*None of my work can be copied without explicit written permission from me. It's not polite to steal ideas.*
Writer's note: Aha people! So back with a bang eh? Welcome to the second segment of the story, the one all of us (including me) have been waiting for... ASR's redemption! Now I need you guys to help me out ok? Pour your frustration out as much as you'd like. (I know it will be difficult seeing the lovey-dovey and mush going on in reel life *swoon* ok ok concentrate!)
So Feedback is absolutely necessary. I know you guys were wondering, Khushi is in Lucknow, Arnav is rushing to Delhi.. ye ho kya raha hai? Scene padho and tell me what is happening 😉
cheers!
Precap: Arnav reads his father's diary of 14 years ago and all secrets of the past are revealed to him. It turns out that Dadi had been lying to everyone in defense of her son. Dadi and Arnav have a huge confrontation where he exposes the truth in front of his family about his father's adultery. He decides to break all ties with Dadi once and for all. Nani and Anjali's conversation reminds Arnav about his broken wedding. He realises that Khushi already knew the whole truth when he had asked her to break all ties with her family. He tries to call Khushi but can't get through to her. So he decides to leave for Delhi in the dead of the night.
Ab aage :)
Chapter 13 The pursuit for happiness
Scene 1
[Inside the plane, 11:55 P.M.]
Arnav looks out of the window as the Jet capers down the private runway. He watches as the blinking lights of the city slowly retreat from him, waving their farewell. Funny, how he had wondered at his arrival if this place could be his home and he was already leaving it. 2 days, that's all I could spend here peacefully. His thoughts are interrupted by the voice of the air hostess.
"Mr. Raizada," she says a little breathlessly, clearly dazzled by the company of such a handsome sophisticated young man. "May I get you something to drink?" Arnav shakes his head to indicate no. She walks back to the pantry, disappointed at the short duration of their interaction.
Arnav presses a button and eases back his seat. He reclines, closing his eyes, a whirlpool of thoughts hovering in his mind. It had been almost 6 days since he had last seen Khushi at Aman's fake party. 6 days since he had touched her, even if it was to shut her up from screaming. Arnav smiles at the memory. 6 days since him bumbling like a fool while conversing about jalebis. God that had been embarrassing; she'd seen right through him. And... 6 days since their devastating conversation. Arnav's smile fades away as the memory of their last fight clouds into his mind.
"Arnav Singh Raizada ke liye kabhi kuch bhi kaafi nahin hota hai. Aapka gussa kaafi nahin hota hai. Doosron ko neecha dikhana kaafi nahin hota hai. Kisi ka bharosa todna kaafi nahin hota hai. Kisi ka dil dukhana kaafi nahi hota hai.,"
"Nafrat karte hain hum aapse"
Arnav's eyes snap open, startled to be able to recollect her venomous declaration so clearly. A familiar ache is resurfacing in the depths of his heart. The same ache he had felt when Khushi had refused to marry him, when she had asked him if he really did love her, when she had told him that his buying a house for Aakash made no difference to her, when she returned her ring to him. He raises his hand to his chest and slowly rubs it. He remembers how angry he had felt everytime she had rebuffed him, everytime they had fought. And yet, when she said that she hates him, he had simply accepted it, no questions asked, no arguments exchanged.
"Aur aaj ke baad se main bhi tumhari life mein kabhi nahin aaunga. I promise you Khushi Kumari Gupta!"
Arnav flinches involuntarily, the fury from that day's outburst scalding him today. He always wanted to be in control of things, always wanted to be the one who cut people off from his life. He couldn't bear to see that someone else was trying to do that to him. Anything deviating from the way he wanted things to be and his whole being revolted against it. Violently. And that is exactly what he had done. He had pushed Khushi away from him that night.
"Tum mujhe apni life mein nahin chahti ho? Tum? Main tumse kehta hun, ki meri life mein tumhari koi jagah nahin hai."
Arnav lets out a long sigh. Itna kuch hone ke baad, Khushi mujhse baat bhi karna chahegi? He wonders to himself. But what if she doesn't? He realises the question has brought with it an unsettling feeling of uneasiness. He slowly turns his head and glances outside the window again. He peers outside, watching the night skies and the stars happily twinkling down at him. He reaches into his trouser's pockets and he withdraws something in his hands. Sparkling on his hand, against the faint beam of moonlight streaming in through his window, lay his mother's payals. He stares at them for a moment before looking back yearnfully at the stars as if silently seeking their help.
