Bought by Love, Trapped by Hunger

[zeus90]

Arvind held both her boobs and hugged her from behind.

she was almost surprised by this move and did not say anything.

arvind was aggressive today as he knew she was in control.

simran's suit was backless, and the bra back strap was visible.

arvind did not open her bra; he just held it with his hand and pushed it back,

that tight her chest and bra got loose a bit from that sudden push.

arvind turned her to his face and started kissing her lips, and with both hands held her ass,

simran had no idea how to respond.

as soon kiss finish arvind open simran suit and salwar; she was in a bra and panty in no time.

arvind open bra and told her to go on neck and she did and arvind was already in underwear,

arvind told simran take it in her mouth and she was bit hassitent, but later she held his dick, which was full eratic,

today she seen his full size and was surprised by that,

arvind held her hair with his hand until she started; then arvind today using more force.

she was bit surpirse but arvind keep telling her will will enjoy.

simran was taking half dick and in out but today arvind was in full mood,

arvind wait until her mouth get tried then arvind hold simran head with both hand and try to push and not let her out of her mouth,

as Arvind knew she will stop him, Arvind kept pushing and it was enter almost all in her throt and her eyes were tearing but Arvind ignored it,

arvind getting time of her life that movement but not sure about simran.

arvind used her mouth fully today around 15min when he was about to cum then arvind told simran be ready and she was not sure ready for what,

arvind hold her mouth full force and start cum and that cum was going diract in throut.

arvind make sure head was hold properly when simran breath needed arvind did not leave it so she take air whatever space left in mouth and also drink cum fully.

arvind left her head after he empaty fully and then before simran could say something arvind put finger in her pussy and told simran you are wet and enjoying which simran said yes.

arvind told this is real enjoyment and she believes it.

arvind took a break and in between they did not have any conversations and then arvind asked ready and she said yes,

arvind told her he will lay down and sit on top and Simran hesitated but agreed and then arvind was in and told her to jump like their is no tomorrow,

simran started jumping small but later on she was in full and dick was big and it was hitting her inner part which make pain for her but Arvind was in full flow and she managed it,

simran was already tired after few mins then Arvind took advantage and put her down and he goes on top leg on shoulder pose where arvind was in full control,

arvind as soon in that pose, he became breast mode and start stocking hard and first she did not make sound but Simran couldn't control and started screaming a lot which arvind ignoored,

arvind was in the start only pushing half but later he started pushing full, that hit her inside and she joy screma tern into pain scream, which Arvind noticed but did not care,

start stoke more hard like their is no tomorrow and that trip last around 25min.

arvind know she cant do anymore after this as this is style is arvind and that was main reasion of his divorce.

arvind told Simran you enjoy na and you look tired today we should stop today which simran agreed and start wearing clothes,

when she wore a bra, she noticed it got loose a lot but she waer and went to her room for bath.

arvind call billa which was hiding in store room and billa said all picture taken very well and hand over camera to arvind.

after look arvind was happy as he had something for future events.

billa asked sir when i will get chance which arvind reply soon you will get on her.



# Chapter 12: The Number Trap

That night did not end with massage.

It ended with a line being crossed.

No shouting.

No force.

No struggle.

Only silence, warmth, weakness, and the strange comfort of being wanted by someone who had learned exactly where Simran was lonely.

By the time Simran returned to the outside room, the house was asleep.

The corridor was dark. The garden was quiet. Even Billa’s shadow was nowhere near the walls.

She closed the outside room door softly and stood still for a moment.

Her breathing was slow.

Her mind was not.

She took a bath at the outside tap, letting the warm water run over her face, neck, arms, and tired shoulders. The night air touched her skin, but it did not cool the heaviness inside her.

She looked at herself in the small cracked mirror.

Her eyes looked different.

Not innocent like before.

Not fully guilty either.

Just confused.

Like someone who had walked into a room and forgotten why she came there.

“Bas… aaj ka din bohot lamba tha,” she whispered.
*[It was just… a very long day today.]*

She pressed one hand to her lower back and winced slightly.

Her body ached from work, from cleaning, from standing all day, from carrying bags, from too many hours without rest.

And from the night she was not ready to name.

Her jaw felt sore too. She touched it lightly and frowned.

“Thakawat hai,” she told herself.
*[It is tiredness.]*

Then she sat on the bed.

For a moment, she smiled.

Small.

Private.

Then the smile faded.

Ravi’s side of the bed was empty.

Again.

Simran lay down slowly. When she turned, pain pulled at her lower back and she made a soft sound through her teeth.

She stared at the ceiling.

A question came.

What am I doing?

Then another thought came quickly after it.

But I was happy.

She held that second thought tighter.

Like a blanket over a stain.

Outside, the night stayed silent.

Inside the main house, Arvind slept peacefully.

And between the two rooms, something invisible had shifted.

---

## Morning Limp

Morning came sharp and hot.



Simran woke before sunrise, but her body resisted every movement. Her lower back still ached. Her legs felt heavy. When she stood, she leaned against the wall for a moment until the room stopped spinning softly around her.

“Bas thoda pain hai,” she murmured.
*[It is just a little pain.]*

She made tea slowly.

When she walked toward the main house, her steps were not even.

Not obvious enough for everyone.

But enough for Arvind.

He was sitting at the dining table when she entered with the tray.

His eyes moved from her face to her walk.

Then back to her face.

“Good morning, Simran.”

“Good morning, sir.”

She kept the cup near him and turned quickly toward the kitchen.

Too quickly.

She almost stumbled.

Arvind’s fingers tightened around the cup.

From the back corridor, Billa had also seen it.

For one second, Arvind and Billa looked at each other.

