Chapter 16

CHAPTER 15: TILL DEATH DO US APART

Khushi struggled on the chair. Her eyes were blindfolded with a black cloth while her hands and legs tied. Sweat beads formed on her forehead, "leave me. who are you? Why have you got me here?" but there was no answer. She didn't knew where she was. she was feeling suffocated tied in this place. The air was rotten. She could smell alcohol mixed with filth. It was giving her a creepy feeling.

"please? Please tell me. I want to go home. Please leave me" Suddenly she heard some foot steps. They were getting closer and then it stopped. There was complete silence in air. Khushi struggled again to break the rope but it was only hurting her, "please? Leave me. who are you? What do you want?" and within few seconds, she felt a sting on her face. A slap echoed in the sir," KEEP QUIET. You are not supposed to ask questions"

The voice. It was familiar. She had heard this before. But where? It sounds so much like...like Aditya? Khushi froze. Is it really him? "please" Khushi whimpered in pain. But there was no response yet again and she could feel the foot steps fading away. she remembered how it all started...

Arnav had got an important call from office. There was some major problem which required his immediate attention. "Khushi, I need to leave. I have important work. I will be back in an hour or two. till then please take of yourself and don't be afraid."

"Arnav, don't go alone. Please? Take these two officers outside with you"

"Khushi"

"please? You need them. Your life is in danger. Not mine. I will be fine" Arnav smiled," Khushi, let one stay here"

"no! either take both or you aren't leaving" she said. Arnav shook his head," always so stubborn. Alright, if that makes you happy. Call me if you need anything. And please take care of yourself. Take rest. You already look worn out. Or wait? Let me ask Maya to come down. I am sure she will keep you a good company"

"stop worrying so much. I am fine, Arnav. you please get your work done and I don't need anyone to babysit me."

"khushi, look..." but khushi cut him," I said go. I will be fine"

"why the hell are you so stubborn? I am leaving. Just look after yourself." he kissed her hair and left.

...

4 hours later

Khushi was walking to and fro in the living area. Where was he? He was supposed to be home in an hour or two. She had called the office but they said that Arnav had gone to the site and his phone was not reachable. Tears started to gather in her eyes, "please. Come back soon. I hope you are okay"

A shrill sound rang. Her phone was ringing. It was from an unknown number. Her heart was beating fast. Her hands shivered while answering the phone," hel..hello?"

"Mrs. Raizada?" Khushi heard a voice. "yes?"

"Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada has met with an accident. please come to City hospital, immediately" Khushi froze on her place. Her worst nightmare was coming true. NO! it cant be. Not him. Not again. she cant lose anyone now. tears gathered in her eyes. She wiped them and ran out of the house towards her car. she slid on the driving seat and strapped her seat belt. Tears started rolling down her cheeks. Her heart and mind prayed for his safety. she was driving when realised that the main road was blocked. So she turned her car to take a shortcut. Suddenly, her car came to a halt. She realised that there was a car parked exactly in the middle of the road. Veiled men walked towards her. and few moments later, everything blacked out when chloroform hit her system.

...

Arnav sat on the couch surrounded by Karan, Maya and Vardhan. Where the hell was she? Its been been 5 hours since she had gone missing. He was having erratic thoughts. Her phone was switched off. Her car was found in the middle of the road but there was no sign of her. He sighed, "where are you Khushi?"

Maya was getting impatient," uncle, please do something. till when are we going to sit like this"

"I have done everything I can, Maya. Her picture has been passed to every police station. We have send our men to check bus stop, railway station and airport. They are also assigned at check posts. Every vehicle is being checked. All we can do is wait. If the same person is behind this, he will call, and very soon"

"what about Aditya?" Karan asked

"yes uncle, why don't you check on him? please, just do something. we cant just sit here doing nothing." Arnav yelled.

"yes, we checked on him. Found nothing suspicious about him."

