Chapter 4

He watched silently from afar as she ran towards her and gathered her in her arms. There was no trace of jealousy, no trace of any harmful intention. There was only love. He couldn't fathom this girl. What was she playing at? What did she want? What was she after? Why did she come all the way to the accident site to look for his sister? He watched her hug her again, tears pouring down her face as she clutched at his sister, the dam finally breaking free. He felt something warm move within him but he quelled the urge to pay heed to it. After all, she was not trustworthy. She had so many faces. She might be bipolar or even schizophrenic. He had given so many reasons for her to trust him, and she had not. She had kept and harboured dangerous secrets. What reason had she given him to trust her? He couldn't think of any at the moment. He didn't want to. But he knew she had to be watched. Maybe she knew he was watching. Maybe that's why she put up this facade of hugging and crying and clutching at his Di as though her life depended on it. It was all a charade. She might really hurt his Di. What if Di had been the one listening to her dear Khushiji's words to her husband? No, he shuddered to even think of it. Di loved Khushi too much. It would be better if she was let down slow, separated, eased into it - but would Khushi leave them alone? He knew these types of girls. They scrounged around for profit -

He shook himself out of it. No, what was he thinking? He was Arnav Singh Raizada. He did not stick to outdated data. He knew Khushi Kumari Gupta inside out by now. She was after something else. What was it? Money? Well she could have had it all, if she only had not gone and involved herself with Jeejaji - she could have had him. He brushed these irritating thoughts aside. What mattered was that he didn't trust her one bit - which was why he had silently followed her on foot as she had left the road to go down the slopes and into the trees. He had heard her calling his sister's name, and had wanted to throttle her senseless and cut off her tongue for even uttering it. At the same time he had stood perplexed as she went deeper and deeper into the trees, trying to find his sister. Was this all a ploy? What were her true intentions? He hated to not know. He was ASR. He knew everything.

His heart had done double flips as Khushi's cry of delight signalled him good news. The sight of his Di had caused numbed happiness to surge through his veins. Nothing in the world had given him so much relief. Quite instantly, he had felt his treacherous mind wander backwards.

"STOOOPPP!!! KHUSHIII!!!!!!"

The voice had floated in the air around him, briefly suffocating him. He had clenched his fists, rage clouding his head. His eyes had hardened. His resolve had strengthened. He had looked on at the sight before his eyes, at the two women embracing. He wanted to gather Di up in his arms too, but it was too soon. He needed to be away from her. He would undoubtedly hurt Di with Khushi around. Di should not see him like this, like the monster that he truly was, the real man who had woken up from a long and pleasantly misleading slumber. No, he would wrap Di in his arms when Khushi was far away to bring out the worst in him. And so he came to follow them.

They had barely walked a few steps when he saw his sister ask something to Khushi, holding out her hand expectantly. The latter complied, and handed Di her phone. There was another pause as his sister waited for the person on the other line to pick up. Suddenly, he saw Khushi stiffen. Her voice broke through the silent night as she tensely, fearfully asked his Di who she was calling.

"Aur kaun? Inhe humari bohut chinta hogi, bata deti hu hum thik hai -"

He watched paralyzed with shock and anger as Khushi slapped the phone away from his sister's ear.