Part - 14

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"The best revenge is none. Heal, move on and don't become like those who hurt you."

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"Kathryn, what's wrong?" Rishab asked softly. Kathryn kept glaring at the broken pieces of her phone.

"I hate that whore!" She whispered after a long pause.

"Kathryn!" Rishab admonished her. "She is your mother so give her respect!"

"That whore doesn't deserve my respect!"

"Stop calling her that!"

"I can't!" Kathryn yelled.

"First calm down and talk to me, will you?" Rishab yelled back.

"Please calm down both of you. You will wake up ammi." Inayat said, worried and then went to lock the bedroom door so that they won't be heard.

"What happened? Why do you hate her so much?" Rishab asked calmly.

Kathryn propped her knees up and put her head on it refusing to answer him.

"Your silence won't help you! You have to talk and unburden your pain." Rishab said hating her silence.

"Please talk to us, Kathryn." Inayat pleaded as she gently caressed Kathryn's head.

"When I found out I was pregnant..." Kathryn finally broke the silence and started talking. "I was so happy... I thought I was no longer alone."

"You were never alone." Rishab reminded her but she didn't respond to it.

"Agreed I was a little scared because I am too young to handle a baby but I was determined to have the baby and give her the best of the best life. The kind of life I wished but never had." Kathryn's sorrow was evident in her voice. If anything she wanted so desperately in her life then it would be unconditional love. "I wanted to give the good news to you all first but that bitch had to call and ruin things for me."

"Why did she call you?" Rishab asked when she stopped talking but kept staring at the space as if she was reliving that scene.

"She wanted me back in the States."

"Why?"

"Liam and Rico, Alex's father are business partners and now they want to extend their relationship more personally. They had decided to get me and Alex engaged on my birthday and get us married in a couple of years."

"What the...?"

"I said no. I said... I... I love Arjun. I can't leave him." Kathryn breathed as her heart ached to even say that anymore.

"What did your mother say for that?"

"Did you go to India for studying or for whoring? Well, Get rid of that fucker and get back here, Kathryn!" She repeated her mother's words.

"Bloody hell!" Rishab cursed.

"She said she was sending Alex to bring me back there. I said I won't go with him. We had a heated argument and finally I had to break the pregnancy news to her hoping she would stop bothering me at least then. I told her I am pregnant with Arjun's child and I want to be here with him and have the baby." Kathryn said and clenched her jaw hating to say what she said next.

"Did she ask you to abort the baby?" Rishab guessed it though.

Kathryn nodded her head affirmatively. "Abort that bastard's child and get back to the States before you ruin your life completely!"

"I said fucking no!"

"Good"

"She told me not to be foolish and make the same mistake she made years ago."

"She had you young, right?"

"Yes but that wasn't what she meant"

"Oh?"

"She said Alex would hate the baby...."

"Let him hate! Who cares? It wasn't his anyway!" Rishab said as a matter of fact. Inayat agreed with a nod.

"She said Alex would hate the baby just like Liam hates me!" Kathryn completed her sentence. Rishab and Inayat gaped at Kathryn in shock understanding what it meant.

"Yeah, even I was shocked and hurt and relieved." She chuckled. "Relieved because I finally got the answer for the one question that was pondering in my head for years. Why does my own father hate me? Because I wasn't his daughter. Simple."

"Who is your father then?"

"That bitch didn't know that huh! She had a one night stand with some random guy when she was drunk as a skunk and got knocked up. She lied to Liam that it was his child. He was so madly in love with her and he wanted to have the child believing it was his. They got married while they were still in college. They had me. They were happy with me. Everything was fine until Liam found out the truth."

"How?" Inayat asked out of curiosity.

Kathryn shrugged. "I didn't care to ask. Maybe she wanted to come clean or simply she blurted out the truth in a drunken stupor. All I know is... Liam started hating me when I was four years old. Liam forgave her soon because he loved her but he never accepted me and extended his love to me."

"Kathryn..." Rishab didn't know what to tell or how to console her.

"It doesn't matter!" Kathryn brushed aside his concern.

"Don't be so cold!" Rishab scolded her. Kathryn looked away.

"Why didn't you tell all this to Arjun? Why did you refuse to marry him when he proposed to you? You could have put an end to all this nonsense just by marrying him and had the baby safely here, right?" Inayat asked.

"She said I shouldn't trap him with marriage..."

"Oh please, don't tell me you listened to her!" Rishab mocked her.

"I didn't." Kathryn scoffed. "I knew Arjun would insist on it once I told him about the baby and he did the same. He wanted to marry me right away."

"Then what was the problem?"

"When I didn't give in, Simran, threatened me..."

"Saying what?"

"That Liam would kill Arjun if I married him" Kathryn said as her voice choked.

