Thanks for all your wonderful comments. Special thanks to all those who have taken time to write detailed comments.
As some of you felt in the last update, this update may also feel a little rushed. I apologize for any mistakes and will say that it is just wrong timing. But I have tried do my best.
Desert Rose ' Chapter 23
'Shyamji!' said Khushi, forcing a smile trying to look more surprised than scared. Her heart was beating wildly as a drop of sweat trickled down her back. 'What '.what are you doing here? I thought you were in Delhi.'
'I think we can do away with all this pretence Khushiji.' He sneered. 'I know.'
'Know what Shyamji?' said Khushi hoping that her act of innocence might buy her some more time. 'I just came here to get my cell phone. Now, that I have found it I think I will go back to the Haveli. Mohanji is waiting for me outside in the car.'
'No he is not.' Shyam said as a matter of fact. 'He got called away.An accident of a relative I believe. He was joined by Hariprakash as well because they are all related you know.'
Hey Devi Maiyya! There was no one in the Haveli then. Her cell phone was dead and so was the landline. What was she going to do?
She would have to get to the green house somehow. She would be able to make a call from the land line there. There was only one thing left to do. She would have to keep him engaged in conversation and then try to find a way to escape. If only she could reach the French doors, she could take the stairs leading to the path to the green house. But there was only one problem. There were no lights there.Arnavji''
The feeling that Khushi might be in danger just wouldn't go away from Arnav's heart. He hoped he was wrong and that she was safe and sound in the Haveli. He would never forgive himself if anything happened to her.
Khushi decided to try a different tactic. 'Shyamji,' she said in a soft voice, 'why don't we talk about this peacefully? I '..I will not tell anyone about what you told me in the palace and we can forget about this whole thing and ---'
Shyam's head snapped up, his eyes burning intensely with rage. 'You think I am a fool, Khushiji?' He took out his cell phone and showed her the video clip that Arnav had shown her a few days ago. The only difference was that this one was not doctored, clearing showing the parts where she told Manav about Shyam.
'Oh God!' said Khushi horrified. 'You were the one who sent out the video to Arnavji?'
Shyam's face twisted in an ugly sneer. 'How else would I get the lover boy to leave your delectable body and go away?'
'What are you talking about?'
'That day in Junagarh palace, I saw you run away after hearing Arnav and Jenny's conversation. After my conversation with you, I was so confident that you would make up your mind to leave him. I thought my plan was perfect.
'But none of my advice had any effect on you at all. Arnav had said that he married you as he had no choice. I told you that he would leave you for Jenny. Why Khushiji? Why didn't that matter to you at all? Is it because of all this fortune? Did you think that if you satisfied him with your body he would change his mind? Is that why you let him use you like that ''in the study?'
Khushi eyes went wide with shock, 'What? How did you know that?'
He smiled. 'Really simple Khushiji. A small microphone hooked to a radio transmitter under the study table did the trick.' When he saw the look of derision on her face he continued, 'I didn't do this so I could record your moans Khushiji.' The look on his face was really scaring her now. 'I put that device in Arnav's study a long time ago. 'You see, I get paid a lot to leak out internal information of AR industries. So, if Arnav has lost out to a rival in the last few years it is thanks to me. Unfortunately it hasn't been much because he doesn't work out of Raisar that often.'
Khushi anger's rose up several notches on hearing this, though she didn't let on. There was no way she could allow Shyam to get away with this. Why did he hate Arnav so much? She had to find out.
'But why Shyamji?' she asked him carefully, 'you were all friends in college. You studied with Di.'
'You want to know why?' he asked her, raising his eye brows. 'Well, I guess there is no harm in telling you about it now.'
Khushi pushed away her trepidation on hearing this and decided to listen. Time. She needed time. As Shyam began to speak Khushi understood that he came from a middle class family which did not have too much money to spare to their only child. The only thing he had in abundance was the ability to charm people into doing his bidding. His cunning had managed to make him a popular boy in college and he had enjoyed all the accolades until Arnav had entered his life. He had ruined everything.
