Your Love Broke Me ~ Arshi FF

Hey guys!

***

CHAPTER 1 - A New Beginning?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CHAPTER 2 - Home...

Her hands were shaky, her legs weak. For the first time after so many years, she was going to meet her sister. She wondered how their relationship would be. In other circumstances, it would perhaps have been a joyful reunion between sister but now? Khushi doubted it. Now, Radhika was engaged to him, the only man she would ever love in her life. It was just a matter of months before they were married...

She knew already she would have to fake happiness. If not for the sister, who was more of a stranger, then for her family and his. Khushi paused at the great doors of the Gupta Haveli.

"Kya hua Khushi?" Alok stopped beside her. "Andar aao na." (What is it Khushi? Come in.)

She walked in the house with her mother, apprehension washing over her.

"Di!"

Sagar, her younger brother bounced in front of her happily before hugging her tightly. He stepped back as Padmini returned with the thaal and performed the aarti. As soon as their mother finished, he leaped forward to hug Khushi again.

"I missed you sooo much, Di!" he pulled back to look at her darling baby brother. The last time she'd seen him before her, he barely reached her shoulders; he was a small boy of only ten. Now, he was the same height as her, if not taller. Sagar was a young man of fifteen. "You didn't come to meet us. Didn't you miss us?"

For the first time, Khushi smiled genuinely. "Oh, I did. But I had to study, na. And I did keep in touch via mails and Skype."

"Haan. But you could've come for your holidays! I was so lonely here without you!"

Sighing, she wove her hand around his arm and pulled him to the dining room where their parents had gone. "Arrey Maharaj ji! I to work then!"

"Work? During holidays? You must be kidding me! What did you work for? Bauji was paying for your studies, weren't you, Bauji?"

"Haan baba, but I can't let Bauji pay for everything! My food, lodging, clothing and all that. Hum uska khayaal rakh rahe the. Vaise, Mr Sagar Kumar Gupta, I must say, your English has improved."

For a moment, Sagar brightened. "Oh, yeah. Main ab english school mein padhta hoon remember?"

"Voh to hum dekh hi rahe hain!" (Well, I can see that.)

"God, Di! Tum abhi bhi 'hum' aur 'aap' use karti ho? How tacky!" (You still use 'hum' and 'aap' when speaking?)

"Kya tacky? Hum bhale hi America mein padh kar aaye hain, par humne apne apne sanskaar nahin bhula diye." (What tacky? I might have studied in America but that doesn't make me forget the values our parents have instilled in me.)

Sagar rolled his eyes.

"Ab yeh jhagre band karo, chalo hum khaana lagate hain." Padmini got up and began serving food. She felt quite relieved Khushi's spirits were back. She watched her along with her husband, as she got teased by her brother and the two of them argued. (Stop fighting now, come let's eat.)

"Achha, ab bas bhi karo. Sagar, Khushi ko apna kamra dikhaiye. Beta, aap jaakar thoda aaraam karlijye, hume aaj raat ko Raizada Mansion jaana hai," Alok suddenly interrupted the siblings who were laughing by then. (Well, stop it now. Sagar, you show Khushi to her room. Child, go and have some rest, we have to go to Raizada Mansion tonight.)

Khushi's face fell immediately and her eyes troubled up. "Raizada Mansion? Par kyun?" (RM? But why?)

"Unhon ne tumhaare vaapas aane ki khushi mein ek family dinner rakkha hai. Chinta mat karo, zyada log nahin honge, bas hum aur Raizada khaandaan." (They've organise a family dinner on the occasion of your return. Don't worry, there won't be too many people, just the Raizadas and us.)

"Par Bauji-" (But father-)

"Khushi, behes mat karo... Beta, hum samajhte hain ke aap vahaan kyun jaana nahin chahte hain, magar ab maamla sulajh gaya hai na? Beeti baatein bhool jaaiye, Khushi. Jaakar thoda aaraam kar hi lijiye." (Khushi, don't argue... child, I know why you don't want to go, but everything is fine now, right? Forget the past, Khushi. Go have some rest.)

