Lost in thought, he was suddenly pulled back to reality by the ringing of his phone. His heart pounded. An involuntary excitement flickered across his face.
It was her.
The moment he saw Ranjana’s name on the screen, he picked up the call without a second thought.
“Hello! How was your exam?” he asked, his voice carrying a rare lightness.
“The exam went well,” she replied. “But I have something even bigger to tell you.”
His curiosity piqued. “What is it?”
There was a pause before she spoke. A moment that stretched longer than it should have.
“I’m going to be a mother.”
For a moment, it felt as if the ground had been pulled from beneath his feet. Like a dream that had been shattered by a sudden, icy slap of reality.
His mind went blank.
The silence stretched between them, heavy and suffocating.
Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, Ranjana asked, “Aren’t you happy?”
Shakti Singh snapped back to the present. He forced a smile, trying to mask the chaos brewing inside him.
“Of course, I’m happy. I just… I wasn’t expecting this. It’s such big news, it took me by surprise.” His words sounded hollow even to himself.
But his mind was already spiralling. They had always been careful. How could this have happened?
And then it hit him. That last time… when emotions had drowned reason, when passion had silenced caution…
His prolonged silence didn’t go unnoticed.
A strange uneasiness crept into Ranjana. His quietness, his hesitation—it was unlike him. A cold, unsettling thought began to take shape in her mind.
Was he really the man she had believed him to be?
Had she trusted the wrong person?
“Hello? Shakti? Are you even listening?” Her voice carried a growing edge of worry. She had to call his name multiple times before he finally spoke.
“Listen… why don’t we end this pregnancy?” His voice was hesitant, uncertain. “It’s still early. It won’t be too difficult.”
For a moment, there was nothing. Just a silence so sharp it could cut through steel.
And then, her fury erupted like a storm.
“Don’t even think about it!” she almost screamed.
Her voice struck him like a slap.
He realized his mistake instantly. Fear gripped him—fear that his words had done irreparable damage.
Quickly, he softened his tone. “I didn’t mean it like that. I was just thinking about you… about how difficult this could be for you.”
“I don’t have any difficulties,” she shot back, her voice firm, unwavering.
And just like that, he knew.
She wasn’t going to back down.
A nervous chuckle escaped his lips. “Then it’s a wonderful thing,” he said, trying to mend the moment. Desperate to change the subject, he added, “So… tell me about your exams.”
Ranjana began speaking, but he wasn’t really listening. His mind was elsewhere, spinning wildly, searching for a way out.
And then, abruptly, he cut her off. “I have an urgent call about the elections. I’ll talk to you later.”
Before she could respond, he ended the call.
As the screen darkened, a single thought echoed in Ranjana’s mind. “Is this the man I thought I knew?”