Billa’s mouth twitched.

A small, ugly smile.

Arvind’s face remained calm, but his eyes gave warning.

Not here.

Not now.

Billa lowered his gaze and moved away.

Simran did not see the exchange.

She was already at the stove, holding the counter with one hand while lighting the flame with the other.

Her face was tired, but not unhappy.

That was what Arvind noticed most.

Not the limp.

The softness.

The secret had not scared her away.

It had pulled her inward.

He took a slow sip of tea.

The day had begun well.

---

## Ravi Returns

Ravi returned after ten.

His shirt was dusty. His eyes were swollen from staying awake all night. He pushed open the outside room door and dropped his bag inside.

Simran was not there.

The room smelled faintly of soap and folded clothes.

He sat on the bed and rubbed his knees. His body hurt. His mind hurt more.

Outside, Billa was working near the garden wall.

Or pretending to.

He had been waiting for Ravi’s door.

The moment Ravi stepped out to wash his face, Billa called softly:

“Ravi bhai.”

Ravi looked over.

“Haan?”
*[Yes?]*

Billa came closer, carrying a small spade.

“Kaam kaisa chal raha hai?”
*[How is work going?]*

Ravi splashed water on his face.

“Bas chal raha hai.”
*[It is going.]*

“Health ka kya haal? Bohot thak jaata hoga.”
*[What about health? You must get very tired.]*

Ravi looked at him, surprised by the concern.

“Thak jaata hoon. Raat bhar khada rehna easy nahi hai.”
*[I get tired. Standing all night is not easy.]*

Billa nodded like an elder brother.

“Haan, bhai. Body machine nahi hoti.”
*[Yes, brother. The body is not a machine.]*

Ravi wiped his face with the towel.

For a moment, he looked toward the main house.

“Ghar bhi…” He stopped.

Billa caught it.

“Ghar bhi kya?”
*[What about home?]*

Ravi shook his head.

“Chhodo.”
*[Leave it.]*

Billa lowered his voice.

“Nahi, bol. Main tera dushman thodi hoon.”
*[No, say it. I am not your enemy.]*

Ravi gave a bitter laugh.

“Sab theek nahi chal raha.”
*[Everything is not going well.]*

Billa did not answer quickly.

He let Ravi feel heard.

Then he said:

“Simran se problem?”
*[Problem with Simran?]*

Ravi looked away.

“Pata nahi. Woh alag ho gayi hai. Hamesha busy. Hamesha main house. Main kuch bolun toh main galat.”
*[I don’t know. She has become different. Always busy. Always in the main house. If I say anything, I am wrong.]*

Billa made a sympathetic face.

“Dard hota hai jab apni biwi apni na lage.”
*[It hurts when your own wife doesn’t feel like yours.]*

The sentence struck Ravi.

He did not speak.

Billa leaned against the wall.

“Paise ka pressure bhi hoga.”
*[There must be money pressure too.]*

Ravi laughed without humor.

“Paise? Paise hi toh sabse bada problem hai.”
*[Money? Money is the biggest problem.]*

Billa looked around once, then spoke more softly.

“Kal main dus hazaar jeeta.”
*[Yesterday I won ten thousand.]*

Ravi turned.

“Kya?”
*[What?]*

Billa shrugged like it was nothing.

“Bas luck. Number ka khel hai.”
*[Just luck. A number game.]*

Ravi stared at him.

“Kaunsa number?”
*[What number?]*

Billa smiled.

Not too wide.

Just enough.

“Matka.”

Ravi’s eyes changed.

Interest entered before caution could stop it.

“Illegal hota hai na?”
*[Isn’t that illegal?]*

Billa laughed quietly.

“Delhi mein aadhi cheezein illegal hain, aadhi zaroori. Farq bas itna hai kaun pakda jaata hai.”
*[In Delhi, half the things are illegal, half are necessary. The only difference is who gets caught.]*

Ravi stayed silent.

Billa continued:

“Main tujhe bol nahi raha khel. Bas dekh le. Samajh le. Kabhi luck chal gaya toh ek raat mein salary se zyada paisa.”
*[I am not telling you to play. Just watch. Understand. If luck works, one night can give more than salary.]*

Ravi swallowed.

“Risk?”
*[Risk?]*

“Risk toh doodh ke cans uthane mein bhi hai. Back toot jaaye toh kaun paisa dega?”
*[There is risk even in lifting milk cans. If your back breaks, who will give money?]*

Ravi looked toward the main house again.

Billa followed his gaze.

“Simran ko mat batana.”

Ravi frowned.

“Why?”

“Because woh mujhe pasand nahi karti.”
*[Because she does not like me.]*

Ravi almost smiled.

“Usko lagta hai tu mujhe daaru pilata hai.”
*[She thinks you make me drink.]*

Billa placed a hand on his own chest, acting hurt.

“Main? Arre bhai, main toh hamesha help karta hoon. Job ka connection, market ka kaam, advice… aur badnaam main?”
*[Me? Brother, I always help. Job connection, market work, advice… and I get blamed?]*

Ravi nodded slowly.

“You do help.”

“Then trust me. Aaj before work, chal. Bas dekhna. Ek paisa mat lagana. Agar pasand na aaye toh wapas.”
*[Then trust me. Come today before work. Just watch. Don’t put even one rupee. If you don’t like it, come back.]*

Ravi hesitated.

His tired mind saw only one thing.

Ten thousand.

One night.

Rent.

Respect.

Maybe Simran would look at him differently if he brought money.

Maybe Arvind would stop treating him like a failed man.

Maybe he could stand straight again.

“Simran ko nahi batana,” Billa repeated.

