A new story: yet Untitled. Renamed 'Second Chances' (Part 10 - Page 4

Arnav drove down an empty road trying to streamline his thoughts. He pondered over Nikhil's words. But how could he counter the guy. He could not hurt as that would mean him indirectly hurting Khushi again and he could not afford to do it. He did not know of any other way to get what he wanted. He felt too helpless at the moment. Fear started to grip at him slowly at the thought of Khushi being taken away from him. Tears started making their appearance when he could hold it in no longer. He wept for all his life had become with him being left all alone with no one by his side. He had been pushed to the same corner into which he had pushed Khushi on the day of their wedding.

Anjali kept pacing wondering where Arnav was at this time in the night and that too at a time he was not feeling well. She dozed off on the couch waiting for him. She woke up at the sound of the front door opening. She stood transfixed at the place looking at her brother entering he house looking scruffy and worn down. The tear tracks on his face and the red eyes conveying what he had been doing. Arnav who was in my own pain did not notice her and trooped straight to his room. Anjali knew her brother was tormented by the fact that Khushi had left him. Her anger rose at the woman who had dared to cause her brother this much anguish. She decided to get Khushi back into RM by hook or crook. She called up a Private Investigator to get her Khushi's whereabouts by morning.

Khushi woke up in the morning and a dull pain settled in her heart thinking about the events of the previous day. She had now given up all her pretenses and was about to live a free life. She decided to concentrate for now on Prakruti and the kids and let time and her goddess decide what was good for her. She went out to water the plants and stood there absent-mindedly. Looking up a slight sound at the gate, she froze. Anjali slowly limped towards Khushi. 'Khushiji, how are you?' She opened up her discussion. "I am fine Anajaliji." Khushi responded and stood there silently wondering why she was here now. Anjali decided to get over with what she came here for. "What are you doing here Khushiji? Your home is RM not here." Khushi knew this was coming but she did not have an answer for this. "RM was never my home Anjaliji.". Anjali knew Khushi would not come that easily. She decided to play hard. "What do you mean Khushiji? Chotte loves you a lot and he gave you a place to stay when even your own family had ditched you. You played along with him when you wanted to save your sister's life and now that you are done you are ditching him without any regard for his feelings. Is it how much people mean to you? Do you...". She was cut by a curt "That is Enough Mrs.Jha".

Nikhil who had come to investigate the source of sound coming from the garden came striding to stand in front of Khushi fuming at the gall of this woman to accuse his di when she and her brother were at fault. "Di, aap anadar chaliye." He motioned for Khushi to go in. "But Nikhil..." Khushi interjected. "Di, I will take care of everything. You go in" he assured her. Turning around to look at Anjali once, she went in.

Nikhil rounded on Anjali and spat out "What are you doing here Mrs.Jha?". "I came to take Khushi back to her home" Anjali responded. "Home is where she wants to be not where she is imprisoned. I know that you once blackmailed my di with the contract so that you and your brother can live the life of your choice. If you had let her go that time, she would not have had to put with that monster of a brother of yours. But not anymore." Anjali bristled at the notion of her brother being called a monster. "Don't talk about things you have no idea about", she rebuked him. Nikhil was fed up with these siblings "I am no longer interested in what you have to say. Get Out!" he bit out. Anjali looked as if she had been slapped. This was the first time someone had had the guts to tell her this. The notion of her brother being hurt clouding her judgement, she resorted to ways she would not have normally done. "My brother can buy this place in a jiffy and than ll of you will be in the roads. Don't ever forget your place" she told him vehemently. Nikhil cocked his eyebrow and answered her sarcastically "This building is mine and I have not put it for see and Never will I ever do it even if I have give my life for it. I would like your brother to try it as well. Knowing what you people are capable of, I wouldn't put it past you.". Arnav who had sensed his sister missing from RM had guessed where she would have gone to stop her from creating more trouble, but hearing out what Nikhil was saying, he knew the damage was done. He stood there immobile not knowing what to do. Anjali too stood stock-still at the audacity of the boy in front of her but Nikhil wasn't done yet. "I guess ASR will not be pleased to hear his sister being in a police station for illegal trepassing on private property and being a nuisane, would he?" he gritted out motioning for Anjali to leave. Anjali knew she could never get in this way and turned to leave. She stilled seeing her brother looking at her hurt writ on his eyes. Nikhil too turned around too see Arnav standing there and got a grim satisfaction looking at him hurt. "I guess now you know when you ask people to get out", he spoke out his mind. Arnav could just nod his head and he motioned for his di to get to the car. Once she was out of shot, Nikhil casually remarked "Shouldn't you going after your di? After all she is only human being in your life with feelings. Isn't she?. I don't want to repeat myself. Get Out!". Arnav had he been his former self would have blown up but he swallowed it up for he knew he deserved it. He turned to leave when Nikhil added "By the way, I don't want to see yourself or any of your family members here or anywhere near Khushi di". Having been told to stay away from Khushi, Arnav was furious "Nobody can ask me to stay away from my wife!". However Nikhil continued as if he had not heard him "I think I made the status of your marriage clear last night. And I don't wish to get a restraining order against you just because Khushi di would be hurt by it." Arnav blanched at the possibilities if that were to happen. His voice low, he uttered the words he had wanted Nikhil to know ever since he had started accusing him "It is not easy to hurt the person you love Nikhil. It hurts you a lot more than it hurts them. You will understand it once you know the entire story."

