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Payal (now that Payal's okay with being called Payal, we'll call her Payal) and Arnav had reached some way from the Raizada mansion when Payal sternly spoke, "Stop the car Arnav!"
"What the! Are you crazy? Mein tumhe drop kar raha hu na?" (I am dropping you alright?)
"Delhi has a lot of taxis and auto rickshaws, I'll manage. Will you now stop the car?"replied Payal, losing her cool.
"For your kind information, aaj auto rickshaws ki strike hai and yahaa aise hee taxis nahi mil jaati. Pehle inform Karna padta hai! (For your kind information, today is an auto rickshaw strike and you have to book a taxi in advance, you just don't get it.) But why do you wanna get out when I'm dropping you? And why are you behaving so coldly dammit?"
"Seriously Arnav? Aap humse yeh savaal kar rahe hai? (YOU are asking me this question?) If you're really that dumb then fine I'll explain it to you clearly! You are the man who married my sister forcefully without even demanding an explanation for some so called crime you felt she committed, when you claimed you loved her. Where did that love and trust go Arnav? Then you actually tortured her for two whole months with your ruthless ways and forced her to act like she was happy. Then when Mr. Raizada realizes his mistake, he very conveniently wins her back right?
"Uske baad jab usse sachmein shaadi karni thi you (Later, when you actually had to get married to her in front of the families) got to know about some connected past of amma's and then you very easily let her wait for you at the mandap! And let me clear it to you Arnav, agar aapko amma aur Aahat par trust hota na toh aap itna time nahi lagaate, pehle galti sirf aapke papa ki thi aur yeh aap jaante hai. (If you really trusted Amma and Aahat, then you wouldn't have taken so much time. In the past, it was only your father's fault and you very well know it.)
"Do you even know what she was going through there? Even after waiting for three bloody hours, suffering baseless accusations from your Dadi, being broken out of her revere by buaji's slap and collapsing on the mandap, she did not let go of her belief Arnav. Do you even know that my stupid sister believed that you would come back to her? She trusted you Arnav, she loved you blindly and what did you do? Aahat ne apni saari property, apne saare rights, apni position sab give up kardiya yahaan tak ki vo aapke liye humesha Khushi bankar rehne ke liye tayyar thi. Agar uske paas option hota na Arnav toh vo definitely tumhe pehle bataa deti but jab usne dadi se permission maangi toh unhone manaa kar diya not only because of Mumma Papa's will but also because Aahat was the only one who witnessed mumma papa's accident. News, isn't it? (Do you know Arnav, Aahat gave up her property, all her rights, her position in Singhania Designs. Moreover, she was ready to be Khushi all her life, only for you. If she had an option, she would have told you everything, Arnav but when she went to ask Dadi for permission, Dadi refused. Not because of the will but also because Aahat was the only one who witnessed mumma papa's accident. News, isn't it?)
"What the! Are you crazy? Mein tumhe drop kar raha hu na?" (I am dropping you alright?)
"Delhi has a lot of taxis and auto rickshaws, I'll manage. Will you now stop the car?"replied Payal, losing her cool.
"For your kind information, aaj auto rickshaws ki strike hai and yahaa aise hee taxis nahi mil jaati. Pehle inform Karna padta hai! (For your kind information, today is an auto rickshaw strike and you have to book a taxi in advance, you just don't get it.) But why do you wanna get out when I'm dropping you? And why are you behaving so coldly dammit?"
"Seriously Arnav? Aap humse yeh savaal kar rahe hai? (YOU are asking me this question?) If you're really that dumb then fine I'll explain it to you clearly! You are the man who married my sister forcefully without even demanding an explanation for some so called crime you felt she committed, when you claimed you loved her. Where did that love and trust go Arnav? Then you actually tortured her for two whole months with your ruthless ways and forced her to act like she was happy. Then when Mr. Raizada realizes his mistake, he very conveniently wins her back right?