Ravi looked toward the kitchen where Simran was working somewhere inside.

Then he said:

“Main nahi bataunga.”
*[I won’t tell her.]*

Billa smiled.

The hook had touched.

---

## Before Work

That afternoon, Ravi tried to sleep but could not.

Every time he closed his eyes, the number came back.

Ten thousand.

Billa had won ten thousand.

His monthly salary was seven thousand.

Simran worked all day for seven thousand.

Arvind counted their rent in front of them like they were children.

Ten thousand could change things.

Or at least that was how temptation spoke.

It never showed the pit first.

Only the ladder.

At five, Ravi got ready for work earlier than usual.

Simran noticed.

“Today early again?” she asked.
*[Today early again?]*

Ravi did not look at her properly.

“Haan. Farm pe thoda kaam hai.”
*[Yes. There is some work at the farm.]*

She was cutting vegetables.

“Khaya?”

“I’ll eat later.”

She frowned.

“You always say that.”

Ravi became irritated.

“Simran, please. Har baat pe question mat karo.”
*[Simran, please. Don’t question everything.]*

She stopped cutting.

He regretted the tone immediately, but he did not apologize.

The lie had already made him defensive.

Simran looked at him for a moment.

“Theek hai. Jao.”
*[Fine. Go.]*

Ravi picked up his bag.

At the door, he paused.

He almost told her.

Almost.

Then he remembered Billa’s words.

Simran would stop him.

Simran would call him foolish.

Simran would look at him the way Arvind looked at him.

Like a man who could not handle responsibility.

So he left without telling her.

Billa was waiting near the corner lane.

“Chal?”
*[Shall we go?]*

Ravi nodded.

“Bas dekhne.”
*[Only to watch.]*

“Bas dekhne,” Billa agreed.

Both men knew that watching was how many traps began.

---

## The Matka Lane

Billa took Ravi through lanes Ravi had never entered before.

Past a welding shop.

Past a shuttered medical store.

Past a tea stall where men spoke in low voices and stopped when strangers passed.

The lane became narrower.

At the end, behind a paan shop, there was a small room with a half-curtain over the door.

No signboard.

No noise from outside.

Inside, four men sat around a wooden table. A ceiling fan turned lazily. Smoke hung in the air. A small notebook lay open near a steel cash box.

Ravi stopped at the entrance.

Billa placed a hand lightly on his shoulder.

“Relax. Apne log hain.”
*[Relax. They are our people.]*

One man looked up.

He was heavy, dark-skinned, with a thick gold chain and cold eyes. His hair was combed back with oil. Everyone else seemed to speak around him, not over him.

Billa smiled.

“Jagga bhai.”
*[Brother Jagga.]*

The man looked at Ravi.

“Naya hai?”
*[New?]*

“Dost hai. Sirf dekhne laya hoon.”
*[He is a friend. I brought him only to watch.]*

Jagga leaned back.

“Dekhne wale zyada khatarnak hote hain. Pehle dekhte hain, phir sochte hain, phir ghar bechte hain.”
*[People who watch are more dangerous. First they watch, then they think, then they sell their homes.]*

The men laughed.

Ravi did not.

Billa quickly said:

“Seedha aadmi hai. Dairy farm mein kaam karta hai. Paise ki tension hai.”
*[He is a simple man. Works at a dairy farm. Has money pressure.]*

Jagga’s eyes stayed on Ravi.

“Paise ki tension toh sabko hai. Farq yeh hai koi mehnat karta hai, koi number pe bharosa karta hai.”
*[Everyone has money pressure. The difference is, some work hard, some trust numbers.]*

Ravi swallowed.

“I am only watching.”

Jagga smiled slightly.

“Good. Watching is free. Losing is expensive.”
*[Good. Watching is free. Losing is expensive.]*

Billa laughed.

“Jagga bhai darata bohot hai.”
*[Jagga brother scares people a lot.]*

Jagga looked at him.

“Dar zaroori hai. Dar ke bina aadmi limit bhool jaata hai.”
*[Fear is necessary. Without fear, a man forgets his limit.]*

Ravi did not know why, but he liked Jagga immediately.

Not as a good man.

As a strong man.

A man nobody interrupted.

A man who had money on the table and fear in the room.

Ravi wanted that feeling.

Even for one day.

---

## Billa Wins

Billa did not ask Ravi to play.

That was the clever part.

He only played himself.

He spoke to one of the men in a low voice, placed some folded notes on the table, and gave a number.

Ravi watched everything carefully.

He did not fully understand the game.

He only understood the hope in the room.

Men waited like their lives were tied to invisible digits.

One man kept tapping his foot.

Another whispered a prayer.

Another cursed softly under his breath.

After some time, a phone rang.

Everyone became quiet.

The man near the cash box listened, wrote something, then looked up.

Billa grinned before anyone said anything.

“Bola tha,” he whispered.
*[I told you.]*

The man counted money and pushed it toward Billa.

Two thousand.

Ravi stared.

It had happened so quickly.

No milk cans.

No night shift.

No body pain.

No Arvind counting rent.

Just a few notes turning into more notes.

Billa picked up the money and slapped it lightly against his palm.

“Luck,” he said.

Jagga looked at Ravi.

“Dekha?”
*[Saw?]*

Ravi nodded.

His mouth had gone dry.

Jagga leaned forward.

“Abhi jo feeling aa rahi na, uska naam paisa nahi hai. Uska naam lalach hai.”
*[The feeling you are having right now is not called money. It is called greed.]*

Ravi looked embarrassed.

