THE HEART KNOWS
CHAPTER 37(A)
The door opened again and Khushi looked at the door in fear. They had already taken her ring, bracelet and her dupatta. What more did she have?
A figure stepped into the room and under the bright light. Her eyes widened when she saw who he was.
"Shyam?" she asked unable to believe himself.
He laughed and said, "Kyun, Khushi? Kisi aur ka intezaar kiya tumne?" [Why Khushi? Were you waiting for someone else?]
He walked towards her while she stepped back with every step he took towards her.
"Tum Saale Saab ka intezaar nahi kar rahi ho na? Kyunki woh nahi aayega." [You are not waiting for Saale Saab, are you? Because he will not come.]
He grabbed her elbow and pulled her out of the room. He took her to the big space in the front where lots of vehicles would have once occupied while being worked upon.
Khushi looked around for options. The front door was padlocked. There were two windows which had horizontal bars in them. The back door was guarded by the two men who kidnapped her. Each of them had a pistol in his hand.
Shyam noticed her as her eyes darted all along the room and said, "You can't escape from here, Khushi. Maine pehle hi kaha tha ki tum meri ho. [I told you before that you is mine.] You never listen to me."
She felt helpless and angry tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Don't cry, Khushi. I won't hurt you like Saale Saab. You are very precious to me. That day was an exception. I got angry when you slapped me and that is why I hurt you. From today, I will never make you cry."
He tried to wipe her tears but she pushed his hand away.
He grinned and said, "Before we start a new life, let us talk with Saale Saab."
He dialled Arnav's number and waited patiently for him to attend the call.
Once he did, Shyam said, "Hello Saale Saab!"
"Shyam?" Arnav said in anger and disbelief.
"Did you expect someone else?" Shyam asked with chuckle. "I called you because I took something which you had that actually belongs to me. I didn't want to tell you at all. But there were some problems and I was forced to tell you. Actually, this is kind of nice. I have an option to tell you that you are a loser. I have won, Saale Saab. I have won."
"You will not win, Shyam. I will not let you."
He let out an evil grin. "Let's see what happens. Tum aakhri baar meri Khushi se baath karna hai toh kar sakthe ho." [You can talk with my Khushi for the last time.]
He passed the phone to Khushi and said, "Arnav."
Khushi placed the phone in her ear and said, "Ar'. Arnav'."
"Khushi. Khushi, tum'.."
She interrupted him and said, "Arnav, woh letter maine nahi likha. Un logon ne kaha ki tume maardalenge. Isiliye maine woh kadh likha. Mujhe yaheen karo. Maine'.." [Arnav, I didn't write that letter. Those people told me that they would kill you. That is why I wrote that letter. Trust me. I'..]
He stopped her before she could go on. "Khushi, mujhe patha hai. I know that you will not do anything like that. Mujhe patha hai tum mujhse bahut pyaar karti ho. I trust you, Khushi. Tum theek ho na, jaan? Did they do anything to you?" [Khushi, I know. I know that you will not do anything like that. I know that you love me a lot. I trust you, Khushi. You are fine, right? Did they do anything to you?]
"Mujhe darr lag raha hai hai, Arnav. Mujhe yahaan se le chalo. Please. Mujhe yahaan se le chalo." [I am frightened, Arnav. Take me away from here. Please. Take me away from here.]
She broke down to tears and Arnav's eyes filled with tears.
"Jaan, ro math. Please, jaan. Main tume lene aaonga. Tum fikar math kar. Main zaroor aaonga." [Jaan, don't cry. I will come to take you. Don't worry. I will definitely come.]
"Arnav, I love you," she said just as Shyam plucked the phone from her.
"Nahi, sweetheart," he told Khushi. "Aisa nahi bolna chahiye. Tumari pyaar par sirf mera haq hai." [No, sweetheart. You shouldn't say like that. Only I have the rights over your love.]
He pushed her against a pillar and kissed her neck. "You are mine, Khushi. Just mine."
"Arnav!" Khushi screamed out aloud.
"Bye bye, Arnav," Shyam told him.
"Brace yourself, Shyam because your worst nightmare is going to come true," Arnav warned him as his voice dripped in anger.
Five seconds later, a car crashed through the door, breaking the gate from the hinges and smashing the bricks around it.
Arnav was near the old shed when Shyam called him. He stopped the car and asked Siddharth and Neel to get out. He signalled them to find another way into the building and that he would face Shyam and distract him by entering through the front door.
His heart began to beat normally only when he heard Khushi's voice. He almost died when she screamed due to Shyam. He put his vehicle in gear and slammed the accelerator. He didn't bother about the impact he would feel when he would smash through the closed gate.
He opened the door and stepped out of the car as the dust was settling in.
"Didn't I tell you to brace yourself, Shyam?" he asked. "Your worst nightmare is right in front of you."
Shyam was shocked.
Khushi's lips curved into a smile in spite of her tears. When she was about to run to him, Shyam grabbed her waist and held her close to him.
"Now that you are here, I would like to confess a few things to you," Shyam told Arnav.
"Don't tell me you really love my sister."
