Chapter 17 - Out in the open

There often comes a time in everyone’s life when their strongest belief systems are tested, when one is required to prove to his or her own self what they actually do when difficult times come.

That day was the same for Dhruv Malik.

Seeing Khushi with Arnav, hearing her and Arnav talk about what happened between them, cancelling their Agra plan...a brutally clear indication that Khushi had cheated on him with Arnav. And that was the time that had forced Dhruv to face and prove what he had been desperately making everyone believe, making Khushi’s parents believe and mainly making Khushi believe. That he was a very sensible, mature and patient man. That he knew how to handle crisis, how to stay rational, reliable even. He had lived that way his whole life in Raizada Mansion. He had held on to the same maturity when he first learned about Khushi’s engagement to Arnav when he himself was planning to propose her. He had stayed true to it the night everything ended between khushi and Arnav. He had proved it even when he married Khushi while she carried Arnav’s child. And he stayed patient when she grieved that loss for weeks and months, he had stayed sensible, patient, and mature.

But on the one day he needed those qualities the most, he failed. And how!

Or perhaps he was just a man tonight. A broken, sinful man. And he was not going to allow anyone, not even Raizadas who gave him shelter and food nor Khushi who gave him- well, she gave him more pain than joy, but no one was allowed to make him feel guilty tonight.

And thus, even when he saw shock and utter devastation on Khushi’s face seeing him with the girl, a hooker he had hired a few hours ago at a bar, he didn’t flinch. After all, she had started this ‘seeking pleasure outside’ game; he was only using the same rules.

“Who is this girl, Dhruv? And where were you the entire day?” It was Anjali who asked that. The guests meanwhile had started whispering amongst themselves.

Khushi held her breath, hoping he would say anything other than what she feared it looked like.

“I ah-I-was out, Di. Needed -needed s-some meee time.” his speech came slightly stuttering due to the influence of alcohol. “And this- this is- m-meena-mona?”

“Just Mona.” the woman said, almost amused. She adjusted the strap of her glittering dress with practiced ease. “We met at the Hardrock club a few hours ago and he looked like he could use company, so… I rearranged my evening for him. He compensated of course.” She said with a small chuckle. “Since he was already drunk and couldn’t drive, so I thought to- you know, drop him home safely.” Saying so, she looked over the mansion curiously, as if evaluating the worth of the place. And then she added, “After all client satisfaction and safety are Mona’s top goals..” She was clearly not ashamed of her occupation. But the women in the hall looked at her in disgust while some of the men couldn’t quite look away.

Arnav’s eyes meanwhile were only on Khushi. She looked so shaken, so broken right now, seeing her married life being made a public joke by her husband! Payal had come to stand by her side, lightly touching her arm, while Mami, mama ji and Akash looked puzzled.

Lavanya, on the other hand, didn’t know how to react. Truth be told, seeing Dhruv’s open PDA at the breakfast table earlier that morning had made her very happy and she had also been convinced that Khushi was out of Arnav’s mind forever now. But now, seeing what Dhruv had done, she was feeling a strange feeling of doom in her heart. As if she was sensing something wrong about to happen. How she wished Anjali took Dhruv away in his room while they all continued her and Arnav’s sangeet?

There had barely been a few seconds since Mona revealed who she was and how Dhruv “met” her, but it felt like hours to everyone there, especially to Khushi, Arnav, Anjali and Nani.

That was when Nani came forward, her voice trembling. “Why, Dhruv bitwa? I was so proud of you, of how you were someone who never disappointed me. But what you have done today-”

“Noooo, Naani.” Dhruv said, his words slurred, “I am ti-tired of being per-perfect.”

Mona let her fingers trace lazily along his sleeve. “But you are perfect.”

Nani closed her eyes in embarrassment. Anjali, on the other hand, felt Shyam’s absence more than ever. He was supposed to arrive tomorrow; otherwise, he would have been a strong support for them all, especially Khushi who stood frozen, her eyes as mute as her speech. Anjali knew she had to act.

