Sahasra went away from the canteen straight to her classroom, her face completely calm, hiding the storm inside her chest. Maha followed her closely, her eyes wide with excitement.

"Em kottave vadini! Asalu super nuvvu... inka nee joliki raadu vadu!" Maha said, completely cheering for her mass avatar.

(What a slap you gave him! You were just superb... he will never come near you again!)

Sahasra just gave a small smile to her, a faint, fleeting movement of her lips that didn't reach her eyes at all, and continued opening the books on her desk. Maha observed something was deeply off in Sahasra. The typical bubbly, high-voltage energy was completely missing, but she didn't ask her anything further, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable in the middle of the class.

Meanwhile, in his private cabin, Aryansh sat in his seat and was trying to make his official undercover work. He opened his files, but he just couldn't concentrate on a single clue. Every time he closed his eyes or looked at the screen, Sahasra was getting into his thoughts. Her swollen eyes, her puffy face, and the ferocious way she had slapped those rowdy seniors kept playing in a loop inside his head. He let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his hair, completely feeling the torture of his own silence.

It was evening when the college bell finally rang. Sahasra and Maha walked out of the main building and stood there near the grand entrance gate, waiting for Rudransh to pick them up.

Within a few minutes, Rudransh and Aryansh came at the same time. The timing was pure, high-voltage dramatic coincidence. Rudransh came in his police car, stopping on one side of the gate, while Aryansh was opposite to him, stopping right on the other side on his heavy bike.

Maha smiled brightly looking at Rudransh, her eyes lighting up. She rushed towards the car fastly. Rudransh saw Aryansh stopping his bike across the road. Naturally, Rudransh thought his little sister would go with Aryansh, as she always runs to Aryansh the very second she hears his engine.

Sahasra listened to the familiar bike sound perfectly. Her heart clenched violently inside her chest, but she didn't even look at him. She didn't lift her head even a single millimeter.

Maintaining a completely stone-cold face, she slowly went towards her brother's vehicle, opened the rear door, and sat silently inside the car.

Aryansh didn't even move his eyes from her for a single second. His dark, longing gaze was completely locked on her shifting silhouette until she sat on the car and closed the door.

Rudransh observed everything from the driver's seat—how she quietly walked past Aryansh, how she completely ignored his presence, and how she sat on the car without even looking at him a single time.

Rudransh slowly turned his head and looked at Aryansh. Across the narrow road, Aryansh's intense eyes met Rudransh's sharp police gaze.

The heavy silence between the two men was crackling with tension. Rudransh, with his deep brotherly and tactical instincts, instantly understood something major and devastating had happened between them yesterday night.

Rudransh nodded his head slowly at him, a silent question in his eyes. Aryansh didn't say anything in return his face just turned rigid. He just started his bike engine and went away from there fastly, disappearing into the evening traffic.

Maha and Rudransh looked at each other through the mirror, a heavy worry settling in the air, and they also went away from there to home.

All through the drive back to the Ramineni enclave, Sahasra—who usually talks a lot, sharing every single little detail about her friends and lectures—didn't even say a single thing. She just stared blankly out of the window, completely lost in her own painful world.

They reached the house and stopped in the driveway. Sahasra silently got down from the backseat and went inside the house like a quiet shadow, not waiting for anyone.

Rudransh and Maha stepped out of the front seats and looked at each other with deeply worried faces.

"College lo kuda ilane behave chesthundha, Maha?" Rudransh asked, his voice low and serious.

(Is she behaving like this in the college too?)

"Haa bava... chala quiet ga undhi. Ippati varaku nenu assalu choodaledhu Sahasra intha quiet ga undatam." she said, sharing her worry.

(Yes Bava... she is very quiet. Until now I have never seen Sahasra being this quiet.)

Rudransh nodded his head grimly, his jaw clenching. "Ok, you go inside," Rudransh said gently to Maha.

He directly went inside the house and walked up the stairs, heading towards Sahasra's room. He stood outside her door for a minute and heard the soft sound of the lock clicking shut. He looked at the closed wooden barrier, realizing she wanted to be entirely alone.