"Uske baad jab usse sachmein shaadi karni thi you (Later, when you actually had to get married to her in front of the families) got to know about some connected past of amma's and then you very easily let her wait for you at the mandap! And let me clear it to you Arnav, agar aapko amma aur Aahat par trust hota na toh aap itna time nahi lagaate, pehle galti sirf aapke papa ki thi aur yeh aap jaante hai. (If you really trusted Amma and Aahat, then you wouldn't have taken so much time. In the past, it was only your father's fault and you very well know it.)
"Do you even know what she was going through there? Even after waiting for three bloody hours, suffering baseless accusations from your Dadi, being broken out of her revere by buaji's slap and collapsing on the mandap, she did not let go of her belief Arnav. Do you even know that my stupid sister believed that you would come back to her? She trusted you Arnav, she loved you blindly and what did you do? Aahat ne apni saari property, apne saare rights, apni position sab give up kardiya yahaan tak ki vo aapke liye humesha Khushi bankar rehne ke liye tayyar thi. Agar uske paas option hota na Arnav toh vo definitely tumhe pehle bataa deti but jab usne dadi se permission maangi toh unhone manaa kar diya not only because of Mumma Papa's will but also because Aahat was the only one who witnessed mumma papa's accident. News, isn't it? (Do you know Arnav, Aahat gave up her property, all her rights, her position in Singhania Designs. Moreover, she was ready to be Khushi all her life, only for you. If she had an option, she would have told you everything, Arnav but when she went to ask Dadi for permission, Dadi refused. Not because of the will but also because Aahat was the only one who witnessed mumma papa's accident. News, isn't it?)
"She was six, for god's sake and she was going through that trauma. I was eight so and I didn't witness the accident but she did and then she went through that whole phase. Because of everything that happened in front of her eyes, she got nightmares and then she had three panic attacks. Jab finally usse aur humein India bheja gaya toh she eventually recovered and was left with blurred memories of her real name and of Papa and Mumma. Her whole identity changed and then when I got to know about everything at eighteen, I forbade everyone from telling her anything but she eventually found out and all the memories came rushing back to her. And now after what you've done to her those wounds have become fresh again. The other day, Ehem told me that she has started to have nightmares again, sometimes about Mumma papa and sometimes she wakes up screaming your name, but she forbade everyone from telling anything to me about it. Do you know why she is afraid of the dark, afraid of fire, afraid of speeding vehicles; because she witnessed her parents die in front her own eyes, as a child. I am sure you know how it feels.
"Aahat wouldn't be able to bear if you rejected her love because of her past but she was still willing to tell you everything and dadi knew that your negative reaction could be fatal to her life and that's why she forbade her to tell you anything till you got married. But when, on the wedding night Aahat realised that your love was so weak that it couldn't even stand that little connection from the past, she questioned how would it stand the tsunami of truths she was planning to tell you? That's when the 'khushi' in her died and she completely became Aahat Singhania. Should I be thankful to you for that? Arnav let's not lie to each other; even when you came back to the venue, wasn't it to ask for more time that you needed to come to terms with the past? I could see everything in your eyes, Arnav. Let's just face it, you broke my sister and you took away all her happiness."
Payal poured her heart out to Arnav. All her frustration was vent out on him and she sucked in the air deeply as tears escaped her eyes. After listening to everything, even Arnav's eyes became misty with unshed tears. Visions of the incidents flashed in front of his eyes when Khushi had run far away from a bonfire on one of the outdoor shoots and had then popped in some pills, unknown to her that he was watching her, the time when she had frozen in front of a speeding car and he had had to jump and save the life that was most precious to him, he also recalled the time when she had hugged him tightly in the dark storeroom that they had got locked in it and had then fainted in his arms and continuously mumbled that she was afraid of the dark.
Finally, Arnav composed himself and then spoke, "Payal, I know that I have committed numerous mistakes in the past and I know that I deserve to be punished but Khushi doesn't. Although, I forced her into marrying me, it was only because I loved her and then I saw all that I just couldn't bare it. In my blinding rage, I didn't realise that it was all a set up to bring us together but what I did, only turned it into something worse. I repent all my actions Payal, everything that I have done.
