Madhuri's heart raced as the training room filled with fellow trainees. Her wide eyes were tinged with trepidation, and her clenched jaw caused the other trainees to glance away from the bench she occupied. Arriving fifteen minutes before the reported time in the WhatsApp group, she had been sure to announce to nearly everyone she encountered on the way that it was her first day on the job.

After receiving kind well-wishes and more than a few bewildered looks, she stood at the office entrance, excitement morphing into anxiety. Her mouth felt dry, and she tapped her foot against the tiled floor, hoping her nervousness went unnoticed.

What if her colleagues ridicule her when they learned about her impending divorce? What if she made a laughingstock out of herself because of her incompetence? Could she lose the key to the future she had envisioned for herself if she failed to live up to the expectations?

As the onslaught of questions raged within her, her attention was drawn to a young woman in a faded maroon top and denim jeans sitting next to her. With tanned skin and a hint of bone structure, the girl appeared to be in her late teens. Madhuri blinked, pondering why a young woman like her was in a call center training room instead of a college classroom.

"Um, you want something?" asked the younger woman, jolting Madhuri out of her thoughts. Blood rushed to her cheeks, and she appeared like a deer caught in headlights. "I'm so sorry! I... I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. That wasn't my intention at all. I.."

The girl with shoulder-length hair gave her a half-smirk and chuckled. "Chill! It's okay, no biggie." Madhuri's lips stretched into a sheepish grin, and she cursed herself in her mind. "I'm Muskaan, by the way."

Madhuri's eyes narrowed as she noted how she had not added her last name. She was glad to drop her legal name from the introductions wherever she could. "I'm Madhuri."

Muskaan's smirk faded into a mask of indifference and her neck straightened to turn her gaze back to the front of the room. Madhuri's eyebrows furrowed, but she decided it was best if she trained her gaze on the podium as well.

****

"How was your first day? Did you make any new friends?" Anupriya asked, folding her shalwar suits to arrange them in the cupboard.

"It was okay," said Madhuri, shrugging her shoulders and continuing to fold the bed covers to assist Anupriya. "I met a girl. Muskaan. She couldn't be over twenty years old."

Anupriya hummed in reply with an arched eyebrow. "You must have had several milestones in these three years. You never contacted Kaka or Kaki to share with them, did you?" asked Madhuri.

Anupriya stilled for a moment and then drew a sharp inhale. "No. They had made their decision clear, and I felt it was best to remain in the limbo rather than punish everyone by contacting them."

"I wish I had your courage, Anu. Courage to walk away and look through the lens of objectivity."

Anupriya gave her friend's shoulder a reassuring pat before squeezing it gently. "Our battles were different, Madhuri. You're brave, just in your own way. You stepped out of the cycle of abuse, which is a significant stride toward a better future."

Madhuri's lips stretched into a straight line and bobbed her head. Anupriya patted her cheek before she returned to the work at hand and left her friend to her thoughts.

****

"But why question me? We filed the case..."

"The burden of evidence lies on the party alleging cruelty with contested divorce, Madhuri. It is to ensure the allegations are not fabricated," said Arjun.

The bridge of her nose crinkled and the modest stud on her nose glimmered. "What would I gain by that?"

Arjun crossed his left leg over his right knee. "Alimony, to hide an affair - there are many reasons for false allegations."

The truth slapped her in the face, and she looked taken aback by his brash tone. After the heartening conversation they had earlier that week, she had expected the same compassionate man. Instead, she had found herself across a tough taskmaster, vexed by his assistant's leave of absence, and ready to rip her apart for a single mistake.

Arjun returned her glare with equal fervor. "Look, I'm not saying it is easy, but we have no choice. And if you falter, the other attorney won't show you a tenth of the understanding I'm showing you."

Madhuri looked over the advocate's shoulders and into the wall behind him. Various medals and trophies adorned the taupe wall, arranged on a rich mahogany shelf. Her knowledge of the law of the land was sparse, and he was the expert as the accolades on the wall announced.

"Fine. What questions can I expect? And what do you expect me to say?" she asked, retraining her gaze to the man. His smoldering gaze caused her to shift in her seat.

"Well, be yourself. Take offense at the questions, but don't dodge them. From what you told me, you had no friends of your own since you moved to Delhi," he said, arching his eyebrow in question. Madhuri nodded in affirmation, adjusting the dupatta on her shoulder.

"We need to lay emphasis on that, because it will solidify the base for our cruelty allegations and sever any implications of infidelity from your side."

Madhuri's lips parted as the meaning of his words dawned on her. The dots in her mind connected with each other, and an incredulous smile played across her lips. "So, this is the reason Vartika madam asked me if I had..."

Madhuri could not bring herself to finish her sentence, especially in front of a man. She turned red to the roots, imagining the conversation between the brother and sister about her intimate life. She wanted to pull at her hair and tears stung in her eyes. Her life had become a topic of discussion, and it was just the beginning.

Her lower lip quivered, and she wanted to run away into a secluded place with no prying ears and judging eyes.

"I wouldn't judge you if you had an affair, Madhuri. Neither would Di. It is none of our business, and the only reason we needed to know was to help your case. The questions were also among the reasons I asked you to visit a psychiatrist. We know how hard this can be for you," he said.

The compassionate man had resurfaced - the one she had met at Anupriya's apartment. The one that offered her hope and respite from the suffering that plagued her. A lone tear rolled down her flushed cheeks.

She'd come too far to revert to her old ways. The visceral fear of letting others - the ones who actually cared - down and returning to Sameer fueled her determination. "What else should I know?" she asked, wiping her tear away with the back of her hand.

Arjun Malhotra would never admit it out loud, but the woman across from him had not just proven him wrong in that instant, but also earned his admiration for not stepping back despite her obvious fears.