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Kaahe nahi hai cliff hanger???
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Reader Alert: Long Update 😛
Chapter 24: You Give Love a Bad Name
Khushi tried squirming but the ropes were too tight and chafed her hands. She tried shouting for help but the rag placed in her mouth made sure she couldn't. Her throat was dry and burning. Her eyes tried to see something, anything, in the room where she was locked and tied to a chair, but she couldn't see anything in the pitch black darkness. The only sound she could hear in the room was the sound of her own laboured breathing. No fan. No lights. And apparently no window! Khushi felt she was going to suffocate to death in this room. She had no idea how long she had remained tied to this chair.
There was a dull, throbbing pain in the back of her head. The last thing she remembered was talking to Payal on the phone. She had barely been able to tell Payal to alert Arnav when the phone had been snatched from her and before she could have turned around to see Girish Sharma, who had circled behind her, agonizing pain had hit her. She had blacked out after that.
Khushi tried to see through the darkness again. She could now begin to make out the objects in the room. It was a small room, the plaster falling off from the walls. She looked hard and saw the silhouette of a small fan tied to the ceiling, most probably out of order. Finally, she noticed a rickety looking single bed placed in the far corner of the room. One that looked like it hadn't been slept in for years.
Khushi didn't dare think what this place was. Once again, she tried to wiggle out of the ropes, clenching and unclenching her hands and legs, but all in vain. Tears lined her eyes and before they could fall down, Khushi heard the unmistakable sound of a door unlatching somewhere outside of the room. She blinked back the tears, willing them away. She wouldn't let this man see how terrified she was. Never!
She waited with bated breaths, easing her heartbeats as she heard the door to the room unlock. As the door opened, dim light flooded into the room revealing the short, slightly obese body of Girish Sharma.
"You are finally awake" the man exclaimed and Khushi's eyes were almost blinded by the sudden brightening of the room as Girish Sharma switched on a bulb. She struggled to adapt to the lights while the man crept up to her.
"Wondering where we are and why?" He asked in a silky voice, his finger tracing the outline of Khushi's face that trembled with revulsion.
He stood towering at her head, with that same lusting gaze Khushi had seen most often in his eyes and she willed herself to not scream for help, the rag still in place.
"Oh" Pretending to be amused by her lack of response, Girish Sharma pulled the rag out of her mouth. Khushi dry heaved, her mouth feeling like sandpaper.
Girish Sharma simply watched.
"Why?" She finally breathed the word, her eyes holding wrath in them.
"When you plan a revenge for twenty years, and still get one pulled over by an ordinary girl, you learn a thing or two" Girish Sharma replied with a sugary smile.
"What do you mean?" Khushi asked, trying to calm down her accelerating heartbeats while her eyes looked frantically around the room until she finally noticed her shoulder bag lying discarded in a corner.
Girish Sharma caught her gaze and a knowing smile appeared on his face.
"Sorry, dear. I peeked into your bag when you were busy talking to your sister. I like to snoop around, you see" Girish Sharma said and colour leached from Khushi's face. She watched, holding her breaths inside, as the man walked to her bag and pulled out a stack of documents.
"One trick after another! You never stop, do you?" This time Girish Sharma's voice was cold and menacing, as he rolled the papers and hit Khushi across the face with them.
She didn't flinch. There was no point of being scared now. She simply stared back at Girish with fire-blazing eyes as he fisted a handful of her hair and brought her face closer to his.
"As much as I hate seeing you ruin my plans one more time, this time, I am going to make sure it is real fun" Girish Sharma promised, closing his fist tightly around her hair until she hissed in pain.
Flashback
"Only few more to go! In the meantime I'll tell you a secret. I seriously don't like this part of being a businessman. So many files and documents to sign that sometimes it makes me feel like a high school teacher" Arnav said with a chuckle and just hearing the sound of that simple, hearty laugh made Khushi's heart split in two. It would be a sin to wrong him, to deceive him.
