Chapter 1

Khushi was the first child of the Gupta family. Although both Garima and Shashi weren't the most kindest of souls but would have passed as good humans. The birth of a baby girl, and the subsequent inability of Garima to produce any more kids, left both of them bitter. While for Shashi who had always wanted a boy, Khushi was just an unnecessary burden he had to carry and for Garima Khushi was the reason that she was left incapable to produce any heir for her husband.

Shashi while turned to other women who could give him his heir, Garima grew cold. For both of them, Khushi was the cause of void in their lives and hence, almost every day she was showed in various ways how unwanted she was. The marks on her soft body refused to go away and the pain became a regular visitor to innocent Khushi, who unaware to what she had done to get this hate from her parents continued to bear the brunt of their madness.

Just a month ago, when Shashi and Garima were coming back from a relative's wedding, their bus fell into a canal, killing everyone. No one was ready to accept a girl who was unwanted even for her parents. It was Madhumati bua, a lonely widow, who finally took the girl in. Not having any kids of her own, she welcomed Khushi with open arms, a gesture that earned her Khushi's heart immediately. For Khushi, a girl who was used to ignorance, her bua's Love was rather a big surprise and a welcome change.

Coming to Laxmi Nagar, Khushi had straight gone to Temple, to Thank God not just for giving her, her bua. But for taking away her parents!

She was relieved that she didn't have to face that torture anymore. She was glad that they weren't alive. Unknown till date of what her fault was, she was happy.. Happy that was she finally free.

But when those alcohol reeking person caught her and slapped her, she again was reminded of her parents. She had already given up after their 3rd slap, knowing it was no use to fight back. But then he came! Her Angel! Never before had anyone saved her from her parents.. But HE.. He saved her. For Khushi, he was her Saviour, her god... He was her protector, her first Love!

Arnav Singh Raizada was the owner of biggest grocery store in their Laxmi nagar and besides the store, he owned many other apartments and houses in their society and around Delhi. He was rich but that detail was for the ladies, for girls in Khushi's school, it was his killer looks and small smiles and smirks that were always the hot topic. He was polite, helpful and true gentlemen, enough reason to make the hearts of many girls go Dhak-dhak. Well that was certainly the case with Khushi and her new found friend Preeto. Preeto was a pretty girl with shoulder length hair, slim figure. She was short, but definitely catchy. She was shy, but around Khushi, she was her talkative best. She took Khushi around their whole locality, introduced Khushi to her friends and neighbors, and showed her Arnav's shop and his home too. For Khushi, Preeto was her guide, the Google about Laxmi Nagar, its residents and a particular Raizada. It was Preeto who told her that Arnav was an orphan and had a younger sister, Anjali, who was already married to some trader in Chandni Chowk.

Khushi was a quiet, subdued and an introvert person. The troublesome and violent childhood, had not just left scars on her body, but the scars on her mind were deep too. She was unusually uncomfortable to talk with strangers and was scared with even smallest things. Though Madhumati's love, Preeto's support and her rest other friend's amiable nature and good schooling did help her a lot, yet talking was something she still shied about.

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Khushi was 16 when the talks about Arnav's impending marriage to Lavanya Kashyap , girl from their next door neighbor, reached her ears.

It had been a year since she her stay in Laxmi Nagar. A Year since she had known Arnav. All the 365 days that had passed, Khushi ardently went to his shop every day, on one pretext or the other just to see him. He too would often grace her with his smiles, toffees, candies and on her B'day he gifted her a small plastic doll too, the same that he had given to Preeto, jassi, Vibha and Ishana, but to Khushi it didn't matter. It didn't matter that he treated her just like a kid, he treated her no different than he treated her other friends. Only his attention mattered. Attention that Khushi never got from her parents. He even talked to her once in a while, although Khushi in response barely gave a verbal reply, in fact at times she even ran away , not because she was scared.. But because it was her heart beating so loudly around him. Especially after hearing his voice, her senses used to become haywire, and as a reflex she would run away or just nod at him. Sometimes Preeto answered from her side, sometimes Madhumati did. In this one year, Khushi had multiple times imagined herself as his bride, his wife and he as her husband, her protector and her lover.

So the News of Lavanya marrying him didn't go well with her. Spending 15 yrs of her life in a small village near Lucknow, Khushi was not just naive but quite backward too. Preeto's company and Delhi's atmosphere brought along with them knowledge and awareness to young Khushi. She knew Lavanya was a highly 'In Demand' girl. She was very beautiful with high cheeks, tall frame, curvy figure. She was modern and educated, in fact at 20, she was one of the few girls from their Locality who had got an admission in Delhi University. She was Ms. Perfect and a role model for Khushi and her friends, who dreamt to be like her. Only after her alliance with Arnav, did Khushi felt her first bout of jealousy and rage towards any girl, almost that she was even tempted to cut Lavanya's wedding dress to shreds or to shave her bawled.

During those days only, Preeto and Khushi's other friends informed her about Lavanya's various dillances. "arre ye lavvu di itni seedhi nahi hain yaar. Pata hai 2 baar to inhone ghar se bhagne ki koshish bhi ki hai. Wo 3rd colony wala gunda hai na , shyam, usski Girlfriend thi lavvu di. Pata nahi ab kaise Arnav se shaadi karne ke liye taiyyar ho gayi?" said Preeto.

"Maa ne to lavvu didi ko cigarette peete hue bhi dekha hai." told jassi in a horified voice.

"ye to kuch nahi, maine to suna hai.." Vibha almost whispered the next lines "mainae suna hai, ki shayad lavvu di is pregnant." shocking each and every girl of the group.

Arnav and Lavanya's engagement had to happen the same day. Khushi had been astounded by the revelations she had just heard about Lavvu di. She pledged to go straight to Arnav and tell him about her feelings and the rumors she had just been privy to.

She had almost rung the bell of Arnav's home, when she stopped instantly, hearing Arnav's voice coming from the window "Anju baccha, main Khush hoon. Lavanya acchi ladki hai, wo tumhari acchi bhabhi banegi, tum bas apni sehat ka khayal rakho, ab tum Maa banne wali ho and itni chinta tumhari sehat ke liye theek nahi hai."Arnav was talking with his sister, who seemed heavily pregnant, even from window, Khushi could see the happiness emitting from the siblings, especially Arnav! She loved his smiling face, especially when he laughed such freely. How could she snatch it from him then, after all she was just a kid and all that she had heard about Lavanya were mostly the stories weaved up by the gossiping ladies?

That day Khushi got her first heart break and it hurt, a lot. After a whole year of happiness, she had began to forget how 'Pain' felt like. Her heartbreak although didn't bear any sound, yet the hurt it caused was beyond any physical pain she had ever felt.

The next day Khushi's 10th board exams result were out. She had performed really well and owing to her good scores she got admission to Delhi University's Diploma course. Not wanting to stay in Laxmi nagar anymore, Khushi convinced her Buaji to let her stay near her college where she would easily manage between her studies and an evening job, which would help her to meet her expenses. Though reluctantly, Madhumati let her go.

The next week only, just a day before Arnav and Lavanya's wedding, Khushi Kumari Gupta left Laxmi Nagar with a broken heart.