The evening had grown darker.
The incident at school had blown up into a full-blown scandal. Anurag Sir's reputation was now stained.
Whispers about him spread throughout the entire school.
Anurag Sir sat in silence, the bruises from the fight still visible on his body, dried blood at the corner of his lip, shirt torn.
Riddhiman had tried to create a massive scene, but the teachers and staff had managed to contain it for the time being.
Everyone was talking about Sir, yet Anurag Sir had no words left. Only one thought kept circling in his mind—he had to speak to Sneha's uncle and aunt. Maybe he could make them understand. Maybe he could ease some of the pressure on Sneha.
He headed straight for Sneha's house.
When he reached the front door and rang the bell, Surajit Ray opened it.
Sneha was sitting on the sofa, crying. The moment she looked up and saw Sir, she froze in shock. It was obvious he had been in a fight. Sneha instantly understood that Riddhiman was behind it.
Sir's eyes fell on Sneha. Seeing her eyes swollen and cheeks wet with tears, he quickly looked away.
Aunty Nitu came running as well.
The moment Surajit Ray saw Anurag Sir, his temper flared.
"What are you doing here?" Surajit Ray's voice was sharp. "After what you've done to our daughter, you still have the nerve to show your face?"
Anurag Sir stood with his head bowed. The words stung deeply. He felt utterly ashamed.
Aunty Nitu stepped forward.
"Oh no! Why are you saying all this at the door? If people hear, our daughter's honour will be ruined. Come inside, please come in!"
With his head still lowered, Anurag Sir walked in very slowly.
Surajit Ray was still fuming. Sneha continued to cry. Anurag Sir sat down on the sofa.
Surajit Ray began angrily, "We thought you were a good man. A teacher. Responsible. But you're nothing but a pervert! How could you do something like this to a young girl? Was that why you were giving her tuition? You've destroyed our daughter!"
"I actually—"
Anurag Sir tried to lift his head.
Before he could finish, Mrs. Nitu Ray cut in,
"Shame! Shame on you! Doing such dirty things with a child? We respected you so much! We had such high hopes for Sneha's studies because of you! And what did you do? You carried on with these filthy acts with her! How will our daughter show her face now? You've ruined her life!"
The woman who was usually so calm was now speaking with such cutting words. Anurag Sir could hardly believe that the same people who had once respected him were now talking to him this way.
Surajit Ray raised his voice even more,
"You came to teach her tuition, or did you come to ruin the girl? Why did you do this to us?"
Every single word felt like a knife twisting in Anurag Sir's chest. He couldn't even lift his head. He simply kept it bowed. No one had ever spoken to him like this before. He himself could barely believe what was happening.
Sneha's eyes were swollen, her cheeks soaked. Watching her uncle and aunt speak to Sir this way pained her deeply too.
Crying, she said, "Uncle… Aunty… please… this is my fault too… I—"
"Be quiet!" Aunty Nitu scolded her. "You have no fault in this. You're just a child. He manipulated and tricked you into all this."
Anurag Sir finally looked up, his voice heavy.
"I know… I made a mistake. A very big mistake. But please let me say one thing." He paused for a moment. "The marriage you've arranged for Sneha… have you really thought this through?"
Sneha's uncle and aunt fell silent.
Anurag Sir continued,
"Have you even considered what effect getting married at this age will have on her mind? What about her studies? What about her dreams?"
Mr. Surajit Ray and Mrs. Nitu Ray remained quiet.
Sneha kept crying.
Anurag Sir now looked directly at Sneha. The moment their eyes met, she began sobbing even harder.
"Why didn't you tell me even once? Didn't I have the right to know at least this much??"
Sneha shook her head vigorously—*no, no, no*—but she couldn't speak. She could only cry.
"Or did you think I wouldn't be able to do anything for you? Do you think I'm that useless?"
Sneha couldn't say a word. Tears kept falling from her eyes.
Anurag Sir knew that Riddhiman came from a very wealthy and influential family, which was why Sneha's uncle and aunt had agreed to the marriage.
In the midst of this emotional turmoil, a sense of hurt and betrayal rose inside Anurag Sir toward Sneha. He thought that Sneha probably saw him as just an ordinary man. Maybe she even liked Riddhiman because he came from such a powerful family.
His voice now carried clear pain and resentment.
"Or… did you actually like him too??"
Sneha felt a deep stab of pain at Sir's words.
"No, Sir! No! I never…"
She thought it in her heart but couldn't say it out loud. Tears continued to stream down her face.
Anurag Sir's face had grown hard. Deep down, he was blaming himself for everything. Yet he also felt hurt that Sneha had never told him about the arranged marriage—and that it had been fixed long ago.
Sneha kept crying.
Finally, Aunty Nitu spoke again, her voice calm but sharp.
"I've known about your relationship with Sneha for a long time."
Both Sneha and Anurag Sir looked at her in shock.
"I knew, but I pretended not to. I thought everything would sort itself out with time.
I read her diary. So many things written about you… dark fantasies, dreams… everything. Sneha would lock herself in the bathroom for hours. If I knocked, she'd say, 'Just a little longer, Aunty, I'm not feeling well.' One day I peeked through the gap… she was touching herself while thinking of you. In bed too. Many times."
Sneha's face turned crimson with shame. She covered her face with both hands and stayed silent.
Anurag Sir was stunned.
Aunty Nitu didn't stop.
"She never used to do any of this before. It started after you came. Her mind drifted away from studies. Her exam results began to drop. Sneha couldn't concentrate on anything anymore. She thought about you all day. You've destroyed her future. You've ruined her life."
Hearing all this, Anurag Sir felt terrible. He was overwhelmed with guilt. Yet no expression showed on his face.
Aunty Nitu continued,
"I never thought it would go this far. But now… the girl's life is finished."
Surajit added,
"Because of you, she's in this condition today. The whole school knows now! From childhood till today, not a single bad word has ever been said about my quiet daughter, but today even the Headmistress has heard everything."
Anurag Sir could take no more.
In a firm voice he said,
"Fine. I will stay away from Sneha's life."
Sneha cried out desperately,
"No, Sir! Please… no!"
Anurag Sir looked at her.
"I want you to be well. I want you to achieve something big. I don't want to be a distraction for you."
Sneha began sobbing loudly.
Anurag Sir then turned to Sneha's uncle and aunt and spoke in a strong, almost warning tone:
"But yes. Do not marry Sneha off right now. Let her study. Give her every opportunity so she can become something in life."
Sneha's uncle and aunt stayed silent.
Anurag Sir stood up calmly.
Then he walked toward the door.
Sneha was crying bitterly.
She didn't want Sir to leave.
**To be continued…**