I have to try, he decides resolutely.
[Gupta House, 03:30 A.M.]
The neighbourhood is peacefully asleep, deep in slumber. Surprisingly, the road leading up to Gupta House is flooded with a strange yellow hue. The source of illumination seems to be couple of fog lights installed at the front shutter of Happy Singh's garage, presumably left on tonight as he forgot to turn them off. A cab slowly pulls in, stopping next to Khushi's house. Arnav gets out of the cab and immediately shields his eyes from the strong beam of the fog lights, cursing loudly. He murmurs something to the driver who nods back at him.
Arnav turns towards the house, standing still at the entrance, his hand resting on the latch of the gate leading into the courtyard. His glance moves from one end of the house to the other. A feeling of uncertainty is now tugging at him. Shayad mujhe itni raat ko nahin aana chahiye tha. Woh so rahi hogi, he thinks to himself. As he continues to look at the house, another voice in his head challenges him. You just flew all the way from Lucknow, just to meet her in the morning? What's wrong with you?
Arnav suddenly shakes his head as if clearing the admonishing voices in his mind and opens the latch with a creak. He purposefully walks to the door, takes a deep breath and presses down on the bell.
Nothing happens.
He waits for a few seconds, before pressing down the bell again. It is eerie that he can actually hear the bell ringing inside the house so clearly. It's quite clear that everyone is deep asleep. After another few seconds, deciding that this would be the last try for the night, Arnav presses the bell down for a third time. To his surprise, this time he hears a muffling noise on the other side of the door. Third time lucky eh? Arnav stands back, straightening his pullover and smoothening his hair. He hears the sound of the latch being pushed back on the other side - his heartbeats suddenly racing, this is it! - and the door opens to reveal -
- a bleary red eyed Buaji, resting one hand on her head, looking extremely sleepy. The feeling of elation that was rising its head in Arnav's heart turns to shock as he locks eyes with her. Her eyes widen slowly as she realises she isn't dreaming and it is indeed -
"Tum?" she says surprised. Arnav winces but quickly folds his hands in a greeting.
"Hello Buaji," he mutters sheepishly.
"Tum yiihaan itni raat gaye kaa karat ho?" she asks him, a tone of suspicion peppering her voice.
"Woh Buaji... mujhe..." Arnav stutters, "mujhe Khushi se baat karni hai," his finishes lamely. Buaji's eyes narrow.
"Ghadi pehene ho ya hum apni dikhaye rahe tumko? Yii kauno waqat hai yiihan aane ka?" Arnav is rendered speechless. He had been prepared to meet Khushi, but he hadn't considered coming face to face with a fuming and sleep-deprived Buaji. Maafi maang le Arnav, warna ye Khushi se milne nahin dengi, he thinks to himself.
"I'm sorry Buaji. Par mujhe usse bahut zaroori baat karni hai," he says persistently. Buaji looks even more affronted.
"Hum jo keh rahe hain, woo jaroori nahin hai kaa, hain?" Buaji asks angrily. Arnav stares at her as she glares back at him. He knows that his next action will have Buaji run after his life but he couldn't just stand there and continue the idle chit chat. He pushes one of the doors open and walks past Buaji who gapes at him, clearly shocked to see him enter her house.
"Khushi!" Arnav yells from the living room. "Khushi!!"
"Tumri HIMMAT kaise hui?" Buaji thunders from behind him. He turns around and looks at her exasperatedly. He was in no state of mind to tackle her.
"Buaji please! Mujhe ek baar Khushi se milne dijiye. Fir main yahan se chala jaunga," Arnav requests her, trying very hard to keep down the impatience in his voice.
"Tumko kaa laga Nandkishore? Ki jabhu titaliya se baat karne ka mann karega, khule sand ki tarah yiihaan chale aoge. Haan?" she asks him annoyedly. Arnav stares at her for one moment, but decides it's not worth fighting with her anymore. So he determinedly walks to Khushi's room and bangs the door open.
"KHUSHI!" he switches on the lights and looks around wildly. There's no one in the room.
"Khuseee yiihan nahin hai," Buaji's voice comes through the door stating the obvious. A wild sense of panic rises in Arnav's mind. He rushes out to the living room.
"Khushi kahan hai?" he asks Buaji alarmed. She glares back at him.
