FF: Betrayed by Love ~(Note pg 151)~ - Page 93

Part 19

ETF office

Arjun swirled his chair away from his desk then placed one leg over the other knee and rested his head back. He had finally finished all the pending reports, now only thing to do is wait for morning and Rathore to arrive to start his day.

As he closed his eyes his thoughts immediately went back to Roshni and her diaries. He was still unable to grasp why Roshni had hated Priya for saving her from a potential dangerous situation.

Roshni's Diary

Dear diary, I will never forgive Priya for what she did to me today. Today I promised myself that, one day, she too will feel the pain of losing friends and the people she loves so much.

Why did she have to tattle to my friends' parents and my parents about the party at the club? What was the big deal about going to a party with friends? We all know each other very well and would have looked out for one another but no miss perfect had to open her big mouth based on what one of her friends had told her.

Nick is a nice guy and Shalini's boyfriend, he would never put any of us in harm's way but Priya is convinced that Nick had something to do with what happened to her friend Dolly. Now all of the parents refused to let any of us go to the party and because of this none of my friends are talking to me anymore.

That is not all; my dad has decided to send me away to my masi's house because he thinks I am getting out of control here. Not only did Priya alienate all my friends but now I have to go away from my parents also. I will never forgive her for this.

Arjun snapped out of his thoughts and made a mental note to ask Shree to look into unsolved cases for that year around Masudpur, Nick's hometown.

Arjun stood up to glance out the window and his eyes fell on the elastic bandage around his arm and another memory flashed in his head.

"Arjun!..Are you listening to me?"

Arjun did not hear Roshni calling him because he was too involved in the file he was reading. Next the file was snatched out of his hand and he looked up to see his fuming wife glaring at him with her hands on her hips.

"Roshni why did you do that?" He asked.

"I have been talking to you for the past ten minutes but you haven't heard one word I said to you." She said.

Arjun rubbed his forehead then caught her hand to make her sit beside him. He placed an arm around her shoulder to bring her close to him then placed his head on hers. "I am sorry Roshni but this case needs my full attention right now, Priya could be in over her head…" he trailed off when he felt Roshni stiffen in his arms.

"Okay fine never mind all that, tell me again what you were telling me." He said.

But Roshni left his arms, "One day you are going to forget my name also because of your cases and criminals," She muttered as she walked away.

Arjun had gone back to the file instead of going after Roshni. He should have apologized right then and there but he had felt guilty for bringing up Priya in their conversation when he had promised he would keep his work and cases separate from their personal life. Not only the case but also mentioning Priya had irritated her even more.

In the first few months of his marriage to Roshni he had half-heartedly attempted to bridge the distance between the two cousins but Roshni had refused to even talk about what had happened between them and Arjun for his own reasons decided it was best to leave things as is and he also started decreasing his communication with Sameer and Priya both until they both came to Mumbai to investigate on Sikandar and his activities.

He had thought long and hard on how to make up to her when he decided to get his name tattooed on his arm as an anniversary gift. When he had surprised her the smile she gave him had gone long way in reducing some of the guilt he had felt.

"Why Roshni? Was this not enough proof that I belonged to you only?" Arjun asked silently.

Arjun did you forget Roshni's entries into her diaries before her death? His conscious reminded him.

Yes, I remembered her feelings of insecurity when she realized I was working with Priya and Rathore but she could have talked to me about it instead of going behind my back to expose Priya's cover, he reasoned with the voice in his head.

Don't you see that she was afraid of losing you? What did you expect her to do when she overhears you talking to Priya and sees how concerned you are about Priya, the girl you had deep feelings for in the past? The voice in his head asked.

I didn't expect her to do what she did damn it! He clenched his jaw as anger took over again. No he could never forgive Roshni for what she did to Priya and him. He would have forgiven her for himself but he would never forgive her for putting Priya in danger.

The voice in his head laughed at him mockingly. Of course you could never forgive her for, Priya, your first love and you expected Roshni to feel secure about your love for her. Why don't you admit it? You never loved Roshni like you loved Priya, like you still love Priya.

