Chapter 9

"But why?" Khushi shouted back, losing all patience.

"For being the person my parents loved more than me. For being the reason I always had to work hard to earn a moment of love, appreciation from my own parents. YOU were my parent's priority and their center of attention and I HATED it always." Arnav shouted back making Khushi stagger back in disbelief.

It can't be true. All these years ever since Avinash and Aruna Raizada took her and Payal's responsibility, she always saw how they doted on their only son. They loved her and Payal like their own kids, she always knew but she didn't knew that Avinash and Aruna Raizada while taking care of her and Payal, forgot about their own son.

Their son, who had been the most pampered member of Raizada family, was adored equally by his parents and his elder sister. But suddenly, all attention was shifted from him to others.

Anjali who was a teenager that time was going through her share of love and heart breaks whereas his parents had an empire, two girls as their responsibility to look after.

She stood frozen on the spot, watching silently as Arnav raked his fingers through his perfectly set hairs, dishevelling them before he turned and strode towards her with frustration written all over his face.

Bridging some gap between his thumb and index finger and showing it to Khushi, he spoke sharply "Just for this amount of love, you know how much I had to work. How much I had to focus on my studies, on everything I did? Still whenever I thought I am getting close to my family, you ruined it all always."

"But Jiji and I weren't even living with your family. How can this be possible?" Khushi expressed her doubt when Arnav threw his head back and started laughing humourlessly, scaring her more. She watched fearfully when Arnav looked at her, his face slightly red as his eyes flashed at her in pure rage.

"It's funny isn't it, how you managed to win my parent's heart white staying miles apart from them?" He sneered before grabbing her wrist and storming out of their room, dragging her to the east of Shantivan where she hadn't been even once.

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He opened a royal looking heavy door, unlike other doors and pushed her in the room before stepping inside himself. The room which was painted white and pale yellow had a calm aura unlike other rooms. It was kept clean with minimum furniture in it though it looked like no one has been there since long time.

She kept on watching as Arnav walked towards closet and opened it, taking out a very expansive looking saree and throwing it in front of her on the table.

"Maa always loved zardori saree. Four years back, it took me weeks to get one for her in her favourite color and I hoped that she would like it. But guess what I never got to know whether she would have approved of it or not because she got killed before seeing it."

Khushi's hand trembled as she touched the saree. With just a mere touch, she was able to see how beautifully it was embroidered while taking utmost care of not ruining the delicate and thin fabric. She was still looking at it when Arnav came and stood in front of her.

Opening a squared box, Arnav took out a pair of silver cufflinks and threw it on Khushi's face "I got it for my father from the money I earned but my father never got to wear them because he was dead."

Biting her lips to stop herself from crying, Khushi glanced at Arnav and a knife twisted through her heart to see an anguished and tormented look on his face. He looked so vulnerable, so innocent that Khushi wasn't able to see how he was the same person who had behaved so rudely to her.

Sitting on the bed with a defeated sigh, Arnav whispered hoarsely ignoring the sudden tightening in his throat "Four years back while coming back, I imagined how proud my parents will look when I will tell them that their son has managed to score the highest marks in his batch and has got a job offer but I never got to see that look on their faces because they were dead before I could tell them about it."

"I always wanted my father to hand his whole empire to me by himself but I never got this moment. I missed the opportunity of seeing the happiness on my father's face after seeing his son taking his empire to new heights. Four years back, I not only lost my parents but my Dadi as well who took you abroad and spent years there with you leaving me all alone here, to manage the empire single-handedly. Years later, my Di missed her chance of sharing the news of her pregnancy with my parents because they weren't alive. My Di missed the chances of sharing her grief with her mother when she was going through the worst period of her life because of you."

As he said the last word, the suffered and pained look on his face was replaced with a pure hatred and disgusted one "Why they loved YOU more than ME? My family lost all my happiness because of you. How can I not hate you? How can I not hate you when I know if my parents wouldn't have went to meet you four years back, they would have been alive? Tell me Khushi, how?"

Arnav turned towards Khushi, saw her shaking slightly while keeping her head down. He roared once again "TELL ME!!"

Khushi's head snapped in his direction and he watched in satisfaction how tears rolled down on her cheeks, her lips trembling as she tried to speak "I...I...don't...know."

"You don't know even a DAMN thing, Khushi so don't think that I am a sadist who enjoys insulting you and is trying to make you leave this BLOODY house because I am doing all this for YOU."

Khushi's eyes widened as she sputtered "For me?"

Arnav stood up and sneered "Yeah for you. After all the hate I have in my heart for you and having all the right reasons to extract revenge from you, I can't make you suffer. I can't make you cry. I can't hurt you. That's why you need to go away before I do something I may regret later."

"Why? Why can't you hurt me?" Neck deep in self- loathing, Khushi croaked her question.

"Because I had promised a dying Avinash Raizada that I will look after your happiness." Biting out the words, Arnav leaned to the right to look at the picture of his parents placed on the bed side table while Khushi stilled.

Refusing to quiet down, Arnav continued looking like a person who has lost everything in his life "My own father who asked me to take care of you died not saying a word about me and my sister.

She never knew of such promise till now. Papa took a promise from Arnav to look after her, her mind repeated as her heart went for the person sitting in front of her, still staring at his parent's picture wistfully.

Walking towards him, Khushi brought her hand forward to keep on Arnav's shoulder and say something comforting to him when his voice rang through the air, cold and rude as always "DON'T."

Keeping the picture back on the table, he stood up and turned towards her. Hatred and disgust visible in his eyes as he stared at her and gritted out "DON'T you DARE SAY something like you understand what I and my sister went through because you simple don't. For the last time, I am asking you to leave this house otherwise I won't be responsible for anything happening to you in future. I am ready to divorce you. Find a good guy and marry him because I can't give you anything except pain."

He walked past her, ready to exit from the room when Khushi whispered stopping him from walking away "You are right, Arnavji."

Khushi watched as Arnav stopped still not turning towards her, his stiff back facing her. Getting some courage, she continued "You are right. How can I understand other's pain Arnavji? After losing my parents twice, seeing my sister struggle for me and realizing how much everyone had sacrificed for my life, I cannot understand anything. Please make me understand, Arnavji. PLEASE."

She kept on watching as Arnav struggled between his heart and mind, for the FIRST time seeing things from her point of view and realizing that she had suffered as much as he did. Her heart hoped to see him turn back and say something but fisting his hands, he strode down leaving her crying.

ALONE, as always making her drown in sorrow, and recall the affectionate way that his parents always interacted with her and try their best to make her happy.

She missed Papa and Maa.

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She was still crying when her phone rang, making her glance at the screen. Seeing an unknown number, she was about to disconnect the call not wishing to talk to anyone right now but at last moment, she took the call.

"Hello, Mrs. Raizada?"

"Yes." She managed to utter, choking back on her tears.

"I am Dr.Mehra. Your husband has met with an accident. Please reach Life Care hospital quickly."

The phone fell from her hands as she fell on the floor, too numb to react. What is she going to do now? Go to her husband or leave this house as asked by him?

Updating early than my usual time as i was restless to post this chapter...Please do read it and tell me if i am doing justice to my readers expectations...i am waiting eagerly...do hit 'like' button and comment 😊

p.s. if you are expecting that Khushi will look after Arnav and Arnav will start liking her, it is NOT going to happen

Aditi...

uv-crazyfan2013-10-23 14:36:12