FF: Unspoken PART 26 PG 141 *new thread!!! - Page 64

SS: Unspoken part 20

Arnav patiently waited for Akash to continue. Khushi didn't think it concerned her so she slowly backed up and left the two. "Akash," Arnav said to cue his friend to speak.

Akash could barely look Arnav in the eyes as his heart panged to tell such a big revelation to him. "I've decided to go to at least a couple of the trips. I want to buy some things for the baby - to surprise Payal," he added a forced smile and Arnav chuckled. "Okay...great. Prepare yourself then. We'll be going soon."

"Sure," Akash concluded and swiftly walked away. His eyebrows furrowed and his head hung low as he felt like he was betraying Arnav by not telling him the truth. But he settled that if he didn't have the courage to tell him right then, then he never would and if it came to that, then perhaps it was better to keep his mouth shut on the particular subject forever.

*

Khushi let out her true feelings in the darkness of the night as she heard the slow breathing of Arnav while she stood by the window and looked up at the distant moon. She pressed her forehead against the wall and closed her eyes as her fears began to eat her inside out again.

She heard him shuffle and slightly jumped at the sound of his voice calling for her. She went to the bed and lay down next to him. "What's the matter?" He asked quietly to which she shook her head. "I just couldn't sleep."

He stroked her face before he took her hand and kissed her knuckles. "You will soon," he whispered and shifted a bit so his head was nestled between her shoulder and neck and hugged her close to himself. Khushi stroked his shoulder until her hand grew tired and she rested it against the arm that was wrapped around her waist. So much love; so much acceptance - surely he would accept her truth and still love her. Right?

*

Arnav made his way to the marketplace and silently laughed at Vijay arguing with a man at a vegetable stand. He saw him turn around and they made eye contact. "Is he cheating you?" Arnav asked an empty handed Vijay making the other chuckle at himself. "No, he was complaining about how the vegetables aren't as good as last month. What am I supposed to do? Force the sky to rain more?"

"Don't worry, I'll try to haul some fertilizer from the city. I've even put some thought into getting a new tractor," Arnav smiled when Vijay's eyebrows shot up. "Can I take this as a rekindling of an old friendship? You don't have to do any of that though; unless you're planning on bringing a truck full of fertilizer - a few bags won't do much."

Arnav scratched his head as he realized he was right. "Perhaps. Hey, maybe I'll do even that - I'm feeling fairly generous today," he said and the two broke out in a unanimous laugh.

"I should get back to work - the animals are waiting for me."

"You are their closest relative," Arnav joked and Vijay rolled his eyes. "Thanks. I feel so dignified right now." He waved before he left.

As Vijay made his way further away from the marketplace or the view of any common man, he darted through the pathway that would take him deep into the forests - a pathway that he'd been taking for months now.

The meeting spot was a place that was far from the outline of the forests and could only be reached through so many twists and turns, ups and downs.

He finally emerged into a small clearing where he sat with his back to a tree trunk; waiting for the arrival of his accomplice.

He heard shambling in the tress before the man came out. Vijay jumped up and crossed his arms over his chest. "What's going on? Someone from your side came by yesterday?"

"I don't know..." The man said confusedly.

"Sanjay, you stupid man! Why would a Sadasyan come here? What's going on?" Vijay probed.

"Oh!" Sanjay's eyes widened as he suddenly remembered. "A girl is missing from our village - that would be the only reason why someone came by."

Vijay suddenly became extremely interested in the topic. "A girl? What's her name?"

"Khushi Gupta."

Vijay's face brightened upon hearing those words. Khushi. Arnav's wife. A Sadasyan? He was deeply lost in planning a plot when Sanjay's voice cut him out from his daydream. "How's the plan going? Is he falling for it?"

Vijay laughed like it was the most hilarious thing. "Of course he's falling for it. The man is a sucker for people who succumb to him and treat him like he's royalty - but that's going to change. I'll do whatever I have to, to make this place mine."

"Don't forget my share," Sanjay said and Vijay waved it off. "Yeah, yeah."

