Na paas aa saken .. Na door ja saken

Gar pyaar inko kheenche .. Takraar inko roke..

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Opening the gate he raised his eyebrow to the trio pretending to yawn.

"What?" He gritted irritated.

They stared at him furiously.

"What did you do to her?" Anjali asked with an edge to her voice.

So that Garima Gupta after all found a way to rescue her daughter by involving his Di. He thought feeling his blood boiling.

"Did what to whom?" He asked calmly."Is this the time to visit someone's home?"

"Chote-"

"Didn't I tell you these two-" He pointed to Payal and Akash. "Aren't welcomed here?!"

"We are not here to ask for your permission either. I need to see my sister right NOW!"

"News flash, you can't!" He said and was about to shut the door on their faces when his Di's words stopped him.

"We will keep standing here until or unless you let us all in to see Khushi ji."

"She is sleeping!" He lied through his teeth.

"Well and good then. Let us have a look at her and we will be out before you know it." Akash spoke for the first time making Arnav clench his jaws.

"Stay out of my matters Akash!" He warned.

"I can never be out of your life Bhai. No matter how much you push me away." Akash was stern in a tone which made Arnav exhale seeing their determination.

He can't let them in. If he did then they would know that Khushi was right now locked in a room on the terrace. He can't risk that.

He searched his mind for a solution and finally found one.

"How about you guys go for now. I will visit RM with Khushi tomorrow and then you can see she is absolutely fine."

They gave him a piercing stare which gave him an idea that they won't budge until he would listen to them.

"That still won't explain what you did to her today after threatening Garima Aunty?" Anjali limped to him standing against him with her eyes keenly observing him and she saw right there the flicker of something dangerous in her brother's eyes and she couldn't stop after that. She pushed him aside and then she was barging in his mansion with Akash and Payal following behind.

Arnav stormed inside partly angry and partly worried.

"Di I told you she is sleeping." He said exasperated.

Anjali turned to him furiously after she saw the master bedroom deprived of Khushi's presence.

"Where is she? You said she was sleeping." Anjali's eyes were shining with tears as she frantically asked her brother.

Payal and Akash's heart were beating erratically in fear giving them negative vibes.

"She uh-" Arnav scratched his stubble."She was right here." He pointed to the bed. "Right here umm when I went to open the door."

"But now she is not. Where IS she?" Payal gritted.

"Maybe she went to kitchen to get water. See the jug isn't there." He pointed to the bedside table.

They turned to see it and Arnav wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead. They will go downstairs to check for Khushi. Meanwhile he will go upstairs to get Khushi and then let them see her. Everything will be fine then. They will leave Khushi and him alone. Yeah!

They rushed out to head down but had to stop short hearing the faint banging coming from two floors above.

The terrace?

Akash and Anjali looked at each other horrified while Payal has gone pale.

Arnav who has heard it too felt his hands shaking.

Taking long strides Akash reached the terrace and the banging grew louder. By now even Arnav was worried hearing the faint sobs and hiccups.

Akash pulled opened the door and Khushi fell right in his arms.

"It's dark in there. Please let me out." Khushi murmured with barely opened eyes before she lost the consciousness.

Payal and Anjali looked on stumped while Arnav stood rooted to the spot seeing her condition.

"You locked her?" Anjali stuttered in a choke. Her eyes on the verge of pouring out.

"In a dark room?!" Payal gritted with extreme anger. "Don't you know she is scared of darkness." Payal exclaimed angrily.

Arnav wasn't listening to them except for the voices in his head. That belonged to only one person. Just one!

"Aap ko toh hamare baare mai kuch pata hi nahi tha na? Koi baat nahi. Hum bata dete hain(By the way you didn't know anything about me did you? No issues. I will tell you.)"

"Hum 8 saal k the jab hamare Amma aur babuji aik accident mai guzar gaye the. Tab humein pata bhi nahi tha k marna kisse kehte hain. Kitne dino tak humein laga wo kahin chalein gaye hain. Wapis aayen gay.(I was 8 years old when my parents died in a car accident. At that time I didn't even know what is the meaning of demise. For days I kept thinking that they have gone somewhere. That they will come back someday.)"

"Aur kya pata nahi hai hamare baare mai?(What else don't you know about me?)"

"Apko pata nahi ho ga na aj bhi humein lagta hai k hamare amma babuji taare ban gaye hain. Isliye hum apne bister k upar taare latka kar soote hain.(You aren't aware, are you? That I even today I feel that my parents have become stars. That's why I sleep with stars hanging from my bed)"

"Aaj bhi humein tez gaari se dar lagta hai. Akele sone mai dar lagta hai. Andhere mai jaane se dar lagta hai.(Even today, I am scared of speedy cars. Of sleeping alone. Of stepping into the darkness!)"