He let out a heavy sigh, running a hand over his face, and went inside his own room. He dropped his car keys on the table, his mind completely made up. He decided to talk with Aryansh directly instead of asking Sahasra.

He knew exactly how stubborn his little sister is even if he pushed her or asked her a thousand times, she wouldn't share a single thing with him if she had decided to lock it inside. If he wanted the real truth behind her puffy eyes, he had to confront the professor directly.

Devansh was busy working on his desk when Maha entered his room. The moment he saw her, a teasing smile broke across his face, and he called her, "Eyy, kothi!"

(Hey, monkey!)

She saw her brother had come and smiled brightly, all her exhaustion vanishing. "Eppudu vacchav ra, annaya?" she asked, walking closer to his table.

(When did you come, brother?)

"Afternoon-ae," Devansh replied casually, leaning back in his chair. Then, his eyes scanned the doorway, and he raised an eyebrow. "Edhi... inko kothi?"

(In the afternoon only... where is the other monkey?)

Maha understood instantly that the 'another kothi' her brother was asking about was none other than Sahasra. The moment her name was mentioned, the bright smile completely erased from Maha's face.

Devansh sharply observed the sudden shift in her face, his police instincts kicking in. "Em ayyindhi?" he asked, his voice turning serious.

(What happened?)

"Em ayyindho thelidhu, annaya... Sahasra chala quiet ga undhi eeroju antha," Maha said, her voice dropping into a deeply worried whisper. "Monna Aryansh annaya ki propose chestha ani cheppindhi. Em ayyindho thelidhu appati nundi chala quiet and dull ga untundhi. Em ayyindhi ani adigithe em cheppatledhu assalu."

(I don't know what happened, brother... Sahasra has been very quiet all day today. The day before yesterday, she said she would propose to Aryansh. I don't know what happened, but since then she has been very quiet and dull. When I ask her what happened, she doesn't say anything at all.)

Devansh listened to her words intently, his eyes narrowing. Aryansh and Sahasra... he knew their dynamic, and if Sahasra was this quiet, something had gone terribly wrong. He nodded reassuringly to his sister. "Ok, nenu matladatha le," Devansh said firmly.

(Okay, I will talk to her.)

Maha smiled, feeling a massive weight lift from her shoulders. "Vellu, fresh ayyi emina thinu," he said affectionately, ruffling her hair. She nodded obediently and went towards her room to change.

Devansh made a mental note that he absolutely needed to talk with Sahasra immediately. He closed his laptop with a sharp click, stood up, and started going towards Sahasra’s section of the grand Ramineni house.

It was dark outside, and the quiet night had just begun as Devansh crossed the courtyard. As he reached the entrance of their house, he saw Arun sitting on the veranda.

Arun looked up, and a warm, mock-angry expression came over his face. "Entra... pelli ayyaka assalu kanapadatam manesav!" Arun scolded playfully.

(What is this, fellow... after marriage you've completely stopped showing your face!)

Devansh laughed heartily, walking up to him. "Mavayya, ala antav enti? Naku nuvvu ante entha ishtamo thelusu kadha!" Devansh said smoothly, sitting down right beside him.

(Uncle, why do you say that? You know very well how much I love you, right!)

Arun smiled proudly, patting his shoulder. From their very childhood, Devansh and Arun shared a deeply special bond. Every single time Devansh made a sneak-out from the house or got caught red-handed doing some mischief by Vikram, Arun was the only one who stood like a shield and saved him from his father's anger.

They talked and laughed about a few things for a couple of minutes, sharing a warm moment.

After a while, Devansh stood up, adjusting his shirt. "Ok, mavayya... Sahasra tho matladi vastha," he said.

(Okay uncle... I'll go talk to Sahasra and come back.

Arun nodded, thinking it was just their usual sibling banter.

Devansh went towards the indoor stairs and walked up to her room. He saw the heavy wooden door was closed. He knocked on the door firmly, but there was absolutely no response from inside. Frowning, he pushed the door slowly, and to his surprise, it shifted open easily as it was not locked.

"Sahasra..." he called out, stepping inside.