Jagga continued:

“Greed ko control kar sakta hai toh game khel. Greed tujhe control kare toh bhaag ja.”
*[If you can control greed, play. If greed controls you, run away.]*

Billa laughed.

“Jagga bhai lecture bhi free deta hai.”
*[Jagga brother gives lectures for free too.]*

Jagga ignored him.

“What do you need money for?” he asked Ravi.

Ravi hesitated.

“Rent.”

“Wife?”

Ravi looked down.

“Yes.”

Jagga smiled without warmth.

“Wife ke liye aadmi sabse zyada bewakoofi karta hai.”
*[A man does the most foolish things for his wife.]*

Ravi’s face tightened.

“I just want to stand on my feet.”

Jagga looked at him for a long moment.

Then he said:

“Then first learn to stand still.”

The room laughed softly.

But Ravi did not feel insulted.

He felt challenged.

Billa noticed.

Good, he thought.

Ravi was no longer looking at the door.

He was looking at the table.

---

## The First Invitation

When they stepped out, evening had begun turning orange.

The lane smelled of dust, paan, diesel, and fried snacks.

Billa counted his two thousand again.

Ravi watched from the side.

“Lucky day,” Billa said.

Ravi nodded.

“Can someone win more?”

Billa looked at him.

“Much more.”

“Lose more too?”

“Obviously.”

Ravi became quiet.

Billa folded the notes and kept them in his pocket.

“Tu smart khel sakta hai. Small amount. No greed. Bas thoda extra. Rent ka pressure kam.”
*[You can play smart. Small amount. No greed. Just a little extra. Rent pressure reduced.]*

Ravi said nothing.

Billa added:

“Par Simran ko mat batana. Women panic. Woh samjhegi tu barbaad ho gaya.”
*[But don’t tell Simran. Women panic. She will think you are ruined.]*

Ravi looked away.

“She already thinks I am useless.”

Billa’s voice softened.

“Then show her you are not.”

That was the poison.

Not the game.

The sentence.

Show her.

Earn fast.

Become a man again.

Ravi looked back toward the hidden room.

“When next?” he asked.

Billa smiled.

“Kal bhi ho sakta hai.”

Ravi nodded slowly.

“Before work?”

“Before work.”

Ravi took a breath.

“Only small.”

Billa placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Of course. Bas small.”
*[Of course. Only small.]*

But Billa’s smile said something else.

Small is only the first bite.

---

## Back To The Farm

Ravi reached the farm late.

The supervisor shouted at him.

“Time dekha hai?”
*[Have you seen the time?]*

Ravi apologized quickly and lifted the first milk can.

His body complained.

His back hurt.

His arms burned.

But his mind was not at the farm anymore.

It was in the room behind the paan shop.

The table.

The notebook.

The cash box.

Jagga’s gold chain.

Billa’s two thousand.

The sound of money sliding across wood.

For the first time in weeks, Ravi did not feel only tired.

He felt possibility.

Danger often entered poor men like that.

Not with horns.

With hope.

---

## Simran Does Not Know

At the house, Simran worked late.

She prepared dinner.

Cleaned the kitchen.


Arranged Arvind’s tea.

Checked the groceries.


Her body still ached from the previous day, but her mind kept moving between two rooms.

Ravi’s room.

Arvind’s room.

One full of duty.

One full of attention.

She did not know that while she was cleaning rice, Ravi had stepped into another trap.

A trap made of numbers.

A trap that did not smell like alcohol yet.

A trap that promised money before it asked for blood.

That night, when Simran stood near the spice shelf, she touched the vitamin bottle without thinking.

Then she pulled her hand away.

For a second, a doubt returned.

No proper label.

No real name.

Only Daily Support Tablets.

She looked at it.

Then Arvind called from the dining room.

“Simran?”



She turned at once.

“Ji sir?”
*[Yes sir?]*

“Tea?”

She closed the spice shelf.

“Abhi banati hoon.”
*[I’ll make it now.]*

The doubt stayed inside the cupboard.

Beside the haldi.

Beside the salt.

Waiting.

And far away, in a narrow room behind a paan shop, Ravi’s name had quietly been added to another list.


# Chapter 13: The Winning Number

Ravi told himself he would only go once more.

Just once.

Only to understand.

Only to watch.

Only small.

That was how the trap kept its first promise.

It never asked for everything on the first day.

It asked for a little.

A little time.

A little money.

A little secrecy.

Then it waited for the hunger to grow by itself.

---

## Day One: Small Number

The next evening, before work, Ravi met Billa near the corner lane again.

Billa was already waiting, chewing gum, hands in his pockets.

“Aaya hero?”
*[You came, hero?]*

Ravi looked around.

“Bas small.”
*[Only small.]*

Billa smiled.

“Bilkul small. Smart aadmi pehle hawa dekh ke pair rakhta hai.”
*[Absolutely small. A smart man first checks the air before stepping.]*

Ravi did not fully understand the line, but he nodded.

They went through the same narrow lane.

Past the welding shop.

Past the shuttered medical store.

Past the tea stall.

Behind the paan shop, the curtain moved, and the hidden room opened like a mouth.

Jagga was already there.

Gold chain.

Cold eyes.

Notebook.

Cash box.

He looked at Ravi and smiled faintly.

“Watcher became player?”
*[Watcher became player?]*

Ravi looked down.

“Thoda sa.”
*[A little.]*

Jagga leaned back.

“Thoda sa poison bhi poison hota hai.”
*[A little poison is still poison.]*

The men laughed.

Ravi forced a smile.

Billa placed a small amount for him. Ravi’s fingers were nervous when he handed over the money.

The room waited.

Numbers were spoken.

Notes moved.

A phone rang.

A man wrote something in the notebook.

