UNIVERSITY ARC
Chapter 43: Sins in the Dark
*Content Warning: This chapter explores themes of sexual violence and abuse. It contains graphic content that may be unsettling, not suitable for all readers. Reader discretion is advised.
– – – –
Finally, I managed to convince Divya to stay. The relief on her face was impossible to miss, like a dam breaking and flooding her with joy. She wasn't just happy—she was overjoyed, dancing around the room like a child who'd just been told school was cancelled forever. Her hair whipped around her face as she twirled, her eyes bright and full of light. That lightness filled the air, transforming what had been a heavy, tense room into a place that almost felt peaceful. Raksha and I exchanged glances, unable to stop the laughter bubbling up from our chests. Watching Divya, it was hard to remember just how serious things had been a moment ago.
When the excitement finally died down, Raksha and I took her to her room. Divya had this way of making everything seem new, like the world was a toy she'd just discovered. The moment her eyes landed on the plush, oversized bed, they went wide like saucers. She didn't even hesitate—just flopped down onto the bed, sinking into its softness. It was obvious that she loved the comfort it offered. She lay there, smiling contentedly, as if the weight of the world had finally lifted from her shoulders. But I knew it wasn't time for her to relax too much; she needed to rest. It seemed like she had already forgotten why she was here.
|"Divya. It's time to rest now."|
I said softly, leaning against the doorframe.
My voice had that edge, the one that reminded her she wasn't just here to escape.
|"I'll come check on you tomorrow, okay? And remember—don't leave without telling Raksha first."|
I tried to sound casual, but we both knew it wasn't just a friendly reminder. It was a warning.
She nodded, still smiling, as though the seriousness of the situation hadn't even registered. She was already halfway to dreamland, sunk into the bed like it was some kind of cocoon. I gave one last look before closing the door behind me, the soft click of the latch feeling final. Raksha and I made our way back to the hall, and when we settled onto the sofa, the silence between us was thick with unspoken words. I had a few things I needed to get off my chest before I left.
I started, keeping my voice low but firm.
|"Raksha, the doctor said Divya needs at least two days of rest. They've given her sleeping pills, so she'll be out for a while, but you have to make sure she stays calm. No work. Nothing stressful. You understand?"|
I didn't need to ask if Raksha got it—his nod was all the confirmation I needed. I think she fully understood the seriousness of the situation. After chatting a bit more, I left for my hostel, but my mind didn't follow. It stayed back in that room with Divya, tangled in the mess of last night. What the hell had happened? Why was Raksha acting so strange? And why had she lied to me? The questions clawed at my brain the whole walk back, and by the time I reached the hostel, I couldn't come up with a possible answer.
– – – –
The next morning came far too soon. I didn't want to wake up, didn't want to face the day, but of course, Keshava had other plans. He came near my bed, his voice filled with that familiar urgency.
|"Manoj! It's nine o'clock already! Are you planning to sleep your whole life away or what? Breakfast's waiting, lazy!"
He pulled the blanket forcefully. Groaning, I grabbed the blanket and pulled it back over my head, sinking into the sleep like I could just disappear for a few more hours.
|"Keshava, for the love of God, just let me sleep. Bring my breakfast here, will you?"|
My voice was dimmed by the pillow, but the annoyance in it was clear. Of course, Keshava wasn't having any of it.
|"Lazy brat!"|
He barked, pulling the blanket clean off me.
|"You're getting worse every day. I'm not your damn servant. Get up, we've got things to do!"|
I managed to sit up for a second, eyes half-closed, and then immediately flopped back down, burying my face in the pillow.
|"Leave me alone, man. Today's not the day."|
|"Manoj, fine. But Keerthi wants to talk to you. I'll be in the canteen with her. Don't make me drag you out of bed for her sake."|
That got my attention. I shot up halfway, my voice full of confusion.
|"Wait, what? Your girlfriend wants to talk to me? Did you two have a fight? I don't want to get involved in your relationship drama."|
I wasn't in the mood to play mediator between them. Keshava, now frustrated, again shouted.
|"No, you idiot! Why would we fight? Not everything's about my love life, you know? You're coming to the canteen, that's it."|
Without waiting for my response, he walked out. He didn't leave a choice for me. I dragged myself out of bed, went to freshen up, threw on some clothes, and headed to the canteen.
When I got there, Keshava and Keerthi were already seated, deep in conversation. Keerthi's face looked tight, her usual spark dulled by something heavier. I could sense the tension from across the room, so I tried to lighten the mood as I approached.
"Hey, Keerthi. Been a while. What's up?"
I said, flashing her a casual grin, hoping it'd ease whatever was on her mind.
