SS - A Life in Pause - reprised (Chapter 7 | 31/7) - Page 2

chapter 1

What made Khushi take that step?

chapter 1

She was so sad after hearing his version of the truth that she didn't bother defending herself.

I wish she had fought back.

chapter 2

What did she write in the letter?

Ohh man :( now I want Arnav to know the truth from someone else 😭

Wow, the story is great and I love the concept of depression. What I don’t like that everyone knows that suicidal has been through an accident and hospitalised, but no one is worried like she does for everyone.

Looking forward to read more.

It’s extremely sad how every other relationship and her own self was over ruled and dominated by Arnav’s judgement of her character and her relationship with him... I wish she had never gives such power to him or her love for him, that she gave up her innate sense of fighting for what she believed to be true and her self- respect. It’s momentary weakness and has set the course of her life..

And the trauma goes on for Arnav.

Will he ever asked someone about his wife or he will keep believing that she cheated him

lovely! just caught on to this! very very realistic! and arnav being arnav! torn between his mistrust and love for her!

Cheers

Chapter 3

It had been four days since that conversation with the doctor. Four days of waiting for her condition to improve… four days of standing outside the ICU door, staring through the window willing her to turn and look at him.

Today, finally, the swelling had reduced enough to move her out of the ICU and into the ward. Somehow knowing that she wasn’t in immediate danger anymore made him calmer. But recovery was still a long way away.

“Mr. Raizada, I do not want to give you any false hope. We’ve seen patients in her condition make a full recovery but there’s an equal number who don’t. we just have to be patient. I can’t stress enough how important it is to keep her happy during this time. Remember, she is awake. She is alert. So, everything you say or do around her is being processed. She just can’t respond. It is only up to her and her will to get her out of this.”

Arnav could only nod in response to the doctor’s advice. If only he had known that he had spent all the months knowing her and the weeks being married to her, making her life miserable…he would know his patient had almost a negligible chance at recovery. As the doctor and nurses left after hooking up to the various monitors, Arnav finally found himself in a room alone with her after that fateful day.

His mind was screaming for answers from her. How could she decide to do this to him? How could she be so careless with her life? How could she throw away everything they had in a blink of an eye? Did it mean nothing? Did he mean nothing?

Who are you kidding Arnav? The voice in his head yelled back. What did you have? You had only hate and contempt for her… for everything she did… for the mask she wore… for the lies she told… so why the questions… tumhe kya farak padta hain?

The shrill ring of his phone broke him out of his reverie…

“Hello?”

“Bhai?”

“Ya Akash… she’s out of the ICU. The swelling has reduced considerably… doctor says there are chances of a full recovery.”

“Oh great Bhai. That’s great news. Ah.. Bhai… Payal and Di wanted to come see her today… actually we all do….

“Yes Akash… Khushi will like that.” Saying that he put down the phone never once taking his eyes off her.

Two hours later as the family arrived, Shyam in tow, he stepped out giving them time with her. He needed to catch up with everything at the office. He was just about closing the door when…

“Don’t touch her!”

He turned back to see a glaring Payal… a stunned audience and a surprised Shyam standing next to Khushi’s bed.

“I mean…she’s got needles in that hand… I’m sure they hurt.” Came a softer reply from the woman. Shyam almost flinched at her words… well not almost he definitely did, Arnav thought. Whereas the rest were too stunned to speak. The ever demure… mild and composed Payal had reacted this way only once before… and that was with him… when he brought an unconscious Khushi home from the guesthouse. Arnav couldn’t tear his eyes away from the look in her eyes… it was not only concern for her sister… it felt like something more! Something deeper! Something that told him all was not as it seemed… he was missing something here.

Over the months that Payal and Akash had been married, he couldn’t remember any interaction Payal had with Shyam. So this sudden rebuke felt like it stemmed from another place. What was it? Was Payal also aware of the affair? Was she also a part of it? No! it didn’t feel right! Something didn’t feel right!

