Chapter 20

Part 20

Arnav fell to his knees in shock. Did Rohit really-? Was Khushi actually-?

Arnav felt his breath leave him. He had just lost his wife. Khushi was gone. Just like that. He had failed to protect her and keep her safe.

He faintly heard Lavanya scream Rohit's name but he was too numb to bother look up or just care. He heard them fight but he didn't join. It didn't matter anymore. Khushi was gone. No matter what happened, she wouldn't come back.

A little while later, everything went quiet. He heard footsteps coming towards him. A hand gently rested on his shoulder.

Arnav's head shot up "Khushi!"

He turned around quickly, in hopes that she had survived. That her love for him had survived the test. However, he was disappointed when he realized it was just Lavanya.

She gave him a sad look "I'm sorry. He got away"

Arnav scoffed "It doesn't matter anymore" he looked down into the ocean that was rocking waves "She's gone"

"You don't know that Arnav" Lavanya comforted. She sat down next to him "The ocean could be testing her as we speak. She could come back"

Arnav shook his head "Everything good was always taken away from me. Of course she would be too. I am meant to live in misery and die in it too. I've just been delaying my fate"

Lavanya looked at him "Arnav please. Khushi will come back. I know it. I saw the love she had for you in her eyes"

"Alright" he said "I will wait for her then"

"W-What?" Lavanya glanced at her watch "Arnav, there's only about four hours left. At least get a drink"

He shook his head "I'm not moving from here. Either Khushi will come back here or I will die here" he confirmed.

She sighed but didn't argue. She knew she wasn't going to be able to move him. One thing she had learned over the decades was that Arnav was always firm in his decisions. The only decision he had ever changed was to marry again which is why she had been so sure that he was trying to break the curse when he married Khushi.

Lavanya looked at Arnav who got up and sat at the very edge of the cliff with his legs hanging down. If he moved any further from the edge, he would fall but Lavanya knew he would only make that choice if he knew for sure that Khushi wouldn't be coming back.

She looked down at the ocean. It was crashing its waves everywhere as if there was a fight within. When she had been dating NK, he had told her that the ocean had taken many lives. There was no second chance. It was either the truth or death. The ocean had taken many innocent human lives too who had mistaken the cliff as a diving point. Eventually people began understanding that nobody could survive the ocean so it would be best to avoid it. However, there was always that one insane person who thought they could survive anything and eventually met their end. 

The ocean was only meant for magical purposes. It gave the antidote for deadly diseases that could only affect immortals, made very few wishes come true, and just like Arnav's case, cured curses. Of course, it only asked for one thing : the truth. Some people thought they would be telling the truth but somewhere deep inside, what they would say would not be the truth, even if they didn't realize it. The ocean tested that. That's why immortals stayed clear of the ocean. It was just too risky.

Lavanya couldn't help wonder why the ocean had denied Akash's wish. When Payal had died, he had jumped into the ocean with the hope of making a wish. A wish to bring Payal back. Akash had loved her immensely and when she had died, he had become someone Lavanya could barely recognize. She and Arnav had tried to stop Akash when he had decided to jump into the ocean but he hadn't listened. 

Flashback 

"Akash please don't do this! Payal wouldn't want this" Lavanya begged.

"Akash you are losing your mind!" Arnav yelled "That ocean will kill you!"

Akash looked down at the calm body of water "I can't" he said, his voice trembling "I am nothing without her" he turned his head to Lavanya "I know you understand Lavanya. If your husband died, you would feel lost. NK means the world to you" he turned to Arnav "I know you don't understand Arnav but I know you will one day. One day you will find the love I always talked about and you'd understand why I am about to do this"

"Please Akash" Arnav said softly "Think about us at the least"

"I can't" he whispered "Not when I'm dying on the inside"

He turned to the ocean "I wish to be with Payal, my love, my wife!" he yelled.

And then he jumped and never came back.

Flashback Ends

Lavanya wiped a tear away. She cursed the ocean and wished it had never existed. It was unfair and unforgiving. It didn't care about anything.

She glanced at Arnav. First she lost Payal, then Akash, she lost her child, then she practically pushed her husband away, and now Khushi was gone, perhaps to also never return, and then she would lose Arnav, a second brother-like figure in her life. Why was life so unfair? 

*********************************************

Arnav couldn't remove his eyes from the crashing waves ever since Khushi had disappeared into them. What was going on down there. Was she actually being tested or had the decision already been made?

The thought caused a sinking feeling within him. What if he was waiting for nothing? What if she was already truly gone?

"What time is it?" he murmured.

Lavanya, who was sitting right next to him, glanced at her watch "It's been three hours. There is still one more left"

Arnav chuckled humourlessly "You know? These past decades, I had always known and accepted that the curse would come soon to take me away but I had never expected to spend my last hours waiting for a woman to break it and come back to me. Neither did I expect to fall in love after my past experience with women"

"Life doesn't always go as planned" Lavanya replied "It always puts a curve ball in it"

"You know" he started "You never really told me why you and NK parted. I remember you two being so crazy in love that you two could never bear to be apart"

"In all these years you never brought it up" she said "Why now?"