Arjun turned and place his hands on the desk to steady himself. Yes I had loved Priya with all my heart but when I thought that she loved Sameer I made sure that my feelings were buried somewhere deep in my heart. When I decided to marry Roshni I had promised my hundred percent commitment to her and her only. I never once betrayed Roshni even in my thoughts. Yes I held part of myself back but it wasn't because I wanted to cheat Roshni, but that part of me belonged to Priya way before I met and decided to marry Roshni and I could never share that part of me with anyone.

The voice in his head went silent. Even his conscious couldn't accuse Arjun of not giving his hundred percent to his marriage and Roshni.

Later in the morning, ETF office

Priya made her way to the conference room slowly. She looked like death warmed over and thanked god when she didn't spot Arjun in the room.

Shree and Chotu were having their daily nok jhoks and Priya couldn't help but smile when they each pulled each other's leg. "Hey guys, how are you?"

Chotu and Shree instantly turned towards Priya. "Good morning Priya," Shree said as he hurried around the table to help her in the chair while Chotu poured her a cup of coffee. "How are you feeling today?"

Priya smiled her thanks at both Shree and Chotu. "Much better thanks, although the pain medicine is making me feel woozy.

"You should have stayed home." Rathore said from the door.

All three turned to Rathore as he walked further into the room. Shree and Chotu went back to their seats and waited for their chief to brief them on the day.

"I would have gone crazy Sam. At least here I can do some paper work or something." Priya said.

Rathore nodded his then thought how to break the news to her about Rawte.

"Where is Arjun sir today?" Chotu asked.

Rathore watched Priya closely as he spoke. "Rawte will be out of the office for couple of days. He went to Delhi to see his family."

Priya looked at Sameer with horrific expression and shook her head in denial. Why now Arjun? She thought to herself.

Sameer saw Priya's face drain of color and her horrific expression and wanted to break something in frustration. He didn't know why Arjun went to Delhi now but he hoped that he doesn't find out about the internal investigation on Priya or else all hell will break lose. He didn't even know if Arjun's reaction would be positive or negative after he learns of the investigation and the reason for it.

Meanwhile in Delhi Arjun got out of the taxi, paid the driver then walked towards the main doors of Rawte mansion. It's been almost three years since he walked out of the double gates and never looked back but nothing about his home had changed much since he left.

The gardens surrounding the house were in full bloom with his mother's favorite flowers. Gazebo was still well maintained as well as the swing set near it. He wondered if the inside of the house was still the same. He took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell.

The door swung open after one moment and Arjun laid his eyes on the person he had come to see, the person who instantly made him feel calm and warm from the inside as soon as he saw her. He bent to take his mother's blessings then hugged her tightly to feel her warmth envelope his whole being.

Mrs. Savita Rawte thought she was hallucinating when she saw her precious son standing in front of her after so long but when he hugged her she let the tears that she had held in her eyes for so long flow feely down her soft cheeks. Her son was finely home and she couldn't do anything else but hug him to her to never let go.

Few moment later Arjun's whole family came out one by one to see who was at the door until everyone was gathered around him with tears in their eyes. Arjun's question about his family forgiving was answered within few seconds of his arrival at home and now he can find the peace he has been seeking since he read Roshni's diaries.

Later that evening Arjun paced the length of the balcony of his room as he thought about the welcome he received earlier that day. Nothing had changed; they all loved him just as much as they had loved him before and they all had waited for him to come home patiently. They had all understood his reason for being away from them and they also scolded him for staying away for so long. Arjun was glad he decided to come home but the restlessness that he had felt in Mumbai was still with him.

Arjun's family hadn't asked him about his sudden homecoming but he had seen the questions in his parents' and rest of his family's eyes. Questions that even he didn't know answers to. He hoped to come to some type of conclusion while his family and their love surrounded him.

"Arjun beta," he stopped pacing when his mom called out his name from the room. Arjun went into the room to see his mom place the tea tray on the table and pour tea into a cup. "Come talk to me while we have this tea."