But Keerthi wasn't having it. Her face didn't change, and the air between us felt thick. I shifted my weight, feeling the awkwardness settle in. I added, trying again.
|"Come on, don't be shy. This idiot dragged me out of bed for this. If there's something I can help with, just speak it out."|
Keerthi stayed quiet, so Keshava jumped in, cutting straight to the point.
|"Manoj, this is about Kusuma."|
Just hearing her name made my blood boil. Kusuma? The last person I wanted to talk about. My body stiffened, anger flashing through me like wildfire. But I kept it under control—barely.
|"Keshava, if you knew this was about that traitor, why didn't you tell me earlier? You ruined my whole day for this?"|
Keshava raised his hands in a calming gesture, trying to stop me from walking out.
|"Manoj, just hear us out. This is important."|
|"Important? You know what happened with Kusuma. How can you think why the hell would I get involved again? I'm done with her. She's dead to me."|
I shouted in frustration. Keerti was scared by seeing my sudden change.
Keshava held up his hands like he was surrendering, but I could see in his eyes that he wasn't backing down that easily.
|"Manoj, you haven't even heard what we have to say yet. If you knew, you'd want to help."|
His tone was calm, but there was something heavy underneath it, something that hinted he was about to drop a bomb.
I wasn't having it.
|"I don't care."|
I snapped, crossing my arms and leaning back, trying to put some distance between me and the conversation that was already heading down a road I had no interest in following.
|"I've moved on from her. Even if I listen to whatever story you've got cooked up, it's a waste of time. I can't do anything about it."|
Keshava opened his mouth to explain, but I cutted it. Just when I was about to turn my back on this whole situation, three girls approached the table. It threw me off for a second, and I blinked, trying to place their faces. Keerthi immediately responded and made them sit on the chairs, not missing a beat.
I shot a questioning look at Keshava, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. He seized the opportunity, diving straight into the conversation like nothing had happened.
|"Manoj, you remember them, right? We met at Keerthi's party. They're her friends."|
His voice was casual, like nothing had happened before.
I glanced at the girls, quickly scanning their faces until my eyes locked onto one in particular—Manasa. I felt my gut tighten. Of course, I remembered her. How could I forget? She was the same girl who had humiliated me at that damn party, her sharp words almost blowing my whole secret wide open when we ran into each other at the bank, the day I went to claim my gold card.
I'd barely escaped that day, slipping away like a shadow. But now, here she was, sitting at my table, a smug look replaced with something different, something I couldn't quite place yet. My curiosity flared, and I couldn't help but ask the question already forming in my mind.
|"Keshava, what are they doing here? And more importantly, what do they have to do with Kusuma?"|
Keshava hesitated, just for a second, but it was enough for me to catch it. His eyes flicked to Keerthi for a moment, as if checking for backup, before turning back to me.
|"They don't know Kusuma. They've never even met her."|
He explained, his voice steady. That only deepened the confusion gnawing at me.
|"Then why are they here?"|
I shot back, my impatience leaking through. None of this was adding up, and I was getting sick of the cryptic answers.
Keshava hesitated again, this time longer, then finally spoke.
|"Manoj... you know Aadish, right?"|
Aadish? The name dropped like a stone in the pit of my stomach. Of course, I knew him. He was Kusuma's new boyfriend. The guy she'd jumped to after me like I was just some stepping stone.
|"Yeah, I know him. So what?"|
I muttered, the words coming out colder than I'd intended. That's when Keerthi, who'd been quiet until now, took a deep breath, like she was preparing to lay out something heavy.
|"Manoj... he's a criminal. He's ruined the lives of many women. And we can't... we *can't* let that happen to Kusuma."|
I felt my jaw clench, irritation shooting through me like a jolt of electricity. I closed my eyes, feeling a surge of irritation. I said, barely keeping my voice calm.
|"Keerthi, I don't care what happens to her. She's not my problem anymore."|
I paused, locking eyes with her, making sure she got the message loud and clear.
|"I've already told you—*she's dead to me*. Don't ever mention her name in front of me again."|
I turned, fully prepared to walk out, to leave them all sitting there with their drama and their problems. But just as I started to take that first step, I felt a hand grip my arm. I stopped, confused, and turned to see who had dared to stop me. It was Manasa, her face streaked with tears, her expression a complete mess of emotions. This was the same girl who had been so high and mighty, the one who had nearly wrecked me back then, and now she was... crying?
|"Hey, why are you crying?"|
I asked, completely thrown. I'd never seen her like this. Her voice came out shaky, barely holding it together.
|"I'm... I'm pregnant."|
For a second, I just stood there, stunned, trying to process what she'd just said. Pregnant? What? The shock must've shown on my face because she continued, her voice almost a whisper now, as if saying it aloud made it more real.
