DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but my creativity.
Days like this I want to run* away,
Pack my bags and watch your shadow fade
This was it. 6 months she had waited for this. For justice. For freedom. And now she was getting it.
Khushi Kumari Gupta Si- No. It was just Khushi Gupta now. She didn't need the baggage of her past constantly weighing down her present and future. No way. She'd had enough of that. No longer was she the same meek, naive and innocent 18 year old. Oh, no. She was someone much stronger now.
You chewed me up and spit me out
Like I was poison in your mouth
She wondered if he remembered the day of their "wedding" with as much clarity as she did. He probably didn't. And why should he? It was merely a contract to him. a business deal. An offer that he simply 'could not refuse'. Did he remember all the hurt he put her through? The pain? The torture? Did he know, she mused silently, how it felt to be chewed up and spit out the way she had? Like she was poison in his mouth?
You took my light, you drained me down
Every taunt, every abuse she could remember as clearly as she remembered her own name. She could remember how he took her light, her smile and broke down all her barriers until she was but a hollow, empty shell.
That was then and this is now
But what everyone had cruelly been mistaken about was that Ms. Khushi Gupta was no longer the same. She had changed. For the better.
Now look at me
A year had done wonders for her - she'd started off by cutting her hair to shoulder length. She'd found that it was so much easier and helped give her that final sense of closure; he had always loved her long tresses. On his better days, he had loved burying his face into it, and breathing in the essence of her. But ever since she had left, she'd found that she just wanted to wipe the slate clean, get rid of old memories and simply make new ones. And so the hair had gone.
This is the part of me that you're never gonna take from me, no
What did they all think? That they would tear down her defences and leave her weak and vulnerable? That she would always be something to be protected? Never the protector. Always having to be with someone either by force or gratitude. That's what she'd always had to deal with. During her childhood, she'd been given shelter by Shashi Gupta who had taken her under his wing when she had been orphaned at such a tender age. And it had been out of gratitude that she had lived, knowing full well that if it wasn't for this man, she would not have been able to ever survive this cruel world.
But now, lessons had been learnt and Khushi Gupta no longer needed to depend on anyone. She had gone through great lengths to get where she was now and she would not ever take it for granted.
Armed only with sheer determination and a passion to do something with her life, Khushi had booked a one-way ticket for herself to Australia where she decided to join the University of Melbourne in order to peruse a degree in Medicine. Ever since the death of her parents, Khushi had harboured a single dream - to be a doctor in order to prevent anyone else from suffering such a fate. She had never mentioned this to anyone, not even her Jiji, as she knew her current ward did not have the funds to fulfil this for her. And so she kept mum and suppressed her wish.
Until now.
One good thing that had come out of that sham marriage of hers was the extremely successful business venture of the "KKGSR Tiffin & Dabba Service". She had managed to branch out to different clientele and had prospered financially. It was due to this that she was able to rent out an apartment right in the heart of the city where everything she possibly wanted was within reach. It was as she was settling in to her new surroundings that she got her letter of acceptance from the University and that moment had been registered as one of the best ones of her life.
Months passed, with Khushi having joined the University and learning as much as she possibly could. She had also taken up a part-time job as an RJ at her local radio station in order to continue to support her education. It was jointly owned by a friendly old NRI and his wife who had both taken an instant liking to Khushi and had hired her on the spot.
There really was no looking back for her now. After all, she had risen from the proverbial ashes with nothing save her name and self-respect. It was difficult, what with the verbal lashings received in her past always coming in the way of her present, blocking her way, pulling her down into the very depths of depression. But she persevered and struggled and triumphed. Khushi Gupta was now a force to be reckoned with. Oh, how she wished he could see her now.
Throw your sticks and stones
Throw your bombs and your blows
But you're not gonna break my soul
"Who do you think you are, you filthy, worthless gold digger?! How DARE you even try to put yourself on par with what I imagine my model wife to be like? You are not even worth the dust at the bottom of my shoe, so don't you ever, EVER make the mistake of pulling this "ideal-wife" bullsh*t on me again, understood?"