Arnav had won the student election as a fresher, taking the mantle away from him for the first time in three years.
"The best man always wins" he had said in his acceptance speech. He was the most popular boy in college' good in studies and sports equally. The rich brat spent money like water, he said, ensuring loyalty from friends. Girls were attracted to him like bees around honey.
Ironically, the only girl who was not attracted to Arnav was his own sister Anjali. She had been crazy about Shyam. Of course he had turned on his charm, when she had entered his class as a first year student. He had claimed he wanted to be an environmental lawyer after graduation when he had found out that she herself wanted to be an environmentalist, but very soon he had lost interest in her. It was very taxing to be with her because of her high ideals.
But all that had changed when he realized he could use her to get back her brother. He had realized that Anjali was Arnav's weakness.
Becoming the son-in-law of the wealthy Raizadas ' one of the aristocratic families in Rajasthan, would be an added bonus. Coming from a middle class family, this royal association was the stuff of dreams for him.
Unfortunately, his in-laws had other ideas. Shyam ManoharJha was not good enough for their daughter. They had refused the match and had started looking for alliances in appropriate families within the community. Finally a match had been fixed and Anjali's parents had been all set to get her married off. Anjali had cried and begged him to do something. She was ready to leave her parents' house and go where ever he wanted. Poor girl. She was so nave. Why would she come and live in his hut when he was ready to come and live in her palace? Something had to be done and he had done it.
Obstacles had to be removed to move ahead in life and Anjali's parents were just collateral damage. Arranging the accident on the high way was a breeze.
Khushi began to tremble as she realized the implications of what he had just told her. Shyam had caused the accident that had killed Arnav's parents. That would mean that he had been the one responsible for her own parents' death as well!
As Shyam reminisced about his past, Khushi realized that Shyam's jealousy toward Arnav bordered on insanity.Tears began to flow down her eyes as she grieved for the loss of all the loved ones because of one psychotic individual.
But unfortunately, after Anjali's parents had died, he had realized that Anjali was actually bankrupt and had silently backed away from her as he had no use for her. Anjali's marriage alliance had also broken and she had moved away to Delhi with her brother. Then he had found out that the, the lucky b@#$%^! had managed to erect his empire in a little over an year and he had figured it was time to make a comeback in Anjali's life.
He had planned for an accidental meeting in a book shop she frequented and began to weave his charm all over again. She had once again fallen for it and with the parents out of the way, Anjali had no problem introducing him as her future husband to her family.
The poor girl had no idea that he had married her to ruin her life. After a year of marriage he had subtly encouraged her to stay at Raisar, freeing him to indulge in his vices in Delhi. It was the perfect arrangement.
It had not been difficult to fleece money from Anjali pretending to raise money for environmental related projects. She also funded his political aspirations, his foreign trips and all his personal expenses as well. She had also named him as the beneficiary of the property she owned.
But that was not enough for him. He wanted to own everything. Even Arnav's share'..
That was when Lavanya had come into the picture. After Arnav had left for the United States, Lavanya had been disgruntled. He had taken advantage of her vulnerability and had a brief affair with her. But the bitch had dumped him as soon as she realized he did not have too much money to spend on her. Her modelling career had been going great at the time and she didn't care for a poor law student. But he had continued to keep tabs on her and had found out her career was down in the dumps and was desperately trying to get an entry into movies.
It was at this point of time that he had tracked her down and had re-kindled the old affair with her. This time he had the money to spend on her and to make sure she was completely under his control, he had introduced her to drugs. Very soon he had laid down a proposal that would benefit both parties mutually. She would get Arnav --- someone she had always wanted. But he had never really told her what he wanted in return.
To him it was pretty simple. He wanted to destroy Arnav. And what better way to do it when he would have control over the two people who would be closest to him --- his wife and sister.
