Chapter 16C: A Glimpse of the Past

ASR: You don't need to baby.. You can say anything to me! You know na?

She smiled at him while Arnav looked at her with his sexy smirk.

ASR: so where were we? And I promise nomore interruptions..

****

Both laying into bed, the blanket covering them upto their waists, Khushi and Arnav rested their back onto the head board. They had their fingers entwined with each other while Arnav was all ears to Khushi's words.

Khushi: Imagine the happiness of Ma when Nanaji accepted the guy she loved. She was the happiest daughter.. She will finally get married to the man of her life. She trusted the one she loves and most importantly she had a lot of trust in her father.. but it would have been better if Nanaji had denied rather that Ma kept on waiting for the one she loved on the day of their engagement. She was heartbroken when he never came.. Shattered completely!

Arnav could hear the pain in her voice while narrating the past.

Khushi: To take her out of her misery, Nanaji chose a life partner for her and she got married without a word. She was broken and thought that only Nanaji could choose the best for her. But she was wrong.. Totally unaware of the reality.. Her married life was a disaster while the family business reached heights due to the merge of the two families. Nanaji got her married to the richest family of delhi. Ma had not only inherited many properties but also a drunkard loose character husband. They had two kids together but were never happy with each other. My dad was a horrible person, that much that I feel disgusted to call him my father..  parties, drinks,... he never hesitated to bring his multiple affairs in the house.. but still nanaji didn't let ma to leave that house.. He believed that a wife's place is in the husband's house no matter what is the husband up to... And Ma never disrespected Nanaji's words. In his anger, that man when he was drunk used to take out his frustrations on me, but ma was always there to save me even if sometimes she took the thrashes in my place.

Arnav's eyes shot open in anger when he found out that Khushi's father used to beat her and her mother. He tried to control his anger not showing Khushi any signs of the fury inside of him. He felt like beating that bas***d to death. He could feel her shivering while talking about it.

Khushi: Nanaji was selfish.. His name, status, power.. it was all famous because of the wedding of ma and he denied that he actually destroyed ma's life. He believed he can never take any wrong decision till that day.

Flashback

Red eyes and dry tears on their cheeks... Khushi and her mother were at the doorstep of Shantivan. Nanaji walked down the stairs fuming angrily when he saw them with their luggage.

Nanaji: Yeh sab ka kya matlab hai? Meine kahan na ke tum apna ghar nahin chorsakte..phir bhi tum yahan aye, yeh hamare rivaaz ke kilaf hai?(What does all this mean? I told you that you cannot leave your house.. but still you came her, this is against our customs?)

Khushi's ma: Aur agar hamara pati ne khud hamein ghar se nikaldiya to?(And if my husband threw me out of the house?)

Nanaji looked at them in disbelief.

Nanaji: Kya... (What...)

Khushi's ma: Haan.. Vo phir se shadi karna chate hai.. kisi aur se! (Yes.. He wants to get married again.. to someone else!)

Flashback ends

Khushi: After this day, we never went back to our house again.. Ma started to take care of Shantivan and Nanaji. She respected him a lot.. After all he didn't let us sleep on the road.. He gave us shelter. Nanaji has always been strict but he became more headstrong. People started to talk that the daughter of Mr Bajpaaye is back home and this felt like an humiliation to Nanaji. After some years ma left us.. She had enough and had a stroke. She died leaving behind her daughter to the father she trusted so much.. Nanaji's decision might has been wrong, but it was not his fault and she still loved him so much.. On the hospital bed, I promised her that I'll always respect the one who was always here for us.. Nanaji!

Khushi lifted her eyes towards Arnav while he wiped off her tears with his thumb. She came closer to him and laid her head on his chest encircling his waist with her arms.

Khushi: Maybe after ma's death, it would have taken time but I would be ok. But I never thought that after the last rites of ma, i would face the worst reality...

Flashback

few hours after the last rites...

The angry voice of Nanaji came from the study room. Nanaji was having a violent discussion with someone. A 12 year old Khushi was sitting in a corner crying her heart out when suddenly the loud voices caught her attention. While sobbing, she walked in silent steps to the study room. As she looked through the half open door, her teary eyes popped out when she saw her Dadaji, the father of her bas***d father.

Dadaji: Bajpaaye ji, aap aur main dono jaante ke yeh shaadi kaise hua. To yeh gussa kisliye.. (Bajpaayji, we both know how this wedding happened. So why this anger..)

Nanaji clenched his fists in anger.

Dadaji: Dekiye hum yahan sirf apne bahu ke liye aaye.. hum maante ke yeh sab humare bete ki vaja se hai lekin phir bi hum usse bahu nahin parki beti ki tara pyar ki ya. (I am here only for my daughter in law.. I agree that all this is because of my son but still I loved my daughter in law like my own daughter.)

Nanaji barked angrily.