"Oh c'mon! She was just ridiculing! I can't believe you believed her fake threat."

"I can't take a chance with his life. Arjun is so precious to me, to all of us."

"Oh please, Kathryn! No one, absolutely no one could do any harm to my family, to my children as long as I am alive. I will fucking kill them."

"You don't know Liam! He is so powerful, uncle."

"I am not scared. I have seen worse." Rishab said.

"Arjun... He is innocent. If anything happened to him... Because of me... It would kill me... I... I shouldn't have come into his life... I shouldn't be staying here... It's not safe for you people... I... I should leave..." Kathryn panicked as she tried to get out of the bed and leave but Rishab held her.

"Listen, listen, you are going nowhere."

"No... There is no use staying here also..."

"No, we will explain everything to Arjun and make him understand..."

"Make him understand what? That I didn't kill my own baby? Shouldn't he be knowing that? He claims to love me, right? Then how could he doubt me? At least did he give me a chance to explain myself? No, right? He hurt me, uncle... So badly!" Kathryn cried covering her face with her palm.

"Kathryn, please..." Inayat engulfed her in a hug. "Don't cry. We love you. We are here for you." She kept reassuring her. Once she had called down, Rishab had left the room, asking Inayat to take care of her.

--0--

On new year's night, Rishab took Inayat and Kathryn out for dinner.

"Wish Ammi and Arjun had joined us" Inayat said as she was feeling a little bored. Naira went on a date with her husband so she couldn't come.

Rishab looked up at her taking his eyes off of the menu and said "No one didn't stop them from coming with us. They chose to stay at home."

"I should have stayed at home. I... I ruined your family dinner. I am sorry." Kathryn interjected.

"If Arjun couldn't tolerate your presence then it's his problem. Not ours." He was a little pissed at Madhu because she refused to go with them if her son wasn't coming. "Leave it! Let's enjoy our meal" he said and called the waiter to place their orders.

"You are not going to eat?" Rishab asked Inayat when she kept pushing her food around on the plate.

She shook her head in negative as she controlled her nausea.

"You didn't like the meat?"

Inayat shook her head again.

"But this meat is fine" Kathryn wondered what was wrong in it.

"You wanna order something else, Inayat?" Rishab asked.

Inayat shook her head again. Right then her phone vibrated.

"It's Veer. I will be back." She quickly grabbed her and left the table.

Rishab and Kathryn exchanged a look before continuing eating.

--0--

"Veer, I can't do it."

"Are you shy to tell the news?"

"Um... No..." Actually yes. That was one reason but mainly she didn't want to hurt Kathryn and Arjun by telling her pregnancy news as they had just lost their baby.

"Then why don't you just tell them? They will feel happy for us, Inayaa"

"Give me some time, Veer..."

"Is dad or mom with you now?"

"Yes, um... I have come out for dinner with Abbu and Kathryn."

"Oh. Where's mom then?"

"She didn't come."

"Why?"

"Huh.. um.. she.. she has a headache. Arjun is with her. Taking care of her."

"Oh" he found that strange. If his mother was unwell, his father wouldn't think of going out. Then how come... Um, maybe it's the new year and he wanted to treat the girls.

"Okay. Give the phone to dad. I will tell him about the baby."

"Okay" sighing, Inayat walked back to their table and gave the phone to Rishab.

"Veer, happy new year" Rishab greeted.

"Thanks, dad. Happy new year."

"So tell me? How is everything going there?"

"All good, dad"

"Okay, fine. We will talk later as we are in the middle of our dinner..."

"Dad, wait!" Veer rushed before he could cut the call.

"Yeah..."

"Dad..."

"What's it, Veer?"

"Is everything alright there?" Veer asked.

"Yeah, yeah, we are good... But why did you ask?"

"Inayat sounds so dull whenever I call her so... I am getting worried."

"Veer, I am here. I will make sure we all are fine. You don't worry, son."

"I know, dad, I know.." Veer sighed in relief.

When Veer didn't hang up, Rishab asked "You want me to pass the phone to Inayat again?"

"Um... No... I just want to..."

"What is it, Veer? Spill it"

"Inayat... And I... We are expecting a baby." Veer said in a breathe.

"Oohh.. that's wonderful news." Rishab's face instantly beamed. "I am so happy for you both"

"Thanks, dad. And please share this good news with everyone at home, dad, because I am sure Inayat won't do it as she is too shy."

"I will tell everyone. Your mom will be thrilled."

"I know"

"Just call her once when you are free."

"Sure, dad."

Kathryn looked at Rishab and Inayat in confusion. She couldn't guess what the big news was.

"Congratulations, Inayat." Rishab stood up and hugged her gently.

"Thanks, abbu"

"Did you crack any competitive exam or get a new job?" Kathryn asked.

"Huh?" Inayat blinked her eyes.