She quickly opened her wallet and pressed a few thousand into Mona’s hand. “Take this and leave now.”

Mona’s grin widened, equal parts mischievous and satisfied. “Oh, he paid me double for 4 hours already, but extra never hurts.” She leaned closer to Dhruv. “It was fun today, Mr. hottie. Call me if you need me again.” With a wink, she turned and went out of the hall.

Anjali then turned around to address the guests, folding her hands. “We are deeply sorry for tonight, but we need some privacy. Could everyone please give our family some time alone for now?”

The guests gave mixed reactions- some nodding in sympathy, some giving accusatory glances at Dhruv, but they left one by one.

As soon as the last guest left, Khushi walked towards Dhruv with tear-filled eyes, “Tell me what I saw and heard wasn’t true, Dhruv ji. I want to hear the truth from your mouth.”

“Sure, wi-wifey.” Dhruv said, coming closer. Khushi instantly stepped back, recoiling at the strong stench of alcohol on his breath. He chuckled. “At le-least Mona didn’t- didn’t turn away when I came near. When I kissed-”

Anger, shock, and humiliation hit Khushi all at once and she slapped him across his face. “How could you? How could you do this to me, Dhruv?” she demanded, gripping his shirt, letting go of any courtesy ‘ji’. “How could you break my trust?”

Dhruv’s intoxication had started wearing off by then, and her slap, push, and pull only hastened the effect. He freed his shirt from her hold and chuckled, clapping his hands. “You are so, so funny, Khushi. What did- did you say? Trust?” He laughed a little more.

Khushi looked at him in confusion. Why was he behaving so strangely? What had changed between this morning and evening to turn Dhruv into this- this person?

Just then, her phone rang and she turned it in her hand and saw it was her amma and babuji calling on video. But before she could decide to end the call, Dhruv snatched it and answered.

“Dhruv bitwa! How are you?” her amma’s voice came from the other side.

Khushi gasped in shock and tried to snatch the phone from him, but he held it firm. “I am f-fine, amma. More than fine. Because I spent my evening with an-an amazing woman. And nope- she wasn’t Khushi.”

Her amma and babuji gasped on the phone.

That was when Arnav, who had been barely controlling his emotions until now, stepped forward and snatched the phone. “Do you even realize what you have done, Dhruv?” he asked, handing the phone back to Khushi. In her flustered state, she didn’t even think to cut the call, leaving her parents on the line, witnessing everything.

Dhruv scoffed. “Lo-look who is t-talking! My brother-uh-stepbrother!”

Arnav’s face contorted with anger as he advanced towards Dhruv ready to charge, “Shut up! Shut up, Dhruv! You cheated on your wife, insulted her in front of the whole world, and have no shame in your eyes?" he said and pushed Dhruv, "But you know what? It’s probably not your fault! Because you are just like your mother, Dhruv! You don’t respect or care about sanctity of marriage! How could you do this to your wife, you immoral man!”

Hearing this, finally snapped Dhruv’s patience. For years, he had kept quiet, had endured Arnav's discomfort around him, but him speaking ill of his mother, especially when she was the victim, was crossing the final limit! And thus, he shouted, “NO! NO, ARNAV! YOU are like your mother! A homewrecker, just like she was!” saying so, he shoved Arnav away. “And don’t you dare, ever, bring my mother into this, ever again! She already suffered because of what your mother did, and I already sacrificed a lot to pay for Ratna Malik- no, Ratna Singh Raizada, keeping me alive! But enough! So hear this, if anyone was immoral-it- it was your mother! Your mother who married my dad despite knowing he was married already!!!”

Akash instantly came forward to hold Arnav, but he held out his hand.

“What the f*ck are you saying, Dhruv?” he asked.

Dhruv smiled. “I am finally telling you what you should have heard years back, Arnav! But everyone was so scared, Nani, di, me myself, that you would do something- but you know what? I don’t care anymore!” he said looking at Nani and Anjali who had been requesting him through their eyes to keep quiet. Khushi (and her parents), as well Akash, Payal and the rest looked helpless as Dhruv had opened the floodgates in most brutal way.