Arnav looked at him in disbelief, "you cant be serious? You want to say that the only person I suspect is not suspicious? Do you really think he will be in your records? That he will be doing everything himself? Ofcourse he must have hired people."

"Arnav, I cant point at him just like that. we need proofs and right now, we have nothing. I understand that he might not be in our records but I need something just to point at him. I cant just barge into his place just because you think he is the one. Look, I understand you are tensed for khushi. trust me. we will find her" Vardhan tried to explain him but Arnav wasn't ready to listen, "you know what? I am leaving. I am not just going to sit here. I will find her myself"

The very same moment, Arnav's phone rang. It was a private number, "it's a private number. It might be him." He put the phone on loudspeaker

"Hello Raizada. How are you? Missing Khushi?"

"where the hell is she? I will kill you if you hurt her"

"tch tch. Temper is bad. So? How does it feel when you lose someone precious from your life? Like you lost your brat, Sneha"

"who are you? I am going to kill you for what you did to Sneha. Where is Khushi?"

"same questions. Want to meet me and your precious Khushi? wait for my message. And before I forget, tell your friends to stay out of this or Khushi will be dead till the time you find me" Phone was cut. Immediately, there was a message tone on his phone.

"I have to go" Arnav mumbled.

"Arnav, wait. This is not safe. He is playing a big game. He is using Khushi to get you. You go ahead, we will cover" Vardhan said

"no! no one is coming or else he will hurt her"

"trust us. Nothing will happen. We are going to follow you in such a way, that no one will realise"

"No! I have had this enough. He knows everything. He knows our every move. And he will know this too. I have already lost Sneha. I am not losing my wife."

"Arnav, please" Karan said, "listen to him"

"I am sorry, Karan. But this time, I am going alone"

...

Arnav walked in the warehouse quietly. The place was quiet. There was no one around. he walked further. He could see all sort of ropes, drums and boxes.

"where are you khushi?" he murmured to himself when his eyes fell on a small door. He walked upto the door and pushed it only to find Khushi tied.

"who are you? Please, dont hurt me. please" khushi yelled when she heard the door creaking.

Arnav rushed to her," shh...its me. Arnav"

"Arnav?" he untied her hands and legs while removed the black cloth from eyes. Khushi jumped on him and crushed herself in his chest sobbing," Arnav? you are fine? I thought I lost you. You aren't hurt, are you?" Khushi frantically checked his face and arms.

"I am fine, khushi. stop being frantic" She dropped soft kisses all over his face," I was so afraid. That call, they said..you..you met with an accident. i..i was afraid." Arnav held Khushi close to him," I am fine. Really." He placed a hand her cheek but a hiss escaped her lips. He eyed her cheek carefully. Her cheek was red with some finger marks," who did this? Did they hurt you? Did he hit you?"

"I am fine, Arnav. its nothing. Please lets get out of this place" the moment they turned to leave, they found themselves in front of two veiled men. Arnav immediately stood as a protective shield in front while Khushi hid behind him clutching his shirt tightly

"did you really think it would be so easy to leave? That I would let you leave? Alive" a voice echoed in the warehouse, sending shivers down their spine.

"who are you? Why don't you come in front, you coward" Arnav yelled

"with pleasure" Aditya walked ahead. The only source of light was the dimply lit bulb that fell on his face.

"Aditya?" Khushi gasped, "its you? Its really you"

Aditya laughed," yes, its me. it was always me."

"you..." Arnav launched forward but one man immediately held him while the other held Khushi. Arnav and Khushi struggled, but their grip was too tight. "why? why did you that? I thought you were my friend" Khushi said.

"that's what I never wanted to be. I never wanted to be your friend. I wanted to be what Arnav was to you. But you never looked at me that way. Even today, I wouldn't have come in front of you, and would have given a shoulder to cry on when you would have lost your husband, but then I changed my mind. you know why? because I want to know how cruel your husband is, how he ruined my childhood, how he snatched my parents away, he got everything that I wanted, he got everything that was my right."

