Arshi FF - Hearts Knit Together #4 [COMPLETE] EPILOGUE on Pg66 [24/07] - Page 2

For all those who do not understand Hindi diologues, please follow the link below for English translation of Chapter 29

Chapter 29 [English] : Click here

Rest Continue below..

Novel - Hearts knit together

Chapter 29

[PART 1]

[Hindi]

~

He held her as he was longing to do all day long, feeling a knife twisting his heart at every sob that racked through her shivering little frame, "shh..Khushi, its okay...calm down"

...

...

"shh...please jaan, stop it...you know I cant handle your tears right?", He scooped her in his arms, settling down on the bed with her firmly placed on his lap. Khushi, unheeding to his little activities, kept on crying.

...

...

"That's enough now khushi...you are scaring me now, please mujhe batao toh akhir hua kya hai?"He pressed her cheek to his hoping against hope that maybe the pressure would stop those precious droplets from falling off of her gorgeous hazels. God, his khushi had never cried so badly, what could possibly be wrong?

...

...

"Acha ok ok shush, its alright...you stop crying first, ham baad me baat karte hai ok?", His arms held her more closer, securely locking her in his warm embrace while she shook uncontrollably in the feats of her own misery,"No, its not okay Arnavji.."

At her statement, his arms curled around her tighter. She was still crying her eyes out while he could only stare, feeling utterly helpless and lost. How he wished to take away all her pains but first, it was that whatever-god-damned-thing-bothering-her which was not letting her stop fretting even for a sec, and later, it was her horrified realization of how rudely she had spoken to him that accentuated the salty flow.

"Hey devi maiyya...Yeh maine kya kar diya,Arnavji.. I..I shoudnt have spoken to you like that...I..I..am so..so sorry, mujhe maaf kar dijije... I don't know what had gotten over me, you must be so hurt Arnavji, I am so sorry, please...forgive me...p..l..e..a...se... I..a..m... ss..or.r..."

And before he could react, she had fainted right in his arms, panicking him till no ends.

~

Shalini was a happy woman today. No, not happy. She was jubilant.

Enthralled.

Proud.

Content.

She had finally acheived what she wanted to, was striving for, for quite a sometime now. She hated losing the veneer of control and for the past few days, that was all happening to her.

She was losing it.

That girl's immorality and cheapness was not letting her sleep at nights. Everytime she would try to close her eyes, it would be a wasted effort at trying to put her tired limbs to some rest since that one face would take away all the comfort the plush bed had to offer. And it the nights were bad, the days were even more horrible.

She would recall the incident with Nk when that sorry-excuse-of-a-human had tried instigating her sons against each other and her blood would boil with a new fervor. She wish she could do something about it, missing her earlier spontaneous ways. Yet she couldn't act as heedlessly as before for the fear of messing everything would lurk in the nearby corner, damaging her thinking ability sometimes or mostly, leaving her highly frustrated. She wanted to get rid of her, but she knew this time it was not going to be so easy.

She needed a full proof plan!

Last time with Maya, all she needed a simple confrontation and some sharp speaking skills to get her job done but this time the girl was in direct protection of her husband. Moreover, with Maya, she had gotten an upperhand for she was sure if it ever came to selecting between the two, her Arnav would always prioritize HER. He himself had vowed to never go against her wishes but this time, she was not sure. Under her very nose, khushi had gotten a hold of her biggest weakness - Arnav.

Oh she wish she could deny it. But if the accounts of the servants were to be trusted and looking at the way he had transformed ever since that filthy-little-thing had entered their lives, grudgingly she will have to accept, the tables have indeed turned. Now, if she was to try proving khushi's characterlessness and her nasty intentions to her husband and Arnav, she was cent percent sure they wont believe her. If Nk and Akash could help, they were too innocently smitten by khushi's charms to look beyond her sweet-talking-ways.

Swearing, Shalini had cursed her luck for such bad timing.

I got a little late in discovering her true face and she had gotten my entire family wrapped around her bloody little finger. Great. Just Great! She had rebuked herself for showing even an ounce on faith on the fact that middle-class-girls could be anything better than gold diggers and carried on planning.