Tears filled her eyes as she turned away. She would not let her parents see them. She followed Sagar, knowing nothing would change her father's decision. He was wrong. He would not understand her refusal, why she did not want to go there...

***

"Tees rupaye se ziada aap ko thenga bhi nahin milega!" Khushi shouted at the tanga-walla as she ran into the house. Thankfully the luggage and Maasiji were already in. She closed the door and locked it, smiling widely. (You won't get anything more than thirty rupees!)

"Haye re Titaliya! Tu to bari chaalaak nikli! Badmaas!" (My goodness, Titaliya! I didn't know you were so cunning! Cheeky!)

"Aapki Titaliya to hamesha se aise hi badmaash thi Amma!" said a voice from the doorway to the kitchen. Khushi saw Payal, Maasiji's daughter, leaning against the doorframe. (Your Titaliya was always like this, Mom!)

"Jiji! Aap kaisi hain?" (Sis! How are you?)

The girls hugged each other.

"Main achhi houn. Tu kaisi hai? Padhai kaisi chal rahi hai teri?" (I'm fine. How are you? How are your studies going on?)

"Humari chodiye jiji, aap hume yeh bataiye, jija ji kaise hain?" (Forget about me sis, tell me, how is my brother-in-law?)

"Khushi!" Payal blushed and smacked her cousin playfully on the arm before returning to the kitchen. Maasiji laughed.

"Aao Bitiya, hum khana lagate hain." (Come child, we'll go eat.)

CHAPTER 3 - Blurred Hues

"Di, this is your room. Go and rest, I'll see you later."

Sagar turned to leave while Khushi opened the door to her room but then, she stopped, remembering something.

"Sagar, come here for moment, please."

"Di! Ab kya? Bauji maardaalenge!" (What, Di? Dad will kill us!)

"Hum to yeh poochhna chahte the ki hamari boh behen..." (I forgot to ask you, about our sister...)

"Kaun, Radhika? Voh Raizaada Mansion gayi hai. Apparently help karne ke liye. Vaise achha hi hai ki yahan nahin hai, sab kharab kar deti varna." (Who, Radhika? She's at the RM. To help, apparently. By the way, it's good she's not here, she'd have ruined everything.)

"Sagar! Aisi baatein kyun kar rahe ho? Voh behen hai aapki." (Why are you speaking like this? She's you sister.)

"You've never met her, Di, else you would know. She's such a... Amma-Bauji ke saamne badi samajhdaar banne ka natak karti hai, but in fact, voh itni self-centered hai ki... I hate her, Di! Meri behen sirf aur sirf aap ho." (It's only you who are my sister, only you.)

"Aisa mat kahiye, hume zaroor lagta hai ki aapne koshish nahin ki theek se." (Don't you speak like that, I really think you haven't tried to like her.)

"Whatever!" Sagar rolled his eyes and jogged off.

***

Khushi helped Payal the the washing up after lunch. Maasiji's house was somewhat old-fashioned but she had quickly adjusted.

It was the first time ever her parents had allowed her to visit her birthplace. They never came here, never spoke of the place and so, Khushi had only faint memories of it. She would not even have known Maasiji, Maasaji and Payal jiji if they had not visited at least once a year. It had been a few years, now, since Maasaji's death. Khushi missed him. He had been a very nice and supportive uncle to her.

After having dried the dishes, the girls joined Maasiji on the terrace so that she could massage their heads with oil. Meanwhile, they talked about Akash, Payal's future husband. They had, in fact, met at college where he had been Payal's senior by two years. They often saw each other in the library and Akash had eventually developed a crush on her. He had gone to his study abroad and once, when he had returned for his holidays, he had run into her at the annual mela. Soon, he had spoken to his parents about her and they were engaged as soon as both families had approved of the relationship. Now that Akash was back, they had set the marriage date for in the coming days.

The phone rang suddenly and Payal, with whom Maasi had finished, ran to answer.

"To Titaliya, yahan kaisa laga?" (So, Titaliya, how do you like it here?)

"Bohot achha... Maasiji, hume aapse kuch poochhna tha..." (It's very nice...Aunty, I needed to ask you...)

