Chapter 21:The Second Cut
One would say that one week isn't a long time. But for Khushi, a week felt like a century. Not only it was miserable, she felt like she had aged a hundred years too.
Every single day, she would watch Payal happily leaving to her new job, her mother's anger at Payal slowly thawing and Buaji slowly beginning to give Payal pregnancy advice. The week had also seen Shashi Gupta's health recovering for good. And amidst all the cheer, Khushi hadn't wanted to dampen the good spirits of her family. So, she hadn't told anyone that she had left her job.
She told them that she had taken a week's leave to spend some good time with her family. Everyone had been overjoyed to hear that except Payal. Payal had given one look at Khushi's over cheerful face and she had realized what had happened. And yet, when Payal had tried to talk to Khushi about it, she had changed the topic.
There was no point of talking about something that was over. Something that was ruined because of her, thought Khushi.
Even today, as Payal left in the morning she had tried to talk to Khushi but Khushi couldn't bring herself to say his name. Suddenly, even taking Arnav's name was painful for her. She wondered every second what Arnav must be feeling, if he hated her more with every passing day.
Unfortunately, Khushi didn't have to wait long to find out. She was sitting in her room, going over the few pictures of Arnav that she had when her phone beeped.
After checking it, Khushi was more shaken than happy. It was a message from Arnav.
"I want to meet you. Today at 5:30 p.m. At the Office"
Reading the message Khushi felt her heart pacing oddly, telling her this could not be good. What did Arnav want to talk about? Could it be about Akash? They hadn't talked much about Akash last time. She had been too full of guilt and shame to bring up Akash. It was only now Khushi realized that Akash might not have told Arnav the entire truth. What if he had been selective with the truth? What if he was still plotting behind Arnav's back? And the worst of all, Khushi realized that in her grief she had forgotten to tell Arnav about the most vital piece of information.
Did Arnav learn about it somehow? Khushi decided that she will meet Arnav, regardless of the fact that the thought of seeing him again made her heart fill with shame. What would she say to him? What would he say to her? Will he tell her that knowing her was the biggest misfortune of his life? Despite being true, Khushi knew it will hurt her all the same. But she was not going there for herself. She was going there for him. She had to make sure he was okay.
~~~
Aman Mathur straightened his tie as he walked through the gates of Rosewood Elementary School. He had parked his car right outside the school even though the watchman had insisted him to park it in the school parking.
"I'll be back in five. Just keep an eye on the car" He had said in return, handing a hundred rupee note to the watchman who had nodded.
Looking at his watch, Aman noticed that he was late for the monthly parent teacher meeting. Well, he wouldn't have been if the maid had stuck the note on the refrigerator right on the top. Amidst the web of notes on his refrigerator he hadn't even noticed the new note when he had gotten home late last night. Aakriti was already asleep and when she had woken up this morning that was the first thing she had told him.
"Yes, darling, I'll be there right on time" he had told the six-year old with a big smile.
"That's what you said even the last time but you forgot to come" she had said with a hand on her waist and then Aman had done the pinky-swear assuring the kid that he will surely come.
"I just hope it isn't over yet" He murmured as he asked a peon the directions for class 1-A.
As he entered the classroom, his eyes immediately looked around to find his little doll who he found sitting on the last bench with a sulking face. When she looked up and noticed him, she turned her face away.
"I am gonna have to buy her a strawberry ice cream" Aman added a mental note as he finally moved towards the teacher.
He was surprised to see the familiar face.
"Payal?" His voice came out surprisingly happy and Payal who was shuffling papers on the desk looked up at him. Aman was blindsided for a second by the bright smile that appeared on Payal's face. It was the first time he had seen her smile.
"Aman! What are you doing here?" She greeted him warmly and Aman couldn't help but think back about the last time he had seen her. She looked and sounded so different. Good Different.
"Attending the parent-teacher meet" Aman replied congenially, signaling towards Aakriti who was still sitting on her bench, carefully listening the two talk.
"Oh. Aakriti Mathur. She is..."
"My daughter" Aman completed the sentence for her, his face beaming with pride.
"Oh! That's lovely. I didn't know you were married. I mean I am new here, and I looked over Aakriti's information but I didn't suspect you to be the same Aman Mathur" Payal still sounded surprised and Aman couldn't blame her. He hadn't talked much about himself the few number of times he had met her.
