IPKKND FF:The Final Decision (Ch.8, p.37) UPD:8/21 - Page 12

Originally posted by: Dynamix215

-.- I hate NK!!! how could he be so mean? :'(

Chapter 5

He was still clutching the broken mangalsutra when Akash walked into his room.

"Bhai?"

When Arnav didn't respond, Akash walked over to his brother. It was not until Akash was standing right in front of him that Arnav looked up and when he did, Akash staggered back. He had been shocked seeing Arnav's tears but this grief was much worse. Arnav had always been the strongest man Akash had ever known. He was the steady pillar that held their family together. But now that pillar had cracked. Tears were not needed to express Arnav's sorrow; his honey-brown eyes said it all.

"It's over Akash. There is nothing left now."

His voice was devoid of all emotion. It was as though everything in him had died. He was just an empty shell now, without a soul.

"But Bhai.. what happened?"

When Arnav didn't answer him once again, Akash looked around. He saw the opened package lying on the ground and picked it up. There was no return address on it but judging from his brother's reaction, the package could have been sent by only one person.

"Did she sign the papers?"

"No."

No? Then why did he look like he had nothing to live for anymore?

Arnav held up the mangalsutra then and Akash thought he understood.

"That's rather selfish of her Bhai.. she doesn't want to be your wife anymore but she refuses to release you from the relationship."

At those words, Arnav looked up, a self-deprecating smile distorting his handsome face. "Even if she had signed those papers, I would never be free from her Akash. I love her and there is no going back from that. But that's not the point. Don't you see Akash? But how could you..? None of us did. Khushi is too good, too pure, too selfless for us to truly understand. She could be free from me, from that sham of a marriage but absolving it would hurt her family. She doesn't want to cause them any more pain and so she chose to turn down her chance at a new life, at another opportunity to find love. She chose to still be bound to me, but in name only. She sent back that mangalsutra, because to her, that meant more to her than any papers possibly could. She is telling me she is done with me, but only me. She doesn't want our families to know and so she has kept my name, Singh Raizada, and thrown everything else back. She could have been free Akash but she chose to remain fettered, for the sake of others. Don't ever call her selfish again."

Akash hung his head, ashamed. He should have known. She had married his Bhai, thrown herself into a farce, just so he and Payal could be happy. He had been blind to her sacrifice and now he had called her selfish. He backed out of his room and slowly made his way down to his sister's favorite spot in all of Shantivan. He had never been an atheist like Arnav or extremely pious like Anjali, who seemed to live in the mandir; he had always been in the middle, never prone to extremes. But he prayed down, fervently, for just another chance. Please Devi Maiyya.. grant me just this one wish. Make her come back. For Bhai, for Di, for me. So we can all beg for her forgiveness.

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"Hello?"

"Nand Kishore?! Is it you? Oh Babua, it's been so long since I have heard your voice! How are you? How is my Sanka Devi? Can I speak to her? Please? It's been so long.. and I miss her so mu-"

"Buaji.."

The seriousness of the tone, which had only ever been playful, stopped Madhumati's chatter immediately.

"Babua? What happened to Khushi?"

Khushi's buaji was a lot like her niece: crazy, irritating, and overly prone to dramatics. But she shared another quality with Khushi: perceptiveness. Hearing that graveness in NK's voice, so at odds with his personality, Madhumati understood that something truly awful must have occurred. And she knew too that whatever happened was somehow linked to her beloved niece, for nothing else could have induced Nand Kishore to sound so somber. Madhumati had recognized Nand Kishore's love for Khushi long before he had acknowledged it himself and she now realized that only Khushi could bring such a change in Nand Kishore. Madhumati had fully grasped the situation with just one word NK had said and she was now filled with dread of what he would say next.

"Buaji, we're coming back to Delhi."

"Why?"

She did not need to elaborate for NK to understand the depth of what she was asking. Why now, after so many months of silence?

"She had an' an accident. And now she's lost her mem-"

"An accident!? How? When? Wha-"

"That's not important right not Buaji. What we need to focus on is Khushiji and her current condition."

"Is.. is she ok?"

"Physically, she's suffered a lot of damage but those wounds will heal. Mentally.. I can't say. She has amnesia Buaji. She doesn't remember anything from the past two years, including me. Her last memory is Payalji's wedding.. the one in Lucknow."

It did not take long for Madhumati to comprehend the full implications of NK's words and so she asked the natural question.

"What did you tell her?"

"That Payalji's wedding got cancelled and that she married Akash. That they met walking along the street and it was love at first sight. She believed me because she's the old Khushiji again.. Buaji, the doctors have warned me not to overwhelm her. She will remember when she wants to. It will come naturally. And in the meantime, we just have to be careful."

"Of course Babua, I understand. When will you arrive here?"

"In two days."

"Ok Babua, we will be ready."

"Buaji, just one more thing. Don't tell him; he doesn't deserve to know."

Madhumati did not need to ask Nand Kishore whom he was referring to. And there was no need for NK to warn her. She had no intention of ever speaking to that man again. She had never hated anyone, until she had met Arnav Singh Raizada. Even Shyam had not invoked that emotion in her. She had been repulsed by him but she had never hated him. Rather, she had pitied Shyam, pitied his obsession, his delusion. Arnav, on the other hand, she hated. Just as she had recognized Nand Kishore's love, she had also seen Arnav's. Arnav had loved Khushi, and yet he had not trusted her. He had thrown her out of his heart, and his home. And somehow, she just knew, by some instinct, that Khushi's present situation was also caused by Arnav. But she was almost glad in a way, just as NK was, that Khushi had lost her memory. She had another chance to start afresh now; perhaps now she could finally get the happily ever after she had dreamed of, before her innocence had been shattered by a cruel reality.

As Madhumati hung up the phone, her resolve firmed. Khushi deserved her second chance, but Arnav did not. He had torn the wings of the beautiful butterfly that had flitted his way and it was only now that the butterfly was beginning to fly again. Her eyes hardened with anger and Madhumati too made her decision: she would not allow Arnav to ever find out about Khushi; she would not give him another opportunity to crush the butterfly again.

*THIS IS MY OWN WORK. PLEASE DO NOT COPY OR REPRODUCE.*