A : Anger
"Anger pushes rational thought out of mind, and can turn one blind to the truth."
It was the day Khushi had returned extremely disappointed and hurt over her failed pag-phera. No one had consoled her or said a word to her throughout the day, and she had no shoulder to cry on. After a day of utter silence, everyone had retired to bed.
Arnav turned in his sleep, and felt quite uncomfortable. He woke up in frustration, and happened to look at the poolside. He noticed that Khushi was missing from there, and looked around frowning, wondering where she could be. And that was when he heard the muffled sound of something breaking.
He sprang out of bed and ran to the poolside and opened the shutters. The breaking sound came once more, and more distinctly. He stepped outside and looked around. There was no one there and Arnav felt perplexed.
THUD!
The sound came once more, and Arnav realized it was coming from the terrace. Was she alright? In fact, was it even her?
When the shattering sound came once more, Arnav rushed to the poolside stairs and bound upstairs, two at a time. When he finally reached upstairs, he was breathless and what he saw stunned him into silence. As for the first time, he saw a broken Khushi and her anger.
Khushi was standing amidst broken flower pots, trembling. Trembling with rage or cold, he couldn't tell. She was muttering something, and he could make out few words. "….Rather die than see this day… Bloody alone all over again…"
Before Arnav could react she had begun to pull more of the remaining flower pots while all Arnav could do was flinch everytime he heard the shatter.
Finally, Khushi stopped and looked at the sky. "Amma, Aranvji has already killed me and my family has left me alone. I have no reason to live….. Take me away from here! I can't take this anymore!" she whispered.
He took a step closer to her when her whispers turned to a scream. "WHY DEVI MAIYYA! WHY ME? What have I ever done to you? I HATE you…. My only mistake was falling love with a demon! So why punish me to this extent! Tell me!"
She looked around for a while and picked up a broken piece of pot and flung it at the night sky, screaming "I hate you! And I would rather die than enter your temple again!"
The broken piece fell back with full force on Khushi's foot and she screamed in pain and collapsed on the floor, sobbing.
Arnav felt shocked and didn't know what to do and then he saw that her sobs had subsided. She just sat on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest, and staring at the full moon.
In the silvery light of the moon, he could see her red face and bloodshot eyes. She rested her head between her knees for a few moments, muttering barely. "I don't even know why he married me… And here I was a fool to fall for his charms!"
Something in Arnav snapped the moment those words were out. "Khushi?"
Her head shot up and she looked at him bewildered. "What? What do you want? I don't have anything left to give…"
He walked to her silently and knelt next to her. He caught her shoulder and turned her to him. "Go away…" she muttered.
"I am sorry Khushi…" he said.
She pushed him away incredulously. "You're sorry? For what? For breaking my heart? Shattering my dreams? Snatching my family? Or that I am not dead?"
Arnav flinched. "Khushi, I love you…"
She laughed bitterly. "You love me? That's funny cuz I didn't see any love when you pushed me out into the cold? Nor when you tied this…" she pointed to her mangalsutra "….nor when you filled my maang with vermillion… In fact, I don't think there was ever love for me in your eyes. I know, I know. I was just being blind and read it all wrongly and-"
"Khushi please-"
She didn't let him speak. "-don't you worry. We made a deal and after six months, I am out of your life…"
"Don't go… Stay forever…" he said softly.
"I don't have a reason to stay."
"You do. I love you…" he plead.
"I don't think so…"
"Khushi, look into my eyes and tell me I don't…"
She looked into his eyes for a moment and then shook her head. "It's a lie. I won't fall for it again…"
It was then that Arnav realized that pretty much the same way, he had refused to see the truth when he was blinded by anger.
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