"Kya?" (What?)

"Yaad hai taange mein, jab hum aa rahe the? Humne aapko ek haveli dikhaayi thi? Uske baare mein aap kya keh rahi thi?" (Remember in the horsecart, when we were coming? I had shown you that mansion? What were you saying about it?)

"Kuchh nahin, ou sab bhool jaao.." (Nothing, forget about that..)

"Nahin, Maasiji! Aap kuchh keh rah thi. Bataaiye naa! Yeh Anant Singh Raizada kaun hai? Humse unka kya rishta hai?" (No, Aunty! You were saying something. Tell me! Who's this Anant Singh Raizada? How is he related to us?)

"Sanka Devi! Achha... vaise to ek na ek din pata chalna hi tha... Voh haveli tere Amma-Bauji ki thi." (Fine... You had to know about this some day... That mansion belonged to your parents.)

"Kya? Par unhon ne to..." (What? But they...)

"Tere Amma-Bauji vahin rehte the, shaadi ke dinon se. Bohot khush the. Ek do saal baad, unh ek beti huyi, Radhika." (They lived there since they were married. they were very happy. A couple of years later, they had a daughter, Radhikha.)

What? Her parents had had another child before her? Khushi's stomach gave a lurch. Shock rippled through her.

"Tab hi, Singh Raizada parivaar yahan rehne aaya, do bhaayi the, aur voh dono tere Bauji ke dost ban gaye. Bade bhaayi ki ek beti thi aur chhote ka ek beta, jo Radhikha se yahi kuch ek-do saal bada tha. Thode hi mahinon baad yeh tay kiya gaya, ki Raizada khandaan ka beta Gupta parivaar ki beti se shaadi karega. Phir tu aayi, aur ek saal baad, bade bhaayi ko dusri beti huyi. Dosti aur bhi gehri huyi.." (Then, the Singh Raizada family came to stay here, they were two brothers and they became friends with your dad very quickly. The older brother had a daughter too, and the younger had a son, who was only one or two years older than Radhika. After a few months it had been decided that the Raizada son would marry a Gupta girl. Then you came, and a year after you the older brother had another girl. The friendship grew even more...)

"Phir?" (Then?)

"Phir ek din, achaanak se, haveli mein aag lag gayi..." (Then one day, suddenly, fire broke out in the mansion...)

***

"Khushi! Khushi! Darvaaza to kholo, beta." (Khushi! Khushi! Open the door, child.)

Khushi jumped up in bed. She had no idea how and when she had fallen asleep. Quickly, she opened the door. It was her mother.

"Itni der kyun lagaa di? So rahi thi kya? Achha yeh lo aur phata-phat taiyyaar ho jao, hum thodi hi der main nikalte hain." (Why did you take so much time? You were sleeping? Okay, take this and get ready fast, we'll be leaving in some time.)

"Ji, Amma." (Yes, mom.)

Khushi headed for the bathroom as soon as Padmini had left. She left the bag her mother had handed her on the bed. Truthfully, she felt no need to hurry. In fact, if only she could have delayed this impending storm... Heart was breaking with each seconds ticking away. Her mind kept wondering about him.

Would he be there?

Would she ever be able to face him?

She closed her eyes, shut her mind, pushed him in the dark corner he had been locked up for the past five years.

She could not think about him. She had no right to.

nice one!! wat happened b/w dem 5 yrs ago? y did she leave? & he s engaged to her own sis.. very interesting.. waiting to read more.. plz pm wen u update..

CHAPTER 4 - Memories

She looked at herself in the mirror. With each passing second, the dread grew. It was first in her heart, then it slowly spread all over her, her mind and her soul. Her hands trembled as she put on her jhumkas no matter how hard she tried to stop them and tears kept filling her eyes.

Why had she even met him that day?

Why even five years later, she had not been able to remove him from her mind?

Why?

