The next day, it was back to the hospital routine. Slowly, Abhi began to teach Tulasi about operations, sharing intricate details and subtle techniques. One day, he instructed her to operate herself. He stayed by her side, guiding her through her fear. The operation was a success, but Tulasi's tension hadn't subsided; her hands were still trembling. Abhi brought her a juice bottle. "How does it feel?" he asked.
Tulasi looked at Abhi, smiling nervously. "A little tension, a little happiness, a little fear... it's a mixed feeling," she replied. Abhi handed her the juice, but her trembling hands struggled to open the cap. He gently took the bottle, opened it, and returned it to her. Their eyes met, and in that moment, both remembered the night they had first met. Slowly, Tulasi's friends arrived, offering their congratulations. One of them noticed her trembling hands. "Look how your hands are shaking!" she said, taking Tulasi's hands in hers and gently rubbing them. Abhi watched this, a thought flashing through his mind: "Why shouldn't I rub her hands like that?". He didn't like her friend touching Tulasi's hands. "I should be the one rubbing them," he thought.
But then, he couldn't understand why he felt that way. Abhi walked away. One of the nurses then said to Tulasi, "Do you know, madam? Abhi Sir praised you wonderfully to the Dean!".
Tulasi was astonished. "Really?" She had only ever known Abhi to scold her, never to praise her, no matter how good her work was. " he praised me to the Dean?" she wondered, utterly surprised.
"Yes, madam," the nurse confirmed. "I think they might even increase your salary next month!"
"Really?"
"Yes, madam. You may curse Dr. Abhijit, but he helps you so much, do you know?" "Really?" Tulasi asked again, still in disbelief.
"Yes, madam," the nurse continued, "you remember those interns, the Dean's relatives? They were speaking ill of you, saying Dr. Abhijit always gives you preference and takes you for operations."
"So, what happened?" Tulasi asked, listening intently. "Well, in front of the Dean, in the middle of the hospital, Dr. Abhijit made them stand and rapidly asked them four questions. They couldn't answer! He even asked them to spell things. They looked completely defeated. He looked at them and at the rest of the staff and said, 'I know where to put everyone. I know who is capable and who is not.Don't try to show off in front of me!' and walked away. Everyone was terrified, madam."
"Really?"
"Yes, madam."
" Can you help me with something?" Tulasi asked.
"What, madam?"
"Can you help me find a good house? I don't like my current landlord, and I need to move urgently."
"Madam, why don't you stay in a hostel or a working women's accommodation?"
"I have some family problems, I can't stay there."
"You never talk about your family, madam. And then you say such things. It makes us scared, madam. Do you have any idea of how things are outside? Please, madam, try to understand. "
"Please help me find a house," Tulasi pleaded.
"Madam, it's difficult to find a place for a single girl, but I'll try," the nurse replied before leaving.
One night, Tulasi, as usual, studied late and finally fell asleep past midnight. Just as she was drifting off, she heard a noise at the main door. She looked up, and to her horror, she saw her landlord, an old man, unlocking the door with a spare key and slowly entering. Tulasi was terrified. "Uncle, why are you here at this hour?" she screamed loudly.
"Shhh, don't scream," the old man whispered, approaching her.
Tulasi quickly ran to the kitchen, grabbed all the steel utensils, and threw them to the floor, screaming loudly, "Why are you coming into my room? Why are you coming into my room?".
The landlord was startled. Fearing the residents of the surrounding flats would wake up, he quickly ran out of the room.
Tulasi immediately locked the main door, then ran to her bedroom, locking and bolting that door too. She was Extremely frightened, sitting there and weeping. Realising she couldn't stay like this, she quickly called Abhi. It rang for a long time, but Abhi didn't answer. It was almost past one in the morning.
Finally, Abhi picked up. "What is it, Tulasi, at this hour?" Hearing her tearful voice, Abhi's sleep instantly vanished. He sat up. "What happened?" he asked, his voice serious. "You have to come immediately and take me away from here!"
"Where are you?" he asked. She gave him her address, sharing her live location. Within half an hour, Abhi was knocking on her door. "Tulasi! Tulasi!" he called.
Tulasi went to open the door cautiously. "Abhi?" she asked.
"Yes, it's me. Open the door," he said. Tulasi slowly opened the door.
As he stepped inside, Abhi asked, "What happened?".
Tulasi, still weeping, recounted everything. Abhi hugged her, "Don't cry," he said, wiping her tears and giving her water. "We're leaving this place. Pack all your belongings," he instructed.
"I'll be right back," he said, and went to the landlord's house. Tulasi knew exactly why he went, but she felt no desire to stop him. A short while later, screams and yells erupted from the landlord's house.
Tulasi, fearing Abhi might do something drastic, quickly left everything and rushed over. There, she saw Abhi sitting on a sofa, holding a belt. The landlord was on his knees, his face swollen, bruised, and his shirt torn.. "What havoc is this, Abhi?" she thought
On the other side sat the landlord's wife, son, and daughter. Abhi was speaking to the landlord, pointing the belt at him. "Hey, what's the age difference between your daughter and her?" he thundered.
The landlord's wife was screaming. "What are you screaming for? If I find out you were involved too, your punishment will be even worse! Don't overreact, shut up and sit down!" he snapped.
"Come, Abhi, let's go," Tulasi urged, stopping Abhi when he was about to beat him again.
She feared he might even die. "Come, Abhi, let's go, let's go!" she pleaded.
"Hey, go and beg for mercy," Abhi commanded. The landlord crawled towards Tulasi, attempting to touch her feet for forgiveness.
Tulasi immediately recoiled, stepping back behind Abhi. "Hmm, this is your situation. If this repeats, you can't even imagine what happened to you all," Abhi warned.
Just as Abhi was momentarily distracted, the landlord tried to escape. Abhi swiftly grabbed his left wrist. "What? Are you trying to overdo it? Where will you run, old man?" he snarled, twisting his arm.
He looked at him intently. "Hey, hitting you is a waste of time. You look like you're about to die right now if I hit you hard. You'll die in six months anyway." He then spoke to the others.
"Hey,go to a cardiologist, take his MRI when you leave. He has a heart problem. This is a warning to all of you. if I find out you're or your father acting like this, I know what kind of injection to give you that will make you useless for EVERYTHING!".
He finished scolding them, then left with Tulasi in his car. Their car entered a large gated community. "What is this, Abhi? Why did you bring me here?" Tulasi asked.
"This is my home," he replied. He took her luggage from the car, and they went up the lift to his flat. She looked at the main door of his home, where she imagined of a nameplate read: "Abhijit Krishna Tulasi Nilayam(house)".