IPKKND FF:Justice Comes At A Price[Epilogue Upd!] - Page 32

Why must you always work so hard?

What can I say Rani Sahiba? It is my job after all.

But Jeejaji, you work much too hard. Take a break once in a while.

See, even Chote is saying that. Which means that you definitely work too hard.

Saale Saheb I can't afford to lead a relaxed life. You see, justice comes at a price.

His Jeejaji's words rang in his ears as he scanned the house for the fourth time. A very uneasy feeling was coming over him and he could feel the dread growing.

Where was she?

He went towards the French window in his room and sighed in frustration. He banged his fist against the wall and looked out. That's when his eye caught sight of something odd.

The old storehouse at the edge of their estate hadn't been used for many years now. It contained broken furniture, old clothes, worn out utensils and other unimportant things. Yet Arnav could distinctly see something shining in the sun. He decided to go out and check it out.

Once he reached the store house, his nose crinkled as a strange smell started wafting through the air. Ignoring it, he looked around for the source of the light that had caught his eye.

It was the door knob. It was highly polished and the sun had caught the metal and sent a glinting reflection into his eye. If it hadn't been used for so many years then why was it in such a state? Had someone polished it recently? Curious, he turned the knob and found that it moved quite smoothly - as if it had recently been oiled.

As soon as the door opened, a strong suffocating smell hit his nose causing him to reel back. Once his head cleared slightly, he put a handkerchief over his mouth and stepped in. He searched for the source of the smell when his eyes fell on something bright and red. He moved closer and his eyes widened as he realized what he had found.

"Khushi!"

...

"Hello NK? Any sign of her?"

"No Anjali Di. I haven't seen her anywhere. I searched every place you mentioned but she's nowhere to be found."

Anjali disconnected the phone and pressed her temple in frustration. Payal had still not been found and she was seriously worried now. A murder had already occurred in their family. Now was not the time for her husband's only living relative to go missing.

...

Arnav ran over to her and took off the cloth which was tied around her mouth. He untied her wrists quickly and picked her up bridal style. He ran out of the store house and raced back into the house. He didn't stop till he had reached her room.

He shook her by the shoulders but she still hadn't regained consciousness. He was too scared now to think straight. She had been inside an air tight room along with a malfunctioning gas stove. The suffocating smell that he had encountered was noxious and highly dangerous fumes which could lead to asphyxiation. He turned cold with fear as he kept shaking her but she wouldn't stir.

"Khushi? Khushi, wake up! Khushi please! You-you can't leave me! Not now! Not when I..."

A thought suddenly crossed his mind. He reached over to the bedside table and took the glass of water in his hand. He dipped his fingers in and sprinkled some water on her face. After his third try, he saw her eyelids flutter a little. His heart lifted slightly and he slowly tapped her cheek.

"Arnav...?"

He felt his eyes moisten as he saw the life flood back into her face. It took a while but her breathing slowly became regular.

The first thing Khushi saw as she opened her eyes was Arnav's worried face. She had never seen him like this before. He looked like he had seen a ghost but his eyes were warm and filled with- Love? Could it be?

Before she could say anything, she was pulled into a bone crushing embrace. She was still a little weak but she hugged him back none the less. She didn't know why but this felt right. They stayedl ike that for a while before he slowly pulled back.

He looked into her eyes and decided one thing - no more lies and no more secrets. He would come clean and tell her everything.

"I thought I had lost you."

Khushi was stunned. Not by his words but by the emotions in his eyes. There was pain etched in those molten brown orbs and she felt terrible thinking that she was the cause of it.

"I-I'm sorry Arnav. I-"

"No Khushi. I'm sorry. I doubted you and I paid the price. I almost lost you today. And that's made me realize something very important."

He brought his hand up and cupped her face. She could see the sincerity and depth of emotions in his eyes and her heart beat accelerated in anticipation.

"Khushi, I love you."

That was all it took. Four simple words and the lives of two individuals changed forever.

Khushi felt tears welling up in her eyes as the words sank into her. He loved her? How was that even possible? He had been nothing but rude to her ever since they had first met. But then, there was no way he could be speaking anything but the truth when he had that look in his eyes. Her heart soared and a slow smiled formed on her face before a deep, red blush took over.

Arnav watched in amusement as Khushi's expression turned from shocked to pleased to embarrassed. Honestly, this girl was something else! And that's why he had fallen in love with her.

"Khushi?"

"Hmm..."

He placed his finger under her chin and tilted her face upwards. Happiness engulfed him as he saw the dull glow in her eyes and shy smile tugging at the corner of her lips. He lent in closer only to have Khushi bury her face in his chest.

"Are you alright?"

Khushi replied with a vigorous nod and continued clutching onto the front of his shirt.

"Why are you hiding in my shirt? Do I smell that good?"

Khushi jerked her head up as she caught the teasing hint in his voice. She looked at him indignantly before poking his chest with her finger.

"I was not hiding!"

"Oh really? Then what exactly were you doing inside my shirt?"

Khushi felt a deep blush creeping up her face as she sought desperately for a good answer. He always left her tongue tied and she didn't like it one bit. She glared at him for a bit before turning her head away.

Arnav found it highly amusing that Khushi was sulking. She's quite cute in fact! He mentally chided himself for thinking like a love struck teenager.

"Khushi, are you so embarrassed that you can't even give me a good comeback?"

"Of course not!"

"Then tell me, what were you doing inside my shirt?"

"I-I was... Umm... I mean-"

Arnav smirked as she continued to stutter and deepen the blush on her cheeks. So what if she hadn't said it in so many words. Her actions told him clearly that she reciprocated his feelings. Not wanting to waste the moment, he pulled her into another hug. This time it was much softer. He basked in her sweet scent and ran his fingers through her silky hair.

Khushi's incoherent stuttering was brought to a halt as she felt herself colliding with his hard chest once again. This time, she just let herself go. She reveled in his strong arms which assured her protection and security. He was a man of few words and she felt every single thought he wanted to convey to her through his embrace. She inhaled his intoxicating scent and sighed in happiness. She wished that time would stop and she could remain in Arnav's arms forever.

"How could you do this Payal?"

Arnav and Khushi looked at each other in astonishment after hearing Anjali's voice pierce through the languid atmosphere they had been residing in.

Hope you'll like it! Just two more chapters to go! So stay tuned and keep guessing! 😉

Chapter Nine - Revelations