***

"Aag kaise lagi, kisi ko pata nahin. Tu aur tere Amma-Bauji to bach gaye par teri badi behen kahin nahin mili. Bohot dhunda hum logon ne use, par voh nahin mili. Hum sab ko yehi maanna para ki Radhikha ab iss duniya mein nahin rahi. Ussi raat, tere Bauji ke business aur jaidaat ke saare kaagzaat gum ho gaye. Koyi raasta nahin bacha tha, to tere Bauji Raizada bhaaiyyon se maddat maangne gaye. Girishji aur Anantji dono ne saaf mana kar diya. Pehli baar, Jijaji ne kisi ke saamne haath phelaaya, par voh dono phir bhi nahin maane.

Saath mein, Gupta parivaar se jobhi rishte the, sab tod diye. Apni badi beti ko khokar, teri Amma to jaise jite-ji mar gayi. Kitni bimaar thi voh uss vakt... phir, tere Eklavya mamaji ' Padmini aur mera Bhaayi ' ussne tere Bauji se kaha ke tum dono ko lekar, Mumbai aajaye. Jijaji ke saath milkar, unhon ne business shuru kiya aur teri Santoshi mamiji ne teri Amma ka khayaal rakkha. Dheere dheere, sab achha chalne laga, teri amma theek ho gayi.

Par yahan, kuchh garbar ho raha tha... kaha gaya tha kit ere Bauji ke kaagzaat jal gaye the, par job hi Gupta parivaar ka hua karta tha voh achaanak Raizaada bhaaiyyon ka hone laga... hume tere Bauji ko bataya, unse kaha ke kuchh to kare. Par unhon ne humse chup rehne ko kaha. Padmini ko iske baare mein pata chalna nahin chaahiye tha, uss vakt voh poori tarha se theek hogayi thi aur phir se maa banne vaali thi. Jab Sagar ka janam ho chukka tha, tab Jijaji ne use kaha. Chaukane vaali baat to yeh thi ke usne vahi kaha jo Jijaji ne kaha.

Vaise bhi, koyi bhi unki jagah hota to shaayad vahi karta, unki zindagi theek-thaak chal rahi thi, beete kal se aur karvi yaadon se bohot door..."

Khushi stopped listening to Maasi as she talked about others things. She just stared at the ground for a very long time. Hatred for the Raizadas was all she could feel. She had an elder sister she did not even remember nor know because of them. Her mother had been ill for a long time because of them. Her parents had lived in a misery since then. They had lost everything, even a daughter.

They would have to pay for this. Khushi would make sure of it...

She stood up very quickly. "Maasiji, aap hums eek vaada kar sakti hai?"

Maasi looked at her, an question in her tearful eyes.

"Amma ur Bauji ko iss baare mein kuch bhi pata chalna nahin chahiye. Hume ek kaam karna hoga, unhi ke liye, aur hume aapki madad ki zaroorat paregi..."

(Sorry guys... too long here... in brief this is about K's past where the fire destroyed the mansion and her elder sis vanished. her mom fell in depression. later the Raizadas broke all rel. with the Guptas even when K's dad begged for help. instead Padmini's bro offered hlp and the Guptas moved to Mumbai. after that, the Raizadas took over the Gupta's property but Alok and his wife refused to sue them. now K knws the truth and wants to do smthng.)

***

She came down the stairs very slowly. Her heart was pounding and her mouth was dry. The anxiety nagged at her cruelly. She finally reached Sagar, who was waiting for her at the bottom, beaming.

"Vaah Di! You look really very beautiful. Apsara jaisi. What if Jiju aapko chunkar Radhika ko chhod de?" he said laughing. (Wow, sis [...] Like a fairy. What if jiju chooses u over R)

Khushi choked, her eyes broad in alarm. She could not speak for a moment.

"Di! Kya hua? I was only joking, relax! Are you ok?"

She nodded wordlessly, looking at the floor. Sagar gave her his arm and she gratefully held on to him as she felt weak. In silence, they walked out to where their parents were waiting.

Alok and Padmini saw two of their children approach. They smiled with pride at them. Khushi was a beautiful girl, but that night she seemed even more. It was perhaps because they had not seen her for such a long time, but to them, she looked like a princess out of a fairy tale. Unfortunately, they had not had much time with their eldest, Radhika, and did not feel the same attachment though they loved her the same. Looking at Khushi, both realised their little girl had grown up and soon, they would have to marry her off.