Nanaji: Aacha! agar beti maante hai to jab use ghar se nikaldiya to aap kahan te? (Really! If you considered her a daughter, where were you when she was thrown out of the house?)

Dadaji: Hum majbhool te, lekin aap? Aap to baap kehne ke layat nahin hai.. Kaash main apka aur apne bete ki baaton mein nahi phas gaya hota.. Aaj apki beti chalegayi bina jaane k uska baap kitna joota hai.. Apka junoon paison ke liye aur mera beta ka junoon apki beti ke liye ne us masoom ladki ki jaan le li.. martedam tak use laga ke uss ka baap bahut acha insaan lekin vo nadaan vo kya jaane ke uska baap ne uss ka pyar chinaaa..(I was helpless, but you? You are not even worth to be called a father.. Wish I had not been trapped into yours and my son's words.. Today your daughter went away without knowing how a cheat her father is.. your greediness and my son's obsession for your daughter took the life of this innocent girl... Even at her last breath she thought that her father is a very good human but this nave girl, she don,t know that her own father took her love from her..)

Nanaji: Guptaji aap... (Mr Gupta you...)

But dadaji interrupted him.

Dadaji: Sach hi to hai.. sirf apki beti hi nahin par ki iss ladke bhi ke zindagi baarbhad kardiya aapne.. yeh mat soche ke hum jaante nahin hai ke kaise apne iss ladka ko blackmail kiya hai... Apna job, apna parivaar,... agar vo engagement ke din aajata to vo sab kuch khojata.. Kya plan taaa.. ap jante te ke agar ek baad ladki ko pyar hojata to usse vapas paane na mumkin thi to apne uss ladka ko majboor kiya ke vo apki hi beti ka dil torra. Vaah baap ho to aisi... Lekin aab dhekiye bajpaaye ji kya hua.. Beti ka ati pati se nahin parki baap ke ghar se jaraha hai.. Mahan Sashi Bajpaaye sahi faisla nahin le paya.. (It's only the truth.. You ruined the life of your daughter and also this boy.. Don't you think that I don't know how you blackmailed this boy.. His job, his family.. if he came for the engagement he would have lost it all.. What a plan.. You knew it, that once the daughter falls in love, it would be impossible to get her back, so you forced the one she loved to break her heart. What a father.. But now you can see what happened Bajpaayji.. the funeral of your daughter is going from her father's place not from her husband's house.. The great Sashi Bajpaaye couldn't take the right decision..)

Dadaji walked out of the study room in anger. Few minutes later, as nanaji stepped out he spotted Khushi hiding behind the door and understood that she was listening to their conversation. He threw an angry look at her and walked away thinking that she's just a kid and will forget what she heard the next day.

Flashback Ends

Khushi: But this never happened.. it haunted me every minute.. the fact that ma trusted the wrong person all her life.. ma stopped believing in love because of him.. I hate him.. He manipulated ma's life to get what he wanted.. and she finally lost her life!

Arnav's tshirt was wet with her tears. If she lifted her chin up, she would have noticed the teary eyes of Arnav..

Khushi: And now he wants to manipulate my life to prove that he still can take the best decisions for his daughters.. He has to prove to himself.. to the world... that he was not at fault for the disastrous marriage of his daughter.. And what could be better other than getting his grandchild married to the sister in law's good brother..

She pulled herself off his chest and met his eyes.. As much as he controlled but Khushi knew that he was crying with her.. She cupped his face..

Khushi: You have to understand Arnav, if Nanaji finds out about us..then everything will be over.. I always ran away from love as I never wanted to become like ma. Lekin ab jab pyar ho hi gaya, to hamein bhagna hoga.. mera pyar mujhse koi nahin chinega..( But now that I fell in love so we'll have to run away.. no one can take my love from me..) Please Arnav, I'm not my mother, I won't be able to live a single moment without you..

Her cries became louder and instantly Arnav took her into his embrace. They stayed enlaced for long and Khushi cried out on his shoulders.

ASR: Shhh.. Pagal ladki.. (Crazy girl..)

I will never leave you..

He pulled off her arms and cupped her face forcing her to look into his eyes. Wiping off her tears he smiled at her..

ASR: Tell me one thing babe.. what's my name?

She let a smile took over her sobs and with her baby voice she said...

Khushi: Arnav Singh Raizada

ASR: So can anyone blackmail Arnav Singh Raizada?

Khushi nodded a yes and Arnav raised his eyebrows.

ASR: Really? Who?

She moved closer and kissed Arnav's cheeks. Brushing his ears she murmured...

Khushi: Tumhara Kashish.. (Your Kashish..)

And she looked at him with a glint of confidence.

Khushi: I trust you!

ASR: Sach? (Really?)

She nodded in affirmation.

ASR: your engagement is day after tomorrow.. I promise I won't let this wedding happen.. But...

She looked at him confused.

Khushi: But what?

ASR: You will have to get engaged to Viren!

Her jaw dropped and her vision blurred with tears!