"what are you talking about?" Arnav asked

"how much do you know about your father? Do you know we share same father? Do you know I am his illegitimate child? Do you know we are half brothers? Do you know the day Avinash Singh Raizada left my mother, she became alcoholic making me orphan? Do you know I never received a happy childhood? Do you know I had no one with whom I could share my happiness and pain? but you? You got everything I wanted, everything which was my right. You are the reason for everything. You, you and only YOU" Aditya yelled.

"you are lying!"

"I wish. I really wish I was but this is the truth. I hate you Arnav Singh Raizada. Wait! I have a better word. I loathe you"

Arnav looked at him disbelief. So much hatred? "you hate me, right? Then you should have hurt me. why sneha? What was her fault in all this? she was just a child. She was innocent" Aditya laughed," even I was a child, innocent. Her only fault was that she was your baby. After you got married, I left town. But I couldn't forget Khushi, I couldn't forget my hatred for you and one day I returned. One day I saw how happy you three were. You had such a perfect happy family. I should have been at your place. I should I have been Sneha's father."

"so you killed her?"

"yes I killed her" Khushi stood frozen in her place with tears rolling down. How could he be so inhuman? He was an animal. She spat on his face," you bas****, you killed my baby. You killed my Sneha. She was a baby. A freaking innocent child, Aditya. No wonder you were never loved because you are not worth it. you are aren't worth if anything."

Aditya found his temper rising. He slapped her once again. "ADITYA! HOW DARE YOU TOUCH HER" Arnav yelled

"SHUT UP, Arnav. and you, (turning to khushi) you are a b****. Your brat deserved to die and now so will your husband. You have no idea how much I have waited for this. I thought killing her will drift you two apart. And it did happen. Everything was going according to my plan when you decided to give him another chance. So I had to strike back and what was better than killing him? I started threatening you. I told you not to utter a single word to him but I couldn't trust you this time. i bribed your maid. She fixed bugs in your house. I always had my eyes and ears at your place. Finally my hard work will pay off. Arnav Singh Raizada is going to die"

Khushi wanted to kill him. How much hatred did he have? So much poison? She remembered Sneha. How happy she was on her birthday? and then she remembered her dying, in front of her, in her arms. Rage filled her and with sudden force, she pulled herself away from the veiled man and pushed him. this distracted the man who held Arnav captive. Arnav elbowed him in his stomach, broke free and launched towards both men at the same time.

Khushi walked towards Aditya in fury and slapped him hard, "how dare you kill my baby?" She slapped him again, "how dare you hurt her?" and then again, "she was just a baby. you are an animal, disgusting" Khushi slapped him yet again. Before Khushi could slap him again, Aditya held her hand and pushed her away. At the same moment, the two men fell unconscious.

"KHUSHI!" Arnav yelled. The very same moment, few more veiled men held Arnav. he kicked one in his stomach, while elbowed the other. "its been long since I showed my fighting skills. Bring it on" he murmured to himself. And then the fight broke. While Arnav fought, khushi stood up and saw Aditya glaring at Arnav fighting his creeps. She looked around and saw a wooden stick in one corner. She quietly tiptoed to the other without being noticed. She picked it up and ran towards Aditya.

Aditya stood there watching Arnav fight his men. All his men were lying unconscious one by one. Ha! Who cares! Let him enjoy the fight, his last fight because he was going to strike soon, dropping him dead. He was still in his thoughts when he felt something hit him real bad.

Khushi hit Aditya with the stick on his back, "you b******. You think I am weak?" she hit him again," you underestimated the power if a woman, a mother, a wife and a lover." Aditya felt another blow, " I am going to kill you, Aditya" he held the stick before it to hit him again and pulled it away. he stood on his feet and slapped khushi but this time Arnav held her before she could fall, "your time is up, Aditya. Your friends are already lying, now so will you"

Arnav looked at Aditya in fury. He had just taken a step when Aditya removed his gun," you will die Arnav, you will but before that, lets have this one to one match. No weapons. I have been dying to do this since so long" he dropped his gun and launched himself on Arnav. but Arnav dodged him. Aditya fisted his palm and threw a punch on Arnav. he staggered back. He was about to give another punch when he held his hand," your time is really up now."

