ArShi SS: BREATHE || NTL - page 153 :) - Page 39

CHAPTER 6

"Nani please don't worry. Akash and NK are finding her. She'll be fine. Though whatever she did is unacceptable but she's a girl. We will not let anyone harm her." Anjali tried to make Nani stop crying who shed her tears silently.

"You shouldn't have done that Manorama, you shouldn't have!" She cried again regretting the moment when she had kept her mouth shut not defending the girl her grandson loves. She should have trusted him and his choice, so many years of leaving separately must have surely taught him how to judge people, they were no one to question his choice let alone insult it. She, being the elder of the house failed to defend Khushi and her dignity. She knew this wasn't the time to blame anyone who did bad with her, it wouldn't ear her Khushi's safety but she was helpless. She was clueless of what answer was she going to give to her grandson when he comes back.

"I did the right thing sasuma. Why should we care about her being a girl when she herself didnt think about it before wandering and entering into this nasty world of drugs and ...chhi, I'm even horrified to say all this. I dont want a shadow of such a soul on our house, let alone our sons. She would have been a bad influence on them." She huffed in annoyance unable to fathom a single wrong deed in her actions. Anjali looked at her with pleading eyes.

"No Mami, we were wrong. We should have waited for at least till the morning before kicking her out. We should have heard her side of story too. She..she was too innocent!" Anjali gulped, tears leaking her eyes. Nani nodded silently agreeing to the later part of what she said.

"Arnav trusted us with her, we failed to live upto him. We failed him totally." Nani sobbed harder making it difficult for Anjali to control her, her health would worsen if this continued, she sighed watching Manorama leave the room with a disgusted face.

Giving her the medicines along with the sleeping pills, she tucked her in the bed before walking out of her room, closing the door softly behind her.

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"Dammit!" He hit the steering hard. "Why did it have to rain today? The roads are packed. I swear if I do not reach home in 5 minutes..shit!" Shaking his head, he rolled off to AR which was a 10 minutes' drive from the point where he stood. He was sweating profusely even though the AC of his car worked in full blast. Those 10 minutes were difficult to pass. It was proving to be a hectic day after he had landed just an hour before and now was seated in his car heading to meet his Khushi desperately.

Entering inside the parking lot, he recklessly parked his car before moving out to the gate.

"Akash!" He called out as he entered and saw a petrified Akash running out of office in a fretful manner. "Arnav" he cried jogging to him changing his course of direction.

The more he grew closer to Arnav, the more dread he could see dripping from his face. "Akash what's going on?"

"Arnav..Thank God you came. You can't believe how I'm feeling to have you here.." he hugged Arnav shortly making him more confused as he reciprocated awkwardly.

"Akash will you tell me what's the matter. Where's Khushi?" He asked hurriedly noticing the visible stiffness in his brother's posture as he asked about her. Akash was deadened. He couldn't draw out any words from his throat though he wanted to say so much yet he was unable to after many seconds passed, stunned at his sudden arrival too.

"Please come with me.." he dragged him out before thrusting him on the passenger seat and started driving to their destination eagerly forming the words in his head.

"Don't panic okay? You need to be strong."

"What the f**king matter is it Akash? Where are we going?"

"Police Station. Arnav.. I'm sorry. I don't know how to even face you after all this. Khushi bhabi is in Police station guilty for being a drug addict and o.." he chocked while Arnav couldn't find his voice to utter something. Everything seemed to have disintegrated all of a sudden. He expected something odd but not everything to be so ill. "Arnav, our own family accused her of being a drug addict. From several days we could see her acting weirdly tired and one day she got hysterical and her headache increased. We called a doctor who did some tests and revealed that her blood contains a large amount of drugs and alcohol in it. And that she had been taking it from very long it seems. Mami.. She slapped her and no one stopped her. We tried to contact you so many times Arnav but we couldn't reach you. Aman said you were extremely busy in your meetings and didn't connect us with you. I took bhabi with me but in the middle of the night i don't know how Mami threw her out.."

Aman!' he gritted his teeth and bathed in acerbity.

"Akash tell me this is not real. Whatever you told me is a f**king joke!" He yelled desperately wanting Akash to take back his words.