"Should we begin the meeting? Or is it already over? I didn't find out until the morning that the meet was today. I am sorry for being late" He began and Payal too slipped into the professional attitude.
"It is okay. There are still fifteen minutes left. I was in fact, waiting for Aakriti's parent to show up as the rest of students already left with their parents" Payal explained as she signaled Aman to take a seat.
"Aakriti beta, come on up" She called out and Aman watched his daughter walk up to them. She didn't greet him with her usual Hi Daddy'. Looks like he'll have to buy her a strawberry ice cream and a new teddy.
"Since I am still new here, I cannot comment much on Aakriti's social skills but her academic records are quite impressive. Even in the class, as I have noticed for the past week, she is very interactive and vocal. The essay she wrote yesterday in the class was very good. She even read it aloud for the class. Aakriti, did you show the essay to your father?" Payal asked the girl, whose face lit up on being addressed directly.
"I wanted to, ma'am, but Daddy came home late last night. Just like today in the meeting" The girl replied and gave a sideways look to her father. Payal couldn't help but be amused by the girl. She was sharp as a claw.
"Is that right, Mr. Mathur?" Payal turned her attention to Aman who looked sheepish.
~~~
Arnav stared at the screen of his phone with disbelief. But as fallacious as the whole thing sounded he had to make sure that what his Private Investigator had unearthed was wrong. It had to be. He looked at the watch on his wrist. It was 1:15 a.m. If he had to do it, now was the time.
Reaching to the parking lot in record time, Arnav got into his car. As he began driving, he wrote a text to Anjali and sent it.
"Girish Sharma is out of jail. He's been meeting Akash. Tell Nani!"
The text message read.
Arnav put pressure on the accelerator as thoughts began swirling in his head.
What if Girish Sharma had told Akash the truth? According to the investigator, Girish Sharma had been released early from the jail on account of good behavior about four months ago.
Good behavior? Arnav wanted to laugh at the irony.
As he drove towards the address in full speed, he tried not to think of Khushi. For a whole week, it had taken everything in him to not call her and demand answers. He wanted to know about every single day that she spent with him. Was she faking every emotion? Were all those smiles and kisses nothing? But most of all, he wanted to know why did she do it? Why did she break his heart? Why?
"Girls are painkillers. They kill you with excessive pain"
Aman's dumb words echoed in his head, this time not sounding so untrue.
Did she do it just for the fun of it? Stringing him along when she was with Akash?
Arnav's thoughts stopped whizzing in his head as he hit the break of his car. He watched as Akash's car zoomed out of the building in full speed. Arnav remembered seeing Akash in the morning at the dining table. He had looked particularly irate, shouting on almost every servant he had laid his eyes on. Nani had even admonished him for it but Akash had simply left the table.
Arnav had ignored the behavior like he was ignoring everything else for the past one week. If only he had known about Girish Sharma, he would have made Akash sit and talked to him.
Hiding the truth from Akash was a bad idea; Arnav knew it from the start. But, he had let Anjali Di and Nani convince him that it was for Akash's own benefit. Sitting in his car, Arnav thought if it was too late. There was no way Girish wouldn't have tried corrupting Akash's mind. Arnav only prayed the damage was not too much.
He will talk to Akash. Tell him everything. But first, he had to talk to Girish Sharma. Arnav remembered seeing the man last time when we was being dragged away by the police, screaming and shouting that he will have his revenge sooner or later. Arnav had seen how his father had shrugged his shoulders and given a lazy smile in return. Surendra Singh Raizada was always a conceited and pompous bas***d. Arnav had known it even then.
Whoever said that past is in the past certainly didn't have one. Because, Arnav always knew that his family's past was standing right in front of them, staring them into the face. Now was the time to stop ignoring it and stare back at it.
Taking a deep breath to keep his anger in check, Arnav stepped out of the car. As he walked towards the building he wondered why of all the damned days it had to be today.
