Her Pregnancy-#2 -Chapter 16 pg 141 upd 01/08 - Page 73

I feel sorry for Arshi, Khushi dealing with her miscarage and Arnav confused with his decisions. I really hope Arnav makes the right one, instead of breaking Khushi's hear all over again. PLEASE make Arshi happy again 😭 It's hard seeing them going through this.

Chapter 15

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He had been having these dreams for sometime. Now that he had gotten over the initial obstinate spark and the irrational fear for Khushi's life, he had been feeling increasingly uneasy about his plan and recollections and incidents had him see the implications that would potentially harm his relationship with his wife.

A voice inside him had always told him that what he was going to do was a futile attempt and a cowardice knee jerk reaction in answer to his inner demons. The businessman inside him told him that he was going to loose more than what he would gain. There was a possibility he would loose everything. And it wasn't worth the risk. Plus he knew he was being irrational, acting like an commonplace fool wearing his heart up his sleeve.

But the truth be told, he had been a lonely man throughout his life, a man who gathered courage from difficulties thrust upon him, being a mentor and a guardian to his family but resolutely ignoring his bleak colourless existence. And then one fine day, Khushi had stumbled into his sordid excuse of a life bringing with her color, vivacity and sparkle. She was the epitome of what happiness stood for him and loosing her was an unbearable calamity.

There was no thinking twice on the matter. To heck with his far fetched schemes. He was an idiot to even consider something that might make her abandon him. Vasectomy was off the table.

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"I got a call from the organization committee of the cancer hospital event. I said I'd appear for the inaugural ceremony instead of you. They understand that you are busy" Khushi said as she handed him the mug of coffee and bustled around the room picking up scattered books and files Arnav had dislodged trying to find a report of an building company.

"Ok" Arnav said shortly, too tired from the day's work to utter much. It was easier to let his wife do the talking.

"I'm a little nervous. Do you think I have to do something special?"

"I don't think so. Just smile around and make small talk. Besides I'm glad you're slowly taking up the role of a Businessman's wife. I haven't mentioned this before but Khushi, there will be times when you'll have to take my place and represent me when I don't have the time."

Khushi looked stricken but then nodded slowly. "I've been meaning to ask you, you wouldn't mind if I read some of your books in the study would you?"

Arnav looked startled but then perked up immediately. "Of course not. It's great that you like reading. They are mostly business magazines though. They might bore you. If you want, I can buy you books that would interest you."

"I actually like them. There are some of your old text books too. And I found reference to some of the things they are talking about. Can I ask you a few questions when you have time?" her eyes had lit up hopefully and she looked like an enthusiastic school girl.

Arnav could have kissed her in delight. He was pleasantly surprised and more than willing to help her in anything. "You can ask questions anytime you want. If you want, even now. I'm glad you told me this!" his tiredness had vanished. He couldn't remember being this enthusiastic in months.

"No actually it's late and you should have dinner" She suddenly fidgeted nervously and Arnav took her hand, peering in to her eyes closely. "Is anything the matter?"

She shook her head violently, putting on a forced smile that was a telltale sign that she had something bothering her. He wondered what made her change her demeanour so abruptly. "Lets go eat" she tugged his hand and Arnav had no choice but to let her drag him downstairs to the dining table.

Dinner was a silent affair, everyone having the meal, absorbed in their own thoughts. Khushi looked particularly subdued, uncharacteristically detached from the surroundings. She was picking at her food, shooting nervous, furtive glances in his direction from time to time.

"Khushi, what's the matter with you?" Arnav clutched her hand and turned her roughly to face him the moment they were in the confines of their bedroom. She merely stared back at him with her large doe eyes in answer. Had she gotten to know about the...?

"Don' tell me it's nothing because I can see there is something. Don't keep me out of things for gods' sake" Arnav shook her from her shoulders, to make her speak, trying to keep the fear crowding inside him at bay. She flinched as if slapped, her eyes filling with tears.

He let her go immediate, seizing her hand and pulling her to him. "God I'm so sorry. I don't know why I keep doing it, but please Khushi tell me so that I can help you" he was pleading, almost begging her now.

She suddenly nodded her head, took his hand and led him to bed where she sat down and patted next to her to imply to sit beside her.