"Hum naahin batayenge tumka!" she replies back defiantly. Arnav stands speechless, staring at the furious look on her face. Oh this is getting too much! He feels anger rising inside him.
"Buaji! I need to know! KHUSHI KAHAN HAI?" his voice rises. And that was the last straw. Buaji's eyes momentarily widen in disbelief that Arnav was shouting at her. Then she grinds her teeth angrily and to Arnav's astonishment immediately grabs his arm. She walks him out of her house and whirls him outside the main door. Then she wordlessly walks back in and shuts the door on his face.
Silence descends around him.
He stares in utter shock at the door that Buaji had shut on his face. He had been thrown out of the house! Arnav Singh Raizada, of all people! He turns away from the door and slowly walks back down the stairs. He pauses for a moment halfway through the corridor and looks back at the door, disbelief still written in his eyes. Did that really happen? He resumes walking out of the courtyard, defeated. He couldn't get through to her on the phone and she wasn't at home. Khushi yahan nahin hai. To woh gayi kahan? The panic returns.
He starts tapping the phone on his palm impatiently as he forces his stunned brain to kick back into action. He glances down at his phone, his eyes suddenly widening in hope. Well if Buaji won't help me, I'll just have to find help elsewhere. He presses a button and the screen of the phone comes alive. He quickly scrolls through his contact list and presses the dial button as soon as he finds the name. The phone rings the entire 30 seconds before he hears the automated tone at the other end "The person you're trying to call is unavailable at this moment. Please try later." He withdraws the phone from his ear, frowning. He glances at his watch just to be informed that it was 3:55 A.M. It's too early, she must be sleeping right now. He tries the phone once more. This time the phone rings only twice before being cut off at the other end.
"What the - ?" Arnav stares at his phone disbelievingly. So she wasn't asleep! He immediately hits redial. The same thing happens; it seems like the other person is in no mood to entertain his calls. Arnav lets out a loud grunt of frustration. He stands still for a moment, thinking what to do next. Then he suddenly sprints to the cab still waiting for him.
"Suno! Mujhe ek urgent call karna hai. Yahan aas paas koi phone booth hai kya?" Arnav asks the driver urgently. The driver gapes back at him. He had directly driven Arnav from the airport to Laxmi Nagar by following his directions, no questions asked. He hardly knew anything about this location.
"Saahab, itni subah to koi bhi dukaan khuli nahi hogi," he murmurs hesistantly. Arnav grinds his teeth in irritation.
"Fine, in that case, take me to Shantivan in Pant Nagar," Arnav snaps at the bewildered driver, who thinks to himself incredulously, kya insaan hai, ek phone karne ke liye Pant Nagar jana chahta hai as he turns on the ignition.
[Raizada Mansion, 05:30 A.M.]
Arnav is pacing in his room, throwing glances at the clock every few seconds. He was waiting for it to be 05:30 so that it seemed a respectable enough hour to call. As soon as he sees it is time, he hits redial. The phone again rings for a long time. A look of frustration flashes across his face as he realises that she wasn't picking up again, when right at the last ring someone picks up.
"Hello? Hello, Payal? Payal please phone mat kaatna!" Arnav says desperately. On hearing no response, Arnav tries again insistently. "Payal?"
"Haan kahiye. Hum sun rahe hain," comes her calm, composed voice from the other side. Arnav sighs in relief. Finally after numerous trials at least she picked up her phone.
"Payal, Khushi kahan hai?" He immediately asks. No time for idle chit chat, no time for pleasantries, no time for apologies. But she doesn't reply. "Please mujhe batao Khushi kahan hai. Tumhari Buaji mujhe kuch bata nahin rahi hain. Please!" he exclaims desperately. Payal is seriously judging whether she should tell him anything or not. He does sound concerned.
"Khushi hospital mein hai."
The wind chime tinkles idly behind him, he can hear birds chirping at the break of dawn, the rustle of leaves reach his ears as if tickled by the breeze, but louder than anything, he hears the thudding of his heartbeat. "Ho..Hospital mein?" his voice suddenly trembles. He isn't sure if heard his sister-in-law right. "Woh hospital mein kya kar rahi hai?" Payal again goes quiet. Arnav's panic gives way to irritation as he encounters her silence again. "Payal! Main tumse kuch pooch raha hun!" he shouts in frustration.