"My past is just too hard to forget and khushi made me forget it but when I saw everything on the terrace I just didn't want to understand anything. All those memories of my father, cheating on my mother, and that leading to their suicide, came rushing back to me. But then, one part of me wanted to forget everything and accept that Khushi was innocent and the other reached out to my sister. She was pregnant Payal. My love for di was too great but I forgot that Khushi was the one who made my heart beat again.
" Even on the day of our wedding, those memories rushed back to me. Then, I realised that I loved Khushi too much, but at the same time my heart went out to my maa. I just couldn't forget it. That time, I realised that I needed time to come to terms with my past and I just needed time to accept Khushi again, as my bride. I do admit that I came there to ask for time but that was because I feared that what if I would marry her but then I wouldn't be able to give her all the love that she deserved because of the truth that came forward.
"I had had enough of lies, deceits, and frauds throughout my life and I just couldn't take in the fact that even you could have a past that was as painful as mine and thus everything that happened. I was again, blinded by rage, pained deeply and I was hurt that such a truth could be hidden from me for so long, and by Khushi. But then, I met Khushi in the Singhania Designs office yesterday. I do not believe in destiny, but I think that a supreme power wanted this meeting between us to take place. At that point, the mirror of my flaws was shown to me by the pain I witnessed in her eyes. She didn't say much, but her eyes spoke volumes, Payal.
"I realised that I was just the fool who couldn't accept that he had fallen in love and the hurt from the past was long gone too, because of the love. It was my mistake. In her case, it has always been. But this time, I promise I won't let her go. I will win my 'Khushi' back and shower all the love that I can on her. You can't deny that we both love each other but the circumstances that are created always test our love to a great extent. And each time this has happened, I have failed but now I have realised, I love her, doesn't matter if she is Aahat Singhania or Khushi Kumari Gupta, but I will win her back because she is mine, has always been and will always be. Will you help me Payal? Don't accept it for my happiness or don't deny because of the hatred that you have for me, make the decision based on what's best for your sister. But remember one thing, I love her unconditionally", finally, Arnav, for the first time vent out all that was inside his head and heart.
When Payal heard everything, she was taken aback. Her heart filled with joy and pride when she heard this from Arnav. Her heart went out to him. Though, she was extremely angry at him, she knew that he loved Aahat unconditionally and the surety in his voice proved it. But she thought to herself that some questions were best left unanswered. 'All in good time Arnav, all in good time', she thought before composing herself and then replying, "Arnav, we should go, it's getting late". Immediately, Arnav noticed the softness in her tone and started driving with a ghost of a smile on his face.
...
Arnav and Payal reached the Gupta house in sometime and Arnav insisted that he wanted to talk to Garima once. As they neared the entrance of the building after Arnav parked the car in the drive-way, they were surprised to see that the door was unlocked and left ajar. Slowly, they walked into the house to hear some voices. They followed these voices into the drawing room which was almost a secluded section divided by an arc like structure as partition. As they entered, both were shocked and worried to see the whole family in tears and then their eyes moved to the person who was hugging Garima. As she turned around to look at Shashi, they were astonished to see the person and both involuntarily hid themselves behind the arc as the discussion in the family continued. Least did Arnav know that he was in to eavesdrop a most pleasantly surprising conversation, for him.
"Aahat wouldn't be able to bear if you rejected her love because of her past but she was still willing to tell you everything and dadi knew that your negative reaction could be fatal to her life and that's why she forbade her to tell you anything till you got married. But when, on the wedding night Aahat realised that your love was so weak that it couldn't even stand that little connection from the past, she questioned how would it stand the tsunami of truths she was planning to tell you? That's when the 'khushi' in her died and she completely became Aahat Singhania. Should I be thankful to you for that? Arnav let's not lie to each other; even when you came back to the venue, wasn't it to ask for more time that you needed to come to terms with the past? I could see everything in your eyes, Arnav. Let's just face it, you broke my sister and you took away all her happiness."
Payal poured her heart out to Arnav. All her frustration was vent out on him and she sucked in the air deeply as tears escaped her eyes. After listening to everything, even Arnav's eyes became misty with unshed tears. Visions of the incidents flashed in front of his eyes when Khushi had run far away from a bonfire on one of the outdoor shoots and had then popped in some pills, unknown to her that he was watching her, the time when she had frozen in front of a speeding car and he had had to jump and save the life that was most precious to him, he also recalled the time when she had hugged him tightly in the dark storeroom that they had got locked in it and had then fainted in his arms and continuously mumbled that she was afraid of the dark.
