Ishani nodded and unzipped her bag and started extracting the stuff that was stored in it.

Her hands were shaking so that she was hasty in taking the things out. At the sight of the trembling hands of Ishani, Kriti clapped her hand over hers and told Ishani, "Be brave, and this must be done." You just cannot afford not to be courageous in making such a big decision in case you do not want that man reaching you. What I am telling you is necessary. Otherwise you will come into a great mess. What you are running away from is already too near you.

Ishani was shocked at hearing Kriti. Meaning, what do you mean he is so close to me? she asked in surprise.

Kriti took the bag from Ishani and said, I will tell you that later—what we came here to do is what matters. Good-bye, say, let us get it over with. That being said, she started drawing clothes out of the bag. One of them was the wedding dress that Ishani had put on when she got married to Vikrant.

Ishani was still appalled at the fact that Kriti had told her that the man was very close to her. Hysterical, she took the hand of Kriti and questioned him, How do you know that he is so near to me? Do you know who he is?"

Kriti put the bag in a rage and pulled aside her hand and said, "Why do you ask me now what he is?" You did not even consult me once before you got married. You did not say you did not consider it worth telling me. What a plan you had—to marry and to make your escape lest anybody should ever locate you? And you ran, yes—but whither did you run? To the hotel of the very man you got married to. I cannot believe you were so stupid. Had you ever mentioned it to me beforedoing all this, none of it would have taken place. I would never have allowed you to do it. Ishani, you are not even aware of the extent of trouble you are in. The man that can hang you off a building because you did something wrong that small—just consider what he would do were he to discover that the woman who fooled him into getting married to her was you. He would kill you. Had you not concealed all that stuff from me yesterday, I would have known nothing. You ought to have considered us, about your mother. What would they do to them in case something does happen to you? Without you, how would they live? Think about that."

Ishani found himself totally numbed at hearing all this.

Ishani failed to comprehend what Kriti was saying. Vikrant was still flashing in her mind somewhere at the back of the mind—but her heart would not believe it. Kriti had tears in her eyes as she stood there holding trembling hands of Ishani and said, "Ishani, I should have known all this before you did all this." Why should it have been necessary to go so far? You could not trust a stranger like that. I was there to help you out should you need money. We might have feigned it in some way. It would perhaps have been hard, but we would have gotten along. For money, you—"