Trapped ARHI SS Part 24 Up Thread 2 - Page 47

'How dare you talk to me in a raised voice. Don't forget you are talking to a senior, your mother-in-law and a person of a very high birth. I won't stand your nonsense. So, you just listen----'Nandini Raizada was not allowed to finish her sentence.

'Ma I want to give you respect. I want to love you. I want to treat you as my own mother. But first, I want to understand what makes a mother hate her own child. What made her taunt and hurt him all his life, so much so that he does not believe in love or happiness or family? Do you know the damage you have done? Your son doesn't even know how to behave with others normally or live the life of a normal young man. Why did you do this to your own son? Why?' Khushi asked.

Nandini Raizada turned away from the fragile girl who dared to question her like no one had ever done---not even her own children. 'I am not answerable to anyone,' she said curtly.

'Yes you are answerable to me, to the woman who craves to see her husband smile and laugh and enjoy life like any other man.

You are answerable to your unborn grandchildren, who will never know why their father can never be normal.

You are answerable to your daughter who is struggling with a failed marriage and small child, without her mother.

And most of all you are answerable to the son who has burnt himself like the candle for his family and has never got an acknowledgement for it from his own mother. He never had a childhood and now, he doesn't have his young age, all because of you,' Khushi accused, her heart filled with pain for her husband and the pain added to her anger against the woman who stood with her back to Khushi.

Silence filled the room as Nandini Raizada refused to turn around and look at Khushi or answer her. Khushi waited a while and then said,' Ma you don't have to answer my questions. You are right you are not answerable to anyone, as you said. But please come and tell your son that you love him, that he is the best son ever and that you never meant to hurt him. That is all I ask. It will heal him.'

Again Nandini Raizada maintained a stoic silence.

As Arnav entered Aaron's office, he felt his heart beat fasten. What had Aaraon discovered? What shock was in store for him? Why was he afraid he would find that Khushi was involved in something terrible? Why did he care so much what kind of person she was or what kind of trouble she was in, when she had caused him so much humiliation?

Reason did not work. He only wanted to know she was safe. He wanted to hear only good things about her.

He was shown into Aaron's room by his secretary.

'Aaron. What have you found. Please get to the point straight away.

I don't want to waste a minute,' Arnav urged.

Aaron took out a file and placed it before him.

'Arnav, this file has your wife's bank statements. Have a look,' he said.

'No I don't want to see how Khushi spends her money. I am not that low. I just want to know how is it that she is so bankrupt,' he said.

'That's why I want you to see this. Believe me, it was tough getting hold of these statements as it is against the bank's norms. We had to resort to some underhand ways I don't want you to know.

And since we put in so many efforts, we want you to have a look and see it for yourself.'

His hands shaking, Arnav flipped the file and received the first big shock. It was not the account to which he transferred money. This was a different bank.

Having got over his first shock, Arnav started going through the records of her transactions over the past few months, when he received his second big shock---

'Ma please come with me and talk to your son once. Hug him once. It will give his aching heart some peace. It will make him look at life differently,' Khushi implored.

But Nandini Raizada remained silent, with her back to Khushi.

Tears of frustration stung Khushi's eyes. This was Arnav's real mother? How could it be? Didn't she care for her own child?

It was so unfair to Arnav to be punished for something he had never done, to be caught in his mother's bitterness towards life.

Her pain enflamed her anger, which returned with double the vigor, against the woman who refused to do anything for her son.

'I know now. You are not Arnav's mother. He is not born to you and Dev Singh Raizada. That's why you are so cruel to him. That's why you hate him so much. You cannot be his real mother. Tell me the truth. You are not his real mother, aren't you?' she accused.

Arnav flipped through the statements. The account seemed to have been opened the month of their marriage.

There were hardly any transaction from that account except for a monthly credit and a monthly debit.

Over the three months they had been married, Khushi had made three deposits in the account.

Each amount was quite large for a girl who had not been working until recently.

In the month of February she had transferred 100000 to this account. In March it was 75000. In April it was 50000.

After each credit, there was a cheque clearance, indicating the money had been withdrawn by someone.

The account only showed the cheque number. He tried to see the name of the person she had given the cheque to. But the statement did not reflect the name.

He looked up at Aaron then and said

' I can see she has given someone a lot of money. But who is this person?

The bank statement does not reveal it. Can you tell me? Have you found out to whom the account belongs?"

Aaron nodded his head, Yes. As a matter of fact I have found out.'

'Shut up. Just shut up. You cant stand there and tell me that I am not the mother of my own son whom I carried for 9 months,' Nandini Raixada blazed with anger

But Khushi did not flinch.' I don't believe you. If you were his mother you would never do all this to him. Never ever!' she returned.

Who are you to tell me what I can do to his son,' Nandini Raizada said angrily.

'I am his wife---a wife who loves him more than her own life. A wife who wants him to be happy and have a life.

But then how would you know about it? When you don't care for your son, I can safely conclude you never cared for your husband.

You probably hated your husband too.'

At these words, Nandini Raizada's proud face crumbled. Tears filled her eyes and spilled over. She collapsed into a nearby chair, much to the shock of Khushi. She felt alarmed at the older woman's plight. Had she gone too far? She regretted it now.

'I am sorry Ma I have said too much. I think I should leave. I am sorry I hurt you,' Khushi said.

'No. Don't go. You said I must have hated my husband too right? You are wrong. I loved him so much that I want to hate Arnav because he is so much like Dev. I want to hate him, because if I love him, he will hurt me more than Dev has. Hating Arnav, is the only way I can protect myself from dying all over again in my lifetime' she said.

Shocked, Khushi gazed at her mother in law, who was not the proud Nandini Singh Raizada anymore. She was a frail, broken woman who had lost all faith in life and love----

'The money has been transferred to a Horizon Enterprises. Do you know this company? Does it belong to your wife's family? Can you let us know or do you want to investigate it further?'

Horizon enterprises Incorporated? Where had he heard the name before? Arnav tried to recall.

But he had heard of it from Khushi. He also knew, her family owned no business. So whom was she giving the money to? Or rather, why was she giving money to this company? Did she have a stake in it?

He was as clueless as ever. Returning his attention to Aaron he said,' I want you to find out all you can about Horizon Enterprises.

Who owns it, who takes money from Khushi and why.

I never expected that Khushi transfers money to a business. I always thought it was a person. But if she is giving money beyond her means, and if she is stressed about it, there is more to it than meets the eye.

Continue the investigation and let me know as soon as possible.'

Aaron reassured him of quick action.

As Arnav walked out of agency, his mind was troubled. Was Khushi trying to build some business with someone else? Why didn't she tell him? Why was she hiding it?

And who was running Horizon Enterprises?

It must be someone she knew. But who? And how did she stand to benefit from this? Was she blackmailed or was she doing it willingly?

Aaron's findings had left him more confused---