Chapter 24

This update is dedicated to AzraZaidi and madhu1210 for being the awesome readers that they are. I freaking love your comments. Thank you sweethearts 🤗 !!!!!!

ArHi SS: A Thing Called Marriage

Chapter 22

What a girl is supposed to do when she is given two choices, which would anyway lead to heart break?

The moment Anjali Raizada stepped out of Shyam's house with Arnav, she knew that she has chosen a difficult path which is full of thorns only. She faced the taunts of the society with proud, not letting anything hurt her.

If she thought that was the worst scenario she could ever face, she highly doubted it right now.

Changed in dry and warm clothes, she was now sitting in her room with Arnav beside her. He hadn't said anything, giving her his silent support.

The moment she had turned up at Shantivan looking torn with divorce papers in her hands, he had just asked her to change her wet clothes. Because Arnav knew Anjali will seek him if she needed any help from him.

As much she felt grateful to her brother for not asking anything, she remembered again and again what had happened. The moment Shyam had her attention, he started speaking as if he was very well-prepared to say this.

"You know Anjali, I will do anything to have you back with me. I am trying to convince you to come back to me from past 7-8 months but you didn't agreed. How can you find out whether I have changed or not by staying away? Come back to me."

And when she hadn't said anything, he sighed and took out some papers "You didn't left me with any other choice, Anjali. These are our divorce papers. I will file for divorce tomorrow. As the procedure goes, the judge will give us few months to live together and try to make this marriage work before granting the divorce. I am sure that in the given time, I will make you realize that I still love you very much. You have two choices now. Either come home with me tomorrow or I will file for divorce. You will have to come with me eventually."

He hadn't left her any other choice. If her heart was thrilled to see him so sure about winning her love back, she was shock to see how far he had gone to get this chance.

She kept thinking about it on her way to Shantivan.

There was no way she was going to give divorce to Shyam when she herself knew that yes, there is a hope left in her heart.

The choice was eventually made. Anjali looked at her brother "Arnav?"

Arnav looked at her immediately "What's it Di?"

"What do you think, should I go back to Shyam?" Anjali asked, not wanting to go against his wish.

Arnav smiled sadly at her and held her hands "Di, if that's what you want, you should go to him. Give your marriage this last chance. You know it's not his fault entirely. I should have been careful about it."

"No Arnav, things were ugly back then. You did everything to ensure my safety. No one knew that Vishal's father would do anything to hurt Shyam's business. You saved us all eventually, didn't you?" Resting her hand on his shoulder, Anjali reassured him.

"But if not for me, he wouldn't have done anything to your family." Arnav looked down ashamed and guilty.

Anjali held his face in her palms making him look up and whispered "Arnav let it go. I will go back to Shyam and will give this marriage another chance."

"Really Di?"

"Yes." Arnav hugged Anjali tightly, letting go of his guilt for being the reason behind the destruction that had happened in his sister's life.

He left her room only after making sure that she is fast asleep. The moment he stepped out, he saw Devyani and nodded at her before leaving.

Devyani then entered in Anjali's room, to watch over her for the rest of the night. She silently prayed to the god for her granddaughter's happiness.

______________________________________________________

Khushi was pacing to and fro in their room, feeling anxious of what was happening in Anjali's room. The moment she had seen Anjali, she knew Shyam has executed the plan. Yeah it was Khushi who had told Shyam to give Anjali the divorce papers.

Judging by the look that Arnav gave her before leaving for Anjali's room, she knew that he has understood everything. How is he going to react when he comes back, she didn't know. But she was hell scared.

"How is she?"

The moment she saw Arnav entering in their room, she asked this question, worried about Anjali. She knew that Anjali isn't going to take everything lightly now.

Closing the door behind him, Arnav turned to her pulling her into a hug. Khushi froze, her mouth fell open feeling his hands wound around her waist. She fisted her hands at the side awkwardly. He embraced her tightly as if she has solved his life's biggest problem and whispered in her ear "Thank you, Khushi. Di has decided to go back to Shyam."

"What? Are you serious?" She pulled back a bit, her face lighting up with excitement. Giving her a small smile, Arnav nodded making her squeal and jump up-down in happiness.

"Oh my god, I can't believe my plan worked. Di agreed to go back to Shyam." Khushi repeated hopping around in the room as if not being able to believe anything.

Suddenly, she stopped and turned around to face Arnav looking anxious "But what if he hurt her again?"

"He won't." Arnav replied smugly, assured about it completely.

Raising an eyebrow at his answer, Khushi walked back to him and asked what was nagging her mind since a long time "How can you be so sure about it? Arnavji, sometimes you speak about Shyam like you trust him completely. He ruined your sister's life and you destroyed everything he had. Then what happened that made you believe him again? Why did you let him meet Anjali Didi again?"