It is going to be the age old formula, she had decided, with a minor difference, she hastily added - She was not letting anybody on with it, thats it.

It was going to be discreet and destructive!

And so, in front of Arvind, she had potrayed to be giving serious thoughts about changing her beliefs post Mrs Chauhan fiasco. Infront of her kids, she was the usual strict but caring mother. And infront of khushi, she was a different person altogether. After all, it was an unwritten rule for her to strike her enemy when they were at their vulnerable best. For that, she needed to catch them offguard. And that was only possible when she would pretend to let them off the hook, to act as though she had finally accepted them, welcomed them in her life. This was a tested trick that was sure to leave its mark, all throughout the life.

Maya was the living proof of it. Shalini remembered how once she had accidentally bumped into her, at a mall. The way that girl had rounded her eyes, petrified to an extent that her shivering just wont stop, it had given her so much of satisfaction, knowing that people like her would think a thousand times over before obstructing her path with their stupid whims and fancies again. Years later, another girl had come, apparently with more preparation and even stronger conviction that she could actually win if she gets her entire family in her control. So naturally, it was about time to prove her wrong. And wrong, she had finally proven khushi today.

It wasn't easy. She remembered how she had unknowingly gotten Arnav so worried. The day he had returned from his business trip, their conversation must have definitely irked him somewhere. She haven't planned to explode like that. But then, what could she do if her son was slipping from her hands? He was hiding things from her, taking khushi out with him on dates, planning his future and all of the other nonsense stuff thinking SHE wont be any hindrance. Well, son or no son, how dare he? How could he take her for granted? She was bound to get angry with all these thoughts jumbling in her head and that days' mild outburst was so a very long time coming.

She had almost spoiled everything that day, hinting Arnav that she had an idea of what was actually going on behind her back. The only saving grace was the last minute perspicacity that has saved the day.

But Shalini knew the damage was done. Arnav had gone into a thinking mode and she knew, if she wasn't going to quicken her moves, he would soon be approaching her with his and khushi's proposal. So today morning, when she had caught him alone, without delaying a second more, she had brought him under confidence and had, what could be claimed as, a lengthy heart-to-heart conversation.

They had spoken of anything and everything under the sun. If it was a bit awkward at first, they both had taken a special care to not let that reflect on their faces. That was only possible because both were willing although for reasons best know only to them. However, even though she had a planned agenda behind initiating that talk, the conversation lacked even an ounce of sullenness. After the initial hesitation, both the mother son duo had shed their inhibitions and spoken like they had never done before. It was truly a bonding of heart where Shalini came out like a woman Arnav truly longed for in the face of his Mom. In return, he too, letting go of the past bitterness, accepted the whiff of fresh air with welcoming arms and gracious smile.

When it was time for breakfast, she made him his favourite dishes, surprising the entire family who had no idea what had transpired between the duo to trigger such a change but nonetheless happily welcomed it. Amidst the liveliness, Shalini had caught khushi passing a relieved smile to Arnav which he had reciprocated with a wink of his own and that was enough to spoil her mood. A few more hours, she had chanted like a mantra in an effort to calm the burning exasperation down.

And sure enough, a few hours later she had finally accompolished what she was pining for, spinning Arnav and khushi's world in the process..

SCROLL DOWN FOR PART 2

SCROLL UP FOR PART 1

Novel - Hearts knit together

Chapter 28

[PART2]

[Hindi]

Flashback:

Khushi was feeling nervous as well as happy. It was so heart warming to witness Arnavji and Aunty getting along so well on the breakfast table today. They were, for the first time, behaving like a mother and son are supposed to. She had tears in her eyes witnessing their bonding. Their reformed equations had elated her hopes. Maybe Arnavji is right, shalini aunty is certainly coming around. But then why was it that her heart was getting so restless? Why does she feel that something was gravely going to go wrong?

Should I call Arnavji? Nahi woh pareshaan ho jayenge...Aur waise bhi, aaj who kitne khush hai, I shouldn't worry him unnecessarily.

