His skin was embellished with scars, bruises and scars, running the length of his arms, his disheveled appearance drawing an audible gasp from the family members gathered in the living room. The usually pristine, groomed Arnav stood before them; his eyes tired, his face ragged and his body slouched and stained in mud and dirt. Anjali stared towards her younger brother, her Chote, in a complete state of shock, her body unable to comprehend the multiple revelations the day was bringing forth. The atmosphere changed dramatically, almost instantaneously, question after question being fired at an evidently overwhelmed Arnav. In almost no time, Mami Ji revealed the truth regarding Arnav's prolonged disappearance, causing Nanj Ji's eyes to widen in disbelief, her head shaking in horror.
Khushi stood before everyone, she alone possessing the entire truth of this great misunderstanding that had been unfolding, over the past year, causing complication upon complication in her life, pushing her further and further away from the happy ending she had so often imagined for herself as a young girl. She held the fear reining her body at bay, calming her senses, repeatedly reminding herself that this one action of hers could possibly rectify the mistakes committed by Shyam that have wreaked havoc in her life, which have pained and punished every person that held any importance in her life. She stepped forward apprehensively, knowing she was about to change the world around her with the next few words. She closed her eyes, prayed for protection, opening her eyes to see Arnav looking her way, watching her expectantly, nodding his head slightly in encouragement, his small gesture, giving her the strength to proceed, reassuring her that how terrible the outcome of this situation, his presence would ensure she was protecting, not allowing harm to reach her once again.
'The person responsible for Arnav Ji's kidnapping is here'
In this room'
Amongst us'
Isn't that right Shyam Ji?' She spat out the last few words.
Deathly silence ruled the air, not a word breathed, the atmosphere deadly dangerous and hostile. The truth Khushi just uttered rocked the balance of peace within the residence. There was no turning back; this was the sole opportunity to prove her innocence and Shyam's on-going betrayal and deceit. Shyam's eyes widened in shock, his body stiffening; unable to even speak a word to defend himself. Anjali shook her head in denial, unwilling to believe the accusations thrown at her husband, tears running down her face fast now.
Khushi retold the whole account, without hesitation, starting with the fake papers which required Arnav's signature, moving on to her suspicions that Arnav Ji was in danger and her attempts to track his whereabouts with Mami Ji. She explained the instance she began to suspect Shyam when she found traces of blood on his shoes, later finding Arnav's Passport and boarding pass in his possession, confirming her doubts. She explained Shyam's intentions of inheriting Arnav's wealth, property and business on the occasion of his death. She lastly revealed her most courageous scheme, the fake alliance with Shyam to gain his trust, all in order to rescue her Arnav Ji. However most painful of all for Khushi, was delving into her past, and retelling the story of her engagement to Shyam and his betrayal to her and her family.
The family's silence scared Shyam, making him all the more desperate to prove himself innocent. Panic was evident in his voice as he spoke, 'Khushi Ji how dare you place such absurd accusations on me?! How dare you! This is absolutely ridiculous. Rani Sahiba, can you hear what she is accusing me of?!'
Shyam was becoming hysterical, clinging to any incident that may prove Khushi guilty, he pleaded with the family, his voice begging them to believe the lies, 'Rani Sahiba, believe me, it was Khushi who approached me, it is she who for the past months has been persuading me to leave you, but you know I could never do such a thing. But trust me; I have rejected her advances, her continuous attempts! She has tortured me with her constant pestering; visiting me when you were absent, but believe me I would never settle for someone as cheap, classless as Khushi, she's a woman who lacks dignity'.'
Khushi knew well that revealing the truth was not going to be easy, nor did she think that Shyam would admit to his actions; however the accusations flying through the air were causing her head to spin. Shyam was twisting the truth, so that not an ounce of the reality remained in his lies. She feared the family's reactions to Shyam's accusations.
Rage, pure rage, was coursing through Arnav's veins. He felt his whole body tense at the accusations spat out by Shyam, his jaw clenched, as his fist tightened and his gaze became deadly suddenly. How dare he?! HOW DARE HE UTTER A WORD AGAINST KHUSHI?! He stood silently so far, however enough was enough, he would not stand for anyone speaking against his Khushi, forget blame her with such vile accusations. He took three long steps towards Shyam, lurching towards him as he sent his fist flying towards the centre of Shyam's face, sending him flying backwards.
The pent up fury knew no limits, as he punched him repeatedly, not caring that Shyam's nose was bleeding profusely, nor did he take any notice of Akash tugging at his sleeve. His eyes were dark and all he knew was he despised this man with his whole being, no punishment compensating the pain that Shyam had caused Khushi. Arnav's fist was about to meet the soft wet flesh of Shyam's face, when he heard a scream, that pierced his heart, 'KHUUUSHI.' Without hesitating, he whipped around to see Khushi's delicate body swaying, slowly losing her balance, and making her way towards the ground. He lurched forward, his heart thudding uncontrollably, as he dived towards her. He cursed himself for turning his attention away from Khushi for so long, when he knew the pain he felt was just a speck compared to the turmoil she was experiencing. He placed his strong hand on her waist, bringing her closer to his chest, breathing in the scent he'd been craving to smell for the last 15 long, torturous days. He brought his arm under her knees, lifting her close to his chest, closing the distance that had been present for far too long. He refused to ever lose her, the last few hours had been hell, and he could never experience that paralysing fear again; not knowing whether he'd lost his Khushi, his life, forever.
