FF: 3 Years Later -(ArHi) Thread1 - Page 90

simply awesome. We cant blame Khushi for she isnt in her right mind. maybe when she would hear him clearly or think rationally, not as rational as she THINKS she is doing now, would reach the end of her misery and get answer for all her Qs. Keep up the good job

Whowa!!! Nice!!! LOoks like another confruntation is on the way!!! Whoop cant wait!!! Plz update soon as always!!! ;)

Great! You kept us waiting for a long time but it was worth it...now i'm hungry for more...please hurry up with the other parts.sorry for insisting so much, i'm sure you're busy in the holidays with family and all.

oh thats a nice update...
curious to know wat happens now

finally finished ch 5...i have no words...superb story...

Finally caught up with your FF!! Its amazing. I really jope khushi moves on cant see arnav in pain. Could you please pm me next time?

OMG!! Killer update!! 👏
Their relationship is so complex, so twisted, so intense!!
I understand that Khushi is having a problem in believing him after all thats happened in the past...but Arnav? He may be going through so much pain too!!
Can you please give us some idea of his emotions in the next update?

fabulous update pls continue soon

Oh wow. I have just read all of this fanfic in one sitting and I am speechless. This is fabulous!!! Oh please update soon, I have to know what happens now!

Hello all! Hope you people are having a good holiday season. Wanted to give you all a little end of 2011 update, even though it's a short one, because I have SO little time to write these days.

Hope you all enjoy it, and one request... Please NO predictions and requests for plots in this thread. If you have some, feel free to PM me, and I will discuss it with you there. I'm always open to ideas :) Otherwise, discuss the update to your heart's content here.

Happy New Year to all you lovely people, and thank you SO much for always reading my FF, and taking the time out to post your thoughts, and compliments. All the best for 2012. ❤️

CHAPTER 6 - PART 3

It was as if time literally stopped, freezing everyone and everything, including the two of them. Her legs felt weighted, her body tense and rigid, her mind frozen, feeling nothing, as seconds ticked by, and then she half noticed Aman move around her chair, towards his wife, leaving no barrier between them. And, feeling icy threads of fear begin to wrap themselves around her, she dropped her gaze from the rage filled eyes boring into her own, and started to turn around and sit back down, now anxious to remain in the company of friends, mentally wishing they would assist in keeping the peace. But, the hand which closed around her wrist in a vice like grip, told her there was no hope left for anything pleasant, for any more pretence. She heard a cutting "We're leaving." Before he turned, ignoring everyone present, and began to stride towards the exit, with her being left with no choice but to follow, since the grip on her wrist did not ease. Looking back over her shoulder she saw the bewildered and even concerned looks from not just the people at her table, but also the ones surrounding it, and the ones they passed. Her face burning with a mixture of guilt, panic and embarrassment, she felt a little of her earlier anger return, and with it a twinge of desperation. Grabbing the arm that was all but dragging her across the room, she tried to keep her voice calm "Please stop this, you're making a scene." She muttered, then felt herself slam into him when he stopped abruptly, and turned, looking down at her, nearly causing her to recoil from the blast of his chilled gaze. "You started the scene" He said in a low, deadly voice. "I'm just finishing it."

Fighting down a sudden feeling of panic, Khushi fell silent, allowing herself to wordlessly be led outside, straight to his car, where he pulled opened the passenger door, and waited. Glancing towards her own car parked several yards away, she didn't move, silently refusing, then feeling her first genuine pang of fear at the violent tone in his voice. "Get in the goddamned car, before I throw you in." Supressing a mad urge to make a dash for her car, she took a deep breath and turned, slowly easing herself into the carseat, then felt the door shut with a snap, the sound ringing with a finality which sent another surge of panic through her. Preparing herself for an angry outburst from him the moment he eased the car into the street, she closed her eyes and waited, but he remained silent, his eyes fixed firmly on the road. After several minutes, unable to bear the mounting tension, or the un-natural silence between them, she took a deep breath, thinking an attempt from her side was required. "Please give me a chance to explain." She said softly, looking at his profile, her guilt resurfacing. More silence followed, his eyes never leaving the road, his face not registering the slightest trace that he had even heard her. Feeling her confidence start to sink, she turned her head, looking out the window, staring out blindly.