Arnav kicked Aditya in his stomach followed by another one. Aditya was about to kick him when Arnav held his leg and pushed him away making Aditya fall. Arnav launched himself on him. he punched his face," this is for kidnapping my princess" he gave him another punch, "this is for killing her" and again, "this is for making Khushi cry" followed by another one, "This is for hurting Khushi and Sneha" Aditya dropped on the floor, his face covered in blood, unconscious. Arnav gave him another punch, "This is for everything every single pain you gave my princess" Arnav was about to give him another punch when Khushi held his hand," leave him. he is already unconscious" He gave one last look to Aditya and backed off.

"are you fine? It isn't paining right?" Arnav asked while touching her face lightly with his fingers. "why did you stop me? I want to kill him for everything he did" he was about to take another step towards him when khushi held him," enough. Another punch, and he will die. Let law handle it from here. don't dirty your hands. He isn't worth it"

"khushi, what if he is saying the truth? What if he really is my..." but khushi kissed his cheek, "He is no one. He is nothing but a cold blooded murderer. Lets get out of here"

"Wait! Let Vardhan uncle come. I am sure he must be nearby even though I told him to back off" he chuckled.

Arnav held her close to him and kissed her forehead," its over, Khushi. its over. Justice would be served now. the nightmares would..." before he could complete his sentence, Khushi pushed him away, "ARNAVVV!"

Aditya stood on his feet with gun in his hand, "its not over yet" two simultaneous shots echoed in air.

"KHUUUSSSHIII!!!"

Khushi felt something hit her stomach. The pain was excruciating. She felt tears brimming her eyes. Her head was spinning. This was it! This was end. May be this is how she was supposed to die. She fell on ground. Arnav immediately sat next to her and placed her head on his laps.

All Khushi could remember was the life Arnav and she shared, her baby, her happy moments. She looked towards Aditya who fell on the ground the very same moment. He was hit by a bullet too. The police was here. Either Aditya was going to die or serve rest of his life in jail. She smiled. Justice was served. Her baby would finally rest in peace, and so will she. She felt her eyes droop. She could see darkness surrounding her.

"Khushi? Khushi no. what did you do? please don't close your eyes. you cant leave me. I wont let you. We are going to hospital now" he patted her cheeks.

Khushi had a faint smile," justi..justice has..has been served. i...I can see Sneha. She is..is ca..calling me. she..she needs me"

"you are not going anywhere. You will be fine." Tears brimmed in his eyes. he couldn't lose her. he had already lost so much in his life. He scooped in his arms and rushed outside. He saw Karan with his car.

"karan, she has been shot. drive fast" Arnav yelled while sitting on back seat with piya lying in his arms.

"don't...don't cry" khushi raised her hand to wipe his tears.

"Khushi, Khushi! NO! don't close your eyes. keep talking. Talk to me"

"its..its re..really str...strange"

"what is strange?"

"life. When..a..a baby is bo..born, she cries but people ar..around are happy...and wh..when th..the same...same pers..person dies, peop..people ar..around her c..cries while sh..she smiles"

"you are not dying. You hear that? (to Karan) DRIVE FAST"

"ta..take care of..your..your self...don't cry. Al..always sm..smile. i..i love you" and then everything blacked out.

i am not good in describing fight scenes. i hope it didnt look too messy 😕

This was the last chapter for this story. i will be back with an epilogue along with a detailed note...

i know everyone would be glaring at me..and also confused about khushi. But the FATE is sealed. now, you have to wait for epilogue to know what has actually happened. 😈

you guys can throw rotten eggs and tomatoes at me. 😆

*runs and hides*

P.S: I would be updating Cinderella next since it got max votes 😳

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