There were questions he had, there were answers he was desperate to hear, the truth still remained to be clarified, however this all fizzled away into nothingness as he was reminded of his priorities. The truth held no importance in his eyes, definitely not at this instance, his mind just screamed to hold Khushi forever and never let her go, and with that he walked out of the living area. He had tried his very best to protect his Di, and instead he did nothing but cause pain to the girl who had loved him unconditionally, who was at fault of no wrong, who was punished time and time again, first by Shyam and now by himself. He despised himself; he did not deserve the abundance of love she showered him with. A single tear fell from his eyes on to Khushi's soft cheek, as she started to stir, her eyelids lifting, to give Arnav a peek of those hazel eyes that spoke a thousand words, the eyes that left him staring. They had arrived to their room as Khushi brought her hand to touch the single tear dampening her cheek; she looked up to see tears rolling down Arnav's face thick and fast. Khushi's heart skipped a beat as she immediately brought her hand up gently to wipe away the tears on Arnav's cheeks, her heart sinking a little, seeing the pain evident in her eyes. His gaze bored into her, as she slightly grazed his stubble, moving her face up slightly to plant a soft kiss on his cheek, in an attempt to stop his tears. He looked away from Khushi, unable to bear the unconditional love, that he did not deserve, that was so easily expressed on her part, even after the endless pain he'd subjected her to.
He brought her to the bed, laying her down softly, his body hovering over hers, as he slowly detached her hand from around his neck. It pained him to create a distance between them, his whole body screaming to hold her tightly, however he knew she deserved better, and after everything he had done, he didn't deserve to be close to her, forget being loved. Just as Arnav was moving himself off of the bed, he felt her hand caress his chest, her touch causing his skin to warm up, Oh how he craved her warmth.
'Arnav Ji, Please don't leave me,' she pleaded, sadness apparent in her voice. He remained still, hovering over her, his body screaming to allow himself her love, his heart refusing himself this unearned reward. However before he could make up his mind, Khushi tugged at his vest once more bringing him even closer than before, her eyes begging him to not refuse. And his resolve to stay away from her crumbled in an instance, as he cried, 'Khushi I'm so sorry, so so sorry,' tears streaming down his face, his head bowed down, ashamed that he compensated Khushi's pain with so few, meaningless words. Khushi brought her hand under his chin, to meet his eyes in a gaze that expressed nothing but love, shaking her head slightly, murmuring 'Shhh.' However Arnav's entire face froze as he noticed a deep wound just below her shoulder, previously covered by her dubatta. His heart raced, as he jumped off the bed, he went to find the bag in which Khushi stored all her clothes, sifting through it to find something comfortable, settling on a gown. He handed Khushi the gown, asking her to change into it while he reached for the first aid kit in the bathroom. Khushi wore the gown, which ended just above her knees. Arnav stood beside the bed, mesmerised, unable to step forward, keeping his temptations to cradle her at bay. He sat on the bed, placing his strong hands behind her back, lifting her slowly, so that she sat adjacent to him. He then slowly pulled on one side of the gown slightly, to reveal the wound fully, her creamy skin on full view. He traced the wound with his fingers, his heart sinking, thinking of the pain Khushi must be enduring. Khushi closed her eyes in anticipation, Arnav's rough fingers, tickling her skin, sending shivers down her spine.
Arnav dabbed at the wound, gently, wiping the blood with soft lingering movements, concentrating on cleaning the wound, while Khushi looked down towards Arnav, his gesture of love and care overwhelming her. Arnav then dabbed the antiseptic on to a piece of cotton wool, warning her in advance, 'Khushi be brave please, this will sting a little,' his eyes were sad, wishing he could take her place, bearing the pain instead of her. He lowered the cotton wool on to the wound and heard her hiss, shutting her eyes tightly, and a frown forming on her face. Arnav instantly stopped and reached for her hand, startling her, her eyes snapping open. He held her hand tightly, bringing their hands to his lips, softly kissing hers, pressing his lips to her soft skin, the heat from his lips radiating throughout her entire being. Arnav looked up; in to her eyes, and with no doubts, he reached a decision. It was impossible to create distances between himself and Khushi, it was unbearable! From now on he'd have to face the actions he committed and strive to rectify his mistakes, his number one priority, being to love and please his wife. He looked within her hazel eyes, those mesmerising eyes, and saw hints of worry as she revealed her fears, 'Arnav Ji'' She paused, hesitating, before she continued, her gaze fixed on their hands, 'I'm scared. Di and Nani Ji doubt me, nobody believes me, they honestly believe I've fabricated this entire story''
'Arnav Ji'What if they hate me? What if they never forgive me?' The panic rising in her voice'
At that moment, a devastating thought crossed her mind. There was one person's belief that mattered to her more than any other, without which her whole existence would be incomplete and unfulfilled'She looked deep into his warm brown eyes, desperate for an answer, as she whispered'
'You believe me'
Don't you?'
She mentally prepared for the worst possible answer'
Hope you all enjoyed, sorry for such a long post, I have an extremely bad habit of waffling 😛 Add me as a buddy, if you would like to be notified for any future posts!
Thanks once again,
Sahunali 😊
Part 2 (Page 6)
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Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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