Feeling completely at loss of words, Arnav looked around opening his mouth and closing it again like a fish. He looked like she had treaded on something he didn't want her to know.

Mumbling something incoherently under his breath, Arnav stormed out of the room leaving a very curious Khushi behind.

What was he hiding from her possibly?

______________________________________________________

Next morning, Arnav and Khushi left for AR together as Devyani informed them that Anjali is still sleeping peacefully in her room. Devyani didn't tell them how Anjali had woken up in the middle of the night and broke down in her arms, seeking her reassurances that the choice she had made is right.

As Arnav drove the car towards AR, an uncomfortable silence fell in between him and Khushi. Khushi kept looking at him as if trying to decipher what's going on in his mind meanwhile he kept his face blank, not letting her get a glimpse of his inner turmoil.

As they reached AR, they entered in their cabin without saying anything to each other. Picking up the intercom, Arnav asked Aman to get his schedule of the day.

Giving him today's schedule, Aman observed how Arnav read everything absent-mindedly as if something else was going on in his mind. Pondering over the same, he walked out and bumped into Khushi who was standing outside.

He was taken aback when Khushi asked him to come to her cabin with her.

"Aman whatever I am going to ask to you, please answer it honestly. Knowing the answers of it is important to me." Khushi instructed, locking her cabin after letting Aman enter.

Aman saw as Khushi walked and took a seat opposite to him, nodding quickly. Hesitating for a moment, Khushi met Aman's eyes and asked "How things were in AR when you joined four years back?"

Aman's face was drained of color immediately. He knew what she was trying to find out. But Arnav had warned him to not speak even a word about it. How can he speak about it, betraying the trust that his boss has put in him?

"Aman, this is about Arnavji's welfare as well. I am asking this as his wife. You know I am not his enemy. You are not betraying him." Khushi assured him, well aware of what was going on in Aman's mind.

Aman sighed, knowing that he was going to give in. Looking down, he answered "ASR was very angry back then, after losing his parents. After his parent's funeral, he came in the office and took my interview, appointing me as his secretary. In a week, he re-interviewed every employee and made them sign a contract."

"What contract?"

"The contract said that if anyone let out any information about AR to outsiders and if any harm happened to the company because of them, they will lose their house and will have to face imprisonment of 7 years. Everyone was scared of him after that."

Pondering over the newly found information, Khushi asked another question "Did you notice anything usual about Arnavji back then?"

"He asked to hire men to keep a watch on Anjali Mam. And..." Aman stopped, feeling guilty of telling everything to Khushi.

"And?" Khushi prodded him again.

"And in 2 months, he was injured 3 times. Whenever I tried to ask about it, he said that he met with minor accidents. But the last time he was injured, he was stabbed in the back with a sharp knife. I asked him to file FIR against the person who attacked him, but he refused. I don't know everything about that incident."

Khushi froze at the spot, having already guessed what must have happened. Biting her trembling lips, she asked the last question "Was there any person who tried to harm Arnavji and AR?"

"Yes, there was a lucknow MLA, Kaushal Malhotra who tried to harm AR but ASR managed to get some dirt on him and stopped all his attempts later." Aman informed, twisting his fingers nervously.

"You can go now, Aman. Thank you for telling me everything." Khushi managed to speak somehow, feeling her throat choking.

Aman looked at her and saw her on the verge of breaking down "Are you alright, Mam?"

"Yeah, I am fine. Don't worry." Managing to pass him a tight smile, Khushi met his gaze. Feeling uncertain, Aman left the cabin leaving a shattered Khushi behind.

_______________________________________________________

Arnav was sitting in his cabin, twirling the paper weight with his fingers. He knew that Khushi has gotten suspicious about him.

Was he doing the right thing by hiding everything from her?

What if she gets to know everything from someone else? He knew that she was a very stubborn girl and will get to the root of it if she got suspicious.

Hiding things from her now will only lead to misunderstandings, he concluded. But knowing the truth will kill her with guilt and burden of being the reason behind everything?

But he will be there to console her right? He will assure that she is innocent though earlier it was because of all these reasons, he used to hate her.

He will tell her everything, he decided. There should be no secrets between him and Khushi. He looked at the watch and realized that it's lunch time already.

He got up and walked out of his cabin, saw the office was half-empty already with most of the employees in cafeteria.

With a sigh, he pushed the door open and walked in Khushi's cabin only to meet her gaze. He froze after seeing the tormented look in her eyes.

She knows.

And next chapter will have the last serious talk between Arnav and Khushi, I promise. Please don't kill me for such a lame update.

There will be no serious fight between Arnav and Khushi, I promise. This will strengthen their bond only.

Please hit like button and do comment,

Aditi.