Consoling herself, she forcefully shed the negativity off of her and got back to her books and studies. She was just about to fully submerge herself in her studies, what with the oncoming exams, her concentration broke with a soft tap on the door. She looked up and found Shalini gazing at her with indiscernible eyes.That it was after very long that Shalini aunty had stepped into her room, went undetected by her perked up senses.

Straightening up, she attempted a weak smile although every fibre of her being was burning in trepidation, "Aunty..a..aap? andar aaiye na..please"

Finding Shalini not moving by an inch, khushi started drooping bit by bit. She had no idea what Shalini had in store for her. Gathering he wits, she tried yet again, "Kya baat hai aunty...aa..aap ko mujhse kuch k..a..kaam tha?

Shalini: Umm kaam toh nahi.. Actually I had some questions. I wanted to ask those since quite a long time now. Aaj thoda free waqt mila toh socha puch hi lu. Waise, If I am distrubing you, I can come another time.

"Are..nahi nahi aunty, mai toh bas aise hi.. .. Aap kahiye naa?" She said on the face, inside she was dying with an unknown foreboding feeling, what questions?

Shalini smiled and grabbed a seat opposite hers. "Hmm toh khushi, sabse pehle bataao tumhaari padhai kaisi chal rahi hai?"

Khushi, who was unknowingly holding her breathe realized a long sigh. So Aunty is here just for a casual visit. Tub hi na khushi, kuch bhi ulta siddha soch rahi thi.

Smiling in her usual sunny way, she answered sweetly, at once getting comfortable and totally missing the predatory glint sparkling in the old lady's brown orbs, " Its going really well aunty. Payal sometimes helps me with my notes. Aur akash and nk toh hai hi. Un sabke saath, college ki kami kabhi mehsoos hi nahi hoti"

Shalini smiled scrunching her nose, "Sirf Akash and nk huh?" Looking at the suddenly-pale faced girl in front of her, she decided to end her misery, atleast for this split second, "I mean tumhare uncle aur mera koi role nahi hai kya? Anyways, its good that you have coped up so well. Waise khushi..." Walking to the gallery, she crossed her across her chest before resuming talking, "Exams ke baad tumhaare kya plans hai?"

Khushi: umm I don't know Aunty. Uncle aur aap jo bhi faisla karenge, I will accept that.

"Oh really?" Shalini was quick to counter her argument, " Toh what if ham tumhari shaadi ka soche?", Finding that sceptical look back, Shalini turned around, facing her, "What? Aise kya dekh rahi ho mujhe? Tumhe lagta hai aunty ko kuch pata nahi hai? Oh comeone beta, ab itna bhi underestimate mat kiya karo mujhe. Tum Arnav ko pasand karti ho na? "

She looked at her with sharp eagle eyes although it wasn't needed. The blush on khushi's face could never be missed unless the person was blind.

Khushi, on the other hand, could hardly believe what was happening. Am I dreaming? Is this really aunty standing in my room and talking about Arnavji and me with a smile on her face? She had a million questions swarming through her head ranging right from how come aunty knew about them to what was going to be her faisla now. The most dominant one being how come Aunty appeared so relaxed and if khushi had to be brutally honest, quite happy too, as though whatever she had revealed cum spoken just a few seconds ago was not at variance with her ill-fated notion against middle class girls but a normal day to day gossip that she used to have at her kitty parties.

Khushi knew she can ask these to her and get her conception set alright but all she did was pinching her own wrist. She tried to make the act as dicrete as possible and the slight sting gave her the much awaited answer- This was real, not any figment of her overzealous imagination. Oh, she coudnt wait to share these with her Arnavji. God, they were worrying so unnecessarily, Aunty toh sach me badal gayi hai!

Aware yet hardly concerned with her state of mind, Shalini continued in her own flow, "Aaj subah maine usse bhi ugalwaane ki koshish ki thi but woj janab to tas se mas nahi hue." Looking at khushi averting her eyes, she pretended as though lightning stuck, "Oh..ab mai samjhi, permission nahi mili hogi use, right khushi?"

"N..nahi nahi aunty, aisi koi baat nahi hai.." Poor khushi could only come up with this, feeling very uncomfortable with the direction their conversation was now taking. Now that the initial exhilaration had wavered she could sense something amiss. And her nerves flared up in response.