They set off to Raizada Mansion in the sunset. Khushi sat in the car blankly. She did hear her brother's incessant chatter, but neither did she listen, nor respond. She was thinking instead. Of the day she had first met him...

***

It had been a couple of days since she'd been in the village and the wedding preparations had already begun. Khushi was most of the time outside, roaming in the village, trying to put her mind at rest and convince herself she was not doing something wrong. She looked around for something to distract her and also she stayed out of the way because she knew Maasi would insist on buying something for her. One thing Khushi did not want was her aunt spending unnecessarily on her.

That afternoon she had gone quite far away, without realising. It was a very beautiful place. She was walking, her arms crossed on her chest and her eyes fixed on the horizon, when she suddenly heard a loud bark behind her. She turned around to see a large, monstrous dog glaring at her, canines bared.

Khushi flinched. She was scared stiff of dogs, and this one was not particularly of the gentle, cute or remotely nice by the looks of it. Without even a single thought, it was as though she were switched to auto-pilot mode automatically, her feet carried her off. She felt herself running for her life, not caring to look behind and see if the dog was following or not. She did not even know where she had reached. The fear kept her going.

Finally out of breath, she slowed down, then stopped, panting heavily.it was getting dark, she realised. The sun was only a bright orange sphere at the horizon. Khushi felt dizzy. Her lips, mouth and throat were parched and ached terribly. She wondered if she would ever be capable of talking again. She pressed her palms against her temples trying to ease the sickness while muttering a soundless whisper to her Devi Maiyya.

As she felt herself recover, she decided she had to find her way back home. Maasi and Payal would otherwise be worried.

Just as the thought crossed her mind, she heard a deafening screech behind her. Khushi turned around, eyes wide in fear. She was thrown off-balance immediately and fell on her backside with a thump even before she could realise what was happening to her.

nice update!! wen wil dey meet each other..

CHAPTER 5 - Apprehension

"Di."

Sagar had opened the car's door for her and was holding his hand out to her.

"God know where you keep getting lost, Di. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she mumbled, avoiding his eye, but gripping his hand for support. She got down and found herself right in front of the splendid Raizada Mansion.

Nausea rose in her abruptly and her hand tightened around Sagar's arm.

"Sorry, Di, but you're hurting me."

"Sorry." Khushi bit her lip.

The thought of having to meet him again made her sick. Her heartbeat sped up in her chest. She closed her eyes momentarily.

Only to see his dark grey ones...

***

His jaws clenched tighter as he saw her get down and look at the house. He did not actually see her clearly. It was quite dark outside, and in his study, he had not bothered to switch on the light. Anyway, it could have caught her eye. And she would have seen him...

He turned and slammed his hand on the table with frustration. Why did she have to come back after so many years? Wasn't ruining his life enough? Wasn't snatching his heart enough? Wasn't ripping his soul apart enough? Wasn't forcing him, though indirectly, into an unwanted marriage enough?

He should have hated her, right?

Then why couldn't he?

He didn't hate her. He couldn't.

He knew she had been right five years ago.

He loved her. With all his heart. And now, more than ever...

***

He had just returned from America, having completed his studies. His father, Anant Singh Raizada, had wanted him to join the business right away, but his mother had refused, saying that her son had only just returned home after so many years and so much to study.

Anant had reluctantly agree, with grunts and days of frowns, but there was really nothing he could refuse his wife and only child. He loved them too much for that. And it was true that his son had worked very hard, despite being spoilt. He have even skipped some years at school.

He had gotten his looks ' especially the dark grey eyes for which lots of girls crushed on him ' from his mother, along with his intelligence and good heart. from his father, he had inherited the strong build, the height, the sharpness, the cunningness, the attitude, the strength. He even had that typical air of arrogance about him that made him who he was.

Arnav Singh Raizada.

He was indeed proud. He was good at many things, and the problem was he knew it. That made his arrogance increase.

