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*CHAPTER 4*
Khushi was furiously sketching away her latest ideas. Amma and Babuji had gone out a long time back, and they were still not back yet. SHe had put Arshi and Navi to sleep, and was now working on her ideas. "A tinge of red here, and a golden border with gold sequins...!" As she looked at the saree design she had just created, she frowned. "This looks familiar!" She inspected it closely, and jerked back in shock. There was a blur of images in her mind... a large house decorated with diyas... someone tying a payal, her AMMA's payal, to her feet. She clutched her head. "Block it out Khushi! Block it out!"
The last five years, Khushi was tired of these senseless and strange, yet familiar images that would suddenly plague her mind. It added to her confusion... When she asked her Amma, Babuji, Buaji and even Jiji, they would either avoid it, or say she had been hallucinating. Well, SHE knew she was not hallucinating, because SHE was the one who felt that pain! There was someone... someone she loved, that was constantly in those images...but blur, ALWAYS a blur... When she had told Dr. Mishra about this, Dr.Mishra had told her that the blur image meant her sub conscience was trying to forget that person...
Then after what had happened yesterday... That man at the park, who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, claiming to be her husband. When he had held her, his touch had not been uncomfortable, but strangely familiar...
At Mumbai-
Garima saw several questions in Arnav's eyes. She told him, "What your father did that day, caused our family to shatter..."
"What? Tell me Aunty, what did he do that you took KHUSHI away from me?!" Garima looked at Arnav, and realized that he was earnest... but...
"Arnav bitua, we cannot tell you...we will show you." Shashi Uncle interrupted. Garima's head shot up at him. "But-"
"Garima, he deserves a chance... besides, what did HE do...?"
Garima's eyes caught fire. "I could ask Khushi, but unforunately, she does not remember!"
"Aunty, what did I do? Please tell me!"
Garima drew in a deep breath. "The list could go on Mr. Raizada. But first, you almost snatched our daughter away from us, the day you married her at the temple." Then she gave a bitter laugh. "For SIX MONTHS!"
Arnav was quiet. He remembered the day this truth had come out. Garima continued. "She married you again, thinking you loved her, but-"
THINKING he loved her? "Aunty, I DO love her!"
"Then what did you do that made her take such an EXTREME step!?"
"Why are you asking me this Aunty? And extreme step? She had stepped on the shards of glass..." Arnav asked puzzled. Did they know what he had accused her of?
"Yes Mr Raizada. I am asking you this because... you remember that day at the hospital, the Doctor had called me aside?"
"Yes..." Arnav said warily.
"He had asked me the same thing... Whether someone said or did something to her because before Khushi bitiya had stepped on those glass shards, she had consumed poison. The doctor found traces of poison in her blood. In short, Mr Raizada, my daughter had attempted suicide that day."
At Delhi-
Khushi muttered, "Khushi want that dolly bad". And ran away.
"Khushi! Khushi beta wait!" Anjali called. Hey bhagwan! What should she DO with this little she-demon! Then she gave in. "Ok, ok. I will get you that toy! Now come here."
Khushi came back to Mamma smiling. Anjali hugged her and told her gently to go have her dinner. She watched her daughter's frail little form disappearing into the kitchen, screaming for Payal. "Payal Mamiii!"
Anjali Singh Raizada, could not help but spoil her daughter. She was trying very hard to be both the father and mother her daughter would never have. Thinking of her ex-husband, returned that satisfying feeling she had had before... the satisfaction of revenge...
Anjali could be as clever as her brother if her mind and heart was put to it.
-Nearly Six Years Back-
Everyone was sitting outside the OT when Arnav stormed in. "Khushi!" He saw Anjali crying, and Dadi looking pissed. He rushed to Anjali, "DI! WHere is Khushi? What happened!"
Anjali told him amidst sobs, about those pieces of glass on her doormat. "Pieces of glass? Who would do that!" Anjali, was silent and looked at everybody...everyone was looking expectantly at her. Anjali drew in a staggered breath, caught hold of Arnav's hand and pulled him away from everybody else and took him aside. "Di? Who-"
Anjali cut him short. "Shyamji." She watched her brother;s expression change from confusion to anger to confusion again. "H-How? How did he even enter."
"I am sorry Chhotey... It is all my fault" She hugged him. Arnav was still confused, as he comforted his Di, he asked, "Why?"
"He came b-because of me." Arnav was stunned, he pushed Anjali aside. "WHAT?!"