"Pyaar aur Anjali se?" he asked with a smirk. "Main usse kabhi pyaar kiya hi nahi. Woh sirf mera ATM machine thi. She was stupid enough to fall in love with me. Bechari meri har baath ko yakeen karthi hai." [Love and with Anjali? I never loved her. She was my ATM machine. She was stupid enough to fall in love with me. She believed every word I said.] He shook his head and said, "Topic change math kar. Mujhe confess karna hai. Last year, when you were returning from Laxmi Nagar, I thought you were returning alone. Maine ek plan banaya tha tume maarne ke liye. I paid a driver and asked him to smash a white car and gave him the place. Unfortunately, Khushi got into a white taxi and that car crossed the spot before you. Usko accident hua tha. She got the punishment which was my gift for you. After that, since you didn't do anything to me, I dropped my plan." [Don't change the topic. I have to confess. Last year, when you were returning from Laxmi Nagar, I thought you were returning alone. I made a plan to kill you. I paid a driver and asked him to smash a white car and gave him the place. Unfortunately, Khushi got inot the white taxi and that car crossed the spot before you. She had an accident. She got the punishment which was my gift for you. After that, since you didn't do anything to me, I dropped my plan.]
Arnav and Khushi stared at him in disbelief.
"Tumari bolthi bandh ho gayi," Shyam noticed.
"Woh tumara plan tha?" Khushi asked him. [It was your plan?]
"Of course, the credit goes to me."
Arnav said, "Tumare jaisa ghatiya aadmi ko maine aaj tak nahi dekha and I am angry with myself for believing your words over my love." [I have never seen an awful man like you till now and I am angry with myself for believing your words over my love.]
Shyam grinned. "Ek aur baath bhi hai. IT raid ki kaaran bhi mein hi hoon. My actual plan was to take Khushi away without your knowledge. But her one call spoilt everything." [One more thing. I was the reason behind the IT raid.]
"I suspected that," Arnav said.. "Kyun ki iss thara ghiri huyi kaam sirf tum kar sakthe ho." [Because only you can do such work.]
"I should tell you, Saale Saab. Your entry was brilliant. Now, I am very happy. You can watch while I make her mine."
Arnav tried to step forward.
Shyam pulled a pistol from his waist band and placed it against Khushi's temple.
"One more step and I blow her brains. What do you say?"
Arnav took another step towards Khushi and said, "Tum Khushi ko kuch nahi karogi." [You won't do anything to Khushi.]
"Kisne kaha ki main usse kuch nahi karoonga?" Shyam asked him. "Woh meri hai. But I will rather kill her than let her belong to you." [Who told you that I will not do anything? She is mine. But I will rather kill her that let her belong to you.]
Arnav was silent.
"She belongs to me or she dies. Decide."
Khushi tried to push him but he did not remove his grip on her.
"Khushi," Arnav called her.
She turned to meet his eyes.
"Look at me. Forget about your surroundings. Just look at me. Okay?"
A few more tears escaped her eyes as she nodded.
Arnav didn't believe that he would shoot Khushi and he stepped forward.
Shyam lowered his pistol to her shoulder and said, "Don't say I didn't warn you."
Without waiting for a second, he pressed the trigger.
BANG!
The shot reverberated through the old shed.
Siddharth and Neel took a round about way and reached the back door without making any noise. Since the door was not locked from the outside, they understood that Shyam's henchmen were in the shed.
They stayed silent and listened to the conversation between Arnav and Shyam. When Shyam warned Arnav, they thought they had enough of it. Neel pushed the door a bit and found that it was open.
That was when they heard the shot.
Neel kicked open the door and entered with his loaded pistol. Mano's reflex was quicker than Neel's. He bent a little and punched Neel's abdomen. Neel loosened his grip over his gun and it fell. Mano aimed another punch. This time he aimed for the face. Neel timed the move and punched Mano's ribs. His strength was powerful that knocked the air out of Mano. It must have broken a rib or two. Mano clutched his chest and fell on his knee.
Siddharth's luck was better. Raghu looked stunned as he didn't know how the situation changed and didn't move for a few seconds. Siddharth used that time to catch Neel's pistol in mid air and shoot Raghu's chest. He joined Mano on the ground.
Khushi and Arnav used the distraction pretty well. When Shyam was focused on his two henchmen, she gathered all her strength and pushed Shyam away from her, in spite of her bleeding upper arm.
Arnav noticed the red stain growing in his Khushi's shoulder and it increased his rage. She had pushed Shyam's hand away at the last moment and the wound was just a graze. He ran towards Khushi and held her in his arms. Neither of them was able to speak.
Shyam stumbled back due to the push. He steadied himself and tried to aim at Arnav and Khushi. Arnav was faster. He removed his hands from around Khushi and punched Shyam's face.
"I have been waiting for this for a long time," he told Shyam.
Before Shyam was able to raise his hands to his face, Arnav punched him again.
"What did I tell you about staying away from my wife?"
Shyam touched his face and felt his bleeding nose. The pistol fell from his hands and Arnav kicked it away. Arnav held his collar, pushed him against a nearby pillar and punched him in the gut.
Shyam groaned as he doubled over in pain.
At that time, Siddharth ran to Khushi and hugged her. He tied his handkerchief around her wound.
"You are fine, sweetheart. We are here with you."
It was more of a reassurance for himself than for her.
Mano took a few deep breaths and tried to pull the spare pistol from Raghu's waist band. Raghu chose that exact moment to kick Neel's leg. While Neel clutched his knee, Mano took the pistol and aimed it at Arnav.
Khushi noticed it and shouted, "Arnav!"
He noticed Mano and moved just in time to save himself. He dodged and the bullet whizzed past his ear. Neel kicked Mano in the chest where he had punched him. Mano couldn't control the pain and he fell back on the ground.
Shyam used that moment to escape from Arnav. He ran to the room next to the once where Khushi was locked in. Siddharth saw him escape and ran behind him. The room had another door at the far end and it was open. He stepped out of the door and saw nothing but darkness. He could also make out a lot of trees in the faint moon light. But no sight of Shyam.
~~~~~
see next page for Chapter 37(B) and note...
Edited by adventure_roks - 12 years ago
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