TEASER FOR CHAPTER 33 Onwards: page 16
Anyone who wants pms for updates Please just buddy me..thats all :)
That day At Raizada Mansion:
It was at about 9 am in the morning that Shyam Manohar Jha had received a phone call from one of the men working under Kavindra. He had just exited the shower, wrapped in a towel when the phone buzzed. He picked it up to hear a low, slithery voice,
"he's here"
That was it. The only two words the man had uttered and it was enough. Shyam knew what was happening.The time had come. It had finally begun.
Shyam dressed quickly and was just about to make his way outside the room, when a frail looking Anjali entered the room with a tray full of breakfast. She closed the door behind her and set the tray on the coffee table. She looked at him with eyes full of concern,
"A-are you going somewhere?"
"Ji Rani Sahiba...I have some business to attend to" he nodded hurriedly
"This early on a weekend?"
"Its 9 am...and there is no such things as breaks for lawyers...you never know when a client may need you" he said. She looked at him suspiciously.
"Have some breakfast first...or at least tea"
"I can't...I have to go now" he said sternly as he made his way towards the door to leave. But suddenly, he could move no more as his arm was grabbed. Anjali held his arm and slowly went up to him. She faced him directly and cupped his face,
"Where are you going? I'm your wife...I have the right to know at least this much" she said softly, almost on the verge of tears. Shyam hissed in irritation and roughly pulled her hands off him,
"ANJALI STOP ANNOYING ME! I HAVE TO LEAVE!" he shouted
"MR. SHYAM MONOHAR JHA...DONT YOU DARE TAKE ONE STEP OUT OF THIS ROOM" Anjali shouted sternly. For the first time in their relationship, she had shouted at him, demanding something from him. He stopped in his tracks and turned to face her. She continued, "You will tell me everything. I know you are hiding something from me...I want you to tell me"
Shyam stared at his wife in surprise, and slowly his lips curved into a sly grin,
"Alright Rani Sahiba...where shall we begin?" he asked menacingly as he closed in on her like a predator.
She took slow, fearful backward steps, her earlier confidence having flown out the window in a matter of seconds,
"I-I...start from the beginning...y-yesterday...the paternity test what was that about?" she asked mustering up enough courage.
A look of shock spread over his face momentarily but he quickly regained his composure,
"I don't know what you're talking about" he said casually as he shrugged.
"Don't lie to me. I saw it with my own eyes...a-are you S-shaila's father?" she said slightly teary by the end. He stared at her for a minute and then continued quietly, but with a hint of a sinister undertone.
"What if I am?" he said nonchalantly. Her fearful, confused eyes lifted up to meet his cunning, indifferent ones and what she saw scared her. In that moment she saw nothing but hatred and repulsion. She let out a strangled cry, stuck in her throat. She immediately went forward and grabbed him by the collar,
"What are you saying? Sh-she's not your daughter! Amana is your daughter! Your only daughter! Your only child!" she said hysterically. He once again, pushed her off roughly,
"Uffo Anjali...choro mujhe...I need to leave! Stop going hysterical"
"Alight" she whispered in defeat, as he turned around to walk towards the door, "but before you leave...i need to know...do you love her?"
He stopped dead in his tracks; he knew immediately who she was talking about. Khushi...
He knew he wanted her. Her body writhing under his was all he had dreamed about these past few years. But...did he love her? Did loving someone for a body and not for their smile count as love? Did loving someone for the way their hips move as they walk away and not for the twinkle in their eyes count as love? Did loving someone for the way their breasts heaved when they were nervous and not for the way their laugh brightened the entire room count as love? No...he didn't think so. So he answered truthfully,
"No"
"Did you ever love me?" came back a fearful voice, dreading what the answer may be.
He turned to face her. Did his heart flutter when he saw her near? No. Did her laugh want to make him smile? No. Did his eyes shine in delight and pride when he saw her looking beautiful? No. He looked straight in her eyes and answered her truthfully once again,
"No"
Anjali tried her hardest not to break down. She tried her hardest balance and compose herself. But she couldn't stifle the choke in her throat; she couldn't stop the tears from flowing,
"Then why did you marry me? I - I thought you loved me...all those times you tried to convince chote that you loved me and would never hurt me?" she asked as a vulnerable, little child.