"How's Sonam?" Sanjay quietly asked and Vijay turned to him with a smile. "Your sister is just fine. Just think about it Sanjay - once this place becomes mine, you won't have to stay another minute longer on Sadasya. You'll be free here and I'll make sure that all your needs are met."

"And Arnav?"

Vijay let out a conniving and menacing laugh. "All it takes is a little bit more friendly acting and then he's done. He won't know what hit him - literally."

*

With the sun slowly lowering itself, Arnav left Akash's shop to head home when a distant voice called for him. He turned to find Vijay jogging towards him. "Arre yaar! You again?" Arnav teased and then grew curious when he saw the serious expression on Vijay's face as he stopped in front of him.

"I need to tell you something important. Let's just move to the side," Vijay suggested and led Arnav to the side of the pharmacy, which was already closed for the night. "I don't know how much you're going to believe me but I'm just going to do what I have to by passing along what I know," Vijay started and Arnav gave him his undivided attention.

"Yesterday there was a Sadasyan spy in the marketplace. I had to find out what his reason was for coming because it's an automatic violation of the truce and...I found out something..." Vijay paused for a moment to take in Arnav's reaction which was a stern expression that was impatient to know more. "Just say it!" Arnav finally exclaimed.

"Your wife...she's a Sadasyan."

Arnav's breath was knocked out of him. He suddenly forgot to breathe as his eyes widened at what Vijay just revealed to him. He gulped a mouthful of air when his lungs screamed for life. "What?" He asked through clenched teeth because he literally could not believe what was coming out of Vijay's mouth.

"Again, you don't have to believe me, but there's only one way for you to know now - you ask her."

Arnav grabbed fistfuls of Vijay's shirt as he pulled him close. "If you ever utter such shit again, I will break every tooth in your mouth, then shove it down your throat." He pushed him away then started his march towards his house. His fingers twitched and even fisting them didn't do them any good. He felt like his body was on fire and he didn't know if there was anything that could extinguish it at that moment.

Vijay's words rang through his ears. She's a Sadasyan. She's a Sadasyan. His steps quickened as his heart did. His jaw tightened to the extent that he was hurting himself, but he wasn't aware.

He took deep breaths as he saw his mother and Adi caring for the plants on the front lawn. "Go to Akash's house," he demanded and Avni looked up with a raised eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Arnav looked away as he continued to take calming breaths but he felt like he would explode any second. "Ammi," he clenched his teeth. "Please go to Akash's house right now."

Avni immediately felt something was wrong but she also saw how tense he looked altogether. "Let me call Khushi," she said and he grabbed her wrist. "Khushi is staying. Take Adi and leave."

"Abba?" Adi tried to get his attention by tapping his arm but Arnav looked away and ignored all the calls. "Enough Adi. Let's go," Avni said and took his hand as she walked away but not without constant glances back " desperate to know what was going on.

Arnav walked up the stairs and slammed the door shut. He walked to the kitchen where she was. She looked at him with a smile but the smile quickly fell when she saw how he wasn't himself.

"Where are you from?" He asked and her eyes widened while her heart dropped six feet under the ground. "What? You already know, I'm from Bhadra..."

Arnav's lips curled and he grabbed the plate that she was holding before he smashed it against the floor making it break into countless pieces. "DON'T LIE TO ME!" He roared with anger while Khushi trembled in her own skin.

Khushi started walking back but Arnav's booming voice made her freeze in her spot. "TELL ME WHERE YOU'RE FROM!"

"Sadasya," she said breathlessly and Arnav's eyes shut as he felt like someone stabbed him in the heart. He opened his eyes and it showed nothing less than unbearable anger. He took another plate off the counter and smashed it again on the floor. Tears sprang to Khushi's eyes and this time she didn't stop moving back until her back hit the counter.

"You lied to me. You used me. You used my people - my land, my family. HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?!" He yelled and smashed another plate.

"STOP IT!" Khushi shrieked with tears now swiftly coming down her face. "I had no choice! I knew you'd react this way!"

