Chapter 10

3 years ago

chaoticmind2021

@chaoticmind2021

Khushi could feel eyes on her when she walked to her house in Laxmi Nagar. From Happy ji to Vimla Mausi, everyone smiled at her uncomfortably. She instantly remembered Arnav ji's words from this morning about regretting it and took a deep breath. She was determined. He had argued with her and when she hadn't backed down, he had gone out slamming the door muttering a fine. On one hand, her heart had swelled with his protectiveness and on another, she was exasperated with his stubborn nature; something that they both seemed to possess. He had returned late last night and hadn't spoken a word about his meeting with Anjali ji. Although he had assured everyone that it would be okay and he had decided to wait for the investigator's report, she knew. She knew he was hurting and conflicted. Arnav ji kept his pain to himself so she had stood there by him in the balcony overlooking the stars holding his hand giving him strength silently. He had just smiled and kissed her forehead. It was new. Yet it felt that they had years of understanding. But all hell broke loose when she had put forth a demand to visit her family at the breakfast today. Preeto had to intervene and had offered to go with her. She had to use all her energy to dissuade Arnav ji from coming here, so he was grumpily sitting in the car muttering his 'What the'. 

When she knocked on the door, it was opened by her Amma whose eyes widened and she looked outside to see people craning their necks and staring. Garima closed her eyes, gave her an angry look and stepped aside to let Khushi and Preeto inside to avoid creating a scene. Bua ji came holding her head inquiring about who was at the door and froze in her tracks. 

'Haye Re Nandkishore! What are you doing here? Don't you have any shame?' Bua ji spat at her angrily. 

'Bua ji...' Khushi's explanation was stopped by Bua ji's angry glare. Her Jiji had come into the room and her heart pained to see her sister's face. She had bags under her eyes and looked like she hadn't slept in ages. She was about to step forward to hug her when Payal's flinch and the accusation in her eyes made her stop in her tracks. Khushi tried not to let it affect her but it hurt more than anything else. 

'You've ruined everything. Didn't I tell you Garima to not give her so much freedom? Look at what this girl has done.'  Bua ji growled. 

'What have I done?' Khushi asked timidly. She was genuinely confused as to what her mistake in this entire fiasco was. Did her family not know what Shyam's intentions were? Despite knowing the truth, how could they blame her for the entire mess? 

'Didn't I tell you not to do anything to ruin Payal's wedding again? What was the need to go to that terrace and create a scene?' Bua ji was livid. 

'If I had known that man was at the terrace, I would've never gone there.' Khushi sniffled. Ruined Payal's wedding again, the words kept ringing in her ears. The entire blame had fallen upon her once again. She looked at Preeto who was looking at Bua ji like she had grown two heads and was about to open her mouth but Khushi held her hand and shook her head. She needed to do this herself. 

'And what was the need to shout at him to leave Anjali? Did anyone force you to say that too?' Bua ji argued. 

'What else would I have said to a man that was confessing his love for me despite being married?' Khushi beseeched. It was beyond her that how one sentence uttered in sheer frustration was taken out of context and had become a curse for her. First, Anjali ji had misunderstood the situation based on these words and now Bua ji. The real question was that did this one sentence hold enough power to make everyone forget the kind of person she was? 

'Enough Khushi! I don't know why are you always in the middle of Payal's wedding. Even the first time... and now this. Do you even know what people are saying?' Garima asked. She was tired of the constant stares, whispering and questions. It was humiliating to call every one of their relatives and tell them not to come because the wedding was cancelled. To hear that there was a fault in her daughter's fate made her want to die a thousand deaths. 

'My brother took in an orphan, took care of her for 10 years and in return this is what we get?' Bua ji screamed, narrowing her eyes at Khushi. When Khushi's teary eyes looked at her with some sort of accusation, she lost it. 'Why would you care? You haven't ever considered us your real family. Are you jealous of Payal? Are you taking revenge for your broken engagement? Or did you fall in love with Shyam and ask him to leave his wife?' 