"I called him and..." She told him everything...from meeting him secretly outside, to calling him to godhbharai. Arnav stepped away from Anjali; Anjali saw him transform to ASR. He had never been ASR infront of her. What happened next, hurt Anjali more than words would have.
For the first time, her Chhotey walked away from her, in complete silence...not a word...he did not look at her for the rest of the evening...
Everybody noticed the tension between them, but said nothing. Arnav was by the doors of the OT. Anjali was sitting down, looking at Arnav, imploring him with her eyes to look at her. He ignored her completely. Finally, Akash said, "Di, I think all you ladies should go home and take rest..."
Payal refused. Nani did not agree and Anjali protested. Arnav looked at her. "It's okay Di. You go. I am here...You go change and..." Looking Anjali directly in the eyes, he said, "Tell SHYAM about this..." Anjali's eyes filled with tears. Everyone looked with shock at Anjali. Anjali took Dadi's hand, and walked out, avoiding everybody' questioning glances, and wanting to avoid questions. SHe could not bear the sense of betrayal everyone's eyes would then carry.
Anjali did not want to think about how Chhotey had reacted... She was trying not to cry...Why hadn't she believed her brother, when he had told her?...WHen she knew that Chhotey would do ANYTHING for her...?
Pushing that away from her mind, her mind set to work on revenge...
Dadi was annoyed that on her bitiya's godhbharai, that KHUSHI was getting all the attention.Anjali changed back to one of her sarees and then Dadi asked her, slowly. "Arnav knows you have been meeting Shyam?" Anjali nodded once. "HOW?" Dadi asked. ANjali looked at Dadi, almost crying again... "BEcause I told him."
Dadi looked at her stunned. "WHY bitiya!"
Anjali told Dadi quietly on their way back to the hospital, of what she had discovered. Dadi was quiet. "I have wronged Arnav... But I am still not convinced about Khushi."
Anjali sighed. Anjali was convinced about Khushi's innocence. "Dadi, I want revenge. Revenge for what he has done to me, my Chhotey, my Rajkumari and how he created rifts between Khushiji and Chhotey." Anjali remembered the day Arnav had told Anjali that he had married Khushi not because he had lover her, but for his Di.
"What are you going to do?"
Anjali's face was grim. "First I will call Chhotey... I will need his help..."
Arnav was back in his room. He was still in a state of shock. Khushi had tried suicide? The Khushi he knew would not have done that for what he had told her... she would have tried proving him wrong instead. And what did Garima Aunty want to show him at the Jaslok Hospital? She had asked him to come ther at noon...
If it weren't for that scoundrel, none of this would have happened... he had hurt Khushi that day... He had been worried about DI getting hurt in the process, but she had handled things well, and done exactly what Shyam Jha deserved.
-Nearly Six Years Back-
"Hullo? Chhotey?" Anjali's voice drifted through the phone. Arnav wanted to yell at his Di... "WHY DI! WHY?"
Arnav was in front of Khushi's ward, looking at her through the glass. "Yeah Di?" he said through gritted teeth.
"I need a favour from you."
"No Di. Enough favors... I cannot believe you-"
"NO Chhotey! LISTEN TO ME! DO THIS FOR KHUSHIJI...If not for me, for HER!" Arnav did not agree at first, but gave in to his DI's stubbornness. Arnav listened in silence, and nodded... inside, he was surprise his Di...his sweet Di could think up something like that...
"Bye Khushi. I will be back soon." He whispered, not knowing that he had just seen her for the last time... last time at least for six painful years...
He first went to the bank and did the necessary work. He called Anjali. "It's done Di. But I am doing this for Khushi and only Khushi. But promise me that you will keep yourself safe Di, and please come back soon."
"Yes Chhotey." There was a pause, and Anjali said slowly, "Chhotey? I-I will call you back later."
It was nearly dawn. By the time he went to the hospital, the sun was well up and Khushi was gone...
Anjali hugged Khushi to herself, and fell asleep, thinking about the night that had changed so many things about her life...
PRECAP- "Because I had married her for SIX MONTHS DAMMIT!!!" he screamed. Everybody stared at him in shock. Garima muttered, "I can see your father in you ..." She walked out, leaving Arnav behind.
IMPORTANT:- Don't forget those important pre-prologue Green Points!
And PLEASE keep in mind that this is DRAMA😭 and not SCIENCE🤢... I am being DRAMATIC😳, not SCIENTIFIC... facts may not tally with this amnesia thing, so don't screw 😡 me for that... 😛
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