Originally posted by: VeiledWords
I get your frustration Swati 🙃🙃🙃
I didn’t think I needed to be this explicit here. Maybe I did. I needed to point it out in a better way and this is exactly where timeline is creating a havoc I guess.
I wanna say two things. Which probably should have been part of the chapter so it was better understood because maybe there are silent readers who echo exactly your thoughts.
So here’s my explicit explanations of the scenes. I hope they make sense.
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The period where he is letting go is the period where he is dealing with a lot. I genuinely think either I downplayed it or it didn’t come across properly just how much he went through in a short span. He is being asked to be absolutely on his level best when he had a literal panic attack at the mere mention of being a father. On the same day he is expected to come clean to Khushi. I think I wrote it there in detail. He couldn’t. The reports weren’t confirmed. He wanted to tell Khushi immediately. Lavanya episode just put a damper to it because first he wanted to clean up the mess as much as possible and then tell Khushi only when the parents are in Mumbai.
Secondly, he had taken care of the pics (of course now we know he failed) but the guy was under surveillance, just as he told his lawyer. Arnav cleaned up all this mess in 7 days. 10th - 17th December, all while dealing with the dread of the pictures leaks. Why would he then think Khushi could receive the pictures when he had the guy already? And by the way, threatened him with legal action? The guy who was supposedly terrified of Aman?
I know it comes off as selfish as to why he was worried about his reputation and not Khushi? What exactly will he tell Khushi instead of handling the matter Immediately? Whether we want it or not he is a public figure. His reputation does matter.
Why didn’t he think Khushi was a target despite Lavanya’s messages?
I think I explained this too. In the chapter itself. He is wondering if Lavanya is feigning an interest in him so that her baby can have a father and not be illegitimate. So the baby can have a comfortable life.
Another thing. Why would he think Lavanya would even need to target Khushi if he himself had told her of the divorce? The day he received the confirmation of fraud (2nd jan) it has been over 10 days since his separation wish Khushi. For all intents and purposes, his divorce was final. He was never going to see Khushi again. They were already separated
And Lavanya had been aware of it right? That he would talk to her the very next day. Manali wanted a confirmation on divorce the same day (2nd jan) and Arnav tells them something big (divorce) was going on in his life if they remembered?
Why would a wife, who is already out of his life permanently ever be a target for a personal attack from his POV? Even if he was one? What could possibly come off of targeting Khushi?? Even if Lavanya’s intentions became clear. He called it good riddance and moved on.
We know these things. We have seen it unfold. His logic was not incorrect. He is not the one who is aware of the obsession. There is nothing dumb about it.
Of course the moment Manali does bring Khushi in, he fights back. He still gave Manali a chance not because he is a saint but because he is doing what you wanted him to do. He is being level headed. He is asking Manali to drop it because a battle would get ugly and Khushi will be sucked into it nonetheless.
The whole stuff of going digging around Lavanya’s past and slandering everyone’s names around isn’t his style. It would directly affect Khushi too. The moment he becomes aware of it is the moment he stops playing fair. He had no time, but he misused his power in the first place he could. Slashed down the budget. Hit her career where he promised he would.
All this going around and digging mud on people and releasing fake news is way too weird imo. Then he will actively make Khushi a target by declaring a full fledged war. He wasn’t even willing to spy on Khushi’s village to check up on the guy until last minute. He asked Aman if this was possible. Not order him simply. He has never done that.
I think I agreed to a very well written initial comment on this chapter. And the last paragraph is solely dedicated to it. Arnav is shaken with how everything has turned out. He never intended to send lawyers to Khushi. He never even have divorce papers ready. He wanted to talk. He had just come out of the trauma of dealing with the pics. He was already dealing with the trauma of blinding panic at the thought of a child. On top of that the guilt of cheating is omnipresent.
Agin, we are thinking from the perspective of what we know. He was in the present. He doesn’t know that Lavanya is obsessed with him and not the idea of a future where her baby has a father. When he learns the pregnancy truth, that she is after money and attraction both come into his mind. But an already separated wife doesn’t fit in the picture.
Especially for someone like Arnav who prides himself on doing the right thing. Offered support to Lavanya at the cost of his mental health. This kind of man is dealing with the guilt of cheating on his wife.
Also , I think the one thing I had been waiting for and still anyone is yet to comment is about his mental health. Everyone went ‘he needs therapy’ but nobody is able to process the kind of state he was in October? Was I too subtle in implying he was about to nearly fall to his death? He did see a glass crashing and thinking it would be too easy to end it all.
There are few points i would like to add
1> He discussed his divorce with everyone. He did not. Payal saw the lawyer in office and figured it out based on arnav and akash discussion in sept. Akash too reacted and left.I doubt they stayed behind to discuss anything. They just assumed he is going for divorce and that's it. as per prologue they ghosted him after that isnt it. so no he didnt discuss divorce with his friends.
He discussed it with Lama, No he just informed them. they kept pestering him and he kept putting them in their place. that's not discussion. He talked to la but as per lawyer's instructions he always made sure his stand of no involvement is clear. he did not initiate the contact nor gave any promises or extra attention
2> Why he did not go behind LaMa - I get it he didnt called them out on the fake pregnancy and i was irritated by it but i think thats more because he was just relieved.. Oct is already a vulnerable time for him (we don't know why). nov and dec were spent in immense guilt. There was a mention he didn't sleep for a long time. so along with this added stress he was sleep deprived. I am sure he would have consumed alcohol too. He was dealing with too much already. did he want to deal with making a plan to crush Lama at that moment? Plus they had a reputation of taking people to court and destroying people. He just didnt have any energy to invest into it.
3> Why would he think they will target khushi. We know lavanya is Obsessed with him. He doesn't. He must have thought they wanted to trap him, plan failed and thats that.
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