I was left speechless; he was not ill that he needed to be cured and seriously why should I go about changing anyone. Though I felt cheated in the marriage, I was forced to go back.

He would try to meet her on her way to college. He tried his best to convince Sarla. Every time she saw him, her heart would beat faster. She would feel like getting close to him. She would dream about them together.

One of those stunts had led to them being late to school, and the four of them – her sister, their two friends and she – had been made to kneel outside the principal’s office with their hands raised for two hours straight.

They chanced to sit together and spent the next hour conversing like there was no tomorrow. He had never felt the same way talking to anyone else in school or at home.

He didn’t answer any of her questions. Anger soon took over the love that Namita had for him. She said yes to the first proposal her parents brought to her and got married.