Ravi’s number came close but did not win.

He lost.

Not much.

Small.

But still loss.

His face tightened.

Billa clapped his shoulder.

“First day hai. Game samajh.”
*[It is the first day. Understand the game.]*

Ravi nodded.

But inside, he had already made a decision.

Tomorrow he would try again.

Not because he had lost.

Because he had almost won.

Almost is the gambling man’s first ghost.

---

## Day Two: First Win

The next day, Ravi returned.

This time he placed a little more.

Not much.

Still small enough to tell himself he was careful.

Billa stood beside him like an elder brother.

“Dar mat. Number feeling se aata hai.”
*[Don’t fear. The number comes from feeling.]*

Jagga heard and laughed.

“Feeling se sirf barbaadi aati hai. Number paper pe aata hai.”
*[Only ruin comes from feeling. Numbers come on paper.]*

Ravi smiled nervously.

The men waited.

The phone rang.

The notebook man wrote.

Then Billa’s eyes widened.

“Ravi bhai,” he whispered, “tera lag gaya.”
*[Ravi brother, yours hit.]*

Ravi stared.

“What?”

The cash box opened.

Money came toward him.

Not a fortune.

But enough.

More than one night of lifting milk cans.

More than his tired body had expected.

Ravi held the notes like they were proof.

Proof that maybe he was not useless.

Proof that luck could respect him when people did not.

Billa grinned.

“Bola tha na? Luck ko chance dena padta hai.”
*[I told you, right? You have to give luck a chance.]*

Ravi smiled for the first time in days.

A real smile.

Jagga watched him carefully.

“Smile sambhal ke rakh,” Jagga said. “Kal yahi smile ro bhi sakti hai.”
*[Keep that smile carefully. Tomorrow the same smile can cry too.]*

Ravi did not listen.

Winning makes warnings sound like jealousy.

---

## The First Drink

That night, instead of going straight to work, Billa took Ravi to a small drinking place behind the main road.

“Celebration,” Billa said.

Ravi hesitated.

“I told Simran I stopped.”

Billa ordered two glasses anyway.

“Tu har din peeta tha. Aaj jeeta hai. Difference samajh.”
*[You used to drink every day. Today you won. Understand the difference.]*

Ravi looked at the money in his pocket.

He should have saved it.

He should have taken vegetables home.

He should have given it to Simran.

Instead, he sat down.

“One only,” he said.

Billa smiled.

“One only.”

By the time Ravi reached the farm, the winning money had already become smaller.

Some lost to drink.

Some to food.

Some to pride.

But Ravi did not feel guilty.

He felt alive.

---

## Day Four: Luck Walks Beside Him

For the next few days, luck stayed close enough to fool him.

One day he won small.

The next day he lost small, then won it back.

Then he won more.

Not huge.

But enough to keep the fire burning.

Each win made him stand straighter.

Each loss made him return with more hunger.

Billa watched quietly.

He did not push too much.

That was the art.

Let the fish pull the hook deeper by itself.

One evening, Ravi entered the hidden room more confidently.

Jagga looked at him.

“Ab toh purana aadmi lag raha hai.”
*[Now you look like an old player.]*

Ravi smiled.

“Thoda seekh gaya.”
*[I have learned a little.]*

Jagga’s eyes sharpened.

“Game seekha ya greed?”
*[Did you learn the game or greed?]*

Billa laughed.

“Jagga bhai, aap har baat mein philosophy daal dete ho.”
*[Jagga brother, you put philosophy in everything.]*

Jagga ignored Billa.

He looked only at Ravi.

“Jo aadmi do din jeet ke khud ko master samajhta hai, woh teesre din udhar maangta hai.”
*[The man who wins for two days and thinks he is a master asks for credit on the third day.]*

Ravi’s smile faded.

“I am careful.”

Jagga nodded.

“Good. Careful aadmi kabhi yeh line nahi bolta.”
*[Good. A careful man never says that line.]*

The room laughed again.

Ravi laughed too, but something in him tightened.

He wanted to prove Jagga wrong.

That was the second hook.

---

## Simran’s Days

While Ravi chased numbers, Simran chased time.

Her days had become a circle.

Wake before sunrise.

Tea for Ravi.

Food for Ravi.

Main house.

Tea for Arvind.

Breakfast.

Cleaning.

Lunch.

Laundry.

Study work.

Evening snacks.

Dinner.

Then oil bottle.

Massage.

Extra work.

Sometimes Arvind spoke kindly.

Sometimes he gave money.

Sometimes he only watched her with the patience of a man counting invisible steps.

Simran did not know about Ravi’s gambling.

She only noticed small things.

Ravi leaving earlier.

Ravi coming home more restless.

Ravi sometimes smiling to himself.

Ravi sometimes smelling of alcohol again, but calling it “work tiredness.”

One morning, she asked:

“Ravi, tum farm pe hi jaate ho na?”
*[Ravi, you do go to the farm only, right?]*

Ravi looked up sharply.

“What do you mean?”

“Bas poochha.”
*[I just asked.]*

“Tumhe har cheez mein doubt kyun hota hai?”
*[Why do you doubt everything?]*

Simran became quiet.

He regretted snapping, but not enough to tell the truth.

The secret stayed safe.

And secrets, once kept, need more secrets to protect them.

---

## Arvind Notices

Arvind noticed Ravi too.

He noticed the early exits.

The changing mood.

The nervous eyes.

One afternoon, he called Billa near the side gate.

“Ravi?” Arvind asked.

Billa smiled.

“Number room jaa raha hai roz.”
*[He is going to the number room every day.]*

“Playing?”

“Pehle small. Ab thoda confidence aa gaya.”