As she stood there, a mess and heartbroken, he stood there serious and unaffected,
"because I was paid to." He said just as he exited the room at last. Even after having shut the door, Anjali looked in shock at the place where he stood just moments ago, her head not wrapping around the words he had just uttered.
because I was paid to
I was paid to
Paid to
The words echoed endlessly in her head. Money. He had married her for money. While she had loved him unconditionally, given everything, he had never felt anything for her. Nothing.
She felt empty and hollow. As if her heart had been ripped out mercilessly. Was there anything worse in the world than knowing the relationship, the person you valued most in your life was just cheating you...that you were mere collateral damage in the big game he was playing? No...nothing could be worse. Nothing could make you feel as used and dirty as this. She let out a scream, a loud, painful, grief stricken scream as she curled up on the floor and cried. Within minutes, the family ran into the bedroom.
She looked up at everyone. People...they were all hovering over her, uttering words...what were they saying? Why couldn't she hear them properly? It was all just such a haze, their lips were moving, their eyes were expressing, but she couldn't understand. She just heard an irritating drone in the background. They were now touching her, she felt someone hold her face and it looked as if the elderly woman was now screaming and crying. Why was she crying? What happened? Now all the people had knelt in front of her...they were all holding her. Were they shaking her? She couldn't feel anything. What was going on? Why was everything so blurry and hazy?
She closed her eyes and everything cleared up again. She heard their voices, she heard what they were saying.
"ANJALI! ANJALI BETIYA! OOTO!! WAKE UP!! KYA HUA!?"
She opened her eyes unsteadily and saw them all facing her, crying and shouting. And in that moment, she thought of nothing else but escape. Escape from the pain. Escape from his words. Escape from the feeling of knowing you are unwanted, unloved. Anjali Jha stood up hastily and ran.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Her frail body shaking in plain fear, her face white from terror- there she was. The most beautiful woman in his life was tied mercilessly to a tree trunk with a large venomous snake just a few meters away from her quaking, petite frame, slowly closing in on her like a predator.
For a second, he stood still in fear, the shock and scare having momentarily paralyzed him. His breathing heavy and uneven as he whispered her name, looking straight at her
KHUSHI
And at that moment, Khushi lifted her terror filled, teary eyes to meet his. What he saw in those light brown, hazel orbs made him forget the rest of the world as he stared at her. He saw terror in them. He saw questions. He saw love. He saw relief. He saw a plea for help.
And that one second was enough, it was all he needed to run to her and somehow pry her out of the situation. Just as his feet were about to move, he heard a dreaded mans voice,
"Ohh...i wouldn't be too impulsive if I were you boy...the Bungarus is known for its sharpness and fatal wound to the mere human" Kavindra Malick spoke up from a little distance away.
"You..." Arnav sneered, "you did this...Let her GO!"
"SHHH" kavindra quickly shushed him. quickly glancing at the still occupied snake, don't draw too much attention to yourself boy! You don't want that wretched thing after you do you?" he said as he paused and looked at Arnav, a smirk appeared on his face as he continued, "though when it is finished with that dear old wife of yours, I suppose you will be dessert..."he said wickedly
"You bas***d...Put you hand up" Arnav hissed as he pulled his gun out and positioned it directly towards the mans direction, "Your weapons. On the floor. Now." he demanded
Kavindra smirked and slowly dropped the revolver in his hands. Arnav traced his movements with his gun, making sure to keep it pointed directly at his target.
He tightened his grip on the gun in his hands.
"Kavindra Malick I'm going to get rid of you once and for all" Arnav challenged.
For a mere fraction of a moment, panic swept over his face, but right as Arnav clicked the trigger, he quickly regained his composure and his dreadful smirk.
"Shit" Arnav cursed as he pressed the trigger again.
He was out of ammunition. He cursed to himself some more as he angrily threw the useless gun to the floor. Kavindra let out a mocking laugh as he bent to pick up his revolver.