"Kyun? Aaj achanak se kyun yaad aa gai uski?" Payal suddenly flares up listening to Arnav's angry voice. What the hell does he think that he can waltz into Khushi's life whenever he feels like? She thinks angrily to herself. Arnav takes a deep breath trying to rid his voice of anger.
"Payal," he continues his voice calm now. "Please batao mujhe. Khushi hospital mein kyun hai? Kya hua hai use?" After a silent moment Payal replies.
"Doctors ne kaha hai ki Operation ke baad ICU mein kuch din rehna padega Bau-" before Payal can finish her sentence to say "Bauji ko", the phone slips out of Arnav's grasp. A cold shiver runs through his whole body. Operation? ICU? It feels like the air is suddenly sucked out his lungs. His mouth suddenly feels dry. A feeling of dread clamps his heart. He picks up the phone from the floor and brings it back to his ear. He could still hear Payal saying something on the other side but her brain isn't registering anything she was saying.
"Kaun se hospital mein?" he asks her.
"King George's Hospital, Lucknow." Arnav disconnects the call and rushes out of his room.
ENGLISH VERSION
Chapter 13 The pursuit for happiness
Scene 1
[Inside the plane, 11:55 P.M.]
Arnav looks out of the window as the Jet capers down the private runway. He watches as the blinking lights of the city slowly retreat from him, waving their farewell. Funny, how he had wondered at his arrival if this place could be his home and he was already leaving it. 2 days, that's all I could spend here peacefully. His thoughts are interrupted by the voice of the air hostess.
"Mr. Raizada," she says a little breathlessly, clearly dazzled by the company of such a handsome sophisticated young man. "May I get you something to drink?" Arnav shakes his head to indicate no. She walks back to the pantry, disappointed at the short duration of their interaction.
Arnav presses a button and eases back his seat. He reclines, closing his eyes, a whirlpool of thoughts hovering in his mind. It had been almost 6 days since he had last seen Khushi at Aman's fake party. 6 days since he had touched her, even if it was to shut her up from screaming. Arnav smiles at the memory. 6 days since him bumbling like a fool while conversing about jalebis. God that had been embarrassing; she'd seen right through him. And... 6 days since their devastating conversation. Arnav's smile fades away as the memory of their last fight clouds into his mind.
"Nothing is enough for Arnav Singh Raizada. Your anger isn't enough. Demeaning someone isn't enough. Breaking someone's trust isn't enough. Hurting someone's feelings isn't enough."
"I hate you."
Arnav's eyes snap open, startled to be able to recollect her venomous declaration so clearly. A familiar ache is resurfacing in the depths of his heart. The same ache he had felt when Khushi had refused to marry him, when she had asked him if he really did love her, when she had told him that his buying a house for Aakash made no difference to her, when she returned her ring to him. He raises his hand to his chest and slowly rubs it. He remembers how angry he had felt everytime she had rebuffed him, everytime they had fought. And yet, when she said that she hates him, he had simply accepted it, no questions asked, no arguments exchanged.
"And after tonight, even I will never come back into your life. I promise you Khushi Kumari Gupta!"
Arnav flinches involuntarily, the fury from that day's outburst scalding him today. He always wanted to be in control of things, always wanted to be the one who cut people off from his life. He couldn't bear to see that someone else was trying to do that to him. Anything deviating from the way he wanted things to be and his whole being revolted against it. Violently. And that is exactly what he had done. He had pushed Khushi away from him that night.
"You don't want me in your life? You? I'm telling you this that you have no place in my life from today onwards."
Arnav lets out a long sigh. After all that has happened, will Khushi even want to talk to me? He wonders to himself. But what if she doesn't? He realises the question has brought with it an unsettling feeling of uneasiness. He slowly turns his head and glances outside the window again. He peers outside, watching the night skies and the stars happily twinkling down at him. He reaches into his trouser's pockets and he withdraws something in his hands. Sparkling on his hand, against the faint beam of moonlight streaming in through his window, lay his mother's payals. He stares at them for a moment before looking back yearnfully at the stars as if silently seeking their help.
I have to try, he decides resolutely.
[Gupta House, 03:30 A.M.]
The neighbourhood is peacefully asleep, deep in slumber. Surprisingly, the road leading up to Gupta House is flooded with a strange yellow hue. The source of illumination seems to be couple of fog lights installed at the front shutter of Happy Singh's garage, presumably left on tonight as he forgot to turn them off. A cab slowly pulls in, stopping next to Khushi's house. Arnav gets out of the cab and immediately shields his eyes from the strong beam of the fog lights, cursing loudly. He murmurs something to the driver who nods back at him.
