She smiled softly.
"Lakshmiji, you wont get anything here.." she called out.
but lakshmiji was not in a mood to forgo the treasure hunt game, and slowly moved towards the craddle which was covered with a white cloth.
"Oh no dont munch that off" Anjali called out, finally managing to get out of the bed to take the cloth off the cradle.
Dried roses adorned the body of the cradle. Anjali was reminded once again of shyam, of how he surprised her with decorating the cradle with roses for her baby! She sat beside lakshmiji..
"you miss him right?" she asked, her eyes tearing up
"meh"
"I know, I too miss him" she told patting the goat affectionaltely "How much he used to like you... All because of Kushi" se gritted her teeth..
Lakshmiji by the way found something stuck to the cradle and started pulling it..
"what is it?" she asked and then noticed something stuck underneath the cradle and took it off.
she opened the package and got the shock of her life! It was Arnav's will in favour of Shyam. Anjali started sweating! So was it true that Shyam was behind her money? did he really try to kidnap her brother and murder him? howmuch was Kushi into this? Did she help him in getting the signatures? She should have... how will Arnav sign these papers otherwise? or is the girl completely innocent? Anjali's head started spinning..
"chotey.."she whimpered "Oh my .. oh my god.. I need to " the tears started spilling out finally as she tried to reach her brother's room to talk to him. She needs to know the truth.. she told hersefl.. see the truth without any blinds on!
She pushed open Arnav's room but it seemed deserted. Infact the house itself seemed deserted.
"where did all go ?" she wondered loudly. She was about to call out to them aloud when she heard noices towards Akaash room and started limping towards that direction.
***
"I cant believe this" Kushi told beofre she tried to take her pouch out of Arnav's hand
"What?" he asked her again
"That you can be so mean and tell you sister everything"
"this is not about being mean.. She needs to know"
"No she doesnt! She is fragile.. delicate, she wont be able to digest this"
"That doesnt mean she should be deprived of truth,U made a mistake deciding for her all those days ago and I made the same mistake" Arnav told her calmly and put a hand to stop her from interupting him " even though we did that so that she wont break down, we shouldnt have done that."
"so you are going to show her all this?"
"yes" he told calmly "she deserves the truth kushi, or when she comes to know of the truth one day, she will not be able to take it that she treated you or me badly"
" but you should not show her this" Kushi told finally snatching her pouch from him "No one would like to hear the person whom they loved declaring their love for someone else... She will feel very bad hearing this digusting voice!" Kushi told firmly before she deleted that voice from her mobile.
Arnav kept looking at her then finaly smiled.
"Ok, you can delete it, but she needs to know the truth.. For her sake, for your sake! "
"chotey!" Anjali's whisper surprised them all
they turned to see Anjali swaying very near to them, finally loosing conscious.
"Di! " Arnav cried out reaching her just in time to hold her.
***
Anjali gained conscious briefly and was surrounded by her family, her brothers, Mami and Nani who all let her know that all was well. Arnav had called the doctor and he had left after prescribing some sedatives to put down her stress. All the while Kushi was requested to stay away Anjali stabilized
Payal and NK decided to stay by Kushi when the family was tending to Anjali. all the three went towards the mandir and sat down there.
"do you think Di heard everything?" Kushi asked them
"No idea!" NK told her "if she heard about it then it is better for everyone"
"Everything will be alright Kushi" Payal consoled her
"what if she starts to hate me more?" She asked them again
"She wont" a voice which soothed her like no other heard from her behind
"Arnavji?"
"I will see to that she understands Kushi" he promised her
"Is Di alright?" NK asked him and the family which followed him
"Anjali bitya is put to sleep with sedatives. Let her rest" nani informed them.
"But did Anjali bitiya hear everything? how long she was there and how much she has heard or if she had just managed to come there and faint. ?" Mamiji voiced everyone's doubt
"Even if she hadnt heard, Chotey, dont discuss anything with her.. not now.. do you understand?"Nani told him calmly
Arnav agreed. He slopped sown next to Kushi firmly holding her hand and quietly listening to the family discussing about what can be done next.
***
It had been 2 hours since then and finally Kushi removed Arnav's hold from her hands. When he looked into her eyes, she told that she needs to go to their room
"Kushi?"
***
It was only when Payal and NK finally nudged everyone to sit down for dinner, Arnav realized that kushi who went towards their room has been missing for quiet sometime and rushed upstairs. Not finding Kushi in their room, he started searching for her everywhere, and as one by one the rooms that he searched for her were devoid of her, he started panicking... Has she left by the front door when others were lost in their own thoughts? Has she left him even after he told her not to leave?
then a thought struck him, was she in Di's room? Would she go there again after what happened today morning? nevertheless he started towards his sister's room and he quickened his strides as he heard noises that he suspected as clear sobs.
when he finally reached the room, a weird but a divinely comforting scene met his eyes.
The two most important women in his life were sobbing holding hands, while the elder one's hands soothed down the velvety black waves of the younger one who had seeked solace on her lap.
***The end***
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