A crowd had gathered around Skand in the village square, their voices loud and angry.
Villager 1 (yelling):
"Shame on you, Skand! We trusted you!"
Villager 2:
"Who would've thought you'd try to harass a girl?"
The accusations flew like arrows. Among them, one furious man, blinded by rage, stepped forward and struck Skand across the face.
Skand (shouting, defending):
"Wait! Please — at least listen to me!"
But no one was willing to hear him out. The crowd kept yelling, calling him names, cursing him.
From the side, his mother rushed into the scene.
Skand's Mother (pleading):
"Please! Just give him a chance to speak!You can't condemn someone based on only one side of the story!"
But her words were drowned in the chaos. The crowd had already judged him.
Standing off to the side, Malvi watched everything with a twisted smirk pleased with the scene unfolding exactly as she wanted.
Skand (glaring at Malvi, thinking):
"In today's world too… people blindly believe a girl's words.Whether a boy is guilty or not, no one even bothers to find out.We're all the same in their eyes."
Then suddenly — a firm voice cut through the noise:
Gaurav (commanding):
"Enough! Everyone, just STOP and listen!"
The shouting faded into murmurs. People turned.Malvi's eyes widened — she rushed toward Gaurav, trying to play the part of the helpless victim.
Malvi (fake sobbing):
"Gaurav! You're here — you have to believe me! He tried to—"
But Gaurav's face didn't show concern.It showed something else — anger.
Gaurav (pointing at her, shouting):
"Don't believe a word she says! Skand didn't do anything wrong!The real villain here… is this woman-Malvi."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Skand's eyes widened, stunned.
Everyone waited in silence for Gaurav to continue.
Gaurav (with calm fury):
"Yesterday, I saw Malvi following Skand. I was suspicious, so I followed them quietly.They went to a field, and I heard everything.Malvi asked Skand for the formula of his cooling powder and perfume.And to convince him, she insulted me — called me useless — and tried to emotionally manipulate him using their past."
The crowd looked on, frozen.
Gaurav (raising his voice):
"When he refused, she threatened him. Said she'd lie and tell the whole village that he harassed her —just like she did today."
Crowd (muttering, unsure):
"Could that be true…?""But Gaurav's her fiancé…""Why would he lie against her…?""Maybe Malvi really is like that..."
The villagers began to murmur among themselves. Doubt turned into realization.Suspicion turned toward Malvi.
Malvi (terrified, stepping back):
"W-What are you all looking at?! I'm the victim here!"
But she saw it — the change in their eyes.She turned and ran away, humiliated and exposed.
Back at the square, the mood shifted.
People began coming to Skand, apologizing one after another.
Villager 3:
"Forgive us, Skand. We acted too fast…"Villager 4:"We're sorry. We should've let you speak."
Skand turned to Gaurav.
Skand (sincerely):
"Thank you. You didn't have to help me, but you did. Why?"
Gaurav (smiling slightly):
"Because if I stayed silent while knowing the truth,no guy would ever forgive me.Also… I needed a reason to break off my engagement with Malvi anyway."
They both smiled faintly, the storm slowly clearing.
To be continued...