Shalini though wishing she could drag this on, let that up with a simple, " Alright baba, tum kehti ho to thik hai." But, but, but, if khushi was to loosen up up thinking the dreading time was over, she was in for a mild shock for Shalini continued, "By the way khushi, mujhe tumse kuch aur bhi puchna tha.."

Khushi obediently bobbled her head with a "ji aunty.", inwardly wondering whats with Aunty and questions today. Shalini, in the meanwhile, took a calming breath and fired her very first shot with a curt,"kaise manage karti ho tum?"

"Uh, m..mai kuch samjhi nahi aunty" Innocent that she was, khushi couldn't actually grasp the sarcastic hinge. But it dint took long. When Shalini turned to her, the disgust and rage storming in those almost blackened orbs were enough to bring her crashing back on the earth from her blissful fairly-tale dreams.

"Maine pucha kaise manage kar leti ho? Kaise ladko ko apnaa deewaana banaa leti ho aur wih bhi itni aasaani se...must have practised a lot, haven't you? Or maybe, bachpan se sikh rahi hogi. Waise bhi tumhari jaisi lakiyo ko toh iski khaas training milti hai, haina Khushi Kumari Gupta?"

"Aunty!", Khushi gasped in disbelief.

Shalini: Mat kaho mujhe Aunty. Mai tum jaisi giri hui, ghatiya ladki se koi rishta nahi jodna chahti. Kya naam tha tumhaare us aashiq ka, haan, Shyaam. Mai toh khaamakha us bechare ko dosh de rahi thi, uski maa ki parwarish ko kosh rahi thi. Now I realize who exactly is the culprit. Pata nahi use kya kya jalwe dikhaye honge jo woh is qadar tumhare piche paagal ho gaya."

Khushi fell on the ground with a huge thud. Tears fell off her eyes in a continuous drizzle. Nothing made sense to her. One moment Aunty was asking about her studies, talking so nicely, discussing her future, hinting about marriage with Arnavji and now, her tone and looks changed as though gentleness was never a part of her. And her words!

Those words were worse than toxin, for they seeped through every fibre of her being and sucked out the very essence of life. It felt as though the shock had paralyzed her entire body leaving her pale, almost lifeless. This was all a lie, aap jhoot bol rahi hai, she wanted to scream but nothing came out of those numb lips.

Shalini, however wasn't done yet.

Forcefully grabbing her by the arm, she made khushi stand before continuing with her task of spilling venom on the tortured soul, that she was enjoying with utmost relish, "Are tumhari maa tak tumhe bardasht nahi kar saki isliye bachpan me hi tumhe chod kar chali gayi, aur tumhaara baap? Woh bechara zillat sehte sehte mar gaya. Tumhari jaisi beti ke rehte hue..

Khushi finally had enough! She could have bore anything said against her but one word against her dead parents and she lost it. Covering her ears with both the palms, she cut through Shalini's booming voice, "Bas kijiye aunty. Bas!" The accusation was too much to handle as it is and when she mentioned her dead parents, khushi lost whatever little semblance of courage she was trying to gather and broke down immedietly.

Cupping her face in her palms, she cried bitterly speaking incoherently in between, "Mai kuch nahi keh rahi iska matlab yeh nahi ke aapke man me jo aaye aap who kehti rahe. Aa..ap un..unke khilaaf kuch nahi bolengi...k..kuch nah..nahi.. mai .. ek shabd bhi a..aur bardasht nahi karungi.."

Her body was trembling violently and anyone else in Shalini's place would have melted at the heart wrenching site and surely given her atleast a few moments to herself. But nope, this was Shalini- the woman on a mission. She had no qualms continuing,"Acha? Aur mai jo tumhe itne dino se bardaasht kar rahi hu, uska kya?" Circling her slackened off figure, she sneered, shaking her head in mock pity. "Khair jaane do. I understand. Tumhe bura lag raha hoga na. Afterall, sach toh chubhta hi hai."

SCROLL UP FOR PART 2

Novel - Hearts knit together

Chapter 29

[Part 3]

[Hindi]

There was cold silence for a second or two before Shalini broke that herself.