"I don't believe you. If you had been hurt half as much as she had been, you would not have stooped so low. But I don't care now. You can hurt her only as long as she loves you. I will make sure that no longer holds. She will start to hate you. And then you can do whatever you want but you will not able to affect her" Nikhil countered.

Arnav just shook his head with a sad smile on his face "My angel had not given up on me even when I was a monster. She has a heart that can hold the entire world. Now I am trying to change for her. She had loved me then. Do you think she would not give me a chance now? I know it is a lot to ask for but I have confidence on her goodness. She will forgive me and give me a chance. I will wait for that day".

He then left leaving Nikhil to his thoughts.

Nikhil did not know how long he stood there mulling over his thoughts when he heard a soft voice behind him "Babua, kya khushi yahaan hai?". He turned around to find 2 ladies looking at him anxiously. He nodded and politely asked them who they were. Hearing their response lent a steely glint to his eye, but he did not want to refuse them looking at how helpless they appeared. He asked them to wait in the garden bench when he went to call Khushi. Khushi stilled on the threshold looking over at Garima and her Buaji. She approached them warily knowing very well that they would have come to know the truth. "Bitiya, yahan kyun aayi ho? Ghar kyon nahin aayi?" started Garima with a faint apprehension about the answer she would receive. Khushi decided she could not let her defenses down or all of them would stamp on her feeling again. "Oh mera ghar tha hi nahin. App hi logon ne bathaya tha na ki mein aapke parivaar ke hissa nahin hoon. Phir kis adhikaar se mein wahan aaon". Both Garima and Buaji flinched as if she had hit them physically. Buaji knew that she was the reason for the damage caused and tremulously began her apology "Humein maaf kar do bitiya. Humne gusse mein aakar ulti seedhi baatein keh diya. Hum apne kaan pakadthe hein...Hum". "Bas kijiye. Hum abhi iske baare mein baath nahin kar sakthe hain. Humari ghaav abhi tak bara nahin hai. Humein thoda samay chahiye in sab cheezhon mein ek faisla lene ke liye" Khushi interrupted her not able to see her usually exuberant aunt apologizing to her. Garima and Buaji understood that she needed this time to get around this and decided to leave her as is for now. "Eh titliya. Humne tumhare liye Jalebi aur rabdi apne haathon se khud banake le aaye hein. Kam se kam isko tho kaao" Buaji took out a box worried if Khushi might reject it as well. Khushi just nodded and accepted the box and turned around to make sure they do not see her tears.