"I want to tell you something. I should have told this to you a long time back but I hid it from you" her voice came soft, a quiver breaking the tone. She stared back at him with tear filled large apologetic eyes. Arnav stared back at her perplexed. Hid something from him? What?

She took a deep breath as if to gain courage from thin air and whispered "Well it all started with the 6 month marriage contract."

Arnav felt shell shocked, a deep feeling of panicked self-aversion hitting him hard. Why was she bringing that up? Why was she bringing something that he wanted to erase from his memory?

She gulped visibly, seeing his expression but went on stoically. "Do, do you remember when we..you know consummated our marriage but the six month clause was not over?"

His face relaxed as precious memories crowded inside his head. How could he ever forget their first night? He saw her blush a deep scarlet and look at her hands.

She looked back up at him suddenly, a fiery spirit burning in her eyes. "Arnav ji I'm going to tell you everything as it is but you'll have to hear me out till the end. Will you promise me that?"

Arnav nodded mutely wondering where this was going.

"I was madly in love with you, but you never verbally assured me that our contract never was going to come between us. In other words I thought I had to leave you after the six months are done."

Arnav listened intently, grasping her words and pushing them into his churning brain.

"At that time I actually thought what we had was just a physical relationship that would cease once our marriage was done. I was delirious, wanting to stay with you forever but knowing fully well I couldn't. I stopped pining at one point, taking each day at a time. I was helpless with what I felt for you and just ensured to have you for myself as much as possible until the contract was over"

"Khushi.." Arnav began, unable to listen to this any longer. Pain and sadness clenched at his throat making him unable to retort anything further.

"Shhh, you promised. Let me speak"

Arnav nodded after a pause.

"But then Shyam's truth came out, six month marriage was nearly over and Di was having trouble coping being with me in the same house. At that point I knew I meant to you more than just as a companion for a physical relationship. But as much as I hated it, I had to leave for the sake of the sanity of this house."

"I never wanted to be your wife if you didn't want it. But that didn't stop me from being madly, irrevocably in love with you. I wanted you with such an urgency, but if I couldn't, I wanted to have at least a part of you. That's how I became pregnant. I wanted to have your child; a part of you that I'll always have with me no matter what. I purposefully didn't take the contraception pills although I promised I would. I said I forgot to take them from time to time, but I lied. I didn't take them on purpose."

"What?" he could only gasp at what he was hearing. There was a curious ringing at the back of his head.

"I went back to bua ji's home. You came everyday, trying to make me come back home with you. I refused but then we never stopped being intimate did we? And then one day I found that I was pregnant. I had no intension of using that as a ploy to come back to you. Di was not going to be happy with me being in the same house so I had it all planned. One of my cousins in Bihar had everything settled and I was going to work there as a primary school teacher. Train tickets were booked and I was to leave the very next day I found I was carrying your child but then bauji recovered from his paralysis- recovered enough to give evidence of Shyam's murder attempts. You know the rest of the story. Di realised what a scum bag her husband was and when he was caught by the police, he himself confessed about his attempts to take her life. That was when she broke all ties with him and realised what a horrible man he is."

"I had to delay my trip for a few days because of everything that happened so suddenely. I was starting to feel heavily sick and bua ji suspected and found I was pregnant. Di herself came to ask me to marry you, pleading with me to have you again. Although my family was angry at that time on the contract marriage fiasco, Buaji informed her of my pregnancy and of course after that there was no stopping our families from making me marry you again. Of course we didn't perform the traditional ceremony because of the pregnancy but then we did have our marriage registered. And I came back to you."

She took a deep breath and took his now ice cold hand. "I'm so sorry for even thinking of deceiving you like this" her large eyes were earnest and imploring.

Arnav felt as if he was going to combust. With as immense effort he controlled his nerves from shredding themselves into pieces as he tried to absorb what he had just heard.

How dare she?

He had known her to have a shrewd, calculative, impish brain but he never expected her to be so deluded as to think she could raise a child, raise HIS child without his acknowledgement; decieve him to such an extent, snatch his child and deny him a parent.

Arnav firmly took his hand away from her as anger welled up inside him like a snake gearing itself off the grass heads.

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