Unfortunately it had not been very easy. He had managed to get Lavanya into the house by manipulating naniji but Arnav had turned out to be pretty tenacious, refusing to marry Lavanya. And then Lavanya had gotten pregnant with his baby. He had managed to convince her to trap Arnav by inviting him over to her apartment for a drink and lacing it with sleeping pills to make it look like he had spent the night with Lavanya. A month later, she had called Arnav had told him of her pregnancy forcing Arnav to propose to her.
He had almost been within reach of success. After the marriage, a small miscarriage would have done the trick. But the neurotic Lavanya had developed a sudden bout of conscience. She wanted to confess to Arnav. She had said something lame about hearing voices and that she wanted absolution from her sins and some crap like that.
On the fateful day she had made a call to Arnav asking him to come and meet her. Luckily he had overheard Arnav talking to her on the phone. Realizing that she hadn't told him anything on the phone, he had left Raisar before Arnav and reached her way before Arnav. He had told her that he supported her decision and had requested her to have one last drink, which he had laced with high dosage of a drug he knew she wouldn't be able to handle. And he was right. It had taken care of her.
He had hoped that Arnav would be implicated in her murder but unfortunately luck had favoured him in the form of a witness.
After Lavanya's death, he had decided to lay low for a while. He couldn't have the police sniffing out some clue that would eventually lead them to him.
'But these things are easier said than done Khushiji,' he said coming out of his reverie, 'women can never keep their mouths shut, can they? They always want something more.'
When Shyam told her about the girl he had to kill by pushing her off from the balcony of her apartment, Khushi realized that the Raizada family had been living with a psychotic killer.
'Do you think you will get away with all this?'
'Of course! I have been planning this from the moment I let it slip out that Lavanaya was pregnant. I knew that it hadn't registered in your mind but it was only going to be a matter of time.
'I began to watch you closely and followed you when you went out with Manav. I knew you wouldn't say anything to Arnav, but I wasn't so sure about Manav. As I suspected, you confided in him about me but you still hadn't realized about Lavanya.
'The conversation brought out some interesting facts about the righteous Dr Manav having the hots for my dearest wife. He is not such a goody two shoes is he?'
'I don't think you have any right to say that!' exclaimed Khushi vehemently.
'This is exactly what I love about you Khushiji.' Shyam said his eyes gleaming lasciviously. 'Your fiery attitude. I have heard some of your fights with Arnav. Anjali is very dull you know.
'Arnav doesn't love you,' he said continuing to stare at her, 'I love you. We would be perfect together.'
'No, we wouldn't!'
'Why? Because you love Arnav?'
'Yes.'
'Alright then, I have no choice but to kill you.' he said in a very matter-of-fact voice. 'Anything Arnav has needs to be destroyed. Even Anjali. I have very good plans for her as well.'
'Shyamji!' Khushi was shocked to hear that. 'She loves you.'
'No Khushikji, she doesn't' he said. 'She loves her brother and her "best friend" Manav more. She is a good wife. No doubt about it.
'But I don't care about any of that. I have never cared. All I want is to destroy Arnav Singh Raizada. But before that I want to get all his money.
'Arnavji will get you for this.'
'He has no clue about any of this. Are you going to tell him? You are not going to be alive.'
'He will come.'
'You think I don't know that he left for Delhi after he saw the video? I know about Arnav. Once he gets angry there is nothing that can calm him down.'
'Shyamji, you don't know this. But Arnavji had once sensed I was in danger and had come for me. You can ask Guman in Bikaner. I am sure he still remembers the lashing he got.'
Shyam stilled for a moment when he heard that. Guman had mentioned this to him. He then brushed it off.
Suddenly there was a sound of an object falling to the ground and Shyam stilled. He opened the bedroom door and stepped outside to peer down into the living room. When he turned around to look at Khushi, he found her gone. She had escaped from the French doors and remembered too late that she had taken the stairs to take the rough path leading into the woods.
