SS: A new Cinderella- Epilogue- 23 - Page 5

Hey Aashna!

"BABUJI!" Arnav heard a wail from his room and he came running down. Payal was crying against Akash's chest. Akash held his wife consoling her sobs.

"What happened?"

"Shhh Payal its ok. I am here. Shhh. Bhai, its Payal's Babuji. He passed away." Payal broke down in her husbands arms. Arnav froze on the spot. "Khushi!"

"DON'T YOU DARE TAKE HER NAME!" Payal screamed at a horrified Arnav.

"Payal. What are you doing. Bhai Please, she is distressed." Akash tried to hold his wife back but she wouldn't have it.

"Akash, let her speak. Its ok. She needs to get it out." Arnav spoke quietly.

"Don't you speak to me in the condescending tone. AND YOU!" she turned to Shyam who backed off.

"You both killed my baby sister. My Khushi. I was quiet till today because my lips were sealed. BECAUSE OF YOU" she pointed straight at Shyam.

"Payal, what are you saying – Akash maybe you should take her to your room"

Shyam had worked hard to keep his place in this house – and things were all back to the way he always wanted now. He had all but tracked Khushi down. She was somewhere in the Himachal Pradesh his informants had told him. Arnav may have acquaintances in high places, but he knew people in low places. He had weasled his way back into Rani Sahiba's life and she was now way too occupied with the baby than to care about his whereabouts. With Khushi gone from Raizada house, free for him to pursue again, his brother-in-law on a truce of sorts, Anjali busy with the kid well all of this worked out just fine for him.

"No, Payal finish what you have to say"

Payal had collapsed in a bawling mess onto the living room floor, the whole family gathered to watch her flay around in helpless hysterics.

"This man," she pointed at Arnav "married my sister for a contract of 6 months" Arnav clenched his eyes tightly shut.

"She was abused verbally by him every day. She just took it all."

"What? WhY?" there were whispers all over the room.

"Because of HIM!" Payal kept going, this time pointing at Shyam whose face looked ashen.

"Payal, what are you saying!" Shyam tried to interrupt.

"Arnavji treated her like crap. And she quietly took it. She never even got the chance to prove her innocence. " Payal burst out again.

"But why didn't Khushi bitiya say something?" Nani looked in shock, too many unanswered questions. "And what does Shyam have to do with it?"

"Di, what I am about to say is going to break your world. But I don't care anymore. No one cared about my baby sister – she is only 19! NINETEEN Arnavji. Do you even remember what it was like to be NINETEEN?"

Arnav's knees felt weak. Anjali stood unfeeling.

"She was my babuji's angel. She took the world on her shoulders to bring happiness to everyone. Di – Shyam Jha was her fianc. He lived in our house as a paying guest for months brainwashing all of us into thinking of him as a perfect suitor for Khushi until we relented and forced her into the engagement. Ofcourse then she found out who he really was and he still didn't stop. He kept on harassing her, physically and emotionally. And then YOU married her out of spite. To save your sister her heartbreak, you made my baby sister the sacrificial lamb. Just so that my marriage could go on unscathed. And she walked to the sacrificial altar without question. Did it strike you Arnavji that a girl who could give everything up for her sister couldn't possibly break up the livelihood of another? Did it Arnavji?" She had turned her fury on Arnav again.

"CHOTEY! What is Payal saying! Is this true?"

"No Payal. It didn't. I wish it had. But it didn't. why didn't she say something? "

Shyam had started to back towards the door. "Shyam Babua, thoda wait kariye." Mamiji held his wrist fast. She always had a feeling there was something very wrong about him.

"Why? Would you have believed her?" Payal had fury in her eyes. No one had ever seen so much passion in her eyes before and Akash was frightened yet in awe of his beautiful wife.

