something more when two police officers suddenly approached and stood beside her.
"Are you Miss Pakhi Rajput?"
Pakhi gasped, startled. "Yes…" she whispered.
The moment she said "yes," one officer snatched the passport from her hand. In the very next heartbeat—
Click.
The cold steel of handcuffs locked around her wrist.
"What happened, sir?"
Pakhi's voice trembled. "Why are you arresting me?"
The people standing nearby stopped to stare. Pakhi felt as though the ground were slipping away from beneath her feet. Without a change in expression, the police officer said coldly, "You are under investigation. You'll have to come with us."
"Investigation? For what?" Pakhi was on the verge of tears.
"I haven't done anything wrong… Please…"
But there was no answer.
The Police Station
Pakhi was brought to the police station. The station felt dull and uncomfortable, making her even more uneasy.
An officer sat across from her—suspicion glinting in his eyes and harshness dripping from his voice. He fired one question after another. It felt like no matter what she said, they had already made up their minds about her.
Pakhi answered every question, sometimes in a panic, sometimes through tears, and sometimes struggling to compose herself. But her words carried no weight there.
Suddenly, a constable entered. He leaned toward the officer and whispered something in his ear. That was enough. Rage flared in the officer's eyes. He stood up abruptly from his chair and turned toward a female officer.
"Put her in lockup."
Pakhi's eyes widened in horror. She stood up instantly.
"But sir, what is my fault? Why are you arresting me?"
But no one was listening. Two constables grabbed her, practically dragging her toward the lockup, and shoved her inside. Two or three people were already there; their staring faces terrified Pakhi even more.
The lockup door slammed shut with a heavy thud.
Tears streamed down Pakhi's face. she slid down against the wall and sat there, broken. From outside, the sharp voice of the lady constable barked, "Stop crying! Sit quietly in the corner."
In that moment, Pakhi felt completely helpless.
India — DAV College
Tanya stepped into the classroom. Her eyes immediately scanned the first row—the second seat was vacant. She walked over and sat down in silence.
The girl sitting in front of her turned around and smiled.
"Hello."
Tanya was startled for a moment, then realized the girl wanted to shake hands.
She smiled back. "Hello, my name is Tanya."
"Hi, I'm Ruhi."
Just as they began to talk, the professor entered the room. A sudden silence fell over the entire class.
Professor Purvi Tripathi welcomed everyone to the Arts department and introduced herself before asking each student to stand up and give an introduction.
There were only a few students left to introduce themselves when a girl from the side row stood up. With large, striking eyes, rose-tinted lips, and a short dress—she was a magnet for every gaze in the room.
"My name is Aastha Bajaj."
Whispers immediately broke out across the classroom at the mention of her name. The Professor smiled.
"Yes, you are all thinking correctly. This is the same Aastha Bajaj—one of our country's top models. She took admission last year but couldn't complete her studies due to her shooting schedule. Now, she is resuming her education."
Afterward, Tanya and Ruhi gave their introductions as well.
The professor explained that since some of the first and second-year syllabi overlapped, certain classes would be held together. Everyone nodded in agreement.
A short while later, the second-year students filed into the room, taking seats wherever they could find space. The seat between Aastha and Tanya remained empty.
Suddenly, a boy appeared at the door. His gaze swept across the entire class—until it locked onto Tanya. A devilish smirk played on his lips. He walked straight toward Tanya.
"Can I sit here?"
Tanya nodded without looking up. The boy settled into the seat beside her.
As the professor began the lecture, Tanya remained occupied with her phone, not yet having spared a glance at the boy. However, from a corner of the classroom, someone was glaring at him with pure rage.
A few moments later, Tanya put her phone away and looked up. The moment her eyes met the boy sitting next to her, they widened in shock.
"What are you doing here?" she hissed. "Get up! Leave!"
Her voice was sharp, drawing the attention of the entire class.
"Get up! You can't sit here."
The boy simply smirked. "Why not? I'll sit wherever I please."
"You are not sitting here. I said so."
"Why? Are you the owner of this place?"
Tanya's anger boiled over. "I didn't give you permission. Now go."
The boy leaned in and whispered, "You gave the permission yourself when I asked. I'm not moving now. If you want to leave, feel free."
Everyone in the classroom started watching them. Suddenly, Professor Purvi's voice cut through the air.
"Is this a classroom or a wrestling ring? Stay where you are seated. And Tanya... this is your first day. You do not speak to your seniors like that."