Arnav shrugged "I'm about to die soon. Why not?"

"You're not going to die Arnav" Lavanya said firmly "Khushi will come back"

"It's been three hours. You really think the ocean will take this long?"

She shrugged "Maybe. Anyways, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine" he said curtly.

In reality, Arnav was anything but fine. His muscles had begun to ache. It hurt to move. His head hurt and often he felt dizzy which is why he was surprised he didn't accidentally fall off the cliff yet. His mouth tasted foul. It was all effects of the curse, no doubt. It was getting ready to take him. 

"No he's not"

Arnav and Lavanya turned around hearing a familiar male voice. It was NK.

"What are you doing here?" Arnav asked.

"I just wanted to check on you. I thought of just using my magic but then it revealed to me what happened here" he sat down on the other side of Arnav "I know the curse is beginning to affect you now. It will torture you from within before it takes you"

Arnav looked away "It doesn't matter. It doesn't compare to the pain in my heart"

"I understand. After all I know how it feels when you lose the woman you love"

Lavanya looked up and stared at NK who kept his eyes firmly on the ocean. She hoped he would look at her, even a small glance but he didn't fulfill her wish. She tried to poke into his mind but of course, he kept his blocks up. 

"I finally understand why Akash had jumped" Arnav said "I remember how back then I had scoffed when he told me that one day I would understand. Now its come to bite me in the back" he looked at NK "Is there any way you can look into the future and see if Khushi comes back at all?"

NK shook his head "The ocean is magical, much older and stronger than me. There's no way I would succeed"

Arnav looked away "I see"

He carefully got up, despite his body's protests. NK and Lavanya gave each other a confused glance before getting up too.

"What are you doing Arnav?" Lavanya asked.

"I am done waiting" 

Her heart stilled "Arnav no you can't"

She clutched his arm but he brushed her off. He pushed NK off too when he tried to hold him back.

Arnav glanced at Lavanya and then looked at NK "I don't know what happened between you two but I know you would understand why I'm about to do this"

NK looked away in response.

"Arnav please" Lavanya pleaded.

"If it's meant to be then it is Lavanya" Arnav said "If it isn't, then don't let me suffer"

He turned towards the ocean that had begun calming its waves "I wish to be with Khushi, my love, my wife"

And then he jumped.

*********************************************

When Arnav crashed into the water, the last thing he expected was to be able to breath under water. What was going on?

He opened his mouth to see bubbles float up but not affect him. He looked around. Where was Khushi? 

Arnav propelled his legs to help him swim deeper into the ocean. There were no fish or other sea creatures. It was very clean and would have been an ideal swimming area if it wasn't magical. 

He heard the sound of thunder faintly but that didn't falter him. Arnav stretched out his arms in hopes he would feel Khushi if not see her. Soon enough, he was granted his wish. His hand connected with something and he didn't waste time to grasp the structure. It was Khushi. Her body was floating up on to the surface but her eyes were closed. He quickly pulled her to the nearest shore.

He patted her cheek "Khushi! Khushi! Wake up!"

Arnav immediately began doing CPR on her. A few minutes later, her body convulsed and she broke into coughs. He didn't bother wait to give her space and gathered her wet body into his arms, hugging her tightly.

"Ar-Arnav?" Khushi faintly murmured.

Arnav kissed her deeply "Thank God. You survived Khushi! You proved your love for me to the ocean"

"D-Did I br-break the c-curse?"

Arnav froze. He wasn't really thinking about the curse but now that he thought about it, he didn't feel the affects of it. The aches were gone and so was his headache. If anything, his body felt renewed.

"Y-You b-broke my c-cur-curse" he whispered, amazed.

She gave him a faint smile "Does that mean we can be together forever now?"

A tear slipped from his eye "Yes" he said gently. He kissed her forehead "We'll be together forever now"

"I feel tired Arnav" she whispered.

"Rest my love. We've got our whole lives ahead of us now" he murmured against her temple.

She smiled and closed her eyes, breathing evenly.

Arnav was about to pick her up and take them home when he saw a small piece of paper that wasn't there before. He picked it up with his left hand while his right hand balanced Khushi in his arms. He unfolded it. There was very neat and clear writing on it despite the paper being wet.

Your love freed you. Not only your wife's but also yours when you jumped

Payal had been long dead when Akash had jumped and wished to be with her. He was given the ultimatum. Either he could go back to living as a vampire amongst his friends or be born as a human in his next births with the promise of being with her each time. You can guess which he chose.

Who knows? Maybe you will meet the duo in the future

Arnav looked at the waves of the ocean, crashing gently on the shore and then at the whole body of water "Thank you" he whispered.

Note

Yay! The curse is over! Anyways, the story is far from over. Doesn't anybody wanna know what happens to Rohit, why NK and Lavanya split, or how Payal died? Anyways, much more to come so stay tuned. 

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