One thing he loved really was gardening but no one could understand why, nor how because none of the Raizadas had the green thumb. It was only Arnav who had it.

That evening, he had gone out for a drive in his brand new jeep ' a gift from his Chachu. He'd gone in the forest bordering the village where the road was usually lonely. He was driving very fast. Arnav loved speed.

He was just going round a bend. It was already quite dark, and suddenly, he saw a figure in the middle of the road. He did not have the time to think. He was going too fast. As quick as he could react, he kicked into the brakes to hear his jeep wheels give the loudest screech he'd ever heard in his whole life.

Arnav saw the person, a girl it seemed, turn in alarm but before she could open her mouth to scream or even realise what was happening, the jeep stopped an inch from her. She toppled and fell heavily on her backside.

Arnav recovered within seconds and he realised his heart was thumping, his hands clutching the steering wheel and his forehead was beaded with sweat. Man, that was close! Horror drained from his brain, only to be replaced by fury. Another legacy of his father; the hot temper. Arnav Singh Raizada was short tempered.

He had anger which could have burnt anything if concentrated on a point. People could hardly be spared, and of those rare people were only his close family...

He got down the jeep and slammed the door shut with a force that possessed him mainly when he was most angry.

"What the hell were you-"

***

"Khushi!"

Aradhna Singh Raizada hugged Khushi warmly.

"Kitne saalon baad mil rahi ho aur kitni badal gayi ho aap. Humein to yakeen hi nahin hota! Aap kaisi hain beta?" (So many years I haven't seen u, u've changed so much. I can't believe it. How are u?)

Khushi smiled nervously and gave a shaky nod without looking at Aradhna. The guilt was still there, even after having been forgiven. It was as if the feeling had been burnt into her mind and heart. Arandhna squeezed the girl's hand. When Khushi looked up, she saw understanding in the woman's eyes.

"Jo ho chukka hai, use bhool jaiye. Yehi theek hoga..." (Whatever has happenned, forget it. It's best)

Arandhna smiled at Khushi and pulled her inside the house. Alok, Padmini and Sagar followed.

Khushi gulped.