She walked ahead of him into the apartment, then felt her insides tremble as the door slammed behind her. She didn't move as he brushed passed her into the living room, throwing his keys on the coffee table, shrugging off his jacket, and loosening his tie, before turning towards her, his face as hard as a rock, and eyes simmering with suppressed fury. Swallowing hard, she stared at him for a moment, willing herself to speak, knowing the time had come for her to explain, to set aside the excuses, the insecurities and simply express herself. Taking a deep breath, she started to say something, but he spoke first "There's a cocktail reception this evening. Be ready to leave at six thirty." He said flatly, then turned on his heel and started walking towards the guest room. Thrown by the sudden mention of something as insignificant as evening plans, she automatically glanced at her watch, noting she had a little over two hours left. Still, now fully prepared to discuss what had happened at the restaurant, and needing to explain herself, she stared at his back in shock. Forgetting everything for a moment, she ran behind him, catching up just as he reached the door to the guest room. Grabbing his arm, and unable to hide the faint pleading in her voice, she said "Arnav, please listen to me." His hand stilled on the doorknob, and she felt him tense, but he didn't turn. Regaining a little of her confidence, she continued "I was upset earlier, and I… I said some things which I need to explain… Which I didn't mean quite the way it may have sounded." He turned so suddenly, that she took a startled step backward, her grip on his arm involuntarily tightening as she fought for balance. Forcing herself to look up at those eyes which if possible were colder than they were moments ago, she felt her panic resurface as he spoke "I'm not interested in listening to your explanations."

"I understand you're upset." She said trying to stay calm, to not focus on the coldness in his eyes "Please hear me out." She held his eyes for a long moment, hoping to see even a slight relenting, then shrunk back in fear when he took a step towards her, and bent his head, bringing his face inches from hers. "No, you hear me out." He said, his voice threateningly low. "I am no longer interested in anything you have to say. No longer interested in your goddamned excuses, and games. You made everything very clear today, not just to me, but the whole damned world. And, since you're so hell bent on living up to your end of this arrangement, then let's not waste any more time on what you thought was a fake relationship." He straightened up slightly, his face as hard as granite, eyes filled with loathing. "I expect you to be dressed and ready on time." He said, then turned and went into the guest room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Several hours later they returned from the reception, back to the apartment, and Khushi stopped just inside the door, bending down to remove her shoes. She was tired, and her nerves were stretched to breaking point from the entire day's events. The reception had lasted for a few hours, followed by dinner out at a restaurant with a group of people who had insisted they join them. Making an excuse to opt out had been at the tip of her tongue when Arnav had politely agreed, leaving no room for argument, and so she'd suffered through another couple of hours, making conversation, smiling brightly, not letting her growing discomfort show. Her husband had all but ignored her the entire evening, treating her with polite indifference when in company, otherwise remaining mute during those rare moments they were alone. Her vain attempts at conversation were met with either the same cold look, and a threatening silence, which eventually frayed her nerves and forced her to back off for fear of igniting his obvious anger. Stealing a quick glance at him as he made his way to the kitchen and poured himself a drink, she considered trying once more to discuss what had transpired that afternoon, and if nothing else to at least apologize for it. Making her way slowly to the kitchen, she reached there in time to see him swallow the last of his drink, and immediately pour himself another one. Hesitating for a second, she let her mind drift back to the reception, then back to the bottle on the counter, realizing that he'd been drinking steadily all evening, going well past his normal limit of two, sometimes three drinks at social events. Deciding not to say anything for fear of a reaction, she looked at him searchingly, noting he seemed perfectly normal, with no obvious effects from all the alcohol he'd consumed throughout the evening. Gripping the counter which stood between them, she fought to keep her voice level as she watched him slowly lower his glass and stare at her. "Can we please talk about what happened today?" She asked softly. "No." He said, setting his glass on the counter and turning to walk away. Tired of being ignored and dismissed yet again, she moved quickly, blocking his path "We can't just ignore everything and go on like this, please at least let me explain where I was coming from with what I said today."