"But Ma'am—"
Tanya wanted to protest, but the professor silenced her with a sharp look.
Hearing Professor Purvi's reprimand, Tanya fell quiet. She had plenty to say, but the circumstances forced her to remain silent. Taking a deep breath, she scanned the entire classroom. Her eyes landed on Aastha—the seat next to the model was still vacant.
Sitting there would be much better, Tanya thought. She was just about to pick up her bag and stand up when—
Suddenly, someone grabbed her hand.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Aarav's voice whispered in her ear.
Tanya glared at him, her eyes burning with rage. "What is it to you? Mind your own business and let go of my hand!"
At that exact moment, a boy's voice echoed from the back of the room, reciting mockingly:
"With your hand in mine,
All of heaven would be mine,
When you are near, what is this world to me,
In your love, I'd perish eternally..."
As soon as the poem ended, the entire class erupted in laughter. Tanya turned around and ghosted the boy with a death stare. He was none other than one of Aarav's friends.
In that moment, Tanya's patience finally snapped. She violently jerked her hand away from Aarav's grip and spoke in a cold, hard tone—
"Don't you dare try to touch my hand ever again. Do you understand?"
"Stay away from me!"
With that, she stood up decisively and went to sit next to Aastha.
The room became quiet for a moment. After a few tense seconds, Professor Purvi resumed her lecture. The students quieted down and began to focus on the lesson.
But Aarav—His eyes kept drifting back to Tanya, over and over again. He looked visibly angry.
And Tanya—She made a conscious effort not to spare him even a single glance. Her entire focus was now locked onto her books, completely ignoring his existence.
Aarav smirked to himself.
"She's a spicy one..." he thought.
"And I never feel satisfied until I've put her to the test."
In Singapore—
About an hour later—
The lockup door groaned open. Pakhi was pulled out and once again presented before an officer. This time, sitting across from her was the same female officer—Madam Curie. Her eyes remained fixed on Pakhi before she spoke in a harsh tone:
"Give me your bag."
With trembling hands, Pakhi pushed her bag forward. In the next instant, the officer flipped the bag over. All her belongings scattered across the table—clothes, her purse, a charger… and then—
Pakhi's eyes froze on a small white packet.
Her heart plummeted. The packet was lying among her things, even though she knew it wasn't hers.
"It's not mine!" Pakhi nearly screamed.
The officer glared at her with fury. "So, you've decided you don't want to tell me the truth?" She leaned back in her chair and said in a chilling voice, "Fine. I have no other option. Wait and watch."
Before Pakhi could process the threat—
CRACK! A stinging slap landed on her cheek. Her head whipped to the side, and a wave of pain surged through her entire body.
"I don't know…" she groaned, "Please… trust me…"
But the next moment was even more ruthless. The officer looked at her with burning rage once more and delivered a second powerful slap to her other cheek. Pakhi couldn't maintain her balance and collapsed to the floor.
Even then, the same words escaped her lips: "This isn't mine… I don't know how it got into my bag."
The officer stared her down. "Just accept the truth."
Pakhi forced herself up on trembling legs.
Her eyes filled with tears, but she still tried to speak firmly. "When it isn't mine, how can I admit to it?"
Seeing that Pakhi would not confess, the officer's temper flared. She grabbed Pakhi's arm and dragged her back toward the lockup. Opening the gate, she shoved Pakhi inside with force and issued a dark warning:
"You have only eight hours to accept the truth. Otherwise, you cannot imagine what I will do to you."
The shove sent Pakhi stumbling, and she fell to the ground just a few feet away from the two men already held in the cell. As Pakhi looked up, she saw their hands reaching out toward her. Her heart sank with terror. She scrambled up instantly and retreated to the exact corner she had occupied before—the one spot where she could clearly see the officer standing outside.
She clung to the desperate hope that as long as she was in the officer's line of sight, those men wouldn't dare misbehave. She stayed in that corner because it felt safer there.
In that moment, Pakhi missed her father terribly. She couldn't understand how she would ever face him. She wondered what he would think of her. She kept thinking about her father and how hurt he would be if he knew what was happening to her.—today, his daughter had been branded with the tag of a "smuggler."
She kept asking herself what had gone so wrong.
She searched for answers to questions about a crime she had never committed. Hiding her face between her knees, Pakhi broke down and sobbed.
...