Arnav turns towards the house, standing still at the entrance, his hand resting on the latch of the gate leading into the courtyard. His glance moves from one end of the house to the other. A feeling of uncertainty is now tugging at him. Maybe I shouldn't have come here so late, she must be sleeping, he thinks to himself. As he continues to look at the house, another voice in his head challenges him. You just flew all the way from Lucknow, just to meet her in the morning? What's wrong with you?
Arnav suddenly shakes his head as if clearing the admonishing voices in his mind and opens the latch with a creak. He purposefully walks to the door, takes a deep breath and presses down on the bell.
Nothing happens.
He waits for a few seconds, before pressing down the bell again. It is eerie that he can actually hear the bell ringing inside the house so clearly. It's quite clear that everyone is deep asleep. After another few seconds, deciding that this would be the last try for the night, Arnav presses the bell down for a third time. To his surprise, this time he hears a muffling noise on the other side of the door. Third time lucky eh? Arnav stands back, straightening his pullover and smoothening his hair. He hears the sound of the latch being pushed back on the other side - his heartbeats suddenly racing, this is it! - and the door opens to reveal -
- a bleary red eyed Buaji, resting one hand on her head, looking extremely sleepy. The feeling of elation that was rising its head in Arnav's heart turns to shock as he locks eyes with her. Her eyes widen slowly as she realises she isn't dreaming and it is indeed -
"You?" she says surprised. Arnav winces but quickly folds his hands in a greeting.
"Hello Buaji," he mutters sheepishly.
"What are you doing here at this hour?" she asks him, a tone of suspicion peppering her voice.
"Uhm Buaji... I..." Arnav stutters, "I need to talk to Khushi," his finishes lamely. Buaji's eyes narrow.
"Are you wearing a watch or should I show you mine? Is this a decent hour to come knocking here?" Arnav is rendered speechless. He had been prepared to meet Khushi, but he hadn't considered coming face to face with a fuming and sleep-deprived Buaji. Apologize to her Arnav, otherwise she'll not let you meet Khushi, he thinks to himself.
"I'm sorry Buaji. But there's something important I need to say to her," he says persistently. Buaji looks even more affronted.
"And whatever I am saying, is that not important?" Buaji asks angrily. Arnav stares at her as she glares back at him. He knows that his next action will have Buaji run after his life but he couldn't just stand there and continue the idle chit chat. He pushes one of the doors open and walks past Buaji who gapes at him, clearly shocked to see him enter her house.
"Khushi!" Arnav yells from the living room. "Khushi!!"
"How DARE you?" Buaji thunders from behind him. He turns around and looks at her exasperatedly. He was in no state of mind to tackle her.
"Buaji please! Just let me meet Khushi once. I'll leave after that," Arnav requests her, trying very hard to keep down the impatience in his voice.
"What did you think Nandkishore? That whenever you feel like talking to titaliya you'll stamp in here like a raging bull?" she asks him annoyedly. Arnav stares at her for one moment, but decides it's not worth fighting with her anymore. So he determinedly walks to Khushi's room and bangs the door open.
"KHUSHI!" he switches on the lights and looks around wildly. There's no one in the room.
"Khuseee is not here," Buaji's voice comes through the door stating the obvious. A wild sense of panic rises in Arnav's mind. He rushes out to the living room.
"Where is she?" he asks Buaji alarmed. She glares back at him.
"I will not tell you!" she replies back defiantly. Arnav stands speechless, staring at the furious look on her face. Oh this is getting too much! He feels anger rising inside him.
"Buaji! I need to know! WHERE IS KHUSHI?" his voice rises. And that was the last straw. Buaji's eyes momentarily widen in disbelief that Arnav was shouting at her. Then she grinds her teeth angrily and to Arnav's astonishment immediately grabs his arm. She walks him out of her house and whirls him outside the main door. Then she wordlessly walks back in and shuts the door on his face.
Silence descends around him.
He stares in utter shock at the door that Buaji had shut on his face. He had been thrown out of the house! Arnav Singh Raizada, of all people! He turns away from the door and slowly walks back down the stairs. He pauses for a moment halfway through the corridor and looks back at the door, disbelief still written in his eyes. Did that really happen? He resumes walking out of the courtyard, defeated. He couldn't get through to her on the phone and she wasn't at home. Khushi isn't here. Then where is she? The panic returns.