Khushi ran past the shrubs and bushes her heart beating wildly, her knees threatening to buckle under as the darkness closed in her. As Khushi fought desperately with her fear of darkness, the thought of exposing Shyam at any cost kept her going.
Suddenly her flight was abruptly halted as she ran into something or '' someone. Shyam had caught up to her! She opened her mouth to scream after the initial shock wore off, butShyam'shand clamped down on her mouth shutting her off as she her felt her dragged bodily into a building. It was the green house.
He pushed her down on the floor. 'You shouldn't have run out here Khushji,' he said, his mouth twisted in an ugly way. 'Didn't anyone tell you that there are snakes out here that can bite you?'
Khushi remembered Anjali telling her about it when she had first come to the guest house. Khushi froze with fear. The darkness was really getting to her and she began to feel out of breath. A tear trickled down her cheek as she felt helpless.
'Your letter to Anjali will be very useful. You have told her not to come looking for you because you can no longer live with Arnav.'
Shyam pinned put her arms above her head and brought his face to inches of her. 'Once I am done with you I will take you to the desert. They will think you were distraught, tried to leave, got abducted by miscreants who left you for dead in the desert.
'You told me about the sixth sense crap just to fool me didn't you Khushiji? He sneered at her. 'Where is your precious Arnavji now?
They didn't hear the door open. Then everything happened so fast that it was a blur. Khushi was aware of the light going on. Someone pulling Shyam off her.Seeing a fist send a bone crunching blow to Shyam's jaw.Shyam staggering and spitting blood. The she gasped. It was Arnav!...standing there'.his fists clenched'.his brown eyes staring fiercely at Shyam.
'Arnavji!' The word stuck in her throat.
Shyam has recovered and lunged after Arnav, but Arnav's fist slammed into his face again. Shyam struck back, but Arnav crouched like a fighter. Shyam wasn't able to touch him, and Arnav came after him with a maniacal fury. His fist smashed into Shyam's face again and again. Shyam stood up as Arnav pummelled into him. He tried to lash out, but his timing was off. His face was a bloody smear. Arnav's fist smashed into his jaw again ' into his stomach ' back to his face '.back to the jaw ---
It was more violent than anything Khushi had ever imagined. And she stood watching it in a stupor as if she were watching a movie. It was all happening so fast. Shyam flailing out '.beginning to falter under Arnav's merciless onslaught'.Arnav pulling Shyam to his feet'his fist crashing against Shyam's face again and again. She saw him groggily against the wall and spit out blood. Just as she thought she would faint she heard footsteps and a group of uniform clad policemen walked in followed by Manav.
'That should be enough Mr Raizada! We will take it from here.' One of the policemen said.
'Are you okay Khushi?' said Manav rushing up to her.
'Arnavji?' Khushi whispered.
Arnav wished the police hadn't arrived when they did. With a final stare at Shyam, he walked up to Khushi. He lifted her up gently in his arms. 'I will take her up to the Haveli,' he told Manav, 'you can examine her to see if she is hurt and needs any medication.'
'Sure.' Manav replied.
'Mr Raizada, we would need Mrs Raizada to give us a statement.' The police inspector interposed.
'Right now, she is very shaken up,' Arnav told the inspector. 'You can take the statement from me. I heard everything.
He explained. 'I went up to the guest to look for Khushi. I used the window to get into the living area. When I went up to the bedroom, I heard Shyam talking. But then he heard a noise and came out to investigate. By the time I could react he realized Khushi had escaped and went after her. I followed them.'
Khushi looked up at Arnav and tears welled up in her eyes. He had heard about his parents. Arnav looked back at her, his own eyes moist.
A little later, Arnav came out of the bedroom after making sure Khushi was fast asleep. Manav had given her a sedative to calm her nerves. As he came down stairs he saw Anjali sitting in the living room, Manav next to her. As he began to give his statement to the police Anjali began to cry. After the formalities were complete the police left leaving the trio alone in the living room.
