That was my immediate reaction!😒
Lashy - There were a few lines in that chapter 19 that I interpreted as that AMK though delirious was also aware that he was making a grave mistake that he could not control.
Up until then we know that they both are attracted to each other & felt their strong soul connection but had not made any commitment.
Reading few of AMK's self revelations while they are at the canal & then when he was in the forest mulling over the canal escapade is what made me feel that he might have taken advantage of Heera. Also the fact that he knew every detail about her and still succumbed to his desire while she was clueless about his secret life did not help.
No no, he wasn't aware then as you suspected he might be. The vaguest form of comparison I could think of, is when a person is suffering from vertigo.🤔
Technically 'yes', they might be aware of where the ground is and how to keep their next step. Parts of their brain might be telling them too. And they can 'hear' us advising them how to proceed. But their balance will not allow them to process how to keep the next safe step safely. Like how we wouldn't be able to blame a vertigo-sufferer for lack of balance, it'd be unfair to blame AMK for what happened at the canal! 😊
For anything he might have taken from her, he gave back manifold - and this was right from the start! Personally, I'd think using the term taking advantage, wouldn't be fair to describe what happened at the canal. 😳
What happened at the canal was a joint responsibility - resting on both their shoulders equally and Heera instantly recognises/laments it for what it was.
Having said that, yes, his rude dismissal of her thereafter, did break many-a-heart along with Heera's and I could understand why. That was what it was aimed at anyway - wasn't meant to be tender farewell, but to shock us into the rough life he led.
Having said that while Akbar's reaction at Aidabad and Heera's supposedly delayed-acceptance of him in part 3, garnered a few frowns from different sections of the readers, I could totally totally empathise with where they BOTH stood at those different points of life! 😃
But once he'd spurned Heera & after being confronted by Chachajaan his predicament & decision did appease the situation & I could empathize with him.😃
Like the below lines ... at the canal....
"...But, at present, the young man could already perceive that he might have done something unacceptable. Unacceptable enough that it generated an unpleasant feeling in his soul..."
In the forest...
"...And he knew that for a chaste woman like the Sahiba, it meant far more than any promise would mean - she would not let herself be touched by another man hereafter. ..."
Lashy - A thought that popped up for me while writing this response was that instances like these where we can go back & rehash each chapter is something we can look forward to once you finish the novel. 😃
>>>>>👍🏼
Lashy Sahiba, the QB update monitor is hinting at something.😉
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Anupamaa