"Kathryn, it's not that..."

"Abbu, please..." Inayat interjected. She didn't want to break the news to her. She is still healing from the loss of her baby, right? If she tells her about her baby now will it hurt her? Will it make her miss her baby more?

"What's it?" Kathryn wondered.

"You can tell her" Rishab encouraged because he knew without doubt Kathryn would only feel happy for her.

"Abbu.." Inayat worriedly looked at him.

"Inayat is pregnant" Rishab blurted knowing full well Inayat wouldn't reveal it.

"OMG!" Kathryn looked shocked.

"Kathryn, sorry, it's not the right time to tell you about this baby...' Inayat mumbled.

"No... no, Inu di! It's the perfect time!" Kathryn rushed to her side and hugged her tightly. "I am so happy for you" she was genuine with her words. "You know, God is so great. He knows how to bring back happiness into our lives." She placed a gentle hand on Inayat's tummy and said "You're so blessed"

Inayat smiled.

"I think we should celebrate." Kathryn said excitedly. "Waiter, bring the wine menu!" Kathryn snapped her fingers and called the waiter.

"No, Kathryn!" Rishab shook his head. "We are not drinking." Rishab rejected the wine menu.

"But we should definitely celebrate, uncle!" Kathryn protested forgetting about Inayat and her aversion towards alcohol.

"Please bring a nice cake with a candle" Rishab ordered the waiter.

Cake?

"What flavour, sir?"

Rishab looked at Inayat, silently asking for her preference. Inayat shrugged with a smile.

"Chocolate truffle" Kathryn muttered as her thought went elsewhere.

"Sure, madam" The waiter thought she was ordering that flavour and went to bring it.

A few minutes later, the waiter brought the cake and Rishab lit the candle.

"Here, cut the cake" Rishab passed the knife to Inayat.

After making a wish, Inayat cut the cake and fed the first piece to Rishab and took the next piece to Kathryn's mouth but she held Inayat's hand stopping her from feeding her.

"Kathryn..."

Kathryn shook her head refusing to take a bite.

"Are you okay?" Rishab asked seeing her so pale and staring at the space.

"Uncle..."

"Yes"

"On my birthday, Arjun brought a cake..."

"Okay..."

"That was all I ate that night before going to bed..." And the next day she was found bleeding and unconscious in her apartment.

"What do you mean?"

"Uncle, I... my... blood report.. it says I had consumed coke... and that could have caused the miscarriage, right? But I.. I didn't... take drugs. I swear to God! I didn't "

"We trust you, Kathryn" Inayat said placing an appeasing hand on her shoulder.

"All I had was that damn cake!" She cried.

"Kathryn, calm down. We will figure it out"

"I have to go. I have to go." She said as she ran out of the hotel.

"Kathryn... Wait!" Rishab and Inayat called out but she sprinted out.

--0--

"Hello, Alex?"

"Kathryn, how are you?"

"Where are you?"

"Huh?"

"I... I want to see you. Please come & take me with you..." Kathryn cried.

"I am coming... I am coming, Kathryn" Alex ended the call with a victorious grin. He was waiting for this day only. The day Kathryn would beg him to take her back with him to the States! To the place where she belonged!

--0--

By the time, Rishab and Inayat reached home, Kathryn had packed her things and was waiting in the living room. Waiting for Alex.

"Kathryn... Why did you run like that? You know you scared us."

"Uncle, I am sorry."

"And what's this?" He pointed at the trolley she was holding so tightly.

"I am leaving..."

"No!"

Right then Arjun and Madhu walked to the living room, confused.

"You are not going anywhere, Kathryn" Rishab said with finality.

"Sorry, uncle... I can't stay here anymore..."

"Rishab, if she wants to go, let her go. At least then my son will feel better. Having her in this house is only affecting our mental peace."

"Madhu, shut up!"

"Rishab!"

"Madhu, you don't know anything so you just stay out of it!"

"Dad! Why are you shouting at mom?"

"Kathryn?" Alex walked into the Kundra mansion as if he owned that place.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Arjun went mad seeing that mother fucker Alex.

"Kathryn, why don't you tell him why am I here?"

"I only called him"

Alex smirked

"C'mon, baby, let's go" Alex held his hand out and Kathryn took it.

Arjun glared at them murderously wishing to rip them apart!

... To be continued

Sorry guys for disappearing for a long, long time! Well, I have no proper explanation for that!

I tried.. but I couldn't find time or interest to write.

I only came here to read Lazy's stories.

Many were worried about me. It was so touching to see your care and concern for me on your comments. Thank you so much guys. I was going through a tough phase.. but I am fine now! Thanks for your love and interest to still read my stories. I will try to complete all my stories as I don't want to leave them unfinished!

Take care!

Love,
Sudha