~~~
Of all the days, it starts today. Akash thought as he stared at the calendar hung at the far wall of the meeting room. Full circle? Or Karma? Akash didn't care. Today was the death anniversary of Surendra Singh Raizada. Today was the day when that depraved man drank himself to death. For 16 years now, Akash had spent the day mourning a father who was nothing but a monster. And this demented family had let him. Akash felt a throb of anger and pain. Did these people snigger behind his back when he mourned a man who had ruined his life? Or did they just found it amusing?
"I am going to make everyone beg for mercy. Starting with you Khushi Kumari Gupta" Akash seethed as he looked at the clock on the other wall.
2:30 p.m. There was still time.
Akash recalled how he had sneaked into Arnav's room this morning when he was taking a shower. He had used the opportunity to text Khushi from Arnav's phone.
"I want to meet you. Today at 5:30 p.m. At the Office"
He had kept it simple. Easy.
Last night, when Akash had received the call from his father, he had known what he had to do. The time to play smart was gone. It was time to get his hands dirty.
~~~
As the meeting finally got over, Payal watched Aman interact with his daughter. She still couldn't believe that Aman had a daughter. In all those meetings, he had never struck to her as the father type. But she hadn't really been paying attention, had she? She had her own worries to pay attention to. But now that Payal knew and observed Aman, she realized that he must have been in his early twenties when he got married.
"Go on, and wait in the car, Aakriti. Daddy will be right after you" Aman said to his daughter in an affectionate manner and although cross with his father, the girl obeyed. Payal watched as she pranced out of the room, not looking back. Payal couldn't help but smile at the girl.
"Twenty-one" Aman said.
"huh?" Payal responded.
"I was twenty one when I married Shweta. I know you must have been wondering" Aman replied, not really looking at her but around the classroom.
"Love marriage?" Payal couldn't help but ask.
"It was...at first" Aman gave a shaky laugh and Payal sensed there was much more. Should she ask? Of course she shouldn't. She knew some things were difficult to share. So, she pretended to pack her belongings into her bag. Yet she could feel Aman behind her, watching her work.
"Shweta and I were in college together. We were in love. We were careless. And I got her pregnant. I remember freaking out about it. But, Shweta...she was so calm. And she told me she wanted an abortion. The first time I heard that word from her, I realized I was not scared for myself. I was scared for the baby. Even though I was young, immature and still studying, I knew I wanted the baby. So, I told Shweta what I wanted. I told her we could marry. Live together and raise the baby. She seemed uncertain at first but then she agreed. Because we were in love. And then we got married" Aman went on, his voice sounding as if he was talking from someplace distant.
Payal swallowed the lump in her throat. She didn't know why he was telling her, but she wanted to hear more.
"Then Aakriti was born. I was over the moon. But it was just me who was happy. Two years into the marriage, and Shweta realized that she didn't want to be just a wife and a mother. I told her things will get easier. I told her I loved her. But the love wasn't enough for her. She told me she was suffocated by the two of us. She wanted her life back. "Our daughter is our life" I told her. "She is YOUR life. Not mine. I want the life of the girl who had the dreams of doing something big in her life" was her answer. And then she told me that she wanted a divorce" Aman finished and then blinked as if coming back to the present.
Payal couldn't help the tear that rolled down her cheek. She wiped it quickly and turned back to face Aman.
"What happened after that?" She asked.
"I gave her what she wanted. After the divorce she left. We haven't had any contact since then" Aman shuffled his feet.
"Aman.." Payal began but he shook his head.
"You don't have to say anything, Payal. I didn't tell you to gain your sympathy. I just...I felt like I can tell you. Maybe, because I think you have some scars too. And I'd like to hear whenever you're ready to talk. Talking helps" Aman said with a weak smile.
Payal didn't know what to say. She only watched as Aman slowly walked out of the classroom.
~~~
"Girish Sharma is out of jail. He's been meeting Akash. Tell Nani!" the text message read.
Anjali was in the car with Shyam when she received the message from Arnav. Her eyes widened with alarm and the phone fell from her hands. Shyam instantly looked at her whitening face and asked what was wrong.
"Drive faster" Anjali said to the driver.
"What is going on, Anjali" Shyam asked her again.
"He's back. Girish Sharma" Anjali whispered the name and Shyam's face tightened in anger.
"How is that.."
"How did I not notice it? He's been meeting with Akash. God knows what he has told him..What if..what if Akash knows?" Anjali couldn't imagine the horror.