"Go on like what?" He asked, his eyes hardening. "Which part of this arrangement is not suiting you now?" He took a step closer, his voice dropping to almost a whisper. "Isn't this what you wanted? A nice, formal arrangement with no strings?" She shook her head, "That's not what I meant, I want you to understand why I said what I said."

"And I told you I'm not interested." He grated out. "Well you don't have a choice, because I'm going to say what I have to say." She shot back, her temper flaring as her ego took yet another blow.

"Then you'll be talking to yourself." He said indifferently, side stepping her and walking into the living room. Pushed past the limit of endurance, she spun around and followed. "Why?" She almost yelled, coming up behind him. "Are you afraid to listen to how you created this mess? How you used what happened with Shayam to get your way?" She watched him stop suddenly, not moving, then he turned, slowly, his face expressionless. "Oh yes!" She said scathingly "I heard all about your romantic ideas of marriage from your sister. All of them seem pretty disappointed that you didn't get a chance to propose properly." She gave a short, humorless laugh. "But we both know you were not disappointed don't we?" She asked. "And, we both know why you weren't disappointed" She hissed, her eyes like chips of ice. "Because you knew I would never have said yes so soon after meeting you again, before properly putting the past to rest. You knew that didn't you?" She demanded. "And, so when the whole mess with Shayam happened, you used it to your advantage, because that's what you do. It was the perfect chance to get your way, and you took it." She continued. "But, from all of them..." She said, her voice trembling now with pain and bitterness "I'm the only one who knows how cold and ruthless you really are. Because, you always use your money and power to get what you want…. Like you did once before, by throwing a bundle of cash at a girl in need… And this time…" She said bitterly "You threw her a wedding ring."

It was one brief moment, where she thought she saw a glimpse of regret, and maybe even pain flash through his eyes, but it was gone before she could be sure. The silence hanging between them was deafening. Neither moved, as they remained rooted to where they stood, both focused on the accusation thrown out, both aware that somehow a large truth had been spoken, only one knowing the reason behind that truth, the other either unaware or unaccepting of it. She looked away, as a heavy weight settleD inside her chest, and the silence continued, pain and disappointment flooding through her.

"And, both times she accepted."

The words were spoken softly, but with so much accusation, her head snapped up in shock. Unable to move she stared wide eyed as he came towards her, stopping inches away, rage stamped into every feature of his face, his eyes terrifying with their burning fury. "If according to you, I use my money and power to get what I want, and that makes me cold and ruthless." He said "Where…" He continued in barely above a whisper "On your moral compass, does a person who allows themself to be bought, fall?"

Stunned beyond belief, she stared at him speechless, her hand automatically reaching for the back of the couch beside her, her fingers gripping the fabric tightly. "Tell me." He insisted softly, after a few seconds. "Tell me what you call a woman, who sells herself to the rich and ruthless man, knowing he is incapable of love." She felt tears well up in her throat, and her eyes burn with humiliation and anger. "I don't want to be a part of this marriage anymore. I want a divorce" She said, in a trembling voice. "You made that perfectly clear this afternoon." He replied smoothly "You also said, if I remember correctly, that you would live up to your end of this arrangement till it's conclusion."

Desperately holding on to the last of her pride, she glared at him with as much contempt as she could muster. "Well, if something as petty as spite is what satisfies you, then I'm fine with carrying on this arrangement to the end. Because, it means I'll then be finally rid of you from my life, maybe replace you with a better man, and that satisfies me."

She almost shrunk back in fear for a second, thinking he was going to hit her, such was the rage on his face, which within a split second turned to pure loathing. "Five months." He said, taking a step forward, closing the distance between them. "And, try not to forget..." He whispered with equal contempt, his eyes boring into hers "For that time, I have bought, and own every inch of you."