He starts tapping the phone on his palm impatiently as he forces his stunned brain to kick back into action. He glances down at his phone, his eyes suddenly widening in hope. Well if Buaji won't help me, I'll just have to find help elsewhere. He presses a button and the screen of the phone comes alive. He quickly scrolls through his contact list and presses the dial button as soon as he finds the name. The phone rings the entire 30 seconds before he hears the automated tone at the other end "The person you're trying to call is unavailable at this moment. Please try later." He withdraws the phone from his ear, frowning. He glances at his watch just to be informed that it was 3:55 A.M. It's too early, she must be sleeping right now. He tries the phone once more. This time the phone rings only twice before being cut off at the other end.
"What the - ?" Arnav stares at his phone disbelievingly. So she wasn't asleep! He immediately hits redial. The same thing happens; it seems like the other person is in no mood to entertain his calls. Arnav lets out a loud grunt of frustration. He stands still for a moment, thinking what to do next. Then he suddenly sprints to the cab still waiting for him.
"Listen! I need to make an urgent phone call. Do you know if there is a phone booth around here?" Arnav asks the driver urgently. The driver gapes back at him. He had directly driven Arnav from the airport to Laxmi Nagar by following his directions, no questions asked. He hardly knew anything about this location.
"Saahab, I don't think any shop would be open this late," he murmurs hesistantly. Arnav grinds his teeth in irritation.
"Fine, in that case, take me to Shantivan in Pant Nagar," Arnav snaps at the bewildered driver, who thinks to himself incredulously, what a strange fellow, he wants to go all the way to Pant Nagar just to make a phone call as he turns on the ignition.
[Raizada Mansion, 05:30 A.M.]
Arnav is pacing in his room, throwing glances at the clock every few seconds. He was waiting for it to be 05:30 so that it seemed a respectable enough hour to call. As soon as he sees it is time, he hits redial. The phone again rings for a long time. A look of frustration flashes across his face as he realises that she wasn't picking up again, when right at the last ring someone picks up.
"Hello? Hello, Payal? Payal please don't cut the call!" Arnav says desperately. On hearing no response, Arnav tries again insistently. "Payal?"
"Yes. I'm listening," comes her calm, composed voice from the other side. Arnav sighs in relief. Finally after numerous trials at least she picked up her phone.
"Payal, where is Khushi?" He immediately asks. No time for idle chit chat, no time for pleasantries, no time for apologies. But she doesn't reply. "Please tell me where is she? Your Buaji isn't telling me anything. Please!" he exclaims desperately. Payal is seriously judging whether she should tell him anything or not. He does sound concerned.
"Khushi is in the hospital."
The wind chime tinkles idly behind him, he can hear birds chirping at the break of dawn, the rustle of leaves reach his ears as if tickled by the breeze, but louder than anything, he hears the thudding of his heartbeat. "Ho..Hospital mein?" his voice suddenly trembles. He isn't sure if heard his sister-in-law right. "What is she doing in the hospital?" Payal again goes quiet. Arnav's panic gives way to irritation as he encounters her silence again. "Payal! I'm asking you something!" he shouts in frustration.
"Why? All of a sudden you remember her today?" Payal suddenly flares up listening to Arnav's angry voice. What the hell does he think that he can waltz into Khushi's life whenever he feels like? She thinks angrily to herself. Arnav takes a deep breath trying to rid his voice of anger.
"Payal," he continues his voice calm now. "Please tell me. Why is Khushi in the hospital? What has happened?" After a silent moment Payal replies.
"Doctors said that after the Operation, the patient has to stay in the ICU so Khushi -" before Payal can finish her sentence to say "Khushi is with Bauji", the phone slips out of Arnav's grasp. A cold shiver runs through his whole body. Operation? ICU? It feels like the air is suddenly sucked out his lungs. His mouth suddenly feels dry. A feeling of dread clamps his heart. He picks up the phone from the floor and brings it back to his ear. He could still hear Payal saying something on the other side but her brain isn't registering anything she was saying.
"Which hospital?" he asks her.
"King George's Hospital, Lucknow." Arnav disconnects the call and rushes out of his room.
Writer's note: And so it starts! Muhahahaha!
Feedback please 🤗
comment:
p_commentcount