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Months slipped by, Rehan’s presence a dark tide that reshaped their lives, the flat a battleground of desire and tension. Priya shed her last traces of restraint, her body a willing offering to their shared addiction. But cracks began to form, subtle at first, in the humid haze of their new normal. Amit noticed Priya’s absences—her excuses vague, her phone buzzing at odd hours, her sarees carrying unfamiliar scents, not just jasmine but something sharper, like oud or cheap cologne. She’d return late, her kohl smudged, her lips swollen, her laughter too quick, too bright. His questions were met with smirks, her deflections a dance he couldn’t follow. Suspicion gnawed at him, a worm in his gut, fed by small betrayals that piled like monsoon debris.
The community’s whispers grew louder, their warnings more pointed, each a needle pricking Amit’s denial. One sweltering afternoon, at the local tea stall, Mr. Banerjee, a retired clerk with a penchant for gossip, leaned close, his breath sour with paan. “Amit, I saw your Priya near Park Street,” he muttered, eyes glinting. “With a tall man, bearded, built like a wrestler. They were at a café, laughing, her hand on his arm, too cozy for just friends. Be careful, beta.” Amit forced a smile, muttering about a cousin, but the description—Rehan’s physique, his white kurta—lodged in his mind, a splinter he couldn’t ignore.
Days later, during a lunch break at the office, his colleague Suman pulled him aside, voice low. “Saw Priya at Esplanade, Amit,” he said, adjusting his glasses. “She was with a man, muscular, in a fancy kurta, gold watch shining. They were shopping, her saree brushing his side, giggling like newlyweds. Didn’t look like a colleague.” Amit’s stomach twisted, his chai growing cold, Suman’s words painting a vivid picture—Priya’s flirtatious laugh, Rehan’s confident stride. He brushed it off, claiming it was a friend, but doubt festered, the image of their intimacy a shadow in his thoughts.
The community’s whispers grew louder, their warnings more pointed, each a needle pricking Amit’s denial. One sweltering afternoon, at the local tea stall, Mr. Banerjee, a retired clerk with a penchant for gossip, leaned close, his breath sour with paan. “Amit, I saw your Priya near Park Street,” he muttered, eyes glinting. “With a tall man, bearded, built like a wrestler. They were at a café, laughing, her hand on his arm, too cozy for just friends. Be careful, beta.” Amit forced a smile, muttering about a cousin, but the description—Rehan’s physique, his white kurta—lodged in his mind, a splinter he couldn’t ignore.
Days later, during a lunch break at the office, his colleague Suman pulled him aside, voice low. “Saw Priya at Esplanade, Amit,” he said, adjusting his glasses. “She was with a man, muscular, in a fancy kurta, gold watch shining. They were shopping, her saree brushing his side, giggling like newlyweds. Didn’t look like a colleague.” Amit’s stomach twisted, his chai growing cold, Suman’s words painting a vivid picture—Priya’s flirtatious laugh, Rehan’s confident stride. He brushed it off, claiming it was a friend, but doubt festered, the image of their intimacy a shadow in his thoughts.