"Itne saal ho gaye par aaj bhi aisa lagta hai jaise yeh sab sirf aik bura sapna hai. Aik din hum uth jayen gay aur wo aa jayen gay.(It's been years but still.. still I feel all that was just a nightmare. I will get up one day and they will come back.)"

Swallowing a huge ball of pain he stepped to Akash who was trying to wake Khushi.Seeing him unresponsive, Payal has run to get the water while Anjali was rubbing Khushi's hands. Payal sprinkled water on her face but there wasn't even a flicker under her eyelids and that had them worried.

He took a step to her feeling repulsive of himself when both Payal and Anjali stepped in front of him shooting deadly glares at him.

"I-I didn't mean to. I swear. I didn't know. I didn't know that the room was dark." He mumbled silently with such vulnerability that Anjali felt herself softening up.

"Di, I am taking her to the hospital." Akash said worriedly while Arnav tried to rush to her only to be stopped by the ladies again.

"Akash go. We will handle him." Anjali ordered eyeing Arnav whose face hardened.

"No one is taking her away but I. Give her to me Akash." He felt desperate seeing what he was dreading. Them trying to steal Khushi from him.

But Akash didn't pay heed to his Bhai and just carried her up in his arms and turned taking the opposite side of stairs while Anjali and Payal held Arnav's arms from either sides when he tried to dash past them.

Arnav looked at them angrily before he turned shrugging their arms off and took the stairs of his side but by the time he reached the porch Akash has already drove off as the first rays of dawn hit the ground.

Quickly getting into his car he followed Akash. While Anjali and Payal fell on the couches with worry nagging in their minds.

Whatever earth shattering revelation her mother gave to her has left Payal's mind as the more pressing matter in their hands came to the surface.

Her younger sister's safety!

Khushi opened her eyes groggily feeling the burn in them due to heavy crying locked in that room. She whimpered catching the attention of Akash who was driving the car as faster as he could as he has seen his Bhai's car following behind already.

"Khushi ji? Are you okay?" He asked taking a turn.

"Jiju?" She choked.

"Please slow down." She has started shivering again, her eyes fluttering close.

"I can't Khushi ji. Bhai is following us. I need to get you to the hospital as soon as possible." He saw her trying to keep her eyes open but wasn't much successful.

"Haven't you been eating?"

Khushi scoffed.

"He made sure I did even if I wasn't .. hungry."

Akash felt a chill running down his spine.

"How?" He asked with a parched throat.

"Do you really want to know jiju?" She let out a dry chuckle.

"Trust me you shouldn't." She croaked before her head fell against the window again.

Akash felt his eyes tearing up and his vision blurring as he stopped the car outside the hospital and hurried to carry Khushi in.

A frustrated Arnav punched the steering wheel as he lost the sight of Akash's car but he knew to which hospital Akash would take Khushi to so he hurriedly took that route with his jaws set tight.

"I will make Garima Gupta pay for this too!"

It was all because of her that he has landed in this predicament.

If only she has kept her mouth shut about his threats!

It was to make her suffer and here she has made him pay for it?!

He would see to it she is never capable of doing it ever again!

Arnav ran in the hospital and dashed to their family doctor's cabin knowing very well Akash and Khushi would be there.

He bursted into the room and saw three heads turning to him. One sitting on the bed and the other two standing besides the bed.Seeing the expressions on their faces had him frowning.

Khushi swallowed and with a shake of her head stopped Akash from saying anything.

"Is she okay?" Arnav asked the doctor.

"Its rich coming from you Bhai!" Akash gibed.

Ignoring him Arnav kept his focus on getting answers from the doctor. She sighed before nodding.

"She is apparently fine. But I can't say the same about her emotional condition." The lady doctor said pointedly.

Arnav didn't ask further because he knew what she was talking about. Walking to Khushi he carried her up bridal style earning a squeal from her.

"I guess you can complete the formalities Akash can't you? Get the medicines and meet me at our mansion." He ordered Akash who was about to intervene seeing Khushi struggling in his arms.

"You can't treat her like this." Akash gritted.

"She is my wife. So I suggest you mind your own business. You are no one to say anything in my life anymore." Arnav spat and stormed out with Khushi punching his chest to get out of his hold.

He didn't stop until he has buckled her in the passenger seat and was driving the car with stoic expressions on his face.

"I hate you!" She compiled her feelings in three words and threw them at his face making his heart clench.

"I hate you more!" He said with his eyes shining with unshed tears looking ahead at the road.

"First you locked me in a dark room as if I am some prisoner and now you are saying you hate me? Wasn't it you who made me yell out my love for you?"

"Everybody have their weak moments. That was one of mine."

"When would all this end?" She exclaimed feeling worn out.

"When I will destroy your mother once and for all!" He couldn't hold back the growl either.