But do you have any other option? Khushi desperately asked herself. Any option? She couldn't think of anything except about the two copies of the documents Akash had given her that now lay at the bottom drawer in her cubicle. The first time she had tried to get those papers signed by Arnav, she had had those documents photocopied in the office photocopy room. The guy in the photocopy room had barely looked at the huge stack of files she had given him to photocopy, into which she had slipped those property transfer documents too. Khushi had kept both the copies with herself, just to be able to look at them properly, or maybe take them to a lawyer and try to find a loophole in the document. She had thought of so many ways and options to deal with her problem, to do anything to stop Akash without getting those papers signed. Yet, she had never had the courage to go through with any of them. But right now, seeing Arnav finally signing those documents as he told her he loved her, Khushi knew she would better be dead than to deceive him.
So, she instantly jumped into action.
"Arnav, hold on" She exclaimed, as he was about to sign the last of the three remaining documents, the second last of which were the property papers.
"What's wrong?" He asked, raising a brow at her.
"Which paper you are signing?" She asked, moving closer to him.
"Gokhle Textiles?" Arnav answered.
"Oh, I am so sorry. This deal hasn't been finalized yet. They have requested for another tele-conference so you can hold off signing these ones. I'll take these away" Khushi mumbled, apologizing again as she copped up the papers in her arms, both signed and the ones remaining and Arnav simply nodded, telling her it was fine.
"I am sorry again. I have a lot on my mind and...anyway, I'll just keep these away" She replied, as Arnav closely watched her, as if catching on to everything that she was feeling right now.
As Khushi walked out of the room with the files, she could still feel his eyes staying on her back. Reaching in her cubicle, she quickly unlocked the bottom drawer of her desk and pulled out one of the two photocopies she had in them. Both were signed. By her. After failing to have the courage of getting the papers legally analyzed, she had even tried forging his signatures. They had come out pretty convincing, her talent of art giving her an edge. But, in the end she had stuffed the copies away, once again having failed to have the courage of handing them over to Akash and risk everything that was on stake. But now, as she looked at the signatures she had forged and the files signed by Arnav, and thought of every word Arnav had said while baring his heart to her; Khushi placed the original unsigned papers along with the copies in her bag. She will risk it. For him. For the trust he had placed in her.
Flashback Ends
Khushi watched Girish Sharma holding the unsigned original papers in his hand. Today, she had brought them with herself to the office to give them to Arnav. To maybe apologize if she could find the right words for breaking his heart. But, the day had gone down very different from what Khushi could have imagined.
Now, Girish Sharma had seen those papers and brought her here. He must have realized that whatever papers Akash was bringing were fake too. And as Khushi thought about all of it, about the pen drive she had safely secured from Akash without having to deceive Arnav, she realized she had gotten everything she wanted. Now, even if Girish Sharma killed her, she wouldn't have any regrets at least.
So, despite her limbs having stiffened from being tied too hard, her lips dry and her throat parched, she smiled at Girish Sharma.
"Now you will never be able to harm Arnav" She said, but Girish Sharma's spirits didn't seem to dampen.
"I don't want to harm him, dear. I want to destroy him. Why do you think I brought you here? " He replied, stepping back from her.
"And now let's see just how much he really loves you" Girish Sharma smirked.
~~~
Arnav tried calling Akash for the tenth time but he wasn't receiving. He slammed his hands on the steering wheel, while his legs put pressure on the accelerator. After Akash had left him standing in the cabin Arnav had driven to Akash's flat. He had a faint hope of finding Girish Sharma but the flat had been empty. No one was there. And as Arnav had stood in the middle of that empty flat, the terror had finally set in. What if he couldn't find Khushi before it was too late? What if Girish Sharma harmed her? But he hadn't let himself consider the thought for more than a second. Instead, he had called Aman and had asked him to come straight to Khushi's house. When Aman had asked why, Arnav had told him that he will tell him everything when he meets him. Aman had said okay and Arnav had told him Khushi's address.
Now as Arnav's car finally stopped just outside the lane that led to the Gupta house, Arnav realized he didn't want to get out of the car. He had no idea what he will say to Khushi's parents who must be worried sick about their daughter. Arnav had met them only once and they had seemed like good people. How will he face them knowing that it was his brother who had caused so much turbulence in this family?
