"That is your trouble," he said indifferently. "Figure it out. Work hard, work slack—I do not know. Just remember one thing—"

He stood up, walking past her.

"I want my lunch on time."

He grinned to himself and closed the door of his room.

The body of Ishani started shaking as soon as the door was closed. Her head ached, and something of weakness swept through her. She pressed her head and lay on the ground, leaning her forehead on her knees. Her face was flooded with tears.

The terrified face of Kriti continued to flash before her eyes—the instant the knife had been drawn against her throat and the blood, the screams. The shame was heating Ishani up like fire. She despised herself with everything that had taken place.

Meanwhile, Vikrant was sitting in his room on his sofa and opened his laptop. The live CCTV was captured on the screen in the hall, where Ishani was sitting on the floor crying helplessly. His lips were curved in a dark smile as he watched her.

It is such a mere nothing of what is to come, he said to himself. You would have fooled me into marrying, would you? You wanted to be my wife. Well, you can say that that single decision is going to make your life a hell. What next... you will not be able to withstand it.

He chuckled quietly. His phone just started ringing at that point. He drew it out of his pocket and looked at the name glaring on the screen and grinned once more. Looking one more time at Ishani, who was crying over the CCTV feed, he responded to the call.

Meanwhile, at last, Ishani managed to stand after a considerable period of crying. Her head was still sore, and her vision was trembling. She put a hand on her head, brushed the tears with the other, and stared at the great wall clock that hung in the hall. It was exactly noon.

Her thoughts suddenly turned towards Kriti. Were they even taken to the hospital? Was she safe? Worry filled her heart. She immediately put her hand into her pocket to make a call only to remember that she had lost her phone. Lost somewhere in the disorder.

The despair came over her face. With a deep breath she shut her eyes and attempted to compose herself and then walked toward the elevator.

Ishani came back approximately an hour later, pushing a food trolley. She walked up to the door of Vikrant, tapped the door, and walked inside.

When she entered the room, her eyes were horror-stricken at the sight.

In another move, Ishani threw open the door and walked in with the food trolley. The view that met her froze her. Vikrant and Ratika were lying together in a bed, entangled in the arms of one another. Vikrant was naked and was crouching over Ratika, whose hands were locked around his neck. Their lips were near each other.

Ishani suddenly entered and froze them both even before anything further could occur between them. The face of Ratika flushed crimson with anger—this was as near to Vikrant as she had ever been, and Ishani had spoiled the occasion. Ishani was stumbling back in view; the trolley dropped out of her grasp. She was nauseated and fluttered her head down at once and said, "I am sorry," and tried to depart.