But he went on, “My mother and I already did a lot for your family, cried a lot suffered a lot. And what did we get in return? Insult? Backstabbing? You should have been grateful to us but you are instead insulting my mother? Wasn't ruining my life enough? So, I’m ending it today. Hear this, Arnav! Your mother, Ratna Singh Raizada, was never the legal wife of Arvind Malik. Because even before marrying her, he was married to my mother. And you know what that makes you, right? Bast*rd!”

Arnav felt as if he was punched in his gut...not ready to believe a single word, yet knowing somewhere it was truth.

Nani and Anjali, unable to bear the revelation, unable to believe the truth they guarded for so many years, came out like this, nearly collapsed due to the disbelief. The Guptas on the call, were stunned hearing this, for 2 reasons. One was the truth about Arnav’s parentage and second, how Dhruv was insensitive enough to reveal it in such way.

People often aren't ready to hear something so shocking and when they do, they go in denial. The same happened with Arnav, as his eyes burned with fury and he grabbed Dhruv by the collar. “Stop talking rubbish, you swine! How dare you lie about my mother? To hide your dirty deeds, you have stooped so low-”

Dhruv pushed him back, “I am NOT lying! Ask Nani or Anjali di. They have known this for years. And if you don’t believe them, ask the woman you have always lusted after…my wife, Khushi.” He scoffed, “After all, she has guarded this secret for 5 years, in fact, from the night of your engagement with her, that never happened. Because it broke because of her keeping this secret after all.”

Arnav stumbled again, this time under the weight of the words he had just heard. He looked at his Nani and then at his Di, who avoided his gaze. That was answer enough to confirm that Dhruv’s words were true. How..how was this possible? His mother, his sweet, kind mother…was she -did she really marry an already married man? Did she really break someone else’s house? This was bizarre, horribly bizarre.

Lavanya, meanwhile, had started realizing that if this confrontation went on like this, her crime would be exposed too and worst thing, it could be detrimental to her relationship with Arnav. And thus, she came to Arnav’s side and held his hand, “ASR, let’s leave from here. It’s enough for now.”

But Arnav didn’t even look at her. He freed himself. And then slowly, he looked at the woman who was now watching him with tear filled eyes. But those tears were not just for her broken marriage. They were also for the huge, unbearable weight of the secret she had kept for years and had finally lifted.

He held her gaze, both pair of eyes having same vulnerability remembering the night that neither could ever get over, and he asked, “Sach kya hai (What is the truth), Khushi? Please… please tell me.”

And she couldn’t control it any further, she couldn’t keep quiet. She already did so for too long and paid for it heavily.

And thus, finally, finally, she told him what she had wanted to say that night years ago. That night when Anjali and then Dhruv had convinced her not to.

“I didn’t know until that evening, Arnavji… I was getting ready in my room, counting minutes until I saw you. So, when I stumbled upon a letter in my bag with your name on it, I assumed it was from you. And by the time I realized it was from your mother, it was too late. I had already read what she had written for you.”

“And what had she written, Khushi?” he asked in a low voice, feeling his heartbeat as well slow down. But he reminded himself to keep breathing, a technique he had been taught for situations like this years ago in rehab.

She wiped her tears and replied, “She wrote that she felt guilty for taking Arvind uncle’s- your dad’s, love. She mentioned that she regrets taking away Dhruv ji’s rights and happiness. And she admitted that she knew her sins would make her pay one day but feared they should not haunt you or di.” The words were still fresh in her mind, as vivid as the first time she had read them.

Arnav took a deep breath. So, his mother, the woman he had worshipped, for whom he had fought the world, summoned darkness around himself for years, shrouded in it, was not the woman he thought she was. She had taken someone else’s happiness, love, and rights. And he had blamed the wrong person all his life. It was never the other woman- Radhika ji, who was at fault. It was his mother.

Strangely, the truth did not push him back into darkness or make him want to destroy everything. He just stared at the floor for a while, then looked at Khushi again. “Was this why you were crying to him that night?”

