Continued from previous blogs - Ep-1 - Ep-2 - Ep-3 - Ep-4 - Ep-5 - Ep-6 - Ep-7
The rain kept pounding mercilessly as if the sky itself refused to forgive.
Raj sat with his head bowed, lost in thought. Guilt wrapped around his chest like wet cloth, heavy and cold. He was split and torn between Swati’s love and his actions on Sanjay’s .
“Babe, what are you thinking?” Swati asked softly.
Raj looked up. Her eyes met his…. wide, open, shining with innocence and pure love. For a moment, he felt cherished. To be loved by someone like her, to have a heart that throbbed only for him… it was more than he thought he deserved.
But the glow from her kiss was gone. His face betrayed something she didn’t yet see.
“Babe… don’t look at me like that. I get so shy, you know it!” She giggled, playfully hiding her blush.
Raj blinked, grounding himself. “Nothing, babe. Just… still thinking about Sanjay. What I’ve done. But… I’m proud of you.”
He said it aloud. But inside, a quieter voice spoke back to him: “Raj, you know who you are. Don’t you?”
Swati smiled brightly. “Babe, I’m so glad you’re proud of me. And just this once, forget about your so-called friend Sanjay, okay?”
Raj forced a nod, shrugging off the voice inside. “Yes, babe. I will.” Then he paused. “I have a request.”
“Babe… what is it? You’re hesitating. It’s cute.”
“It’s just… I never asked before, so I was unsure.” He looked at her. “Would you… come home with me tonight? Stay over?”
Swati’s face lit up, cheeks flushed with joy. “Babe… of course. I’ve always dreamt…. If you’re inviting me into your space, it’s like… like you’re asking me into your life. Like marriage. I’m in.”
Raj smiled. On the surface. Inside, he felt broken. Flawed. Something unspoken still pulsed in his ribs.
“Can you drive?” he asked quietly. “I’m… a little afraid to drive in this rain.” It wasn’t the rain. It was the weight inside him. The hangover of emotion he didn’t know how to carry.
Swati took the keys without hesitation.
They drove in silence. And when they reached, they stayed up and talked the entire night.
Swati was elated. Alive. Dreaming wide-eyed, heart-first.
Raj spoke gently. Smiled at the right moments. But inside, he was hollow.. like he had stepped outside himself and left his soul somewhere in the rain.
Pooja’s anxiety deepened as the rain grew stronger. The words Meera had read from the Gita brought her no comfort.
“Ma’am… this isn’t helping me right now,” Pooja said bluntly, her voice brittle but honest.
Meera met her gaze… anxious and trembling.. and gently set the Gita aside.
She stood up and reached for her. Then, she wrapped her arms tightly around Pooja and whispered, “I’m with you. I’ve always told you.. I’m like your mother. Don’t worry, dear.”
Pooja clung to her, sobbing into Meera’s shoulder aned poured tears like the rain outside. Meera said nothing. Just held her. One hand tapping her back. The other resting on her shoulder. “It’s okay, dear. It’s okay…”
Five minutes passed in silence.
Then, slowly, Pooja pulled back. Her breath had steadied. Her tears had slowed. Outside, the rain had softened too. After the downpour … the air felt quieter.
Meera glanced at her gently. “It’s been almost thirty minutes since we had tea. You should try to rest now. I’ll stay here tonight … Is that alright with you?”
Pooja nodded. Something in her chest had unknotted. She hugged Meera again, this time like a child who had finally been understood. “Thank you, Ma’am… for staying.”
Then, without being told, she sat up straighter. Her posture looks still tired, but composed.
She picked up the Gita from the table and held it with quiet reverence. “Ma’am… you always tell me — when I lose my way, open the Gita and read whatever comes. Let me try that tonight. Let me see what God wants me to hear.”
She flipped through the pages. She took a breath… and read aloud:
duḥkheṣhv-anudvigna-manāḥ sukheṣhu vigata-spṛihaḥ
vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhaḥ sthita-dhīr munir uchyate
Pravallika screamed, “Sanjay… Sanjay… Sanjay… I love you… but…” Her voice cracked before the sentence could finish.
Just then, her phone buzzed. “Reminder: As per contract, your video must be uploaded tonight.”
She typed back instantly, frustrated. “No! I can’t do it.”
The reply came within seconds. “Either fulfill the contract or break it and in both cases, the penalty applies.”
She sighed, grinding her teeth. “Fine. What’s the penalty?”
“₹1 crore.”
“What?!”
“Yes, ma’am. It was detailed in the digital contract. The penalty scales with your follower count. You have over 100K followers, so you’re in the high-tier bracket.”
Pravallika’s anger boiled over…. not just at the company, but at herself. At Sanjay. At the fact that she now had to create a video.
