"They are um...my friend's children," I answered dishonestly.

"Hmm...but that boy looked so much like I used to look when I was five or six," he remembered while he concentrated on the road.

Damn!

I have to mask an answer right now or else he would know about the kids...

"There are many who might look like others when they were five or six," I commented and switched my phone off to avoid any calls from Meera and Arjun's questions about my kids.

He didn't reply but just kept on driving and I don't know why but I kept stealing glances of him till we entered the gates of Golf Links and my heart started pounding heavily.

After a smooth drive for next five minutes, we reached his huge white mansion. His house is one of the largest and the most beautiful mansions of Delhi and why won't it be? It belonged to one of the most successful business tycoon, Pranav Malhotra, Arjun's very own father.

We entered the huge black gate as Arjun pressed the password on his gate remote control. Seeing the words engraved on the wooden stone seal just beside the gate, Malhotra Mansion, I reminisced the day I was made a part this huge family.

Yes, his family isn't a nuclear one but is a big joint family comprising of his mother, Naina Malhotra, his father whom you already know, his cousins Rithik and Isha, his uncle and aunt Prabhakar and Rita and the most important member of the family his grandmother.

All of them were sweet or that's what I thought. I didn't knew that people of this family disliked me to an extent that they played a significant role in destroying my life or let's say, Arjun and my life.

After passing by the beautiful lush green lawns with crafted leaves of the trees on the path leading us to the mansion, I realised how much I missed this place. I had always liked open spaces and huge houses and longed for a loving joint family and my wish was granted but it was short-lived.

Arjun parked the car in the porch and headed out of the car. He expected me to get out of the car too but I was reluctant. Reluctant in facing them again and I guess Arjun understood this and so he opened the door for me but did not let me come out before passing his stupid comment.

"And now my wife needs a fucking red carpet with roses to put her sensitive feet on the ground!"

"Idiot," I muttered and slowly walked into the direction of the entrance.

He was just beside me, the fingers of his right hand brushing against mine, sending chills down my spine. I quickly pulled my hand and tried not letting it touch against his but this man has got guts. He, instead of moving away from me, held me by my waist and this wasn't just a hold but it was like he pulled my entire body towards him all of a sudden in such a way that it felt like a magnet had attracted my figure towards it and even after applying all my strength to pull away, he won't let me go but tighten his hold on my waist.
A time came when I felt his fingerprints would leave an imprint on my waist and it pained because of the sensitivity of that area in my body. It had been prone to a lot of torture since the time I was born and I just avoided pressing anything against it.

I winced in pain when this happened. Arjun immediately realised what he was doing and stopped when he knew that it still hurt like hell and why won't it hurt?

I had my very first operation in that area when I was seven. Then I met with an accident when I was twelve and a long metal rod got inserted over there leaving an ugly mark that daddy got masked after two plastic surgeries. When those inhuman rapists attacked on me, they targeted my right waist as if they knew that was my weak point and recently, an year back, I had an operation for stone and now it felt like he would pierce into my already sensitive skin.

Before entering the house, I just stopped. I couldn't move further. I just couldn't. It felt as if all the haunting memories came flying from the corner of my brain all of a sudden.

"You don't deserve to be a part of this family,"

"I knew she had an affair,"

"Infertile...do you even know you can never give us the child who will take our legacy forward?"

"I swear bhai (brother) , I saw her with him,"

............it just choked my brain and it's ability to decide just got stuck between memories and reality.

"Amaya," All of a sudden, Arjun's gentle voice brought me back into reality. "Come," he held my hands and pulled me but I stood there rooted on the ground.

"I cannot," I whispered and stepped two spaces back.

He kept quiet for five seconds and then said, "Mom and dad aren't there. They have moved to another mansion with Uncle and Aunt. Grandma, Rithik and Isha live here,"

I wanted to know why they moved out whereas Arjun and his cousins with his grandmother lived here in this huge mansion but I didn't ask about it right there. I just wanted to get out of this mess and so I continued.

The mansion didn't have anyone other than Grandma who was sitting on her wheelchair in the gigantic living room, watching tv. The moment we entered, Arjun held my hand even more tightly. To comfort me? Ughh...I certainly didn't feel comforted. It just further raised my heartbeat.

"Dadi ( Grandma )," he said and she turned around, looking at us and then only at me. Her eyes had prominent dark circles and they looked puffy as if she hadn't slept for ages. Her face was paler than I could remember and her silver locks were done neatly in a bun. She looked older and more weak, as if people had stopped caring about her.

It didn't take me another second to realise that she actually smiled with contentment when she saw me...or was dreaming? She set her eyes still on me and then we had an unbreakable eye contact.

"Amaya..." her trembling voice entered my ears and that didn't take me another moment to think about embracing her in a warm hug. I just paced towards her wheel chair and half bent to hug her loose body. I could hear her sniffing and I realised she was overwhelmed.

We broke the hug and she kissed my forehead. "Now that you are back...I know everything will be fine by the grace of lord Krishna," she said and looked at Arjun who was standing just next to me.

"Take your wife to your room," she ordered while continuously smiling at me.

What? Same room?

I looked at Arjun and he had made a kind of face that told me he hadn't expected anything like this. Fuck dude! Firstly, I am still his wife, secondly, we need to live together and then the nightmare arrives with the Same room nonsense.

I wanted to protest but grandma's words can't be taken for granted. We have to obey as she says and that's the rule of this family.

"My beti (daughter) is here. Make sure you don't let her go this time," Grandma said this to Arjun as my mind just didn't want to believe what it just clearly heard.

Don't let her go? God! It will break her heart if she knows we will get divorced in ten days and Arjun is going to remarry the love of his life...

"I won't,"

____________________________________

Another update? Expected?

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What do you think Amaya is going to do now? She is in Arjun's house and his grandmother wants him to not let her go!!

What do you think is Arjun going to do? And why did all the elders except grandma moved to another mansion? Any guesses? Come on!!

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