"That is never going to happen."

"I guess then your suffering won't end ever either in that case."

"You have become worst than a monster."

"I can be even worse than that."

"You disgust me!"

He swallowed gripping the steering wheel taking a sharp turn.

"I am having a brilliant idea in my head Mrs.Raizada. How about you join me in my quest for revenge? Forget whatever I said earlier to you about forgetting your mother and starting over. You won't have to. Instead you would help me get my vengeance and later I would get you back!"

"That would happen over my dead body!"

"Trust me if anything happened to you I would kill all of your family too." He growled losing it.

Khushi gasped.

"If I can hurt the woman I once loved to avenge Maa. Imagine what would I do to your mother when you won't be there at all. You are the only one who is stopping me to fully destroy at once because I want to have a future with you. If I didn't get that I would burn everyone whom you ever held dear. I would not let you live in peace either if you tried any stunt to harm yourself Mrs.Raizada."

She gulped blinking back the tears.

"Just in case I lost you then I would not rest until each and every Gupta lost their lives too!"

His eyes were full of determination when he stopped the car outside their mansion and came to open the door for her. A numb looking Khushi only stared at him through her wet lashes.

"You didn't mean that. At all." She cried out in apprehension when he carried her inside.

"Do I look like I don't?" He asked raising his eyebrow and stopped short seeing Payal and his Di already pacing the length of the porch worriedly. Akash must have informed them about the happenings in the hospital.

"Put me down now!" Khushi yelled getting Anjali and Payal's attention. They rushed to her.

"Khushi"

"Khushi ji"

Seeing them there after so many days opened the flood gates for Khushi. She burst out crying making their hearts well up. Arnav put her down silently. Anjali engulfed her in a hug right there. Khushi cried on her shoulder. Payal couldn't hold her tears too while Arnav stood there keeping his emotions in check.

"I missed you all so much. Please stay with me. Don't leave me alone with him." Khushi clutched to her sobbing out the words that made Payal dash to her to hug her too but she couldn't as Khushi was brutally snatched from Anjali's hand by Arnav.

"Remember you and Akash aren't related to me and Khushi anymore. I told you. I haven't forgotten anything!" Arnav was firm and that made Anjali furious.

"That's enough Arnav. Let them meet!" It wasn't a request but a stern order.

"These two haven't cut off their ties with Garima Gupta. They have made their choice pretty clear. And I will stick to mine!"

Payal closed her eyes.

It brought back everything. The bitter truth. The revelations. The heartrending facts.

She glanced at Anjali and Arnav this time with a new light.

They were her siblings. Brother and sister although step siblings but related to blood nonetheless.

Can all this get any more messier?

A lump got stuck in her throat.

"I-" She cleared her throat.

"We just went to know her side of story." Payal cleared out.

Arnav scoffed.

"Whole of the fault was of your father's Arnavji." Payal tried to reason.

"Yeah it was his fault along with your mother's!" He gritted.

His hold on Khushi tightened making her cry out loud.

Anjali took a step forward only to stop by his hand held out to hinder her in her tracks. Payal looked pleadingly at Anjali to get her sister out of her brother's hold.

Determined Anjali made up her mind but so did had Arnav. He dashed past them with Khushi on his arm at a lightening speed and was inside the mansion in moments before the front door was banged shut lest a frantic Anjali or Payal could get in.

Payal looked at Anjali panicked right when Akash entered in through the main gate.

"What happened? Didn't Bhai reach already? He should have by now."

"He did." Payal cried out.

"He went in ... with Khushi." Anjali's voice was just above a whisper.

"And you let him? How could you?" Akash's bellow surprised them both. There was something in his stance that made his wife and sister wary.

"What is it Akash?" Anjali asked.

"Nothing!" He frantically rang the door bell shouting.

"I have got her medicines Bhai. Let me in!"

I have got the doctor send me the prescription. Now I want you all to leave me and my wife alone!

Akash received Arnav's message which only increased his apprehension.

Payal and Anjali read the message too.

"I can't leave Bhai alone with Khushi ji. We have to do something as early as possible." Akash said while walking to his car as a dejected Anjali and Payal followed agreeing with him absolutely now that they have seen how Khushi was being treated by Arnav. It was worse than when they were in RM.

How did Khushi manage the last one month in here with him alone?

They shuddered to even think of it.

They fell on the couches with their heads in their hands as soon as they reached Shantivan.

Anjali's head shot up as she recalled something.

"Payal ji what did Garima Aunty say to you? What were you trying to tell Chote?"

Payal's eyes snapped up to Akash and their eyes widened.

How would they disclose the heart wrenching truth to the family especially Anjali Di and Arnav?

How would they react to it?

Di may believe them but Arnav would never without proofs.