She stared at the screen. Then typed with a mix of resignation and rage, “Fine. I’ll send an AI version in an hour.”
“Thanks for the quick response.”
ButShe didn’t respond.
Instead, she turned toward her desktop, powered it on, and began prompting. She fed her local Stable Diffusion model. Frame by frame, scene by scene, she crafted something surreal … a kiss, a story, a fantasy.
She added soft music. Did a voiceover and posted it on her Instagram. Sent the final version to the company for their distribution channels.
She shut down the system. Laid flat on the bed, eyes wide open. The AI-generated kiss looped in her head like a haunting lullaby. Time blurred.
Suddenly…
She made her eyes wide open and Opened her phone. Opened Instagram. Saw the video. Live. Already gaining reach. Opened the brand’s page it was there too, reposted and celebrated.
She stared in horror. Then whispered, “Why… why the hell did I forget…” Her voice trembled. “…to remove our LORAs?”
She threw the phone hard onto the bed. It bounced once, fell.
Her mind spun. “What if Sanjay sees it?” Panic. Guilt. Exhaustion.
She stumbled to her wardrobe, pulled out a bottle, popped a 10mg Melatonin tablet, and collapsed back into bed
She slept forcefully but with mixed feelings.
After hugging Sanjay, Shaurav met with the doctor and returned shortly after, a hint of relief in his steps.
“Sanjay… I’m happy to share there’s no major danger. The doctor says my sister can be discharged in the morning. She just needs to rest for a week and follow this medication.” his voice carried a quiet excitement
Sanjay comes out the trance of his earlier hug and words and says, “That’s good news. I’ll stay with you tonight, until she’s discharged. I hope that’s alright?”
Shaurav hesitated. “Sir… you’ve already done so much. I wouldn’t want to trouble you further.”
Sanjay gently interrupted, “It is fine.. I’m not doing this out of Compassion but as a responsbility”
Shaurav didn’t reply and he just nodded, silently acknowledging the weight of those words.
Sanjay offered a soft smile.
Just then, the driver walked in. The rain had finally settled outside.
“Thanks for everything,” Sanjay told him. “You can head home now. I know your pay depends on the road and no need to wait. Please, go.”
Driver understood his intent and said, “Of course, Sir. Anytime… just give me a call” and he left the hospital with a smile that held quiet pride.
A few minutes later, a nurse from the ER approached. “Vaishara is awake and able to speak now.”
Shaurav’s face lit up. He moved quickly toward the emergency ward, with Sanjay close behind.
Inside, she lay on the bed — pale, but awake. Her eyes widened at the sight of her brother. Shaurav leaned in, holding her hand. Then pointed to Sanjay “Sister, this is the man who brought you in on time. If not for him…”
Vaishara folded her palms in a quiet Namaste. “Thank you so much, Sir.”
Sanjay replied simply, “It’s alright. I just… felt I should.”
The three of them spoke for a few minutes with simple presence.
Then the nurse returned. “She needs rest. Please, both of you now step outside.”
Sanjay nodded and followed Shaurav out. But he feels he is very different now. He stayed at the hospital the entire night, wide awake, helping with discharge formalities. When morning came, he arranged an Uber. Only after they left did he return home.
A long, pleasant, almost godly whisper flows through the page — gently reaching those of you reading this very episode.
“My dear lovely readers… You might be wondering: Why does the Driver quote the Gita so often?
And perhaps you’ve asked, Why would Meera, a practicing doctor, visit a patient’s home and choose to stay overnight, without hesitation?
I know… there are many questions dancing in your minds.
But trust me.. the answers await you in ArunVerses to come… In Chaos & Knowing, And again in When the Door Stayed Open.
And yes for sure, I know you’re curious. Why does Raj carry such guilt? Why does his heart ache with something he never says aloud?
That, my beloved reader, is not far away. Arun will pen it soon, under the new verse Trust and Betrayal.
Also my dear readers, life… Life is not just about living… It is about rejoicing.
And I hope, through these stories, Something within you, inner soul … Feels just a little more alive.
It was 9:00 AM.
Sanjay could hardly sleep.. not out of anxiety, but from something deeper. What he’d experienced last night had quietly altered him.
He walked into the kitchen. Made himself a cup of tea, hands moving on autopilot. Outside, the world glowed with sunlight. Inside, Sanjay felt different. As if the rain had washed his memories from the restaurant.
He stepped out onto the balcony. The city below was clean. The air was crisp. He closed his eyes. Took a long, deep breath. And Sipped the tea.
Then.. his phone buzzed.
A message from an unknown number … “Will you trust me?”
Sanjay paused. Looked at the screen. Then quietly set the phone aside.
And just breathes the fresh morning air……
———— End of Season01 of Love and Trust Season-01 Title: The Echo———–
<<< Lets Continue soon with Season 02 of Love & Trust >>>