As the conversation continued in the room, he resolved to finding out more…from Payal if her had to.

About an hour or so later, the family decided to head back. Not wanting to lose the opportunity to get Payal alone, he asked her to stay back a little while longer…for Khushi’s sake. He knew she wouldn’t refuse and he wasn’t disappointed.

Saying their goodbyes, he found himself alone with Payal and Khushi. He would have to talk to her… but here? In front of Khushi? No! that wouldn’t do! Deciding in a moment he said…

“Payal would you like some tea?”

“Ah… yes Arnavji…I’ll just go get it from the cafeteria…” she responded and made towards the door.

“I’ll come with you”

“But Khushi?” came her concerned question

“She could use some alone time don’t you think… after all the noise of the last hour?”

Smiling, she led the way out of the room. Arnav was so lost in thought of how to start the conversation, that he didn’t realise when they had reached the cafeteria or when he sat down at one of the tables. Only when Payal tapped his shoulder to give him the cup did he break away from his musings.

“Payal...” he began, although unsurely…

“You know Arnavji… Khushi has always been this accident-prone person… when we were in Lucknow growing up, she has broken more bones than I could remember, has had more bruises than I could count. But…but she always had this big smile on her face like as if she felt no pain…as if it didn’t hurt her… but seeing her today… so still…” she trailed off not being able to continue and Arnav could do nothing but recount the number of times he’d seen her do just that… fall from ladders… bang into doors… trip on steps… isn’t that actually the way she had come into his life? At his fashion show? He couldn’t help the smile that stole its way onto his face.

Oblivious to her spectator, Payal continued… “But she always had a reason to land up in situations where she got hurt. Whether it was getting the atta ka dabba for amma which was on the highest shelf or removing the jalebis from the really hot oil because babuji was busy… this once we were alone at home and I was washing something at the hand pump in our colony when Khushi came running out waving a red dupatta right across me. At first, I didn’t know what was happening… one moment she was running and the next she was lying on the ground and this bull was running off with the dupatta stuck to its horn. I ran to her to see if she was alright and she turned to me asking me if I was fine. If I got hurt… I mean… here she was this lanky little girl with scrapes on her knees and elbows… bleeding… asking me if I was alright! But that was Khushi! She did everything for everyone else uncaring if she got hurt in the bargain! She took up a job at AR because we needed money… heedless of the trouble you gave her. She always came back home smiling.”

Arnav didn’t miss the jibe in that last statement. He knew exactly how Payal felt about him in the beginning. But he wanted her to continue… she seemed to be opening up without any provoking from his side and didn’t want her to stop. Hoping he would get some information on her outburst.

“I did make her life difficult… didn’t I?” he had to admit… he did

“Yes, you did. But every knock made Khushi only fight harder… she would do anything for the people she loved… bear any pain… go to any lengths… even get engaged to Sha…” she stopped.

What? He tried to school his features at that last slip… he tried to control the shock he felt on hearing that half of a name… he willed her to continue…

“Arnavji… I think we should go back.” She was back to her normal self again but he could see the faint lines of worry on her face. She had almost let it slip and she knew it. Even though he didn’t show it, Arnav’s mind was churning in overdrive as he walked silently behind her to the room.

After Payal left, Arnav finally allowed himself to sit beside Khushi…stroking her palm… searching with his eyes.

Was he wrong? Was Shyam the one engaged to Khushi? The engagement that tore him up but broke off as quickly as it began? Was Shyam lying when he told him they were having an affair?

“Khushiji mera pyaar hain…mera pagalapan… mera deewapan!” those words when he first heard them were like sharp blades cutting through his soul. Could he have been wrong in understanding them? Could she, who did everything her whole life for her family, sink so low as to destroy another?

He had more questions now but the one with all the answers lay silent in front of him. He needed the answers… somehow, he needed to know if he, the mighty ASR, who prided himself on his instincts… his sound judgement… his unparalleled intellect had made the biggest mistake of his life!

“Veer… I need a favour…”

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LibranAngel