Arjun took the cup of tea from his mom and sat next to her. His dad, Suryakant Rawte, also joined them. Mrs. Rawte placed her hand on her son's shoulder and squeezed slightly. "Now tell us what's wrong." She said in her most gentle voice.

Arjun couldn't help but smile inwardly at her usual tactics. He remembered when he was a kid and something upset him this is how she came to his room with his favorite treat to find out what bothered him. He always told her everything at that point and today was no exception.

Arjun told his parents everything that has happened and all the things that he learned from Roshni's diary. He realized this is what he needed as he told his parents and saw their shock and understanding at his plight. He also saw his parents exchange uneasy look at the mention of Priya's name but he didn't think much of it until he finished telling them everything.

When he saw them exchange another anxious look and also the guilt on his father's face, Arjun immediately thought that there was something they wanted to tell him but for some reason they were unable to do so.

Arjun kept looking at his parents and noted the changes in them. His father was almost as tall him but he could see the age lines in his handsome face. His father had lot more grey in his hair now but he looked strong and healthy.

Arjun's mom however hasn't changed much. She was just as pretty as before except for the few frown lines on her forehead she still looked young as ever. The frown lines were probably thanks to him Arjun thought.

Arjun placed his head in his mother's lap and felt her hand on his head to sooth his disturbed mind. He felt an instant relief from her loving touch. "I don't know what to believe anymore mom. I have lost all faith in love and truth."

Mrs. Rawte exchanged another worried look with her husband. For the first time she didn't know how to heal her youngest child's heart. Arjun had been their surprise child so therefore he was more precious to her. She could never stand to see him in pain and it hurt to see him in pain now.

Mr. Suryakant Rawte wanted to punch the nearest wall in frustration when he saw the pain in his son's eyes and the worry on his beloved wife's face. If he had known the truth about Roshni then he would have never agreed to the alliance of Arjun's marriage to Roshni.

Suryakant Rawte had always taken pride in his family and had been very proud of his son for choosing the path that he did for his life. He had thought that an ideal life partner for Arjun would support him and be a rock for him in this difficult path but instead that ideal partner ended up breaking his son's confidence in himself.

Why had he listened to his colleague when he brought his niece, Roshni's, proposal to him and his wife? If that wasn't enough, Suryakant had fallen into the trap again by listening to his colleague's son and Roshni's mother after Roshni's death.

He wished he hadn't pushed for the internal investigation on Priya. When Arjun finds out about this it will hurt him even more. Why hadn't Suryakant, as Arjun's father understood, Arjun's feelings at the time of his marriage to Roshni?

He had a feeling, that for Arjun, Priya had been more than a friend. He wished he had listened to Sameer and not used his influence on the police department to pressure them into starting an investigation on Priya.

He was about to open his mouth to speak but stopped when his wife signaled him to keep quiet. He sighed when he realized his wife didn't want him to reveal anything yet. He nodded his head silently then walked out of Arjun's room.

Mrs. Rawte sighed in relief when her husband walked out of the room silently. She continued to run her hand over her son's head to sooth him but her own heart and mind were shattered after she listened to her son tell her about what he had discovered recently.

She leaned back to rest her head on the sofa and continued to sooth her son to sleep while she thought about how to tell him about what happened once he left home. Her son was going to be shattered after he learns about what Roshni's family did to Priya.

Next morning Arjun woke up with a feeling of having well rested night. He couldn't remember when he had slept more than a few hours thru the night without any nightmares.

Did he really sleep without being disturbed by any nightmares? He looked around and saw his mom sitting next to him with a smile on her face. She looked like she had sat beside him the whole night after she made him get up from the couch and sleep on the bed. He recollected a vague memory of his mom soothing him back to sleep when his sleep had been disturbed and realized that his mom must have kept his nightmares at bay with her soothing touch.

He felt his eyes burn with unshed tears and placed his head in his mom's lap to hide them from her. He knew his mom understood his feelings when he felt her hand on his head once again.