Manav updated Arnav about the traces of arsenic in Anjali blood and also about what Khushi had been telling him about Shyam, corroborating what Khushi had told me the other day. Finally, he stood up. 'Arnav, I know you and Anju have a lot to talk about.' he said. 'I will leave you two alone.
'Anju, I would like you come and see me in the clinic tomorrow. We will need to start your treatment.'
After Manav left, Anjali began to cry harder than before.
'Di ----' Arnav was too chocked up to speak. He didn't know what to say. 'I am sorry'.I '
'No Chotte!' she exclaimed, 'I am the one who should be sorry! I was the one who let the evil into this house.'
'Di!' Arnav interposed, 'How can you hold yourself responsible? Please calm down ----'
'Why not Chotte? I was a bad judge of character.
'You know mom and dad didn't approve of Shyam. I rebelled for a long time and refused to marry. But when they eventually fixed my marriage, I wanted to walk out of the house.
'Chotte, you remember the argument you had with dad the night before they left for the wedding in Jaipur. You told him that he was forcing me to marry someone I wasn't even interested in.
'As soon as they left, I called Shyam. I told him they were going to Jaipur to finalize the arrangements. He told me not to worry and said everything would be alright.
'If it was not for me dad and mom would be alive today.'
'Stop it Di!' Arnav took her in his arms as she began to tremble. 'Don't do this to yourself.' He said his voice an anguished whisper. 'If we go by your logic then I would be the real culprit.
'He came into your life because of the hatred he had for me.'
Arnav looked into Anjali's eyes as he said, 'Di, we cannot hold ourselves responsible for the actions of a man who was mentally deranged.'
'There is another thing. When Lavanya stayed with at the guest house, and you were traveling, I realized he had been visiting her when I was not around.'
Arnav was aghast. 'Di'.why didn't you tell me? Or confront Shyam ?'
'Since Lavanya was from a fashion world, I thought it was very common for her to be '..friendly. Then you suddenly announced your engagement and I didn't want to spoil it for you. After all you had agreed to the marriage after great difficulty.
'I just decided to push the whole thing under the carpet.'
'God Di!' Arnav couldn't believe what Anjali had just told her. 'I wish I had confided in you about Lavanya.How could he do this to you? You loved him so much.'
Anjali shook her head. 'No Chotte, I didn't.' When Arnav looked at her with shock she said, 'I haven't love him in a long time. Definitely not since Lavanya.
'You were right you know --- When you asked me that day if staying apart was the secret to a successful marriage.' Anjali said, reminding him about their argument. 'I had made a big fuss to get married to him in the first place. I didn't want to look like I had made an error in judgement. I was determined to make it work at any cost.'
'Di'...' Arnav hugged Anjali.The brother and sister hugged each other, crying over their parents and others who might have lead a better life if this one individual had not entered it.
'Di, I know it will take you some time to get over this,' said Arnav as she sat back and looked into her eyes. 'But just remember that I love you and will be there for you every step of the way.'
'I know Chotte.' Anjali gave him a small smile as she cupped his cheek. 'How do you think I survived all these years?'
After seeing Anjali to her bedroom, Arnav came back in his ownroom. He saw his wife's serene face in sleep and thanked God for the first time in his life that she was safe and sound. All that he wanted to say to her would have to wait until morning. He got into the bed, lay down next to her, and with his arm around her waist, he slept like a baby.
The next morning, Arnav woke up to find the bed next to him was empty. He went downstairs to get himself a cup of coffee. He found Anjali and Manav sitting at the dining table. 'Di,' said Arnav, 'have you seen Khushi this morning?'
Anjali looked up at Arnav, her face a little pale. 'I found this letter on the dresser. I think Khushi has '..left.'
Arnav took the letter from Anjali and read through it. As he reached the end of it, he crushed the letter and threw it across the floor. He raked a hand through his hair in frustration as he swore under his breath. F@#$!
I feel motivated to write more when I hear from you so do comment and feel free to give me your feedback.
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Edited by charlotte74 - 12 years ago
Kumkum Bhagya
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