Arshi SS: Immortal Cascade

Hey!

A massive roar exploded in the crowd as someone punched the man who was trying to manhandle her on the street. Khushi turned around to see the same familiar stranger who she had once had an unpleasant encounter pushing her behind him as he thrashed the guy in front of her.

"How dare you hit me? Do you know who I am?", the guy challenged as he tried to open his bruised eye. "I don't care who you are", the stranger told him arrogantly. "How dare you touch the girl", he yelled. Then suddenly a truck filled with people with weapons rounded them and the men got out. A man in his fifties punched the stranger and tried to stop him from fighting the goon. "How dare you punch my son? Do you even know who we are?" the crowd gasped as Arnav punched the old man, "Like I told your son. I don't give a damn! Get the hell away from the girl right now." The old man laughed, "why are you defending the girl so much? You seem like a rich person, if you wanted the girl, we could strike a deal for a day or two'.." and Arnav looked at her dreadful expression as she heard those words and couldn't take it anymore. The old man looked at the collar Arnav snatched, "Calm down man, you probably want her all but we won't give you. We just found a new one", he said venomously. Khushi shut her eyes tightly as she heard those words and what was about to happen. She looked at the crowd around her and at the lone stranger who volunteered to save her and the odds weren't good. Arnav punched the old man now thrashing him as bunch of men tried to pull him away from behind. His anger was reaching an uncontrollable peak. "How dare you talk about her like that", he screamed. "What is it to you? Why would you defend her in this town in front of me, if you didn't want her", he screamed as he tried to tell the crowd that didn't dare speak a word against him. He looked around the crowd who had doubtful eyes and then at the girl who looked like she was shattering into a million pieces.

"I'll defend her all I want. How dare you question me?" The old man laughed his distorted laugh again. "See NO answer, look at him people, acting like a noble guy, defending a girl whose probably a who-". "Enough!!!!", Arnav roar echoed the crowd. "That girl is my wife!!!" Khushi eyes shot up as she looked at the stranger, almost frightfully at she saw his angry face. "Wife huh? Then why did I find her alone at the train station? Where is her sindhoor and mangalsutra", he asked and the crowd's silence. "That's none of your business. My wife was waiting for me at the train station", he said without meeting the girl's questioning eyes. The old man turned to the crowd, "I don't believe you, if any of you people believe him step forward", he finished viciously. He was the biggest goon in town and he knew no one would go against him, especially not in a town which was as orthodox as this one. Khushi was stunned and unable to process anything as she saw him look around with clenched fists.

"I don't give a damn about your questions, but since this is about her honor fine", he said as he walked up to Khushi, took her hand and walked her over to the tiny mandir that was right on the road. She said him look at her once, an unreadable expression as he went ahead. The crowd gasped as he filled her forehead with sindoor and walked over to the stall that was selling mangalsutra's to buy one. He bought one and put it around her neck. "Do you believe that this girl is my wife now", he turned to crowd that looked away ashamedly. "Feel ashamed to not be able to protect a girl in front of him", he glared at the crowd and turned to him. "Talk about her or any other girl like that again, you're dead! I'm Arnav Singh Raizada, I'll send you to the worst corner of hell if you cross me again", he muttered before walking Khushi towards his car, making her sit down and driving away as he tried to calm himself down.

Chapter 1: Dreading the water

He speeded the car on the highway, switching multiple lanes at a time as he let out all his anger and frustration on the steering. He kept driving for a while aimlessly on the road, not caring where he was going but never for a second had he forgotten the frightened soul sitting next to him, and he didn't dare to glance at her either. Ten minutes later when he felt he had control of himself he pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned to look at her. And his heart tugged at the sight in front of him.

Tears streamed continuously down her cheeks as she stared out blankly into the road, not having any consciousness of her surroundings. There was so much hollowness and pain in her eyes, an emotion that Arnav was not unfamiliar with, but to see such an extent in her eyes was kind of unbearable to look at.

"Do you need to go somewhere", he asked finally breaking the silence. She didn't respond to him. Arnav tried again. "Khushi…..do you need to be anywhere, do you need to go home", he asked her remembering her name from their first encounter which wasn't so pleasant. She didn't respond to that and now he was getting frustrated at her silence. He hated when people did not respond to him and he was more frustrated partly because there were other unfamiliar sensations tugging him in his heart as he saw her like this, and he didn't like feeling this way. "Khushi….", he shook her shoulder roughly "do you need to call your family?"

Khushi turned slightly to look at him and fresh new tears paved the way. She shook her head no. "Do you need to go anywhere? I'll drop you off", he asked feeling slightly relieved she responded to him. He thought she was going into shock and the fact he was thinking about some girl irritated him. ASR never felt for anyone or cared, he had to get away from her as soon as possible. "I don't know", she replied in a grave tone He was surprised at her tone, few weeks ago when he met her, she nearly gave him a headache and now she looked as pale as a corpse, as dead the night that was casing over them.

"What do you mean you don't know-", and his phone ringer cut him off. He switched his Bluetooth on and got out of the car. "Yes Aman. ………I can't make it to the meeting, manage it without me……….Yes that should do…..What the………Handle it Dammit! I don't care what you need to do..….Bye", he said hanging up on his conversation and turned to glance at her. He saw her leaning on the car door with her eyes closed. He assumed she had fallen asleep but he couldn't let her sleep. She looked tired and fragile and there were brown shadows underneath her eyes, but he needed to get her home. The red sindhoor on her forehead struck to him as realization as what he had actually done, but that didn't last long as he didn't believe in any of these things. He shook her shoulder and her head fell down aimlessly.