She nodded. “I wanted to tell you. But Di advised me not to… and I too feared, knowing, how- how you could-“ she briefly looked at the scars on his wrist and left it unsaid. “And then Dhruv ji saw me sad and took me to the terrace to ask what happened. I was too scared and too confused Arnavji… and that’s why I was crying. And when you-”

“-when I saw you with Dhruv, I assumed the worst. Of course.” Arnav completed her sentence, linking everything together to that night, with the complete truth in front of him now. Why she was saying to Dhruv, ‘what if Arnavji finds out’, and why Dhruv said he shouldn’t. How silly of him. But well, apart from his own insecurity with her friendship with Dhruv, it was also due to his Di and Lavanya’s remarks that fueled his suspicion on khushi, and he had questioned her character. He should have asked her why she was crying…not why she was crying in dhruv’s arms. But at least now he knows the full truth.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Khushi.” He said, with a small smile. “I wasn’t ready for the truth and may not have handled it well.”

“Chote…” Nani said, worried, and he saw his Di looking at him with concern.

He smiled and replied, “Don’t worry. I am not going back to those self-harming ways. I have spent a lot of time learning to handle my emotions, and I know how to do so now.” His words brought a bit of relief to them. But then he added, “But you shouldn’t have let Khushi sacrifice herself. You both knew the truth. You could have saved her that night… from my anger. You could have saved our relationship.” He said, in accusation. But there was no anger there now. He looked defeated, drained.

“Trust me, Chote, I have regretted it every single day. If I could turn back time, I would do anything to do so.” Anjali said.

Khushi’s parents, meanwhile, had tears in their eyes. What all they had thought about Arnav, that he had used their daughter before leaving her pregnant and alone and what the whole story had turned out to be.

Arnav just shook his head. And then he went to Dhruv, who was already looking at him with a blank face. Strangely, seeing Arnav defeated like that gave him a closure he had not realized he had always needed. For all those times in his childhood that he had been called illegitimate, for all those times he had struggled with himself to not hate Arnav and his family despite having every reason, for all those times he had wanted Arnav to feel the pain of knowing what he was, a bast*rd.! And for all those times, he wished his mother got her due respect while Ratna received the hatred she should have…her taking him in when his mother was on deathbed had not been enough as a payback.

Arnav stood in front of Dhruv and said in a sincere voice, “Sorry. I am truly sorry for what you and your mother faced due to my mother, Dhruv. Due to my family, and me. But I- I really didn’t know. Otherwise, I-“ he sighed, “well, I am sorry.” He said and when Dhruv didn't say anything, he turned to leave.

But Dhruv’s voice stopped him, “what about the apology for having an affair with my wife?”

Everyone gasped in shock hearing those words. While Khushi looked at Dhruv and then Arnav in shock. How did Dhruv know?

Dhruv continued, “What? Why are you looking at me like this? Thought you could hide it forever? Too bad, I heard your conversation this morning. Now it makes sense why my wife was reacting so weirdly whenever I tried to touch her since coming here…because she likes your touch more.”

Arnav fisted his hands tightly. Even though he was angry at Dhruv’s venomous words, the way he was demeaning Khushi, the way he was questioning her character, they weren’t entirely untrue and thus, he couldn’t do anything.

But Khushi couldn’t take it anymore and pleaded him, “Dhruv ji, please, stop it.”

“Why? Did I say anything wrong, Khushi? Did you not tell Arnav that you didn’t want to go with him to Agra, and you should forget what happened in past few days? What were you both going to do in Agra, Khushi? And what had happened in last few days? Or did you think I will step up to give my name to another illegitimate child of Arnav’s? Like last time?”

Hearing him dismiss her feelings, her vulnerability and her child like that made Khushi’s feet nearly give up, and she took support of the wall to hold herself. While the world had stopped spinning for one man. Arnav.

--*--

A/N - So, there you go. I tried my best to ensure everyone's thoughts and POVs were included but please let me know if I missed any. The next chapter will come sooner, as one final truth bomb explodes. And then, there will be a finale.