"I'm sorry bhai. I'm sorry i couldn't fulfill my promise i made to you to protect her. From that time 3 days ago me and NK were doing our level best to find her but no one could. Just now the commissioner called me to inform that they have found her."

"Drive fast Akash!" He said sternly turning his head to the window. He found no words. His heart lurched at the thought of how Khushi must have managed without him, how she must have faced all alone. His mind clogged, drug addict?

"We're here." Both of them jumped off their seats to the gate and inside.

"Inspector Khushi..where's she?.." Arnav asked breathlessly when his moist gaze fell on the substance placed across the seat in one of the rooms, behind the bars. His body stiffened and mind failed to register the surroundings as he saw her arms falling at her sides lifelessly and head swaying backwards in the state of unconsciousness. He took in a crippled breathe noticing the bluish marks and bruises on her cheeks which had swollen to an extent and under eyes darkened. Various parts of her cloths torn off and he couldn't locate even an ounce of Khushi he had left behind to his family to take care of.

His family and these officers had beaten her, accused her and hurled hurtful words at her when all he did was control his anger in front of her, trying not to scare her. He kept her safe but that reign had ended long back. What had they reduced her to!

He was about to rush to her when a constable held him back from moving forward. "What the hell? Leave me!" he pushed them behind running up to her.

'What the hell, leave me!' After several harrowing hours, her breathe regained a life, something ignited in her soul as soon as those words had reached her ears. Even in an entranced state, the nerves within her knew the owner of that voice.

Fat tears swam in the vicinity of her groggy eyes as she looked ahead with a squinted gaze with a great difficulty. Overwhelming emotions to find a familiar face after several agonizing hours clogged her throat making her unable to form a word. Closing her eyes, she leaned back to wherever she was being pushed as she felt someone enclose her whole self into a warm embrace.

She found her breathe, she found her hope, her home, her reason to live. She knew Arnav is here, no harm would dare to linger within the parameters. Giving herself happily into darkness which was engulfing her slowly, she fell unconscious, on his chest, in his arms.

The closer his eyes registered, he could see the marks more clearly. Tears fogged his vision. The tears marks stretched across from her cheek to the chin along with the purple swells on her face. Though her eyes were closed, he could look through the agonizing pain they held.

"Mr Raizada, her blood samples contain a higher amount of drugs and alcohol. Mrs Manorama Raizada has accused her of theft of the Raizada jewellery." Anand, the commissioner, said entering the room along with the constables.

"I am Arnav Singh Raizada! I take those charges back. Khushi is coming with me NOW!" He snaked a hand behind her waist and another under her legs hauling her up in his arms close to him.

"Mr Raizada please understand, we cannot send her way with you. She is charged of these things and its impossible.."

"Not at any cost I am leaving her at this dingy place. She have done nothing, this has to be an underground case with no one getting an inkling of what's happening. I will talk to the higher authorities. I don't care if this is illegal but I am ASR and I will make sure everything comes down if any other danger even lurks around Khushi. Do not call at Shantivan for this." And with that he walked out not paying a heed to anything while Akash was left behind to fulfill the formalities.

With his heart in his throat, he kissed the back of her hand quietly before laying her inside the car on the back seat and placing himself beside her. "ASR speaking doctor. Please reach my apartment as soon as possible. It's urgent." He put the phone down to see Akash coming out hurriedly and sat in the car to drive to AR premises as soon as possible.

"Anju, here I am wanting to talk to you and you are busy. Spare some time for me too woman!" Aman spoke angered into the phone as he heard her sigh quietly.

"I am not free every time. And how come you are sitting there with no work when the great ASR is there himself?" She asked surprised.

"Oh, it's a lucky day for me. He has decided to rest for a few hours and not come to office for a day. He deserves it, he had worked too hard for the meetings which I had lined up back to back." He left a vile chortle making her chuckle at the other end.

"It's indeed a lucky day for you Aman. But I gotta go now, sad that you have to tend to yourself. The baby misses you."

"I miss you and the baby too. Love you. Bye!"

"Bye."

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BUDDY ME for PMs

Sorry for the late Chapter, but here it is.

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