“Winning?”

“Thoda thoda. Aur jo jeetta hai, usi se drink bhi kar leta hai.”
*[A little. And whatever he wins, he drinks with it too.]*

Arvind looked toward the outside room.

“Good.”

Billa grinned.

“Ab phas jayega.”
*[Now he will get trapped.]*

Arvind’s eyes stayed calm.

“Not yet. Winning is not trapping. Losing is.”

Billa nodded slowly.

“Samajh gaya.”

“No,” Arvind said. “You don’t. Make sure he gets enough taste to believe. Then let the floor move.”

Billa’s grin returned.

“Jagga bhai ko bol doon?”

Arvind looked at him.

“Jagga knows business. He does not need teaching.”

Billa lowered his eyes.

“Yes sir.”

Arvind turned back toward the house.

Inside, Simran was cleaning the dining table.

She had no idea that while one trap was wrapping around her softly, another was opening under Ravi’s feet.

That was the beauty of Arvind’s plan.

Two people.

Two cages.

Different doors.

Same house.

---

## The Ten Thousand Win

It happened on a Thursday.

Ravi had gone before work, telling Simran the farm had called him early again.

This time he placed more money than usual.

His hand shook slightly.

Billa saw it.

“Dar raha?”
*[Are you scared?]*

“Bas… this is more.”

“More risk, more result.”

Jagga looked from behind the table.

“Or more loss.”

Ravi ignored him.

The room waited.

The fan turned slowly.

One man whispered numbers under his breath.

Another smoked near the window.

The phone rang.

The notebook man answered.

Listened.

Wrote.

Then looked at Ravi.

Billa slapped Ravi’s shoulder.

“Lag gaya!”
*[It hit!]*

Ravi stood still.

For a second, he did not understand.

Then the cash box opened.

Notes came out.

More than before.

Much more.

Ten thousand.

Ravi stared at the money.

Ten thousand rupees.

Rent money.

Respect money.

Proof money.

His hands closed around it.

The room changed.

He was no longer Ravi the tired dairy worker.

He was Ravi who had won ten thousand.

Billa lifted his arms.

“Hero!”

Ravi laughed.

Loud.

Too loud.

Jagga watched him with a cold smile.

“Ab master ban gaya?”
*[Now you became a master?]*

Ravi looked at the money.

“Maybe.”

Jagga leaned forward.

“Remember this feeling. This is the feeling people chase until they lose their name.”

Ravi did not care.

His mind had already become bright with plans.

He would not tell Simran yet.

First he would win more.

Then one day he would place money in front of her and say:

See?

I can manage.

I am not weak.

That night, he drank with Billa.

Not small.

Not one glass.

He spent from the winning money because it did not feel like salary.

Salary felt earned.

This felt created.

Magic money.

And magic money disappears faster.

---

## The Fall

The next day, Ravi went back.

He should have stopped.

He should have saved the ten thousand.

He should have paid rent early.

He should have hidden the money somewhere safe.

Instead, he went back to prove the win was not luck.

That was the third hook.

He placed the same amount again.

His logic was simple.

If it happened yesterday, it could happen today.

If he won once, he could win again.

If he won again, ten would become twenty.

Twenty would change everything.

Jagga looked at the notes.

“Sure?”

Ravi nodded.

“Sure.”

Billa stood beside him, but quieter today.

The room waited.

The phone rang.

The notebook man wrote.

Ravi’s number did not come.

The money disappeared.

Just like that.

No milk cans.

No sweat.

No argument.

No sound.

Ten thousand gone.

Ravi stared at the table.

His mouth went dry.

Billa placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Bad luck.”

Ravi shook his head.

“One more.”

Jagga looked at him.

“With what?”

Ravi swallowed.

“Udhar.”
*[Credit.]*

The room became quiet.

Jagga leaned back.

“Ab asli game shuru hua.”
*[Now the real game has started.]*

Ravi’s face tightened.

“I’ll return. Salary aayegi.”

“When?”

Ravi hesitated.

“Three weeks.”

Jagga laughed once.

“Three weeks mein aadmi gaayab bhi ho sakta hai.”
*[A man can disappear in three weeks.]*

“I won’t.”

Billa spoke softly:

“Jagga bhai, apna aadmi hai.”
*[Jagga brother, he is our man.]*

Jagga looked at Billa.

“Apna aadmi paise se hota hai. Baaton se nahi.”
*[A man becomes ours through money, not words.]*

Ravi felt sweat on his back.

“Just ten. I will win it back.”

Jagga stared at him for a long moment.

Then he nodded to the cash box man.

Ten thousand on credit.

Ravi played again.

And lost again.

This time, silence did not feel empty.

It felt like a hand around his throat.

Jagga closed the notebook.

“Ten thousand owed.”

Ravi’s voice came out thin.

“I’ll pay.”

“Ten days,” Jagga said.

Ravi looked up.

“Ten days? Salary after three weeks.”

Jagga’s eyes hardened.

“That is your problem. Not mine.”

Billa did not speak.

Ravi looked at him.

“Billa…”

Billa avoided his eyes.

Jagga tapped the notebook.

“Ten days. After that, reminder will come.”

The word reminder did not sound like a phone call.

Ravi understood.

Fear finally entered.

Too late.

---

## Billa Steps Back

Outside the lane, Ravi grabbed Billa’s arm.

“You said small. You said smart. You said luck.”

Billa pulled his arm away.

“Tu khud khela.”
*[You played yourself.]*

“You took me there.”

“I took you to watch.”

Ravi stared at him.

“Help me. Please. Ten thousand. I’ll return when salary comes.”

