CHAPTER 14
Khushi had no idea how she didn't drop the glass in her left hand when a pair of arms pulled her into Arnav's room.
"Arnavji," she slowly called out his name.
The curtains were drawn and a few rays of light entered the room through the gap in the curtains. The dim light highlighted his features and she tried to push the person away but he didn't let her go.
He pulled her towards him and hugger her tight.
"This is not Arnavji," her mind screamed.
"Nahi, Khushiji. Mein Arnavji nahi. Mein Shyam," the owner of the pair of hands told her in a very soft voice as if he had heard her thoughts. [No, Khushiji. I am not Arnav. I am Shyam.]
"Kya hai, Kushiji. Mein aap se mil ne ke liye yahaan aayaa tha. Aur aap bhi na, always want to push me away." [What is it, Khushiji? I came here to meet you and you always want to push me away.]
"Let me go," she pleaded.
"I came here to see you, Khushiji. Do you know how hard it is to escape all the security guards and sneak in? I did it for you. I love you, Khushiji."
She mustered all her courage and strength and pushed him away.
"Don't you dare come near me," she warned him.
"Khushiji," he said in shock. "Why are you talking like that?"
"You don't have to lie anymore. I know that you are married and that too to Anjaliji. She loves you. How can you cheat on her?"
He smiled an evil smile. "I don't love her. I love you. You are the one I want."
She slapped him.
Her slap annoyed him. He pulled her dupatta and threw it on the floor. He then saw the glass in her left hand and closed his hand over hers. He tightened his hold and the glass, which was unable to withstand the pressure, broke. It pricked her skin and she winced in pain. He squeezed her hand a little more when he saw her tears. Her blood stained the white marbles.
"What are you doing?" she asked in shock.
"You are mine, Khushi."
Only then she saw his true face. The face he had kept hidden from her. He removed his hand from hers and looked at her. Khushi dropped the broken glass. He took a step closer to her and when she tried to take one step back, her knee hit the table and she tripped. When she tried to break her fall with her hand, she felt the broken shards of glass hurt her wrist. Both her knee and her hand felt as if they were burning.
Shyam knelt down beside her and touched her cheek.
"Paas math aao." [Don't come near me.]
She pushed him away and stood. When she tried to run away, he caught her waist and pushed her against a wall. She was trapped. She remembered that it was Arnav's room.
"Arnavji will come and he won't spare you," she told him.
"Do you really believe that, Khushi? Don't tell me that you trust him after all the times that he has hurt you."
He was right. Arnav hurt her but it didn't mean that she didn't trust him.
"He might hurt me or shout at me but he won't break my trust."
Shyam laughed out aloud and his evil grin frightened her.
"From what I remember, it didn't happen before and it won't happen now." When he saw her confused expression, he tapped her temple and said, "You are the one with the problematic memory. Not me."
"Do you know me?"
"Do I know you? Are you really asking me that?"
He loved the shocked expression.
"Tell me. Do you know me?"
"Haan. Hume patha hai app ke barein mein. Sunna chathe hain?" [Yes. I know you. Want to listen?]
Even though she wanted to know who she was, she didn't want to hear it from him.
"No. Why are you doing this?"
"Simple, Khushi. I love you."
"Are you mad? You are married, for God's sake."
"Iss ka mathlap yeh ki, I shoudn't love you?" [Does that mean I shouldn't love you?]
Before she was able to speak, she heard Anjali's voice calling out for her. Shyam pressed a hand against her mouth.
"Don't you dare," he warned her.
"Khushiji, aap kahaan hain?" [Khushiji, where are you?]
She walked towards Arnav's room and knocked the door.
"Chote?!!"
"Di, I am here."
Anjali turned around and saw her brother.
"Are you searching for something, di?"
"Did you see Khushiji?"
He was worried. "I thought she was with you."
"She was but I don't know where she went."
When he searched his pocket for his phone, he remembered that he had left it in the living room.
"Ek minute, di. [One minute, di.] I'll call her."
He dialled her number. Her phone was on the couch.
"Aap nani ki kamre mein dekhiye. Main ek minute mein aatha hoon." [You look in nani's room. I'll be back in a minute.]
He went to check Anjali's room. He had an odd feeling that told him that his Khushi was in danger.
When the voices faded away, Shyam said, "I'll tell you again, Khushi. You are mine. Only mine. You belong to me and I will go to any extent to be with you. Better understand that."
He removed his hand from her mouth and hugged her.
With his lips close to her cheek, he said, "I love you, Khushi." He kissed her cheek and said, "Nobody can stop me."
"No," she screamed but not loud enough for the others to hear. "I don't belong to you."
She tried to push him. Her attempts were feeble.
He smiled an evil smile and sneaked out of the room.
She ignored her throbbing knee and her burning wrist and tried to remember whether she had known Shyam from before. She took a few steps towards the door. Every step she took felt heavy as if her legs were made of lead. She felt light headed and weak. Did she know Shyam? How come he knew her? Did her past have a connection with him?
She tried very hard to remember but she couldn't reach those memories.
"I have to tell Arnavji. He will trust me," was her last thought before she fell down unconscious.
Anjali's room was empty. Where was Shyam? When he walked out of his sister's room, he noticed that his room's door was open. He remembered closing them. He was about to close the room but stopped when he saw a red dupatta lying on the floor. Red.
"Khushi wore red today," his mind screamed.
He stepped inside his room and switched on the lights. He saw Khushi sprawled on the floor.
"Khushi."
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