****
"What do you think you were doing, being pressed up against that bast*rd that I am forced to call 'Saale-Saheb', Khushi-ji? How could you do this to me? To US?! I will NOT tolerate another man to come between us, and if there is, my sweet Khushi-ji, then so God help you because you are going to be inviting for yourself a whole world of trouble. Do I make myself clear?
****
"Jiji, please, please hear me out. I swear on you , Jiji, I never, ever meant to hurt you! Jiji, please! Don't walk away from me, Jiji, I won't be able to bear it!"
"You should have thought about that before, Khushi ... before you played with us all"
****
"This is all your fault! How can you live with yourself, knowing that YOU are the root cause of everyone's problems? Does it give your sadistic and twisted mind SATISFACTION when you see everyone around you in pain? Does it help you sleep at night, Khushi. Tell me?
Di's just lost her child, Khushi, and I hold YOU solely responsible! Now get out of my sight before I do something I know I'll regret later."
****
Khushi had taken all the insults, taunts and abuse in her stride. She was hurt and broken beyond repair, but she knew that she could - and would - fix herself in time. And she had. So, while everyone she had ever put her trust in had taken their time and pleasure in breaking Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada apart piece by piece, they had not been able to break the wild, spitfire spirit of Khushi Gupta. And because of that, she was in a much better place now. A happier place, where allegations of all forms and variations were not hurled at her person with every step she took. Where she was not looked at with an amalgamation of pity, anger and sheer hatred. Where she could be herself and let her spirit soar.
I just wanna throw my phone away,
Find out who is really there for me.
When she had first left Raizada Mansion, she did not know who to turn to. She was, in all senses of the word, alone. There was no-one to help her find her way through the bleakness that her life had now become. No-one at all. So, she decided, there was no need to keep her state-of-the-art phone that her "husband" had brought her for emergencies. Which was why she had disposed of that inconvenience at the nearest disposal.
You ripped me off, your love was cheap,
Was always tearing at the seams
There were days during her six-month sentence where she had really felt as if Arnav, too, loved her back with the same intensity that she loved him with. She had felt light, hopeful and cheerful during those days - until he'd put her straight.
"This marriage is a FARCE and there is no need for you to pretend that it is anything but, do you understand me, Khushi?"
"I love to see you suffer, to see you go through all of this pain. You want to know why? Because I hate you! Main tumse nafrat kar ta hoon!"
I fell deep and you let me drown
After all of that, she still loved him wholeheartedly ... wanted to believe the best in him - that he was the one for her, and she for him. She had drowned in the with her love for Arnav and there had been no way out for her.
But that was then and this is now
But, like every other night, dawn had risen, bringing about with it a new resolve in Khushi - staying with Arnav would take her to new depths of pain and sadness. And so she decided to leave. Leave with no intention of ever returning.
And so she had.
She now had everything she could ever ask for, and was content. There was no more she could possibly want or need.
She was finally conte-. No.
She was happy.
And so, Khushi Gupta would not ever look back again.
And that was a promise.
~ FIN ~
* = altered the lyric from "drive" to "run"
Hey all! 😊
This is my first OS on the forum and I really hope you all like it! This was actually conceived around the time of IPKKND's 1st birthday and has been in-transition for a while now; I just didn't have the confidence to go through with it all this while, because I didn't think it was all that good, but I gave it to a friend to read and so it's due to her unwavering advice and "saapart" that this piece of work is seeing the light of day! (I love you, jaan-e-mann 😉)
I can only learn through critique, so please do drop a review and let me know whether you liked it, or even if you didn't! I won't cry, promise! 😆
P.S: I would just like to clarify one thing - just because Arnav and Khushi don't get together in the end, it does NOT mean that it's not a happy ending - Khushi, or any woman for that matter, does not NEED a man to live. I tried my best to show that, and I hope it comes across to you as such.
Anyhow, long-ass A.N aside, happy reading!! 😃
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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