"So you see boy...you are of no match to me." He said as he traced the gun close to his face, inhaling the familiar smell of gun powder as he closed his eyes."Arnav...Singh Raizada now is it?...I will end you...I will end you and will take everything from you...but before I do so...I want you to see it with your own eyes...I want you to see the death of that beautiful wife of yours...I want you to suffer...and then..when you have nothing I will end you" he said as he stalked closer to Arnav. Arnav stood rooted to his spot, giving a few hurried glances to Khushi. The snake was moving closer now, if he didn't act fast, it could actually bite her. Just as he was about to move towards her, Kavindra stopped him once again, this time pointing a gun directly at him,
"DON'T. MOVE" he ordered, "move a muscle and it will be over." He said sinisterly
Arnav closed his eyes in frustration. Khushi's loud cries were not helping the situation and he was so tempted to run and grab her; but he couldn't. He was trapped.
"Why are you doing this?" Arnav asked as he opened his eyes, questioning the man he had known as father for his childhood.
Kavindra snorted,
"Because I have nothing. Because your father took everything away from me"
"But you killed him...so what now?"
"Well Ive used it all up...all his wealth is gone..the company has been shut down, his wife is dead...so now I need more.."
"My life..." Arnav said as he stared intently at the wretched man in front of him. Malick smirked,
"Well you could say that I guess...I just want you to suffer...I have interfered in your life much more than you may think..." he paused and after a while he continued, clearing his throat, "now boy...you don't want to miss this show...watch this and after that we can do all the talking" he said as he turned Arnavs head to where Khushi was tied using his pistol.
Arnav stealthily turned his gaze towards Kavindra and saw his attention focused on the snake heading towards a squirming, screaming Khushi. Arnav looked at the long, thin serpent who was just a few metres away from himself. Arnav looked sneakily again at Kavindra and this time saw that he was looking back at him, analyzing his every move.
What happened next was the most unpredictable, unexpected, arbitrary thing that could have happened in Arnavs mind.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
"KAVINDRA MALICK! YOU bas***d! YOU SAID YOU WOULD NEVER HURT HER!" Arnav heard someone shout as they ran up to them. And that's when he saw it, Shyam Monohar Jha running towards them. As soon as he caught up, he pulled the gun out of the stunned Kavindra's hand.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Malick snapped in irritation.
"You said you wouldn't hurt her..you f*$%king promised"
"Stop being a child...the world is not that simple. Screw promises. Now give me back the gun and watch" he said irritated
"No...You cant do this"
"Why do you care anyway? It was you who brought her to me in the first place"
"You cant kill her...I haven't had her yet" he said menacingly, as he shifted his hungry gaze towards a fearful Khushi.
"THE F%#K YOU WILL! I WILL NEVER LET YOU NEAR HER? DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!" Arnav shouted
Kavindra snorted. "Jha...control your teenage hormones and watch this girl die"
"I cant...I must have her at least once..."he said just as he suddenly made his way towards her. Using the revolver, he fired at the snake to try and kill it. But, to his disadvantage, the snake being so thin, and its senses being too sharp, hissed and moved, missing the bullets coming its way. Shyam cursed as the snake quickly slithered towards him. Arnav watched in amusement as he saw an array of emotions cross Jha's face, from determination, to confidence, to fright, to downright fear. The snake now had a new target and it slid towards him at the speed of wind and before anyone could register what had happened, Jha was on the floor hissing in pain. He cried out,
"IT BIT ME! F%#K IT BIT ME!" he yelled in agony as the venomous snake hissed one last time before leaving the clearing. Arnav saw this as his chance and rushed quickly to Khushi and untied the heavily knotted rope around her. Just as he undid the last knot, Khushi rushed into his arms. He shuddered in pain as she wrapped herself around him, seeking safety and comfort. It felt so good to have her in his arms. Her familiar warmth, her familiar scent. But his arm was in a bad position; he could feel the bullet grazing across his bone. When the pain got too much in his arm, he couldn't help but let out an involuntary groan. Khushi backed away immediately seeing his state,
"I-I'm so sorry..a-are you alright?" she asked as tears made their way down her face. He nodded in attempt to convince her he was fine. Just then, they heard a loud shout,
"Hey love birds...sorry to disturb you but times up" he said as he pressed the trigger. Arnav, in that moment grabbed Khushi and went tumbling to the floor to try and dodge the bullet. But in this fall, a bullet grazed roughly against the skin of his good arm and he cried out in pain.
"ARNAV!" he heard Khushi cry out.