|"I thought... I thought he loved me. But he only loved my body. He never cared about me."|
And with that, she collapsed, her legs giving out beneath her as the weight of it all came crashing down. Her tears flowed like a river, unstoppable, uncontrollable. Keerthi was by her side in an instant, crouching down, her arm around Manasa's shoulders, offering silent support as she tried to pull her back up to her chair. Meanwhile, I stood there, completely lost in the chaos that had just erupted in front of me. What the hell was going on? Why were they telling me all this? I had to ask.
|"Why are you... telling me all this?"|
My frustration rises again, boiling just beneath the surface. I continued.
|"What does this have to do with me?"|
My patience was wearing thin, and I couldn't hide it any longer.
The room fell into an uncomfortable silence. Manasa, still struggling to catch her breath, wiped at her tear-streaked face, her hands trembling. But there was something in her eyes now—a determination that hadn't been there before. It was like she was forcing herself to get through this, no matter how hard it was. Keerthi, noticing the struggle, spoke softly, her voice gentle but firm.
|"Manasa, tell him what you saw. Tell him the truth."|
The truth? What truth? What could possibly be so important that I had to be dragged into this mess? I didn't want to be involved in anything related to Kusuma, but there I was, stuck in the middle of it. A knot twisted in my gut, but I kept my expression unreadable, waiting for whatever was about to come next.
Manasa took a deep breath, trying to steady herself.
|"One day, I saw him with another woman late at night."|
She began, her voice shaky but gaining strength as she continued.
|"I didn't know who she was, but something... something didn't feel right. So, I followed them, just to see what was going on. They walked into this... this deserted area, and then..."|
Her words shaken for a moment, her face pale as she relieved whatever memory she was remembering. Keerthi, sensing her struggle, placed her hand on her shoulder, and with that, Manasa pushed on.
|"I thought... I thought he'd just talk to her. But then... then he pulled out an injection... out of nowhere. He injected her, just like that, without warning. She couldn't scream. He closed her mouth with his hand to stop her from making any noise. And...I… I couldn't move. I was frozen, watching it all happen. Then, a black van pulled up. He handed the girl to the men inside, like she was nothing.
But the worst thing is, before handing her over, he took a few photos of her nude....."
She couldn't finish. Her voice broke, her body trembling as she lowered her head, clearly shaken by the memory. The tension between us felt like a thick fog, heavy and suffocating. Keerthi picked up where Manasa had left off, her voice calm but grave.
|"We figured out later what was happening. At first, we thought Aadish was just a criminal, but it turns out he's much worse. He's a human trafficker, Manoj. A smuggler. He's involved in exporting women."|
Her words hit me like a ton of bricks, my mind struggling to keep up with what I was hearing. A trafficker? My thoughts raced, trying to make sense of it all. This was way bigger than I'd thought. But why come to me with this? What was I supposed to do about it?
I shook my head, confused and starting to get pissed off. I demanded.
|"Why are you telling me this? This is a matter for the police. You need to report them. What can I possibly do about it?"|
Before I could make a break for it, Keshava stood up, his words replaced by something darker, more serious. He said quietly.
|"You're right, Manoj. We did think about going to the police. But..."|
I cut him off, not interested in hearing any more.
|"Then why didn't you? You're testing my patience here, Keshava. I told you—there's nothing I can do."|
I was already halfway out the door when Keshava's next words froze me in my tracks.
|"Manoj... he's working for the Wild Shadows."|
Those two words—*Wild Shadows*—stopped me. My whole body stiffened. Ah, I see now. It's them again.
I turned back to Keshava, my voice was silent and sharped.
|"Wild Shadows? You're serious? Um, this is worse than I thought, but not much."|
The mention of Wild Shadows got my attention. But I hide my curiosity beneath me. Keshava met my gaze, his eyes filled with an intensity I hadn't seen before, his voice low.
|"Yeah, Wild Shadows. You're not the only one with a history with them, Manoj."|
The tension in the room thickened, the air almost too heavy to breathe. Keshava was no longer looking at me like a friend. There was anger in his eyes, but also something else. Something deeper, something I wasn't ready to face yet. He asked, his voice steady but hard.
|"Do you think I don't know what you did?"|
|"Do you really think I don't know you slapped Neha that day?"|
My heart skipped a beat. Neha? How the hell did he—?
|"How...?"|
I stammered, shock paralyzing me.
|"How do you know about that, Keshava?"|
But Keshava didn't answer right away. Instead, he just stood there, watching me, waiting for me to put the pieces together. And slowly, I began to realize... this wasn't just about Kusuma. This was bigger than that. And looks like I'm completely blocked between it.