"Arjun beta I know what you are going through right now but please have patience my son, things will get better one day. Don't push yourself and listen to your heart not your head. I won't say let it all go because that is impossible but beta please think about everything and decide accordingly." She made Arjun sit up next to her and looked into his eyes. "I am afraid your father and I are going to add to the burden you already carry in your heart but I hope you understand why we did what we did also."

Arjun frowned and was about to ask his mom what she meant by what she said but she stopped him by placing her hand on his cheek. "Not right now my son, go freshen up first and have breakfast then we will talk." He gave into his mother's request and got up from the bed to head to the bathroom for a shower.

Two hours later.

Arjun sat back thoughtfully after he finished hearing what his parents' told him. He felt frozen from the inside and he was aware of the concerned glances his parents were giving him but he didn't know whether to cry or get mad after hearing that Priya had been accused of betraying the police by her Mami and Roshni's cousin. They had suspected Priya of giving up the evidence for Vikram, her fianc.

The more shocking news had been that Roshni's cousin was none other than Shukla, the guy who had taunted Priya at the academy. And he had been responsible for Arjun and Roshni's alliance also. Arjun couldn't even begin to unravel that piece of puzzle but he had an inkling that everything had been connected to Roshni's dislike of Priya.

What made it worse was that his father had used his influence to pressure the commissioner for the internal investigation. How could he ever face Priya after this? Not only had he turned his back on Priya because of his belief that Priya let Roshni die but also Roshni's mother and cousin had done their worse to destroy Priya.

He couldn't even blame his parents for what they did, after all he had been the first to curse Priya while he cried in his mother's arms after Roshni's death. He couldn't expect Priya to forgive him but he needed to be there for her when Sikandar makes his presence known. He also owed it to Roshni to get her the justice she deserves. No matter what she did Roshni did not deserve to die the way she did.

He finally turned and looked at his father. "Who cleared Priya's name dad?" I mean why was the investigation dropped suddenly?"

His father shrugged his shoulders. "We don't know but Sameer reassured me that Priya was cleared of all accusation by another undercover agent who was also with Priya at the time."

Arjun gazed around his father's study as he thought about what to do next when his eyes landed on the family photo in the far corner of the room. His eyes widened when he realized it was a picture of the whole family at his, cousin, Maya's wedding. He stood up to take a closer look.

At first he skipped over the groom and just gazed at his cousin, who was two years older than him, and thought she made a beautiful bride. He regretted not attending her wedding. He then glanced at the groom and was shocked to see that the groom was none other than Avinash, the guy who had been undercover with Priya.

His sharp mind instantly connected the dots and he realized that Avinash must have come to Priya's rescue and only the commissioner had been aware of this. But Arjun still didn't know how Sikandar had managed to get Priya to come out of hiding to give up the evidence she had on him. He needed to know all this and he knew just how to get everyone to stop hiding the truth from him.

Arjun knew that what he was about to do is going to end up hurting Priya but if that is the only way for her loved ones to tell him the truth then so be it. He was sure she would never tell him anything but if he pushed her just enough than everyone else will come to her rescue.

He turned back to his parents not revealing the fact that he knew Avinash, "I have to go back to Mumbai right away," he said as he hugged them both.

His parents didn't ask any questions but couldn't help but worry at his sudden decision. "Don't worry I will come back for a visit when time permits but there are some things I have to fix and ask my two best friends for forgiveness too."

His dad nodded while his mother patted his back. "Okay if that is what you want. Give our love to Sam."

Arjun hugged his mom. "Okay mom, by the way Sameer will call you soon, I am sure, with some happy news."

His mom smiled at him. "He already did. I am glad he is back with Swati, he had been lost without you back then and made a mistake of breaking his engagement to her. I hope things go well for him now."

Arjun couldn't help but smile at Sam's devotion to his family. Arjun was glad to know that not all relationships had suffered because of him. He hurried out of the room after giving his parents' one last hug. He had a train to catch as quickly as possible.

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Okay, there it is, yes more of the emotional stuff in the next update but things will get better.😊