Chapter 16

Suzie

@etfr

PART 16

Riya put receiver near her ear and spoke "Hello!?"

"Hello! Who is this? Can I please talk to Arjun, it's urgent?"

"This is Riya and I am sorry, but Arjun is busy right now. You can pass the message to me if it's business related, I will tell him."

"Riya!?? You mean Arjun's ex-wife?"

Riya got stunned hearing this. So she hurriedly asked "Who are you? How did you know me?"

"Riya, I am Roshini, you might not know me but I know Arjun and Rawtes very well. Please don't misunderstand me, I mean no harm. I just want to help you and Arjun. I...uh!"

"Miss Roshini, I am not getting you. You know Arjun and his family? But how do you know me because very few people knew about me as Arjun's wife and now too its unknown to everyone that i am here except family.? What do you want, speak up?" Riya enquired in stern voice finding it strange.

"Okay, listen don't panic, I am Arjun's ex-wife. Please don't think that I am here for Arjun or something. Today I contacted Rawte mansion only to help you and Arjun. Arjun took me as a friend when we married each other and decided to take everything slowly and he helped me enrolled in my dream course and helped my family financially too. I am very much indebted to him because of him only today I am happy and my father is alive. Earlier I thought he was just hypocrite and playboy type so he divorced me after not recieving more dowry. But later I realised if he was greedy for my dowry then why would he open a personal account for me which was loaded with enough money for me to use and spend on my family and he had paid everything related to my college fee, books, tution too. I got shocked when I realised maybe Arjun really suffered from something serious. I tried alot to search about Arjun but except Rawtes and their overbearing personalities I didn't got any news related to Arjun. Later I met my husband and got married. I am happy and well settled thanks to Arjun's help but recently I bumped into Anjana Rawte and I heard about you and kids from her and also how they separated you both. Riya I know I might be sounding suspicious calling all of a sudden but I can't explain everything on phone, so can we meet as soon as possible? I don't want to trash my friendship with such a good soul like Arjun by not helping if I can. Please believe me." Roshini inhaled a deep breathe.

Riya, on the other side was shocked would be understatement. She is dumbstruck hearing everything and knowing that her and Sameer's suspicions were to the point.

"Hello? Riya? Are you there?" Roshini asked.

"Uh, oh! Yes I am listening. I mean i heard you. And I don't know whether I should believe you or not but i would like to meet you. How about tomorrow early morning? We have very little time and here is a lot of things going on. So you decide the place. I will come with my friends, is it okay?" Riya replied.

"Absolutely, let's meet tomorrow. How about new Cafe Hall near marine drive?" Roshini asked excitedly.

"Sure, see you tomorrow."

[Flaskback ends]

Sameer looked at Riya shocked after hearing about the conversation between her and Roshini.

"So you went to meet her, right? With whom? Wasn't it planned by Anjana Rawte to trap you and harm you?" Sameer asked urgently.

"No! No! No! Bhai I thought the same that's why I took Shree and Chotu with me. They reached India this morning only after knowing I returned back to Rawtes. So I directly picked them up from airport and met Roshini. There, she told me about the conversation she heard between Anjana and that family doctor that...." Riya told everything to Sameer and assured that Roshini wasn't with any ill intentions rather she is a great way to stop this sham marriage and reveal the truth of this family to Arjun. 

Sameer silently heard everything then nodded before saying "Let me contact someone to help with take care of that doctor first then everything can be followed as per plan."

"But Sam bhai what's the need to follow the plan now. We can arrange a meeting between Arjun and that doctor and try to get the truth out of him. Then with Roshini's explanation everything will be clearer for Arjun. Phir woh khud iss torturous family ko jail bhejega. And you don't have to go against your wishes and marry a stranger." Riya exclaimed confused.

"Riya, don't you remember doctors ne kaha tha ke Arjun ko kisi bhi haalat mei forcibly yaad nhi dilana hai, it will be dangerous from him. And most important thing is to help him know the truth behind the facade of his loving family. So we should help him gradually, not all of a sudden. And I am all ready for this marriage anyhow I had to get married, so let me marry now I will explain everything to the bride and my parents later. We can't insult the bride and her family by calling the marriage off at the last moment. So please let's go according to plan first." Sameer replied calmly.

"Ap ye sab sirf Arjun ke liye nahi kar rahe hona? You're doing this to push Aisha away from you by accepting this marriage, right? Bhai is it worth it? Aren't you feeling shattered by all this? By pushing away your love? You are breaking her and your own self together with this." Riya asked desperately, understanding Sameer's actions.

Sameer looked down with deep sigh and said in broken voice "Riya I am doing all this for her best. I can't provide her the life she is living now. She will be happier with anyone other than me. And I will be happy away from her."

"No! She can never be happy with anyone else bhai. She loves you alot I saw her broken form at your accident. Maybe I was much more stable at Arjun's disappearance last time than her. She.. she broke down completely. Bhai, can't you just let us handle Aisha's father? Please let us try to make him understand atleast once." Riya asked softly.

"No Riya, nothing can be done at this stage, so stop worrying. Also I had already broken her enough I can't live on with another guilt. She is already destroyed because of me, now I can't let her die and vanish from this world because of me." Sameer said sitting defeatedly on the bed while a lone tear fell on his cheek.