'ENOUGH!' Khushi voiced her inner thoughts. She had heard enough assumptions about her from everyone. If the people that she grew up with didn't understand her, then what did she expect from others? These weren't just some words thrown at her in anger, this was what Bua ji thought about her. This was what all of them though because not even Amma nor Jiji stepped in to interrupt Bua ji's disgraceful words against her. They just didn't care anymore. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and looked directly into Bua ji's eyes. 'I saved Babu ji's shop because it was his blood and sweat. His hard-earned money that I couldn't let anyone steal in the name of dowry. I kept quiet when you forced me into a marriage that I didn't want. Did I ever blame you for that man's betrayal?' 

Khushi turned towards her Amma who seemed to have mellowed down a bit but still held anger in her eyes, and asked, 'I was kept in a dark room for hours and when I returned, the first thing you said to me was that I wasn't your real daughter. I lied to everyone to protect Jiji's marriage, to honour the swear that you gave me. And today I'm accused of being jealous of my own sister?'

Khushi felt hot angry tears come into her eyes again but she didn't let it stop her. She questioned everyone in the room, 'I'm so sorry that Jiji's marriage broke again but do I have to take the blame every time? Did anyone of you think about my safety or welfare? Shyam was literally harassing me! But were any of you bothered?' 

'The problem isn't that I didn't treat you like family, the problem is that you never considered me one of your own. I was and always will be an outsider.' The last words were a mere whisper. With every painful memory flashing in her mind that she had tried to suppress for years, something akin to raw anguish spread through her.  

'Just leave Khushi. We don't want any of your drama.' Bua ji spoke tiredly, coming out of the frozen state that seemed to have engulfed everyone due to Khushi's outburst. 

'You don't deserve Khushi.' Preeto finally said. The family that Khushi had given up so much for. Her education, her dreams, her dignity and this is what they thought about her? She wanted to say so much to these people, question them, argue with them, shake them till they caved. She wanted to ask them if they would've done the same if Payal was in Khushi's place. In spite of being elder, Khushi was made a sacrificial lamb when it came to stepping out, earning and even getting married to a man when she clearly didn't want to. But the answer was clear. Payal wasn't Khushi. Khushi wasn't their daughter. Regardless of their claims, they had never accepted Khushi wholeheartedly. 

'Babu ji...' Khushi sobbed. If he was here, he would never let them talk to her like that. 

'You think after all of this, we'll let you meet Shashi babua? Get out.' Bua ji's voice boomed as she went forward to grip Khushi's arm to pushed her towards the door. 

Khushi went stumbling but before she could fall, two strong arms held her like always. She looked surprised to see Arnav ji here as he glared at Bua ji behind her. His gaze softened when he met her. She nodded at his unasked question. She was fine. Even after the whole emotional turmoil, she truly felt fine. He steadied her and came to stand beside her, smiling as Preeto took a place on the other side of Khushi, giving her the ultimate support that she needed. 

'Don't, for a second, think that she's alone. Sirf kehne se rishte nahin bante, nibhane bhi parte hain.' Arnav hissed. His icy tone paired with his deathly stare seemed to have Gupta ladies gulp with fear. He was getting restless every passing minute and finally when he couldn't take it anymore, he had entered the house only to burn with fury at the ridiculous allegations Bua ji was spewing on Khushi. He was about to yell when Khushi beat him to it. He was proud of her. This was the Khushi he knew. The family thought that they were welcome to insult her just because they took her in. The entire blame was dumped on Khushi's shoulder and no one seemed to be bothered about the fact that Bua ji was the one who forced Shyam into their lives, or they all decided to hide such an important truth to protect their own selfish interests. Her every word pierced his heart, especially when she had reminisced about the time when he had kept her in the dark. Never again, his heart promised. He took Khushi's hand in his and tugged her out of the place that didn't deserve her.  

And with that, Khushi left with her head held high with people that truly became her family.