She knew it was too late now. Their family was once again going to be wrecked. And this time only she had to be blamed. She never should have hidden everything from Akash.
"I have to call Nani" She said.
~~~
As Arnav stepped into the building and enquired at the reception, he learnt that the Private Investigator was indeed right. Akash owned the penthouse. So, this is where all the money went. And it was Girish Sharma living in the apartment. Arnav clenched his fists as he told the receptionist that he was Akash's brother and needed a key to the room. To Arnav's surprise, the receptionist didn't ask him to prove his identity. Maybe she too could sense Arnav's flaring temper.
"Akash Sir is not there" She meekly informed as she handed a keycard to him.
"I know" Arnav delivered as he moved towards the elevators.
All the way up, Arnav heard the voices in his head going on again.
"It was just a drunken mistake, Pushpa. I have loved you and only you..don't be so hard on me"
"How could you do that? Money doesn't buy everything, Surendra"
"That bitch is blaming me..She seduced me..Her husband trapped me into this whole thing...I swear on our kids..That Girish.."
"Don't bring our kids into this..I want a divorce..I can't live with your habits.."
Arnav tried to shut the voices but it was like opening a can of worms...things were wiggling out..awful words, ugly memories.
As Arnav finally reached to the penthouse and inserted the keycard into the slot, he told himself that he was not going to let his family be torn apart again. Whatever be the cost.
The door beeped open.
"I am glad you came back. Being hasty is only going to ruin it more. We can deal with that shrewd wench.." The words were left incomplete as Arnav stepped into the room and found him face to face with Girish Sharma.
Arnav didn't remember the man's face clearly but standing there looking at him, he realized Akash had some of those features. If one looked closely, the resemblance was there.
"Oh..my..Look who it is..Little Raizada pup has grown into a man" The man laughed and Arnav felt the malice in that laugh.
"You shouldn't have come back, Girish Sharma" Arnav answered, slamming the door shut.
The man only smiled wider.
"You were there when I said I'll have my retribution, weren't you, little pup? So, I had to come back. It's a sad thing your father died too early. He's going to miss all the fun I have been planning. So would your mother. I was really sad when I heard in the jail. Little Raizada children, orphaned" Girish Sharma chuckled as he moved towards the couch. Arnav fought hard the urge to plummet the man to the ground and break his face.
"I didn't come here to listen to your psychotic rants" Arnav said in a piercing voice.
"Right, right! You must have come here to ask if your family's ugly secret is out or not! If I told Akash or not...Oh..This is good. Tell me, do you think I told him? Huh?" Girish Sharma slapped his thigh, his smile sickening to Arnav.
"I am warning you, Girish Sharma. If anything whatsoever happens to Akash..or to my family..you'll never see the light of another day" Arnav snarled.
"HaHa.. You don't just look like your father, little pup. You even threaten like him. But let me tell you, this time I hold the cards. This time, I have my son. Together, we will make you pay. You will reap what your father sowed. Your sister will reap.." Girish Sharma challenged but he couldn't finish for Arnav had already grabbed him by the collar.
"Like I said..If any harm comes to my family..I will erase you. And Akash? He is my BROTHER. You get it? So, if you try using him against us..."
"He hates you and your whole stinking family. Just because you gave him the Raizada surname, you think he became one of you? He is my FLESH AND BLOOD. He is my son. And very soon I will prove that to you" Girish Sharma replied, jerking Arnav's hands off his collar while his eyes spat hatred.
"And you know what, little pup? That sweet girl you gave your heart to? The one who crushed it? She dances on our tunes. We hired her to do what she did. " Girish Sharma declared with pride.
For a second, Arnav felt like he was punched in the stomach. Then his head was spinning like a wheel. Khushi was working with this man? And Akash was in it too?
"This is just the beginning, Arnav Singh Raizada. This was the trailer' as they call it" Girish Sharma exclaimed as he opened the door and gestured for Arnav to get out.
Arnav did.
"Wait and watch, Raizada. The next move will be mine too. I have been plotting this for years" Girish Sharma said before he shut the door in Arnav's face.
But Arnav didn't flinch. He simply stared at the door. Wood. Dead. Just like he felt from the inside!
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