Buaji and Garima came to the temple to drown their sorrow and seek the blessings of the goddess and pray that Khushi forgive them soon. They sat under the tree wondering if their daughters would ever return to them. "Ye kya hui gava garima. Humari parivaar aise bikhar gayi. Humari donon betiyaan humse alag ho gaye. Hume aise kya paap kiya ki humari nand kishore humari aise saza diye rahe" Buaji lamented. "Humne Khushi ke saath teek nahin kiya Jiji. Vo zaroor kuch gadbad karthi rehti hai par kabhi bhi humein dukh pahunchaana nahin chahthi. Us din, hum gusse mein teek se soch nahin pa rahe the. Usi ki saza mil rahi hai humein" Garima answered thoughtfully. "Ye sab us Arnav singh Raijjada ke karan ho raha hai. Usee ne humari beti se zabardasti shaadi karke uski zindagi barbaaad kar diya. Milne do usse humein, hum unhe dikha dethe hein" Buaji seethed. Arnav who had come with Anjali to the temple to soothe her frayed mind stopped in their tracks hearing buaji's rant and turned around warily to see the women sitting under the tree oblivious to the two people standing behind them. However Garima refused to share her perspective "Nahin Jiji. Humne ek baar apni beti ko samajne mein galti kar diya. Arnav bitwaa bhi humare bete jaisan hi hai. Unka koi tho wajah hoga yeh sab karne ke liye. Woh tho Khushi se Pyaar karthe the na. Unki wajah jaane bina hum unko galat tehra nahin sakte" she told her sagely. Arnav did a double-take. Here was the woman whom he had refused to refer to as "Amma" and she was thinking about his state of mind and reason behind his act even though she knew what a beast he had been to her daughter. He was starkly reminded of his mother hearing her talk now. His mother would have tried to understand him unlike his di or nani who had not showed any interest in it. "Kyun nahi Garima. Usi ke wajah se humare dono betiyan humse nafrat karte hein. Humare shashi babua ko bhi payal le gayi. Hum is umar mein akele pad gaye." she vented out her frustration. "Sambhaliye apne aap ko Jiji. Sab kuch teek ho jayega" garima consoled her and the two women made their way back home with a heavy heart.

"Both the sisters are determined to make everyone miserable" Anjali commented vehemently. "I hope Akash atleast will be at peace" she added. If only she had known how inaccurate her words were going to be.

Payal came out after settling her bauji in the bedroom to see her mother in law and father in law sitting in the living room. She folded her hands in respect to mamaji. But her eyes hardened on seeing mamiji and she bit out "what are you doing in here? Get out!". "Thiz is my son's haus" mami replied affronted. "I am Akash's wife and I don't want you in here" Payal retorted equally angry. "Payal, what are you saying?" came Akash's surprised voice from the doorway. "Akash, I came here to live in peace. Having her in here will only remind me of how she ill-treated Khushi initially. I will tolerate whatever she did to me. But I will never forgive her for what she did to my sister for no fault of hers" came Payal's reply. Akash whose mind had been in a roller coaster of emotions not finding a suitable target turned on Payal "Control yourself Payal. I left my brother to be with you. Just because you wanted to leave RM, I spoke with bhai and came here for you. I don't want you to insult my mother like this. I...". Payal could no longer tolerate the ways of these rich people "You sought your brother's permission to come with me? Very good. You should have gotten your brother's permission to marry me as well, rite?" Payal spoke sarcastically. "You know what I wish Khushi had never agreed your brother's demand in thee first place. He would have done me a favor by breaking off this wedding.. Now you speak out of all times?. Did you speak when your mother wanted to throw me out of your house? You blamed me so easily when bubbly did all that nonsense in your house. You forbade me from going to my sister when she was distraught telling me that I had to be responsible and think about your di. I am responsible for my sister as well. I should not have put up with your mother's taunts from the first." payal let the dam burst unable the onslaught of emotions she was experiencing."Payal Bitiya..Zara shaanth ho jao" Mamaji tried to placate her. "No babuji, please forgive me. I don't want to continue the relationship due to which my sister had to suffer to this extent that she has moved to an orphanage when I am there for her. I am sorry Akash. You have revealed your priorities. I no longer wish to live with you. You can go and live happily with your mother and your bhai. I know that we cannot initiate divorce proceedings before one year of completion of our wedding. I will wait until then and do it myself. You need not worry about it. And don't worry I am not after your wealth. I don't need a single penny from you. I am leaving now with Bauji" she told a stunned akash and left leaving Akash crumbling down.

---- to be continued----

I write it as it comes to my mind. Do let me know your thoughts.