But the longer he was going to sit in his car the harder it will get to find Khushi. And it was that thought alone which made Arnav step out of his car. He looked around. Aman's car wasn't here which meant he still hadn't arrived.
Arnav walked up to Khushi's house and knocked.
~~~
"Akash" It was Shyam who first noticed Akash walking inside the house. Anjali and Naniji turned their heads and found Akash walking towards them, his face crestfallen and his body defeated. Neither Anjali nor Naniji dared to speak anything as Akash came to stand in front of them.
Shyam instantly moved to Anjali's side, Akash noticed. Did they think he was here to harm them? Arnav must have already told them what he has done.
He laughed in a hollow voice.
"I am not here to hurt your wife, Jeeja ji" He exclaimed, looking at Anjali's face that looked ghastly pale.
But no one spoke anything. As if they were waiting for him to burst out, to start shouting and accusing them for covering the truth which he had a right to know. And Akash wanted to. Yet, hearing Arnav reveal everything had killed something inside him. He didn't think he had it in him to hear anything more. Yet, he had to know. He had to ask these people.
"Tell me everything. Tell me the complete truth" He said simply, and sat down on the couch.
Anjali blinked. She looked at Nani who nodded at her. And Anjali swallowed the lump in her throat before sitting down, facing Akash. And she began the story.
~~~
Aman looked at the lane he had stopped his car in front of and realized that he had already been here once. To drop..Payal. But how was this possible? Did Payal live in the same locality as Khushi? Could it be possible that Payal and Khushi knew each other then? As Aman tried to locate the house number Arnav had asked him to come to, Aman realized that he had never cared to ask for Payal's full name. But finding Payal's house in this area, it could wait. Right now, he had to find Khushi's house.
From the way Arnav had been talking, Aman knew that something bad was up. And it was related with Akash which meant it couldn't be good. After Arnav had called Aman and asked him to come to Khushi's house, Aman had to request Mrs. Shukla from the next flat to look after Aakriti which is why he it had taken him more time to come here.
Aman finally located address he had been given and he knocked at the door. He had to wait only five seconds before he heard footsteps walking towards the door.
"Hello, I am Ama..." Aman's voice was cut short as he noticed it was Payal's shocked face staring at him. For a second, he was too shocked to say anything else.
Payal lived here? In Khushi's hou..? What..
"Aman ji?" Payal's own response was full of surprise. But before either of them could say anything else, it was Arnav who appeared at the doorway.
"Come on in, Aman" Arnav's voice was gruff, off-sounding and it was now Aman noted that Payal's face was blotchy too. As if she had been crying not too long ago!
Aman simply walked in, following after Arnav while Payal locked the door after him, maintaining absolute silence. Even though he had hundreds of questions, Aman thought it wise to keep them at bay. First, he wanted to know what was going on.
He looked around the room and noticed more people.
"Namaste" He joined his hands and greeted the two people he guessed were Khushi's parents...and Payal's. The elderly lady in the room was the only one who nodded at his greeting. Khushi's parents looked too desolate and it Aman finally turned to face Arnav.
"ASR, what is going on? And where is Khushi?" He asked him.
"Akash.. I mean, Girish Sharma has taken Khushi. We don't know where she is. And I can't seem to get in touch with Akash who might have a clue as to where Girish Sharma can be.." Arnav began talking and Aman couldn't understand anything except that Khushi was missing.
"Who is Girish Sharma?" He asked and Arnav shook his head before speaking.
"It's a long story. One that in short, means that Girish Sharma is someone from my family's past and hell bent on wreaking havoc on my family. And, as I learnt yesterday, Akash was under his influence, working with him. And now, Girish has taken Khushi. I have to find her and I need your help to do that" Arnav replied and then looked at the family before him.
He had arrived in the house about twenty minutes ago and the first thing he had done was to apologize to them about Akash. After that, he had told Khushi's parents that Akash had been working under the influence of a man named Girish Sharma who is an enemy of the Raizada house. He had also told Khushi's parents about what Akash had told him..that how he had manipulated Khushi by blackmailing Payal. Her parents had been shocked and from the questions they had directed at Payal, Arnav had realized that Payal had recently told them about her unfortunate relationship with Akash. But despite everything that Arnav had told Khushi's parents, it was Arnav who had been the most shocked. In all his rants, Akash hadn't told Arnav that Payal was pregnant with his child. It had been a shock to Arnav, one that he was still reeling in from.