Arnav's nose flared as he stepped over the broken pieces and stood close to her face. She tried to look away but his hold on her chin didn't allow her. "Now you've made me a fool. YOU'VE MADE A FOOL! I fought to keep you on this land - if the council ever finds out, THEY'LL LAUGH IN MY FACE!"

She pushed at his arm until he let go of his hold. "Then just send me back if that's what you want!" She cried and he continued to stare at her angrily.

"Send you back? You think you're going to get it that easy? Now even if you beg me to go back, I'M GOING TO KEEP YOU HERE! Khabardar Khushi, if there is ANYTHING else you're hiding from me, you better tell me right now!"

"I lied about my parents' names," she said in a small voice because she felt that small standing in front of the towering beast.

Arnav's heart stopped for a second. "Who's your father?" He asked in a quiet yet threatening tone.

"Shashi," she said. "Shashi and Garima Gupta."

Arnav tried not to make his sigh of relief so obvious but he couldn't be so sure. He needed to be one hundred percent. "I need to know you aren't lying again."

"I'm not lying!" She screeched with her face wet with tears. "I swear over my own self that I'm not lying! Those are the names of my parents!"

Arnav curled his lips in rage upon hearing the new information.

"Now to get some things straight: you're going to remain my wife, but not in the sense that you think. To the outside world - you are. To me - you're nothing but a Sadasyan," Arnav went on and Khushi stared at him incredulously while she slowly shook her head disbelievingly. "To be honest, I'm only keeping you because of my ego - I will not allow anyone to laugh at me BECAUSE OF YOUR LIES! If I let you go, the shame is too much for me to handle so I won't. But just because your truth is out - I already said this, but let me say it again - you will never step foot on Sadasya. You may take this as a blessing, but hell has yet to start for you."

The broken glass crushed even more under his sandals as he left her crying on the spot. She slid her back down against the counter until she met the floor. As the sun went down, the house became so dark until it was pitch black. She never did hear the return of Avni and Adi.

And just as she'd feared, Arnav's hate was indeed too powerful for him to look past her truth. She considered her life as good as done in that moment. She had officially lost everything and gained nothing but hate.

*

Arnav's hand instinctively reached out until his mind processed what he was doing and he quickly snatched it back, but not before realizing that the space was just space. It was empty. He opened his eyes and looked around first before he leaned up on his elbow and looked well around the room.

He rubbed his eyes and walked through the dark house until he got to the living

room where he thought she would have slept but there was no one there. He checked the kitchen and no was there. He checked his mother's room but no avail and came up empty with the guest room too. Starting to panic, he roamed around the house again. Stopping in the kitchen, his eyes landed on a curled up figure by the far end of the room - where he'd left her. Sweeping the glass shards would have been too noisy so he slipped his sandals on before he walked up to her. He grabbed her upper arm and she gasped with a startle. "Don't touch me," she hissed and pulled her arm away.

Arnav clenched his jaw and leaned down to pick her up. Despite all her protests, he still managed to do so. He put her down as soon as they reached the hallway. "I won't sleep in the room," she said, greatly irritating Arnav in that time of the night. He wasn't up for her complaining though so he left her standing again in the hallway, while he slept on the couch in the living room.

Khushi tip toed to her room and sobbed yet again as soon as her head hit her pillow. She bunched up the sheets up to her mouth to muffle her cries that wouldn't seem to stop. What had her life come to?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hah sorry if this part didn't come as good as you expected! Ok dokes, some clarifications peeps:

Khushi is NOT lying about her parents. That was the one surprise. She's not Surya's daughter. ;) I just made it seem like she was. hehehehe. I'm too good! lol. jk!

Vijay is one little son of a bitch. As you know by now, he's cheating Arnav. *gasps*

You would think Arnav is kind to pick up Khushi and he is. His past won't let him like her so easily because then he'd be going against everything he believes. But hey, the guy still loves her obviously. He's going to find out that his love with trump his hate in the end. 😉 << fun, fun!

That's all! I thank each and every one of you! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I can't believe this story of mine completed 100 pages. Thanks to YOU guys! 🤗