But the room was completely empty and dark. Devansh looked around, and a thought struck him. He knew her habits inside out; if she was upset, she wouldn't stay boxed up in her room. He guessed that maybe she was upstairs on the open terrace.

He slowly went towards the terrace stairs, his steps silent. The moment he stepped onto the open roof, he spotted her silhouette. Sahasra stood near the edge of the wall, looking at the dark direction of the compound calmly, like she was just completely lost in a deep, heavy thought.

He walked up behind her quietly and slowly tapped on her head, breaking the silence.

Sahasra jolted slightly and looked at Devansh. She forced a pale, quiet smile onto her face. "Eppudu vacchav, bava?" she asked softly.

(When did you come, Bava?)

Devansh froze, staring at her in absolute disbelief. Before this, whenever he so much as tapped or slapped on her hair, she used to violently run back of him to hit him, screaming and chasing him all over the place until he begged for mercy. But this time, she didn't even say a single thing. She just stood there, lifeless.

Devansh looked at her changing behavior, his heart aching for his favorite childhood friend. He turned his head and looked at the dark sky she was staring at, then looked back at her pale face.

"Em ayyindhi?" he asked, his voice dropping all teasing, becoming completely serious.

(What happened?)

Sahasra looked away from him, her fingers gripping her dupatta tightly as she forced another fake smile. "Em ayyindhi... em kaledhu bava," she said, her voice trembling.

(What happened... nothing happened, Bava.)

Devansh turned her around by her shoulders, forcing her to face him directly. "Em ayyindhi, Sahasra?" he asked again, his voice filled with an unyielding brotherly authority.

"You know, in our childhood... nuvvu eppudu neeku elanti situation vacchina, evariki cheppe dhanivi kadhu. Direct ga na dhaggara ki vacchi cheppe dhanivi. You trusted me that much. Didn't you trust me now? Em ayyindhi?"

(You know, in our childhood... no matter what kind of situation you faced, you never told anyone else. You used to come directly to me and tell me. You trusted me that much. Don't you trust me now? What happened?)

Hearing his deeply emotional words and remembering their golden childhood days, the heavy dam of control inside Sahasra’s chest broke completely into pieces. Her eyes watered instantly, large, heavy tears spilling over her eyelashes.

With a broken sob, she threw herself forward and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his shoulder.

Devansh and Sahasra shared an incredibly deep, unbreakable friendship from childhood. They fought like cats and dogs, but they would cross any limit to help each other. Feeling her shake against his chest, Devansh wrapped his arms around her protectively.

Sahasra cried out loud, agonizing hiccups coming from her throat, gasping high and hard for breath as the entire night's bottled-up pain poured out.

"Sahasra..." Devansh called softly, his heart twisting at her state. He gently pulled her back by her shoulders and wiped her face. "Ila choodu... edvaku choodu."

(Look here... don't cry, look at me.)

He slowly made her sit down on the small cement bench on the terrace, kneeling right in front of her. "Cheppu, em ayyindhi? College lo evarina emina annara?" he asked, his fists clenching, ready to go thrash whoever made her cry.

(Tell me, what happened? Did anyone say anything to you at college?)

Sahasra shook her head sideways, swallowing a hard lump in her throat. Slowly, in a small, breaking whisper, she said, "Aryansh ki propose chesa..."

(I proposed to Aryansh...)

Devansh looked at her interestingly, his eyes widening slightly. "Reject chesadu," she said, a violent hiccup cutting through her crying.

"Inka?" Devansh asked quietly, sensing there was more to her trauma.

(And?)

"Naku siggu ledhu annadu... nenu icchina letter chimpesadu..." she spilled out, sobbing miserably, her nose turning completely bright red as she detailed how Aryansh had thrown the torn paper on her face and crushed her flower.

(He asked me if I have any shame... he tore the letter I gave him...)

Sahasra sat there, hiccuping and crying, waiting for Devansh to burst out in anger or offer some heavy words of comfort. But when she didn't get any response from him for a few seconds, she slowly looked up through her tear-filled eyes to see his expression.

The moment she looked at his face, her sadness vanished, and pure, roaring anger rose straight to her brain.