"Shyam ke sath tumne jo kiya so kiya magar tumhari himmat kaise hui mere Arnav ki or nazar badhaane ki? Tumne kya socha tha, I will simply watch while you allure my son under my very nose? Tum jaisi ladkiyo ke irade mai khub samajhti hu. First you potrayed yourself as the biggest bechari of the world, Shyam toh tha hi, perfect villain ka role nibhane ke liye. Dheere dheere you made your place in my arnav's heart taking advantage of the sympathy that he had for you. Arvind ke bhi alag obligations the. And now that Arnav think he loves you, you are trying very best to tie him in a marriage. Magar, ek baat kaan kholkar sunlo, I will never let this happen. I wont allow you to sweet talk my son out of our lives. Mere bhai ko mai naa rok saki par apne bte ke sath mai kuch nahi hone dungi"

Khushi stared at her, shaken to the core. A sane part of her wanted to run away, to hide herself from Shalini's dagger throwing eyes, from her accusing words. But her heart refused to follow suit. It begged her to fight back, to prove Shalini wrong. If not for her self-esteem then atleast for the purity of emotions she shared with Arnav. She owed this to him.

" Mai janti hu aunty...I..I mean Shaliniji, mai job hi kahungi..a..ap uspar yakin nahi karegi. Magar mai phir bhi aapko batana chahti hu ke mere dil me Arnavji ke liye jo pyaar hai woh bilkul saccha hai aur aapki in kadwi baato ka uspar koi asar nahi padega. You think I will drag Arnavji out of this family once we are married magar aap yeh bhi toh sochiye ke mere aisa karne se mujhe kya milega. I don't have anyone in this world, not parents, not siblings.bhai behno ke hone se zindagi kitni khubsurat ho jati hai yeh mujhe yaha aakar pata chala.Ma baap ke saaye me jeena kise kehte hai yeh bhi maine aap logo se seekha. To aap bataiye, mai kyu jaana chaungi is sabko chodkar. Mai toh khud maa ke pyaar ke liye hamesha tasarti rahi hu, mai toh kisi ko apne pariwaar se alag karne ka soch bhi nahi sakti..aap please.."

Shalini stopped her with a piercing glance, " Bas bas, yeh sati savitri hone ka dhong tum Arnav ke saamne karo to hi behtar hai, Mere saamne iska koi asar nahi hone wala. Aur rahi baat tumhare nek irado ki, tum kya chahti ho yeh mai khud apni aakho se dekh aur apne kaano se sun chuki hu, so please spare me your drama"

Khushi: Au..Shaliniji, aap kis bare me baat kar rahi hai?...mujhe kuch..

A shrill noise of ringing cellphone cut through the dense atmosphere of the room. The tension was palpable even as Shalini picked her phone after glancing at 'Arnav' flashing on the screen.

"Hello Arnav!"

Khushi's eyes grew wide the moment her love's name escaped Shalini's lips. So Arnavji has sensed her distress! She looked at her phone, there were several missed calls and a dozen of messages, all from him. Tears shone her eyes, Oh Arnavji, come and save me please..

On the phone,

Arnav: Mom

Shalini: Haan bte bolo.

Arnav: umm I had a free hour...so err..I just thought of, you know... I.. just felt like talking to you.

Shalini: aww, sidhe sidhe bolo na, you were missing your mom.

Arnav: err, yeah.. .. you could put it like that. By the way, where are everyone?

Still wondering the reason behind his call, and later giving full credit to the blossoming relation between them, she smiled as to how things finally seemed to be falling into places. If his query felt a bit uncanny, she was too cheerful to bother, "Hmm, let me see. Your brothers are out doing their usual stuff, Dad abhi thodi der pehle office ke liye nikle hai, payal subah se aayi nahi,I wonder whats wrong, and.."

Arnav: and?

Tracing cursory glance at the daunt figure huddled at the side of bed, Shalini smiled a callous smile, deciding to include 'khushi's whereabouts' in her description of 'everyone', Afterall in Arnav's eyes, she was a changed woman, right? She smirked inwardly to herself before placating her tone and acting to speak casually, "Aur khushi apne room me hai, taking a nap I guess."

