Chapter 17

arshiforever123

@arshiforever123

[NOCOPY]

I suggest you listen to this song while reading, Seriouslyyy...its really nice as it really helps to set the atmosphere. Don't turn off the music or anything just keep it flowing and read at a medium pace.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugTQrWOj-Ig

A Twist of Events chapter 15B

"IM LEAVING BECAUSE I CANT STAY WITH YOU. I ...I LOVE SHYAM MANOHAR JHA!"

He froze. His hold world stopped moving until it was just one timeless, endless blur. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't speak. He couldn't move. All he could do was feel his heart shatter into pieces. Is this what being heartbroken felt like he thought? He felt like daggers were shooting through his heart. It felt like someone was physically stabbing him ... repeatedly. And it hurt... OH God it hurt so bad.

Khushi stared at his haunted face. He looked so hurt. Yet so empty. His face looked haunted.  She didn't know what to do. She didn't know if she had forgiven him. She didn't know if she considered him her husband. She didn't know if she wanted to stay with him and progress this relationship.  All she knew was that she couldn't let him get hurt. And that's all that mattered. What she said now may have hurt him ...but if she told him the real reason..he would surely die. And that was not okay. Being hurt with words was much better than being dead.

Arnav began to move back, his jaw open from shock. Tears pooled in his eyes.

Without any warning, Khushi ran up to him and crushed him into a hug. She didn't know what she was thinking, she had just told him she loved another man...and that too the man he hated most in this world...his own jijaji, and here she was hugging him. How was he ever even supposed to believe her claim that she loved another man if here she was hugging him. Why was he even allowing her to come near him. She thought he would become violent or abuse her in some way. Khushi didn't expect this from him. She expected much worse considering his worst presumptions turned out to be true. Only Khushi knew how much she was hurting at that moment. Lying to the man she deeply cared about, telling him that she was in love with another man, the same man he had kicked her out for.

They were both so lost that neither of them noticed a faint creak of the opening of the door.

Arnav wiped his tears and moved away from Khushi to find his little princess staring unsurely through the little crack. He smiled tiredly at his daughter and went to pick her up. He kissed her on her cheek as she rested her head on his shoulder and spoke quietly,

"papa..can I sleep with you and mama pwease?" she said yawning.

"How did you get out of your crib baby?" he asked croakily as he walked toward the bed. Khushi was now fixing the sheets after their long night tonight.

"I climbed out of the cwib..onto the sofa and..then I jumped on the ground and came here" she said with a smile on her face, revealing her self satisfaction and her pride at what she did.

Arnav forced a smile on his face for the sake of his daughter.

She giggled and then looked down at him.

"Papa...why aren't you wearing a shirt?" she asked confusedly and then looked at Khushi whose eyes widened at her remark remembering the start of the night.

"mama...close your eyes! Papa doesn't have a shirt!...HAW!? PAPA?! Did mama take your shirt?" she exclaimed. Arnav tried his hardest to chuckle but it came out more a strangled cry due to his aching heart and Khushi just looked down.

Shaila suddenly became aware of the thick tension brewing in the room. She looked from her mother to her father and back to her mother than her father when she noticed something. Her papa had tears. He looked sad. Why did he look so sad?

She suddenly looked seriously at her father and wiped his tears slowly. Arnavs heart melted with her little action.

"Papa...why are you sad?" she whispered.

His gaze reverted to Khushi who was standing by the bed and was now crying fully. Shailas gaze followed her fathers and she saw her mother crying as well. Something was not right.

"Why is mama crying?" she asked Arnav worriedly.

Khushi wiped her cheeks and put on a smile. She walked towards the duo and spoke

"Shaila..dont worry were not crying...were just...just happy."

"Why?" she asked innocently

"Because all three of us are together tonight" Khushi said

"And forever forever forever!" Shaila said cheerily and by the last forever, yawned loudly, closing her eyes and resting her head on her fathers shoulder.

Khushi whimpered trying to hold back her cries. She bit her lip. She looked at Arnav who was looking at the ground with a tortured expression. She took Shaila out of his arms and laid her on the bed. She slept next to her and propped sideways on one elbow.

"Baby...let me feed you than you can go back to sleep okay?" Khushi said softly to her.

Shaila by this point was already half asleep and cuddled into her mother. Khushi lifted her kameez and began to feed her. She noticed Arnav leaving the room silently. Her heart broke with the soft thud of the bedroom door. She felt as if he was mentally blocking her out of his life as he closed the doors between them.