Five years ago, he had not understood her. Would he now?

~~~

😛 PS (For Arnav:

Five years ago, he had the 'Khushi-commits-suicide' look

present time, he has his Divaali look

For Khushi:

five years ago, she had her plait hairstyle

present time she has her Holi hairstyle)

thnxooouuu

Update soon

arnav s soo in love wid her.. waitin fr der convo..

CHAPTER 6 - Meeting

Pain shot throughout her back. She inhaled with a hiss and her eyes clenched shut. She grit her teeth, attempting to compose herself and let the pain drain away. For a moment, silence surrounded her. She could only hear the rustle of the wind in the leaves and some chirping of bird in the forest. Then, a door opened and slammed shut so loudly, Khushi jumped. She silently prayed it wouldn't fall off.

"What the hell were you-"

The voice thundered with stark fury, she noticed. She opened her eyes only to close again. The bright headlights were blinding her. This guy had already irritated her by nearly running over her. He was the one not watching his way but flying his car on a public road. And he had the nerve to curse her. Next, his too bright lights flashed in her eyes so that she couldn't open them. All this had added to her irritation, and turned it into anger.

What did this guy think of himself?

She squinted, trying to see and found a large hand extended to her, just inches from her face. Oh! So he wanted to help her up? Then what? Reprimand her? Insult her? Well, Khushi Kumari Gupta was not going to allow that.

She got up all by herself, ignoring his outstretched hand, and wiped her hands on her kurti, without even looking at him. When, he remained quiet, she took the advantage and attacked first.

"Aapki himmat kaise hui?" (How dare you?)

Then only, she looked up.

And her eyes fell straight on his dark grey ones...

***

The Raizada Mansion had been through some changes too, Khushi saw, as Aradhna dragged her to the living room. There were some additions to the photos on the wall. She would see them later...

When they stopped in the living room, Khushi looked around nervously at whole Raizada family. Well it was not exactly 'the whole family' because one of them was dead, and the other one... maybe his absence was best...

Aradhna nudged her forward and she stumbled slightly. Then, she threw a glance at her mother before walking toward the Raizadas. She stopped in front of Shanti Singh Raizada, Aradhna's elder sister-in-law and bent to touch her feet. Khushi noticed the woman stood rigidly, a false smile plastered on her face. Her hand on Khushi's head was placed unwillingly, and the girl realised Shanti had still not forgiven her...

Anjali, Shanti's older daughter, came forward, as if sensing the coldness. She embraced Khushi warmly.

"Hi Khushiji! Kaisi ho aap?" she asked sweetly. So sweetly, Khushi looked up, expecting sarcasm. But she found only affection and trust in Anjali's eyes. Suddenly, she felt somewhat better. (How are you?)

"Hum theek hain, aur aap?" (I'm fine and you?)

Anjali giggled. "Aapko abhi kisi ne bataya nahin? Hum phir se maa bannevaale hain!" (No one has told you yet? I'm pregnant again!)

"Sach? Congrats Anjaliji! Hum aapke liye bohot khush hain. Vaise aapki beti kahan hai?" (Really? [...] I'm very happy for you. By the way, where is your daughter?)

"Hamaari Gitu abhi upar so rahi hai." (My Gitu is sleeping upstairs right now.)

Shaantanu, her husband, was standing behind her. He grinned at Khushi and she mumbled a small 'Namaste' at him. Then, Ritika, Shanti's younger daughter, came and kissed Khushi on both her cheeks.

"Hi Khushi!" she said simply.

Slowly, Khushi grew more at ease as the family members welcomed her with more warmth and forgiveness. Khushi was just starting a conversation with Ritika when felt she was being watched. Looking over her shoulder, she noticed a girl standing beside her mother, glaring at her with pure hatred, it seemed. Who was she?

But before Khushi could open her mouth and voice out her question, something else, or better someone else, in the room caught her attention...

It was the man in the wheelchair... As soon as she saw him, guilt and dread filled her again. She walked to him, where he was sitting near her father. She knelt before him and tried to say something, but she found no words. Instead, tears flowed from her eyes. He tired to tell her something too but what came out was just a muffled mumble.

It made Khushi sob harder. Somewhere she was responsible for all of this. Somewhere she had been the cause of his present handicap... Aradhna, knelt near to her.

"Rona mat beta. Aapko inse kiya hua vaada yaad hai na?" (Don't cry. You do remember the promise you made him, right?

She wiped the girl's tears as she spoke in whispers. Khushi nodded and looked once more at Anant Singh Raizada.

"Achha, aap sab se mil chuke na. Apni behen se mili aap?" (Well, you metevery one now. Have you met you sister?)

Aradhna turned to the girl who had been glaring at her earlier. Now her expression had changed. She seemed... nicer. So, she was-

"Hi Khushi. I'm Radhika, tumhaari behen." ( [...] your sister.)

The sisters shook hands. Khushi felt strange while observing the sister she coulnd not remember. She had heard about her return a couple of years ago, from their mother, when a girl had turned up at the Gupta haveli, claiming to be the family's eldest child. Of course, they had not believed her at first, because for the Guptas their daughter had perished in the fire.

But Radhikha had provided proof and they had even conducted a DNA test to verify her words. A few weeks later, the results had proven her right; she was indeed Radhika Kumari Gupta. The night the fire had broken in the haveli, a servant had saved her and taken her to safety, but unfortunately, the maid had died from her burns shortly after. So, Radhika had been left in an orphanage, only to be adopted by a NRI family. She had gone with them to London and had grown up there. Yet, she still remembered her old family and had found them out. Everybody had been very happy about her return...

Suddenly, Khushi felt her heart give a flutter, then it was racing before she could register what was happening. It went so mad she had to close her eyes for an instant. Warmth crept all over her, spreading from the ends of her hair to the tips of her toes. And at the same time, she felt a cool breeze fanning her face. It felt nice...

No wait... this... Khushi frowned, her eyes opened now, but unfocused. This happened only when he was nearby, right?

Was he-

"Chhote? Tum aagaye?" (Chhote? You've come?)