She could feel him relieving a deep sigh at the other end and understood that her son had called only to know khushi's whereabouts because obviously she wasn't picking her phone. Any other time, she would have seen red but today, she let it go with a small shrug. After all, her happy days were just about to begin.

She took a few more moments on the call and then turned her focus back to her object of distaste, "Dekho khushi, Neither I am interested in wasting my time here nor you would be willing to bear me and my taunts.. Isliye let me come straight to the point. What I am here for is, because I have a deal for you"

Khushi just stared at her, her eyes free from tears, her body almost ready to collapse, her face devoid of any expressions whereas inside, her heart was scalding with the turmoil it was unnecessarily getting subjected to. The notion of this so-called 'deal' already formulating in her mind.

And true to her assumptions, Shalini spoke exactly what she feared the most, "Leave Arnav. Chali jaao hamari zindagi se hamesha hamesha ke liye. Badle me mai tumhe har woh comfort dungi jiski tumhe aadat ho chuki hai. A luxurious apartment and a huge monthly allowance will take care of all your miseries once you will be gone. I have already made the arrangments, here.." Shalini took out a set of documents and handed her that along with some cash.

"Jis tarah tum mere pariwar ko todne ki koshish me lagi hui ho, us hisaab se toh mujhe tumhe is ghar se dhakke maarar bahar phek dena chahiye, magar mai itni patthar dil nahi hu. Janti hu koi nahi hai tumhara. Least of all that old lady...kya naam tha unka, haan Madhumati. Uski beti ke bhi chaal chalan kuch thik nahi lagte mujhe. Once you will be gone, uska bhi patta cut hojaega yaha se. So now tell me, tumhe manjoor hai?"

At khushi's unyielding, unmoving stance, Shalini clenched her jaw, roughly grabbing her by her shoulders before uttering in a high pitched voice, "Agar tum yeh soch rahi ho ke Arnav ya Arvind ko sab kuch batakar tum is sab se bach jaogi to let me tell you, yeh tumhari galat faimi hai. Un logo ke ghar wapas aane se pehle hi I am gonna make sure you are thrown out on streets. So the best you could do is accept this deal and get lost, samjhi tum?

Waise bhi aaj tak tum sirf hamare tukdo par palti aa rahi ho, aur kuch nahi, toh kam se kam usi ka lihaz kar lo. Kya yeh sila dogi tum mujhe mere ehsano ka? Tumhare khatir mere beto ne third class gundo se ladaiya ki, chote lagwayi, na jaane kitne baar Arvind ne jail ke chakkar kaate, puri society ki angeenat baate suni. Agar tumhare jagah koi izzatdaar ladki hoti toh kab ka hamari bhalai ke liye hame chodkar chali jaati magar nahi, tumhe toh bas apne se matlab hai. " Relenting her grip on khushi's shoulders, Shalini took a pause, momentarily to catch her breath before she began once again,

"Aakhri baar puch rahi hu, thodi bohot izzat bachakar, sar utha ke is ghar se jaana chahti ho ya mai kahu guards se tumhe gate se bahar phiwane ko?"

"Iski koi zarurat nahi hai Aunty." Came khushi's determined voice. "Mai chali jaungi. Isliye nahi kyuki mujhe aapki dhamkiyo se darr lag raha hai, ya phir aapke offer pe mera dil aagaya hai. Mai ja rahi hu sirf isliye kyuki is waqt aapke ehsaano ka bojh mere aur Arnavji ke pyaar se zyada bhari hai. Magar ek din aega aunty, jab aapko ehsas hoga ke pyaar se badi taakat aur koi nahi hai. Pyaar ke liye log paiso ko chod sakte hai lekin paise ke liye pyaar ko nahi. Aur yeh rule sab pe apply hota hai, chahe woh amir ho ya garib" Involuntarily a tear escaped her now dried eyes which she wiped off with a renewed strength. A strength born out of the utmost faith she had in her love and their promised happily-ever-after.

Flashback ends.

***

Chapter 30 : Click here

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Simmi <3