Devansh was sitting there with his face completely twisted, biting his lips, his shoulders shaking violently as he was stopping his laugh and controlling his laughter trailing hardly. He looked like he was about to explode with amusement.

Sahasra stood up from the cement bench fastly, her jaw dropping as she glared at him. "Nee...!" she growled, stomping her foot.

Seeing her fierce expression, Devansh couldn't hold it in for even a single second more. He laughed out loud—a booming, hilarious roar that echoed across the terrace—and immediately jumped backward, running away from her to save his life.

"Nee... aagara!" Sahasra screamed at the top of her lungs, completely turning into her old, ferocious avatar as she ran back of him to hit him.

(You... stop right there!)

"Navvuthunnav entra na badha cheppukunte?!" she shouted in pure annoyance, chasing him around the terrace pillars, her tears drying up instantly under her fiery irritation.

(Are you laughing at me when I am telling you about my pain, you fellow?!)

Devansh kept laughing hysterically, dodging her swings effortlessly as he ran. "Sorry... sorry! But I just imagined Aryansh tearing a love letter with a serious face! It's too funny, Sahasra!" he yelled back, sprinting across the open roof.

They ran on the terrace in circular loops, shouting and dodging, until Sahasra completely forgot about the massive, suffocating problem that had been crushing her since last night. The physical chase completely flushed the darkness out of her system.

Finally, Sahasra stopped near a large concrete pillar, gripping it as she took deep, heavy breaths, her chest heaving. Devansh also stopped at a little distance, leaning his hands on his knees, panting and chuckling softly.

They looked at each other's messy hair and exhausted faces, and suddenly, both of them burst into loud, genuine laughter together, the sound clearing the heavy tension of the night air.

"Idiot!" she said, pouting and wiping the sweat from her forehead.

Devansh smiled warmly, walking up to her and standing beside her near the wall. "So... andhuke dull ga untunnav anmata," he asked, his voice returning to a gentle, brotherly tone.

(So... that's why you've been so dull.)

Sahasra nodded her head slowly, her face again turning slightly sad as the reality crept back.

"Hmm..."

Devansh crossed his arms, a clever, sharp glint returning to his eyes. "Sare... vadu reject chesadu. Alane vadhilesthava?"

(Okay... he rejected you. Are you just going to leave it like that?)

"Mari... kukkala venakala padamantava, bava?" Sahasra said sadly, looking down at her shoes.

(Then... do you want me to follow him around like a dog, Bava?)

"No! Absolutely not," Devansh said firmly, his voice cutting through her low confidence. "Nee value ento vadiki thelisela cheyyali. First ayithe... ila sad ga undatam maney!" he said, reaching out and playfully ruffling her hair until she swatted his hand away.

(You have to make him realize your true value. First of all... stop being so sad!)

She looked up at his confident face, a spark of hope lighting up her eyes for the first time. "Value thelisela cheyyala? Ela?" she asked urgently.(Make him realize my value? How?)

"Nenu cheptha ga!" Devansh smirked smoothly.

(I will tell you how!)

Leaning closer to the pillar, Devansh opened his brilliant, mischievous brain and explained a detailed, foolproof master plan to her. He told her exactly how to ignore Aryansh, how to change her behavior at college, and how to make the strict professor burn with absolute jealousy and regret until he came crawling back to her.

Sahasra listened to every single point of his strategy, her eyes expanding before she nodded at him, a wide, plotting smile breaking across her face.

"Ippudu annayya ela dhariki rado choodham!" Devansh said with a high-voltage, arrogant smirk, thoroughly enjoying the game.

(Now let's see how my brother doesn't come straight on track!)

Sahasra smiled widely, her sadness completely evaporating into thin air as she punched his arm playfully. "Neeku nijam chala burra undhi raa!" she praised happily.

(You really have a massive brain, fellow!)

"Adhi! Ila eppudu navvuthu undali," Devansh said, his heart feeling fully satisfied seeing his bubbly childhood friend back in form.

Wiping away the last remnants of their exhaustion, they both went down the stairs together, smiling and whispering about their secret plan, ready to turn Aryansh's cold world completely upside down.