How could Akash do that to Payal? It didn't matter that he was under the influence of the half-truths told to him by Girish. It was no excuse. Arnav had once again been ashamed of his brother. And right now, if he could see Akash, Arnav wasn't sure what he might do.
"Sure. How can I help?" Aman offered, nodding his head without demanding for any more details and Arnav couldn't tell him how grateful he was for that.
"I need you to stay here with Uncle and Aunty. But before that, I want you to call Commissioner Singhal and inform him about the kidnapping. Tell them that they can get Girish Sharma's picture from the CCTV footage of his apartment" Arnav instructed Aman, using the little information that Akash had let slip by to find Girish.
"I want the police to be looking for Girish Sharma too. In the meanwhile, I'll go and look for Akash. I am sure he must have information on Girish" and then Arnav turned towards Khushi's family who were listening everything with rapt attention.
"Uncle, Aunty, Buaji, I will bring back, Khushi" He promised them and it was Shashi Gupta who nodded slowly.
"Be in touch, Aman" Arnav said and after Aman nodded in assurance, Arnav dashed out of the house. He had no clue where to begin from. So, he called Shyam.
~~~
Akash listened in silence as Anjali repeated the same story that Arnav had told him at the office. Only this time it was more detailed and answered all the questions that were burning in his head when he had left the office. And as Akash listened more and more, the shame he was feeling magnified.
Yes, Girish Sharma had proofs but he still shouldn't have believed him. He should have looked past the photos and the newspaper clippings. He should have come straight to his family...this family. The tears that he was holding back spilled over as he noticed what Devyani Raizada held in her hands.
"Is it..?" He couldn't finish the words.
"Your mother's letter. Pushpa gave it to me for safekeeping when she got too sick" Devyani Raizada said, her own eyes misted.
Akash took the letter with trembling hands.
"Pushpa Didi, I have known you for ten years. And in all these ten years, you have been an elder sister to me. Your love, your respect never let me feel that I was just another ordinary woman from a poor world. You treated me like I was an equal to yours. And when..when life finally showed its cruel face...you held my hand and told me that you will fight for me. And you did. You did your best. You believed me over your husband..and yet...when I was finally starting to feel that maybe I could live again, life has once again broken me, shattered me. It has killed me. Now, I have no will to fight..or to live...Even writing this, my hands tremble. I am thinking about Akku...he is sitting right here, watching me write this letter with his twinkling eyes. He is so innocent, so pure. He is unaware of the ugly world..And Pushpa Didi..this is why I am finally writing this letter to you. I want my Akash to remain like he is...I want him to grow up to be a good person..Not like his father. Not like the man who sold his own wife for money. Didi, I want you to keep him away from the black shadow of his father..Please don't let Girish take him after I am gone. It is my last request to you. Please take care of him for me. Give him my love. And one day, let him know how much his mother loved him. How much I will always love him. I have to stop writing now, Didi. I have no strength left. The darkness has finally come to take me and I must go because that is the only place I will find my peace. Your sister...Geeta"
By the time Akash finished reading the latter, his vision had been blurred by tears that were now falling freely from his eyes.
"I don't remember her" The words were a sob and it was Nani ji who rushed to hug Akash. Anjali simply cried, looking at Akash with sorrow.
Shyam, on the other hand, stepped out of the room as he noticed Arnav calling.
"Jeeja Ji, how are things at home?" Arnav asked even before Shyam could begin.
"I was just about to call you, Saale Sahab. Akash is here. At home. With Rani Sahiba and Nani ji. They have handled the matter for now. You should.."
"Akash is there?" Arnav's voice was heated.
"Yes" Shyam replied, confused.
"Then why didn't Nani call and informed me? I had asked her to. Damn it! Put Akash on the phone, Jeejaji" Arnav demanded and Shyam couldn't understand what was going on, but he took the phone inside.