He tried to stand up weakly, holding his bleeding arm. Kavindra closed in on him. Arnav tried his best to not fall out of fatigue. But he couldn't hold himself up any longer and he ended up falling to his knees, the dizziness getting the better of him. Kavindra stood a metre or so away, pointing the gun directly at Arnavs head.
Khushi witnessed this, her extremely injured, tired husband falling on the floor and the sinister man towering above him. She looked for something - anything to use against him. She saw a small but sturdy branch some feet away from her. Without trying to draw too much attention to herself, she stealthily grabbed the branch. And just as Kavindra clicked the trigger to release the bullet to Arnavs head, Khushi intercepted, whacking the branch as hard as she could across his head. He fell back and the bullet that was aimed for Arnavs head hit his thigh instead.
Arnav cried out in agony. The bullet had hit an artery and now blood was spilling out from his leg, draining him dry of blood quickly. Kavindra was on the floor in a matter of seconds. Khushi grabbed the gun from him, and closed her eyes, trying to brace herself for what she was about to do. She slowly pressed the trigger and fired a shot straight at the mans chest. And one more. His eyes remained open and he flailed his arms. He was still alive.
"D-don't do this girl" he uttered with much difficulty, "Yo-ur -s-sister..s-she was my daugh-ter...I-I killed...h-er' Khushi instantly shot open her eyes. Sister? What sister?
"What are you talking about? My jiji is alive.."
"N-not y-our f-foster sister...y-our real sister...m-my daug-ter...i'i killed h-her"
Khushi recalled arnavs words from the night he had confessed his past,
So Aarti...you made me kill my own child
kill my own child
"You cant be my father!" Khushi said frantically.
"I-Im..not..."Kavindra said as he shut his eyes
Khushi closed her eys, breathed deeply and fired one more time, the man looked straight at her as his last breath left his body. Khushi closed her eyes and let out a stifled sob in guilt, but then heard painful groans coming from her husband on the ground. She rushed to him and pushed him to the tree right behind him so he was sitting up.
She looked at him worriedly, he had almost lost consciousness, too much blood had left his system. He tried opening his eyes. That's when Khushi noticed the large amounts of blood still oozing out of the gash on his thigh. She ripped his shirt open and peeled the bloody shirt off his chest. She wrapped it around his thigh hurriedly, murmuring words of assurance to him,
"Don't worry Arnav you'll be alright...its all over now..youll be alright" she said hurriedly as she cupped his face, trying to reassure herself more than him. She moved his hair from his face and dropped kisses on his face frantically.
"Arnav meri baat suno...youll be alright okay?" she said slightly hysterically, tears wetting her face.
"K-Khusi...I..I C-cant" he uttered hoarsely. She continued stroking his face,
"N-n-no no Arnav don't say such things..youll be fine...youll be fine. You have a daughter waiting for you at home...h-how will she feel if her papa leaves her?" she said frantically, panic striking her heart at the fear of what may happen.
"Khushi...a-a-are you okay? D-d-did..t-they hu-urt you?" he said with much pain and difficulty.
Kushi wiped her tears and spoke, "I-Im okay..Im okay..."
"Kh-ushi... I...I lo-" and before he could finish, his eyes closed and he slumped lifelessly, against the tree. Khushi stared at him, fear racking her entire body, her every vein, her every fibre.
"no no noo NOOO NOOO NOOO!!" she yelled. "ARNAV GET UP!" she yelled. When he didn't comply, she yelled again,"ARNAV WAKE UP! DO YOU HEAR ME!? WAKE UP! ARNAV PLEASEE!!!" she yelled as she burst into tears. She hugged him close, burying her face into his chest as she did so, hearing the faint, slow beating of his heart.
YES YES! HE WAS STILL ALIVE! She cried out in happiness. But as seconds passed by, his heart beat slowed down until it was barely audible. Khushi's heart sank once again and she tapped his face to try and bring back some life. When he didn't wake up she put her lips on his and breathed out, trying to offer him air. His lips were dry, but nonetheless tasted just like him...sweet and tempting. She moved her lips away and began pressing her hands against his heart in attempt to restore the heartbeat.
"ARNAV WAKE UP! ARNAV" she cried as she frantically pushed against his chest. He still didn't open his eyes.
Khushi looked at him, her eyes wide, her heart beat thundering, as the realization dawned...
all original work belongs to arshiforever123. Please do not copy.
Thanks guyyys :)
10