"Khushi", he said trying to wake her up but she didn't move at all. He threw some water at her and that didn't work either. He checked her hand and it was really warm, she was running a high fever. He immediately got into the car and started driving again. As he drove through the roads he realized he had driven off the main city in his rage.

As soon as he got to the hospital, he picked her up in his arms and ran over to the emergency room. He waited outside as the doctors conducted various tests on her and put in a bunch of needles into her body. When the doctor told him she was conscious, he breathed a sigh of relief and walked in to see her. She was lying on the bed, pale and weak and her eyes grew alarmed when she saw him.

"Are you okay", he asked her not knowing what to say. He wasn't good at this talking thing, having done so very less in his life. He didn't know what to say to her, or ask her especially after what had transpired between her. She nodded a little. "Can you tell me what I'm doing here", she asked him in a weak voice. "You fainted, so I brought you here". "Oh". He decided not to beat around the bush and to have the main conversation with her when the nurse interrupted and told him the doctor prescribed some medicines for her. He left the room to get her the medicines as Khushi watched him weakly. When he came back he saw the bed was empty. He looked around the hospital, and couldn't find her anywhere. He searched outside the hospital when he saw a thin distant person in white running off from the back of the hospital.

"Khushi!!!!!!!", he screamed enraged at the girl who turned to see him but did not stop. And this triggered off the ASR in him as he caught up to her and pushed her towards him as held her shoulders tightly. "Who do you think you are to run away like that? What the hell are you doing", he demanded angrily.

"Let me go", she said as she pried his hands off her. "Don't touch me. I'll go wherever I want. What is it to you? You can't stop me……you can't force me like the rest of them", she screamed while breaking into quiet sobs as she fell to the ground burying her face in her hands. Arnav was astonished at her outbreak, there was an inexplicable reason his heart tugged as he saw her break down.

"khushi….", he said a little softly, bending down reaching out to her. But she moved backwards, trying to control her sobs. "I said don't come near me! What do you want from me? You already did enough by marrying me….What more do you want!...I don't accept this marriage…..I don't….you put me into a bigger mess", she cried. His anger raged again, "I don't want anything from you. I'll only put those things on you to save you from that pathetic place. And as for the marriage, I don't believe in such things", he finished. She looked up at him, "You shouldn't have done this…..you should have left me there…..I've seen so much already, I could have bared the rest", she said crying harder.

"Do you even know what they were about to do to you? Dammit they were going to use you…..torture you and even kill you…..", he was completely angered at this silly girl. "I could have survived it. You shouldn't have done this. I can't be bound to anyone…I can not be married! I just can't ", she said in daze as her tears stopped flowing down her cheek. Arnav was spellbound, this girl had to be crazy.

"Have you lost your mind, you would trade your life for this", he couldn't take any of her madness anymore. He realized she was probably in shock and it was best to get her back to her family. "Look, tell me where you live…do you even live in this place? Where are you from? I'll drop you off", he told her as calmly as he could. "I can go on my own", she said, getting up and stepping away from him. "I'll drop you off." "No I'll go on my own", she turning away from him again. And that was it for his patience.

"Do not walk away from me when I'm talking", his roar frightened her. "I said I'll drop you. Tell me where you live and get in the damn car", he said clutching onto her shoulders. She pushed him back by holding his shoulders, " What the hell do you think of yourself? Who are you going to leave me with? I don't have anyone left. Everyone's gone. My family is gone. If you want to take me to my family, take me to the graveyard", she said angrily as tears streamed down her face again. He stared at her in shock.

Arnav was going through his files again when he heard an echo of laughter behind the conference room. "Yes Dad! I promise I'll be there soon. Tell the rest of the family I miss them too……Of course I'll be there as soon as I can dad, you know I can't live without you guys."

He was surprised he remembered of that incident, where they first met months ago. He now realized why she loked so lost, was harboring so much pain and he couldn't help but feel for her pain. Feel again after all those years for another person as her loss was something so much relatable to his.

"What happened", he asked her. She shook her head, "I don't know". "When?" "Five days ago" "What are you doing here then", and then he got no reply from her. And he understand at that point that there was a huge mountain full of pain she wasnt willing to share with him and he didn't push her either. "You don't have anywhere to stay", he said and it was more like a statement. "Come with me then", he decided, surprising himself in the process. She looked up at him. "No, I'll go on my own"

"you don't have anywhere to go", he reasoned with her. "That's my problem. I'll deal with it. Just because you married me don't think you can force me. This marriage means nothing to me", she said sternly. "It doesn't have to mean anything to you. I'll only did it to prove a lie to people, you can throw them away as you please. But you are going to come with me", he said strongly. "NO!" and that was it for him, he picked her up in his arms and walked towards the hospital, ignoring all her pleas. The last thing Khushi remembered was bright hospital lights in the room before the darkness closed over as the nurse sedated her with medicine.

Precap- Arnav comes home with an unconscious Khushi in his arms shocking his Di and Nani immensely as they realize the rumors that have been spreading about Arnav's mysterious marriage and wife are true after all when he tells them she is indeed his wife.