"Shyam threatened her. Promised to kill Babuji if she so much breathed a word to you. He made her promise that she would accept her guilt, if not in words then in her silence. So whilst she swallowed her self respect, her tears, her anguish, he built up his grotesque mask again. You played right into his fingers, like putty. You know why Arnavji, because you never loved her. You never saw through your own prejudices. You didn't see the pure heart of that nineteen year old who made you her world. Who waited day and night for a glimmer of hope, a sliver of your heart. But you gave her nothing."

Arnav felt the rage shoot through his body. Shyam flinched as he saw Arnavs fists clench. The family all looked on paralysed by Payals' words

"Payal, why didn't you say something before?" Akash looked horrified at his wife and more than a little hurt that she hadn't even confided in him.

"I know I should have told you and I am sorry. But Khushi made me swear on her own life that I wouldn't reveal a word to anyone." Payal clenched her eyes remembering that afternoon when she had found her sister in a complete mess.

"Show me Khushi, a love letter for your 'woh'?" Payal swiped the piece of paper Khushi was writing on and khushi panicked trying to snatch it away. "Jiji, no, please give it back."

"uh-uh-uh little sister, first let me read it." Payal turned her back to Khushi and started reading the contents.

Dear Amma and Babuji,

For everything you have done for me I will forever be in your debt. I am so lucky to have gotten the love, not of just one set of parents but two. You gave me a home when I had none. You picked me up and kissed away all of my demons. You gave me a family when mine had been wrenched away from me. For that and a lot more, I will always love you.

Please forgive me for all the pain and troubles I gave you. I promise you I never knowingly did anything to hurt you. Somehow whatever I try to do never works out.

Babuji, please I need you to understand that whatever steps I am taking, I am taking out of my own will. No one has asked me to or pressurised me to take these steps. I feel that my presence in the lives of my family always brings more anguish than actual happiness. My name itself is an irony to my existence.

I love you all more than I can express in words.

Yours lovingly

Khushi

"Khushi, what the hell is this?" Payal turned around the colour draining from her face. Khushi then broke down and told her sister everything. From the very beginning. How he had found Shyam and her on the terrace, how laid the 6 month contract on her, how he had married her and how Shyam had blackmailed her.

"Khushi I am going to tell Arnav ji now. I don't care if my marriage breaks. IF Akash is weak enough that he cant stand up for me and whats right then I don't want to be married to him."

"JIJI NO! Don't you see, its not about you anymore. Arnavji won't break your marriage. Shyam will kill Babuji! JIJi please, I have already lost a father once I cannot go through the pain again. Please, swear on me that you will not speak a word of this to anyone. I told you because I needed to lighten the load. Because you found this note."

Payals fear came back "Khushi I will do anything, ANYTHING! I will swear on you that I wont tell anyone – only if you swear on me to NEVER even THINK about ending your life."

"Jiji, is this a life I am living? My husband is sickened at my sight. He doesn't even speak to me anymore. He is disgusted at himself when he touches me. My parents have disowned me. I live in fear in what should be my own home. What have I to live for?"

"I don't care Khushi…" and thus she had extracted a promise that Khushi would live no matter what.

She jostled back to reality

"Arnavji, Shyam may be a sick psychopath but you, you wear a masque of sobriety. A mask of class, yet underneath it all you failed her the most." And with those words she collapsed crying for her sister, her father, her life. Akash enveloped her in a hug "shhh Payal. Come darling, lets go to your parents home."

Arnav stood in complete shock as the weight of Payal's words hit him. Then he felt the anger pulsate and he got up towards Shyam.

Shyam had calculated this and grabbed a wailing baby from Nani's arms.

"AVNI!!" nani screamed

"Chotey, please Avni!" Anjali started screaming.

"Saale Sahib, an inch closer and Avni will be really blessed by God today!"

"YOU SICk bas***d – that's your daughter! You wouldn't!" Arnav's voice resounded through the Raizada hall.

An evil laugh filled resounded back with as much furore. His sister flinched.

"My daughter! HA! I can't have children Saale Saheb. Avni is not my daughter! So yes, I WOULD"