Akash was still sitting on the couch, the letter lying on the floor while Anjali tried to calm Akash by rubbing her hands up and down his back.
"Arnav wants to talk to him" Shyam said, breaking the silence in the room and Nani ji exclaimed.
"I forgot. Arnav bitwa had asked me to call him..but with everything..."
"Here" Shyam handed the phone to Akash who took it silently.
"Bha..."
"Don't dare to use that word, Akash. Just tell me where is Girish Sharma. He still has Khushi and if something happens to her I will forget that you're my brother" Arnav's words were cold, so cold Akash had never heard before. Not even in the cabin when Arnav had screamed at him.
"I don't know where he took Khushi. I don't even know why he took her, Bha.." Akash didn't say the word. He had lost the right to use that word.
"But, there is a place where he might be. The house! His house in old Delhi. He once took me there to show it to me. It's the house where she lived. My mother" Akash said, not daring to look at anyone in the room. He knew the nightmare was not over. Not even close. As soon as they were going to learn what he had done and caused, they were going to hate him. And rightly so!
"I know where that house is" was all Arnav said before he disconnected.
"What did you mean when you said you don't know where he took Khushi?" It was Anjali's question, who seemed to know who Khushi was.
Akash didn't answer.
"What did you do, Akash?" Anjali asked again, this time stepping away from him.
~~~
Arnav drove rapidly towards the house he had visited only once. He was seven years old when he had gone to the house along with Anjali Di. To get Akash. His mother had told him that they were going to bring Akash to their house. Arnav had been so excited. He had always liked playing with Akash whenever he came to Raizada mansion with Geeta aunty. Anjali Di was older and she didn't like to play with him but Akash, being two years old was a source of amusement for Arnav.
And now, it was the same Akash who was the cause of so many wrong things in his life. Arnav knew he couldn't really hate Akash, couldn't blame him for everything. It was his mistake too, having hidden so much from him. But, Arnav didn't think he would be able to forgive Akash for what he had done to Payal..and Khushi.
The thought of Khushi made Arnav's heart beat like a hammer against iron. He loved her. Still loved her. Even though her love had been woven lie, Arnav realized that it was going to be difficult to walk away from her. At the end of everything, Arnav knew there was no future for him and Khushi together. She didn't love him.
"Was any of it real? Even for a second?"
"No"
She had told him outright. It had hurt. Still did. But when Arnav considered everything, he realized , that what hurt most was the fact that she had chosen to not trust him with the truth. Instead, she had went on with the fake smiles and the fake kisses and the fake love.
Arnav tried not to think about it as he accelerated the SUV, already halfway there. His mind was still unfocused when his cell phone rang once again. Maybe it was Aman calling to update him.
"Hello" He said, talking through the Bluetooth, and keeping his eyes on the road.
There was no answer on the other end of the line.
"Hello?" Arnav repeated.
"Such soft skin, such beauty! I can see why you fell in love with this girl" it was Girish Sharma's sordid voice that had Arnav's blood boiling in an instant.
"I am going to kill you" Arnav replied, his hands tightening on the steering.
"Hahaha. I see you have your father's enthusiasm. He said the same thing when I once suggested to him that maybe I should get a chance with your mother" Girish Sharma laughed and if possible, Arnav's rage went up by a notch. But he kept driving.
"You have only a few hours left before I find you, Girish Sharma, and when I do..." Arnav gritted out the words.
"Oh come on! You bore me, boy. If you really have the guts, why don't you come here and save your Khushi? I have her on my mercy, and I must tell you, sitting here, tied to a chair, she does look very inviting" were Girish Sharma's words.
Arnav realized he was going to kill this man. Really kill him.
"Now before you come up with more empty threats, let me tell you something, boy. I am daring you to come to my house, my actual house, and save your Khushi. And if you do NOT come alone, if I hear or see another person with you, I am going to do the same thing to your Khushi what your father did to Geeta. So, use your brain before calling the cops or anyone else" Girish Sharma challenged Arnav.
"I am coming" was all Arnav said, his eyes filled with wrath while his face was death incarnate.
~~~
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