Payal's eyes went to Anjali who was looking on curiously at them.Her eyes teared up and a rush of emotions passed through her as she stared at Anjali whom she has considered her elder sister ever since she met her. Now it was overwhelming to know that she actually was her elder sister in a truest sense.

"Di it has been a long day. Why don't you go and rest for some time and we will talk after we will be able to do in detail? I need to figure out something else too." Akash said calmly with a resigned sigh.

"How can I take rest knowing that there my Chote is destroying his only chance at happiness? How Akash? Tell me?!" She exclaimed bleary eyed.

"Just tell me Akash!" Anjali pleaded.

"I will tell you everything." Payal said determined.

"Your medicines!" Arnav entered in their bedroom seeing her sitting the way he has left her after he was sure that his Di, Akash and Payal has left.

He has went out to fetch her medicines obviously sealing every exit doors from outside hoping against hope that she won't try something stupid and to his relief she hasn't.

When she didn't make any move to take them he made her after making sure she ate something before that.

"I told you I wasn't aware that -- that room's lights weren't working." He said pissed seeing her not talking to him. He hates it the most when she ignores him. Right now she was doing just that piercing his heart.

Silence was all he got as an answer.

"Mairi taraf dekho Khushi. Baat karo mujhse! (Look at me Khushi. Talk to me!)" He shook her turning her head forcefully to his.

"I can't believe it. You still aren't guilty after what you did to me. I could've died out of fear there and here you are back to your same old ways!"

"I told you it wasn't intentional. If the situation arose again I would do the same if anyone tried to keep me from you." He said firmly. Even if he was guilty she needn't know about it.

"I am a human being not an animal that you want to keep with you. Human beings aren't kept, you rather care for those who matter to you which I know I don't." She said tearfully.

"I DO care for you dammit."

"Well, precisely you DON'T. If this is your definition of care then you have really a weird way of showing that." She spat.

She was already feeling drained after the visit to the hospital which has risen a floodgates of unanswered questions and here he was again pushing her to the edge.

"Khushi-" He gritted angrily but then sighed gulping down his anger for the time being.

"You need sleep. Maybe when you get up you would be able to think rationally."

"It's not me who needs to clear his head but you. You didn't even let me meet my sister!" She cried out.

"When I am here with you , you shouldn't need anyone else!" He walked to his side of the bed and laid down. She kept sitting turning her face to the other side.

"I said sleep!" He ordered.

Pursing her lips she refrained herself from shouting at him knowing that it would lead them nowhere. Arguing with him was futile.

"Ouch!" Her head hit his chest as he pulled her to him through her elbow before making her properly lay down besides him.

After the struggle of good two minutes to escape she burst out crying when she realized she couldn't. She always knew that but still she try every time hoping to get some miraculous strength from somewhere to run away from the hold of this man not only from her body but also from her heart.

"Mai majboor hun Khushi! (I am helpless Khushi)" He said trapping her hands above her head with him on the top of her looking in her moist eyes immobilizing her through his hands and legs.

"Get off me!" She tried to wriggle. Tears escaping from the corner of her eyes.

His one hand kept her arms above her head while the other trailed down the side of her body. Her eyes widened when his fingers trailed on her abdomen and she got what she was praying for.

The strength!

As the next moment he was rolled over to his side of the bed as she pushed him off her angrily. Before he could recover from the shock she ran and locked herself in the bathroom. Despite his shouts she didn't come out whilst she cried under the shower fully clothed as the meeting with the doctor refreshed in her mind.

"For how long have you been married?" Doctor asked seriously while checking her vitals.

Khushi stared at the doctor frowning with her heart clenching.

Why was everyone hell bent on scratching her wounds?

"Mrs.Raizada?"

Apprently three but in real for 9 months to be precise.

She swallowed.

"T-Three months." Khushi murmured feeling her eyes tearing up.

"I would suggest a pregnancy test too then." Doctor told her knowingly and she paled.

"Is there a possibility that I-" She felt needles pricking her throat.

"Since you are married and living with your husband, yes. But it could only be confirmed by tests. Should I take your blood sample?" She took her consent kindly.

"Or you can use pregnancy kit?"

She shook her head not wanting to know the results too soon.

"Okay blood test then?"

Khushi nodded with tears shining in her eyes.

Threading her fingers in her hairs she pushed the wet locks behind while sobbing under the heavy sprinkles of shower as the only night of their togetherness came back to her slashing her insides.

"No one will come to marry your daughter who slept with a man before even marrying him properly!"

Everything came crashing back to her making it impossible for her to breath.

"Please don't let me be -- pregnant. Please. Please." She gasped out the words.

Khushi Singh Raizada for the first time wished for something she never thought she ever would not for herself but for the tiny life whose life would be destroyed if he/she came to the world of two retched souls who have no far fetched future except for anguish, hurt, pain and hate written in their lives.

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