Rahul weds Anjali : Next morning, Rahul needs more women.

[ashuezy2]

Scene 5: The Terms of Surrender

Setting: The same room. The air is stale and heavy with unspoken misery.

---

Mrs. Sharma looks up from her daughter, her face a hollow mask of exhaustion. She looks past her husband, past Rahul, and sets her gaze on her counterpart, Mrs. Ahuja.

Mrs. Sharma: Her voice is flat, devoid of the fight it held just minutes ago. "Mrs. Ahuja, aap sahi keh rahi hai. Solution toh nikalna padega."
Mrs. Ahuja, you are right. A solution must be found.

The words land like stones in a silent pond. Anjali flinches as if she's been slapped, staring at her mother in utter disbelief.

Anjali: "Mummy? Yeh... yeh aap kya keh rahi hain?"
Mummy? What... what are you saying?

Mr. Sharma: He looks equally stunned, turning to his wife.
"Poonam! Have you lost your mind?"

Mr. Ahuja, seeing his opening, cuts them all off. He's impatient. He wants to close the deal.

Mr. Ahuja: He claps his hands together once, a sharp, decisive sound. "Phir wohi baat, kya kare ab batao? Let's not waste any more time on tears."
Again the same thing, tell me what to do now?

This is the moment Mrs. Ahuja has been waiting for. She takes a step forward, her expression calm, reasonable, and utterly terrifying. She addresses the Sharmas, but her words are for Anjali.

Mrs. Ahuja: "The solution is education. Anjali needs to understand that this isn't a threat to her position as Rahul's wife. It is a... supplement. A service."

She pauses, letting the horrible words sink in.

Mrs. Ahuja: "Anjali needs to see how this can work, how it can be managed without emotion. A practical demonstration."

Mr. Sharma: "Demonstration? What are you talking about?"

Mrs. Ahuja: She gives a slight, dismissive wave of her hand. "It's late, but the city is still awake. I know many girls... models, struggling actresses. They are very professional, very discreet. They understand how to please a man with a... strong nature. It would be a simple matter to arrange for someone to come here tonight."

The sheer audacity of the proposal sucks the air out of the room.

Mrs. Ahuja: "Anjali can watch. She can learn. She will see that it is just a physical act, nothing more. It will ease her fears. And Rahul's... needs... will be taken care of. It's the perfect solution for tonight."

She looks at her husband, who nods in grim agreement. He sees the ruthless logic. She then looks at her son, Rahul, who for the first time, unfolds his arms. A slow, predatory smile spreads across his face. He likes this idea very much.
Anjali stands frozen, abandoned by her own mother, looking at the smiling face of her husband and the triumphant face of her mother-in-law. Her hotel room, on her wedding night, is about to be turned into a stage for her own humiliation.