Billa laughed bitterly.

“Main khud kal sab haar gaya.”
*[I myself lost everything yesterday.]*

“You said you had savings.”

“Tha. Gaya.”
*[I had. Gone.]*

Ravi’s face fell.

Billa looked around, then lowered his voice.

“Listen. Jagga se panga mat lena. Ten days mein arrange kar. Salary advance le.”

“I can’t. Already took advance before. This time if I ask, farm owner will throw me out.”

“Then ask Arvind sir.”

Ravi’s face tightened at once.

“No.”

Billa watched him carefully.

“Pride rakhega ya body?”
*[Will you keep pride or your body?]*

Ravi said nothing.

Billa stepped back.

“Main help nahi kar sakta. Aur Simran ko mat batana. Woh seedha drama karegi.”
*[I can’t help. And don’t tell Simran. She will create drama immediately.]*

Ravi’s breathing became heavy.

Ten days.

Ten thousand.

No salary for three weeks.

No advance.

No help.

No truth.

He had entered the room behind the paan shop to become a man.

He left it owing money to men who did not smile with their eyes.

---

## Days Of Hiding

The next ten days began.

Day one, Ravi barely slept.

He returned from work, lay on the bed, and stared at the wall.

Simran placed tea near him.

“Tabiyat kharab hai?”
*[Are you unwell?]*

“Bas tired.”

She looked at him.

“Tum ajeeb lag rahe ho.”

“Raat ka kaam hai. Ajeeb hi lagunga.”
*[It is night work. I will look strange.]*

She did not push.

She had her own exhaustion.

Main house.

Cooking.

Cleaning.

Arvind.

Oil bottle.

Soft words.

Secret guilt.

By evening, she was gone again.

Ravi watched her leave.

He wanted to tell her.

But if he told her, she would ask where the money went.

She would ask why he went there.

She would ask why Billa was involved.

She would look at him with that tired disappointment.

He could not bear it.

So he stayed silent.

Silence, once again, became the third person in their room.

---

## Day Three

On the third day, Billa came near Ravi while he washed his face.

“Arrange hua?”
*[Did you arrange it?]*

Ravi glared.

“From where?”

“Think.”

“I am thinking.”

“Think faster.”

Ravi grabbed the towel too tightly.

“Can you talk to Jagga?”

Billa shook his head.

“No. Ten days means ten days. Uske baad interest, pressure, insult, sab start.”
*[After that interest, pressure, insult, everything starts.]*

Ravi’s face turned pale.

“Interest?”

Billa looked away.

“You thought debt stays the same?”

Ravi leaned against the wall.

The ground felt loose.

From inside the kitchen, Simran called:

“Ravi, chai thandi ho rahi hai.”
*[Ravi, tea is getting cold.]*

Billa smiled faintly.

“Biwi ko kuch pata nahi?”

Ravi’s jaw tightened.

“Nahi.”

“Good. Keep it that way.”

Billa walked away.

Ravi picked up the tea.

His hands shook.

Simran noticed.

“Ravi?”

“Cup garam hai,” he lied.

The tea was not hot.

---

## Simran’s Parallel Life

Simran did not know Ravi was drowning.

She only saw the surface.

He was quiet.

Irritated.

Tired.

Sometimes too gentle.

Sometimes too sharp.

But she had stopped trying to understand every mood.

A person can only knock on a closed door so many times before their knuckles learn silence.

Her own life had become strange too.

At night, she went to Arvind’s room.

Sometimes for massage.

Sometimes for “extra help.”

Sometimes just because Arvind said he had back pain and she no longer waited to be called twice.

The scenes stayed quiet.

Non-graphic.

Emotional.

Complicated.

She told herself she was choosing.

She told herself she was happier.

She told herself Ravi had pushed her away first.

Arvind never corrected these thoughts.

He watered them.

One night, while she pressed his shoulder, he asked:

“You look distracted.”

“Ravi ajeeb behave kar raha hai.”
*[Ravi is behaving strangely.]*

“Again?”

“Haan. Kabhi gussa, kabhi chup.”
*[Yes. Sometimes angry, sometimes silent.]*

Arvind kept his voice calm.

“Maybe he is hiding something.”

Simran’s hands stopped.

“What?”

“I don’t know. I am only saying, people who feel guilty become restless.”

She looked toward the floor.

“Guilty?”

Arvind turned his face slightly.

“Do you trust him?”

Simran did not answer.

Arvind did not ask again.

He did not need to.

The question itself was enough.

---

## Day Six

On day six, Ravi tried to ask the farm supervisor for advance.

He stood near the loading area after shift, hands blackened with dirt and milk residue.

“Sir… thoda advance mil sakta hai?”
*[Sir… can I get a little advance?]*

The supervisor looked at him sharply.

“Again?”

Ravi lowered his eyes.

“Emergency hai.”
*[There is an emergency.]*

“Pichli baar bhi emergency thi.”
*[Last time also there was an emergency.]*

“I’ll manage.”

The supervisor stepped closer.

“Listen, Ravi. You are already slow. Late bhi aaya tha pichle week. Advance chahiye toh kaam strong hona chahiye. Yahan charity nahi chalti.”
*[Listen, Ravi. You are already slow. You were late last week too. If you want advance, your work has to be strong. This is not charity.]*

Ravi swallowed.

“So no?”

“No. Salary three weeks later. Usse pehle mat poochna.”
*[No. Salary is three weeks later. Don’t ask before that.]*

Ravi walked away with his face burning.

Three weeks.

Jagga gave ten days.

The numbers did not fit.

Nothing in Ravi’s life fit anymore.