After a while, Shaila was fully asleep. Khushi lay next to her and snuggled her in, crying silently. She shook with sobs. She repeatedly kissed her daughter over and over again and finally got off the bed. She looked at the clock which read 3 am. She left the room silently holding the baby monitor and went to the guest room and changed her clothes into one of her simple shalwar kameeses. She went downstairs and tried to look for him. As she slowly walked down the steps of the dark condo she tried to look for him. She saw him at the end of the steps, standing next to the window wearing a black v neck t shirt, looking at the delhi city below, appearing to be in deep thought. The busy Delhi streets still buzzed with life and activity at this time. A faint thunder could be heard a distance away and Khushi knew a storm was approaching.

She walked up to him but made sure to stand some distance from him.

He instantly sensed her presence but still did not turn to face her. He spoke quietly,

"you know Khushi...for a second...I almost let myself believe that you actually cared for me. I was willing to believe you but...but now Ive heard it from your mouth yourself ..."

It killed Khushi to hear this from him. But she knew she had to do this if she didn't want him getting hurt.

"Im sorry" was all she said

He turned to her and shrugged. Khushi could see the sadness and sorrow reflect in the deep pools of his eyes.

"Don't be. I forgave you for it remember? The night of Shaila's surgery. I forgive you yet...yet I just don't get it...what does he have that I don't?" he asked innocently

She shrugged unsure how to answer this. She despised Shyam...with every fibre in her being. But she knew this was the only way he was going to let her go.

"Khushi...earlier tonight you asked me not to hurt you anymore. And so I won't. Your allowed to leave Khushi...your allowed to go and be with whoever you want...I just want your happiness. That's all. Im sorry for everything I've done before" he said as he sighed in defeat. Khushi could feel tears pooling in her eyes. She contained herself after a minute and spoke,

"I...I left some milk for Shaila. She...she doesn't usually drink from the bottle so be careful...and...and shes not fully potty trained yet so remember to change her diaper constantly...and in the night...she gets restless...just...just hug her close...please don't leave her in that room all by herself... and she cries in the mornings a lot so...so just feed her milk and then...give her some banana's...and ... take...a lot of pictures of her growing up...and...and... just... Take care of her...and ...and if she...if she every cries for me...just...just tell her her mama...her mama is somewhere else...and that-" Khushi could feel her voice breaking and her tears rolling down her face, "tell her that I love her a lot and I only went away because I had to..." She finished.

Arnav nodded solemnly, defeat and loss evident in his eyes. He lost her. He had finally lost her.

"Huhh...its funny isn't it Khushi? Just earlier tonight you were telling me how you may not be with me anymore that you may not be able to take any more of my treatment towards you...I...I never knew that moment would be so close. Oh well. I guess I lost. The richest man in India lost his most prized possession to that leach Shyam." he smiled ruefully

Khushi's heart skipped a beat when he referred to her as his most prized possession.

"Don't worry...I won't tell Shaila her mother left her for another man" he said to her, a slight tinge of cruelty in his voice. Khushi winced at the remark.  She nodded.

"Just send me the divorce papers tomorrow..from wherever you are. Ill sign them Youll be free Khushi..free from me." He said

She suddenly went in to hug him and she so badly wanted to tell him it was all just a lie...that she wasn't doing this intentionally...that she just wanted to protect him.. but before she could wrap herself in his strong arms,he stepped back and spoke softly,

"Save it for him Khushi...its not for me" he said as he walked up the steps. Away from her.

All Khushi wanted to do in that moment was go up to him and hug the living hell out of him and make sensual love with him all night long. She wanted to apologize to him and tell him the truth and kiss him senselessly. She wanted to be in his arms so bad, the solace and comfort they offered her.

"Arnav" She called out from the bottom of the steps. The thunder growled faintly in the background while a dash of lightning lit up the room for half a second. He was already half way up and looked at her. Suddenly she didn't know what she wanted to say so she just stared at him with an apologetic gaze. He looked back at her. After a while she whispered, "Im sorry"

He smiled sadly and nodded.

"don't be. I get it. You love him" he said as he walked away one last time.

Khushi slowly walked out of the apartment looking back one last time. She closed the door and leaned against it, sliding to the floor and crying with remorse. How was she supposed to tell him? If she told him the truth he would surely die. Khushi cursed herself for being in this situation. Telling Arnav that she loved' Shyam Manohar Jha was the hardest thing she had done in her life. She didn't know protecting him would hurt her so much.

She remembered the man's words from that night vividly, "If you ever tell him about this...I will have his throat slit. I will give him a slow, painful death and you will stand there watching." He sneered. His proximity and yellowed teeth ran chills down Khushi's spine.

She stood up and wobbly tried to walk. She finally entered dimly lit lobby which was empty apart from the sole clerk at the desk who was sleeping.  She made her way outside. She hugged herself; not due to the sharp wind and lightning but due to fear. Fear of what was to come. She saw the black SUV pull up in front of her and the automatic doors slid open for her. She inhaled a deep breath and wiped her tears and with a heavy heart, climbed into the back of the car.

The thunder roared louder and the storm had arrived

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