He still remember how he had saw her that night.. that night he clearly saw how broken and shattered she was. The way she called his name before fainting that day, he clearly remembered. That night he was missing her so much that he couldn't sleep and felt restless.

[You can check on Part 8(b) if you want.]

Feeling restless at midnight was not something new for him, as whenever he get lost in memories of the past, he so much wants to see her and the restlessness follows. But today he couldn't keep himself from walking out of his house as he felt like something is not right. But he didn't expected someone would bump into him outside the pub.

"SAMEER" he heard that person called his name after bumping into him, followed by a slight weight on him. The voice itself was enough for him to recognize the person, still he looked down to get his fill of her, after such a long time.

"Aisha!" He called her softly in disbelief. But soon realization dawn at him that her eyes are close and she is falling. Hurriedly, he picked her up in his arms before running towards his car. He put her inside before sitting beside her. He checked her temperature, she is burning with high fever and add to that the high smell of alcohol is reeking from her making him slight dizzy, this clearly explained her presence in the vicinity of the pub.

He drove his car to his home, took her in his room and laid her on the bed. He wiped her hands and face with cold wet towel and placed a wet cloth on her forehead to reduce her fever. He also searched the medicine for her and heaved a sigh on seeing the redness of her face reduced a lot. Tucking her in the blanket properly, he gazed at her face with extreme gentleness and something close to guilt. He felt guilty seeing her in such a condition, he couldn't stop his tears as his trembling hands touch her pale face softly, "I am sorry Aishu, I couldn't keep my promise. I hurt you a lot. Sorry!" He kept whispering until he heard her mumbling something inaudibly with frown "S.. Sam..Sameer, please come back. I will.. no drink.. promise. I can't.. live. without you. I..umm um..."

He tearfully kissed her forehead to calm her down, soon she drifted back to sleep. He let her sleep on his bed till 6 in the morning.

As the dawn neared, Sameer picked her up, put her in his car gently before driving her to a nearby hotel. He booked a room under her name and laid her softly on the bed there, then ordered sobering soup and some light breakfast for her. He put the warm water jar at the bedside table with medicine for her fever and left the room after instructing the room service to add a note with breakfast which says "Don't worry nothing happened, just got you here safely. Have a good life ahead. Goodbye."

He hadn't left the hotel until he saw her getting in the car with 'Kapoors' label on it.

He saw her devastated appearance, burning with high fever, not caring about herself roaming on a secluded street drunk and the reason is him. He couldn't keep his promise, couldn't protect and cherish her. Now he couldn't stop from punishing himself to spend a life with a stranger, also a way to keep himself away from destroying Aisha more. Seeing him married Aisha will hate him and try to take revenge which will be a good motivation for her to live a good life without him.

These thoughts made him at ease and he started getting ready for the plan i.e his marriage. But he could have never guessed what surprise the future holds for him..

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Soon Arjun was brought down to perform haldi, which definitely irritated him but soon remembering Sameer's words soothe his heart "Jun, while doing these function keep Riya in your mind. Remember that you are doing these to marry Riya, not someone else. First I'll take your place with that girl then you bring Riya up to the mandap and complete the marriage ritual with her. So that no one blame or point at Riya wrongly."

Simran and her friends dance and laughed making joke on her brothers, especially Arjun, to which he shook his head. While at the side Anjana was smiling happily, thinking  about the fortune she will be getting tonight.

Soon haldi ritual got over and Arjun was sent upstairs to get showered and dressed for the barat in 5 hours. Anjana saw Riya going out as soon as Arjun went to his room, she caught Riya and started questioning her "What are you doing here? Haven't Arjun divorced you and forgotten you quickly? Are you still trying to get close to him to get some shares by bringing those b*****ds of yours here...?"

She was slapped hard even before she could complete her words. Anjana gritted her teeth towards Riya and shouted "How dare you?"

"Mrs Rawte, I dare more than a mere slap if you called my babies with anything vulgar as I'm not scared of you anymore. You know this better that my babies are not b****d and if I want I can show their DNA to Arjun at this instance and guess what? Everything that you think is under your control be it business shares or properties will all be mine. Should I?" Riya asked with threatening smile.

Anjana closed her mouth and avert her gaze, Riya shook her head at the women's stupidity and walk out of the hall.

Outside Shree and Chotu were waiting for her in the car. Riya get in the car and was shocked seeing Arjun's manager Rahul here. Chotu started driving the car. Seeing her stare, Rahul said "Riya Ma'am, relax. Sameer bhaiyya asked me to grab that doctor and get the truth out of him. After listening to him only then I got to know the person, Rosh Bhabhi referred as her friend was Arjun sir."

"You know Roshini?" Asked Riya sharply.

He replied calmly "Yes, she is my elder brother Rohit's wife."

"Oh! What did that doctor said? Is there any medicine or antidote for Arjun?" Riya asked impatiently.

Rahul shook his head, saying "No, he said there is no such medicine or treatment as the drug was recently invented. Just the time and his living situation might help him regain his memories. Nothing else."

Riya sighed, tiredly closing her eyes. She still remember the loving life with Arjun before his memory loss as if it is yesterday's event.

To Be Continued...