Finally, Arnav composed himself and then spoke, "Payal, I know that I have committed numerous mistakes in the past and I know that I deserve to be punished but Khushi doesn't. Although, I forced her into marrying me, it was only because I loved her and then I saw all that I just couldn't bare it. In my blinding rage, I didn't realise that it was all a set up to bring us together but what I did, only turned it into something worse. I repent all my actions Payal, everything that I have done.
"My past is just too hard to forget and khushi made me forget it but when I saw everything on the terrace I just didn't want to understand anything. All those memories of my father, cheating on my mother, and that leading to their suicide, came rushing back to me. But then, one part of me wanted to forget everything and accept that Khushi was innocent and the other reached out to my sister. She was pregnant Payal. My love for di was too great but I forgot that Khushi was the one who made my heart beat again.
" Even on the day of our wedding, those memories rushed back to me. Then, I realised that I loved Khushi too much, but at the same time my heart went out to my maa. I just couldn't forget it. That time, I realised that I needed time to come to terms with my past and I just needed time to accept Khushi again, as my bride. I do admit that I came there to ask for time but that was because I feared that what if I would marry her but then I wouldn't be able to give her all the love that she deserved because of the truth that came forward.
"I had had enough of lies, deceits, and frauds throughout my life and I just couldn't take in the fact that even you could have a past that was as painful as mine and thus everything that happened. I was again, blinded by rage, pained deeply and I was hurt that such a truth could be hidden from me for so long, and by Khushi. But then, I met Khushi in the Singhania Designs office yesterday. I do not believe in destiny, but I think that a supreme power wanted this meeting between us to take place. At that point, the mirror of my flaws was shown to me by the pain I witnessed in her eyes. She didn't say much, but her eyes spoke volumes, Payal.
"I realised that I was just the fool who couldn't accept that he had fallen in love and the hurt from the past was long gone too, because of the love. It was my mistake. In her case, it has always been. But this time, I promise I won't let her go. I will win my 'Khushi' back and shower all the love that I can on her. You can't deny that we both love each other but the circumstances that are created always test our love to a great extent. And each time this has happened, I have failed but now I have realised, I love her, doesn't matter if she is Aahat Singhania or Khushi Kumari Gupta, but I will win her back because she is mine, has always been and will always be. Will you help me Payal? Don't accept it for my happiness or don't deny because of the hatred that you have for me, make the decision based on what's best for your sister. But remember one thing, I love her unconditionally", finally, Arnav, for the first time vent out all that was inside his head and heart.
When Payal heard everything, she was taken aback. Her heart filled with joy and pride when she heard this from Arnav. Her heart went out to him. Though, she was extremely angry at him, she knew that he loved Aahat unconditionally and the surety in his voice proved it. But she thought to herself that some questions were best left unanswered. 'All in good time Arnav, all in good time', she thought before composing herself and then replying, "Arnav, we should go, it's getting late". Immediately, Arnav noticed the softness in her tone and started driving with a ghost of a smile on his face.
...
Arnav and Payal reached the Gupta house in sometime and Arnav insisted that he wanted to talk to Garima once. As they neared the entrance of the building after Arnav parked the car in the drive-way, they were surprised to see that the door was unlocked and left ajar. Slowly, they walked into the house to hear some voices. They followed these voices into the drawing room which was almost a secluded section divided by an arc like structure as partition. As they entered, both were shocked and worried to see the whole family in tears and then their eyes moved to the person who was hugging Garima. As she turned around to look at Shashi, they were astonished to see the person and both involuntarily hid themselves behind the arc as the discussion in the family continued. Least did Arnav know that he was in to eavesdrop a most pleasantly surprising conversation, for him.
_________
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I know you all will be a little confused as to what is the story behind Arnav and Khushi's forced marriage but I assure you that it will be revealed soon enough.
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