---

## Arvind’s Plan Continues

That afternoon, Billa reported everything to Arvind.

They stood near the side wall again.

“Ravi ne advance maanga. Mila nahi.”
*[Ravi asked for advance. He did not get it.]*

Arvind nodded.

“Debt?”

“Ten thousand. Ten days. Ab six days baaki.”
*[Ten thousand. Ten days. Now six days left.]*

“Good.”

Billa smiled.

“Ab woh khud aapke paas aayega?”
*[Now he will come to you himself?]*

Arvind looked toward the outside room.

“Maybe. Or he will break somewhere else first.”

“Simran ko pata nahi.”

“Keep it that way.”

Billa scratched his chin.

“Sir, agar Ravi ne bata diya toh?”

Arvind smiled faintly.

“He won’t. Shame is a stronger lock than fear.”

Billa nodded, impressed.

“And Simran?”

Arvind’s eyes moved toward the kitchen.

“She is busy believing she is happy.”

Billa grinned.

“Plan perfect hai.”

Arvind’s face hardened.

“No plan is perfect. That is why we watch.”

---

## Day Eight

On day eight, Ravi snapped at Simran over nothing.

She had placed food in front of him.

He looked at the sabzi and said:

“Salt zyada hai.”

Simran stared.

“Itna bhi nahi.”

“Main bol raha hoon zyada hai.”

She picked up the plate.

“Mat khao.”

He grabbed her wrist, not hard, but sudden.

She froze.

He let go immediately.

Both looked at her wrist.

A memory moved between them.

The slap.

The fear.

The mark.

Ravi’s face broke.

“Sorry.”

Simran pulled her hand back slowly.

“What is wrong with you?”
*[Tumhare saath problem kya hai?]*

Ravi almost said it.

Ten thousand.

Jagga.

Billa.

Debt.

Fear.

But the words became stones in his throat.

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?” she said, tired. “Everything is nothing with you.”

She left the room.

Ravi sat there alone, staring at the plate.

He hated himself.

Then he hated the debt.

Then he hated Billa.

Then, because it was easiest, he hated Arvind.

But none of those feelings made ten thousand appear.

---

## Day Ten Nears

By the ninth day, Ravi had stopped sleeping properly.

His eyes looked hollow.

His hands shook when he tied his shoelaces.

The farm work became harder because fear had stolen his strength.

Billa found him near the side gate.

“Tomorrow last day.”

Ravi glared at him.

“I know.”

“Arrange?”

“No.”

Billa sighed.

“Then talk to Arvind sir.”

Ravi looked toward the big house.

“No.”

“Then Jagga will talk.”

Ravi’s face went pale.

Billa lowered his voice.

“Listen, Ravi. I am saying as friend. Before Jagga sends someone, go to Arvind sir. Better insult from sahib than beating from street.”
*[Listen, Ravi. I am saying as a friend. Before Jagga sends someone, go to Arvind sir. Better insult from a rich man than beating from the street.]*

Ravi clenched his jaw.

“You are not my friend.”

Billa smiled sadly, acting hurt.

“Maybe. But I was right about one thing.”

“What?”

“Paise ke bina aadmi ki biwi bhi door ho jaati hai.”
*[Without money, even a man’s wife becomes distant.]*

Ravi stepped closer.

“Shut up.”

Billa lifted both hands.

“Truth hurts.”

Ravi walked away before he did something foolish.

But the sentence followed him.

Like all of Billa’s sentences did.

---

## Simran Still Does Not Know

That night, Simran stood in Arvind’s room, folding a towel after the massage.

“You are quiet,” Arvind said.

She nodded.

“Ravi se fight ho gayi.”

“What happened?”

“He is hiding something. I can feel it.”

Arvind looked at her carefully.

“Then ask him.”

“I did. He says nothing.”

“Then maybe he does not trust you.”

The line hurt.

Simran looked up.

“I left everything for him.”

Arvind’s voice became very soft.

“Sometimes people take the biggest sacrifices and still do not value the person who made them.”

Her eyes filled, but she blinked quickly.

“I don’t want to cry.”

“Then don’t.”

“I am tired.”

“I know.”

Again.

I know.

The same two words.

Still working.

Simran sat on the edge of the chair for a moment, head lowered.

Arvind did not touch her.

He only waited.

And waiting, from him, felt like care.

When she left, he walked to the window and looked toward the outside room.

Ravi was somewhere in the dark, owing money.

Simran was somewhere between guilt and comfort.

Billa was watching both.

The house breathed quietly.

Everything was on track.

---

## The Last Night Before Payment

Ravi returned from the farm before sunrise on the tenth day.

He did not enter the room immediately.

He stood outside under the dull grey sky, looking at the main house.

Arvind’s window was dark.

The gate was closed.

The garden was still.

Ten thousand.

Today.

His chest felt tight.

He could not ask Simran.

He could not ask the farm.

Billa had refused.

Jagga would not wait.

And Arvind…

Ravi looked at the big house again.

His pride fought his fear.

Fear won slowly.

Inside the outside room, Simran slept, turned away, her face peaceful for once.

Ravi looked at her.

For a moment, he wanted to kneel beside the bed and tell her everything.

But then he imagined her eyes.

Disappointment.

Anger.

Maybe disgust.

He stepped back.

“No,” he whispered.

He would handle it.

Somehow.

That word again.

Somehow.

It had carried them to Delhi.

It had carried them into Arvind’s house.

Now it carried Ravi toward another door.

A worse one.

By afternoon, the decision had already begun forming inside him.

He would ask Arvind.

Not as a man asking for help.

As a man surrendering another piece of himself.

And somewhere nearby, unseen, the trap waited with its mouth open.