Kaisey Yeh Rishtey - 40

Chapter 40

Arnav looked down at his prone body with satisfaction, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Then he turned to Khushi, and stiffened slightly. She was watching him in something that looked almost like fear.

Arnav wiped the trickle of blood off his chin, and walked towards her slowly, completely ignoring everyone in the room. The police were rushing to restrain a very groggy Shyam and his father.

Arnav faced Khushi.

“It’s over,” he said softly, but firmly. “It’s over, Khushi. You don’t have to go back to them … ever. That’s the last time they tried anything of that sort with you. You’re coming back home now. Your home – our home.”

She looked at him, her eyes enormous, wet, and then gave a small, half-gasp, half sob, and went into his arms. They came around her tightly as he held her close. When they pulled apart, she was sobbing, her arms around him as though he was her lifeline.

                                                                             ***************************************

"And now," said Akash, walking forward, "I think we want to know the whole story. I certainly do, and I'm sure Khushi does, as well, don't you, bhabhi?"

They were in the sitting room of the little house. The police had handcuffed Shyam and his father, and Vijay Dhawan also sat down with his two companions. Khushi and Arnav were still standing to one side, Arnav's arms firmly around his wife.

Khushi and Arnav pulled apart. Khushi looked at Arnav, her eyes questioning. Arnav sighed.

"Even I don't know the whole story," he said. "The best person to tell us is probably this man," nodding towards Khushi's 'father'.

"I do know that Khushi's parents both died when she was around two years old. And her grandfather made provision for her, around the same time, but in a very clever way, making sure that the money he provided for her, was used only for her. That was probably the reason for Shyam's jealousy, which ultimately grew so much that it became pure hatred, and he did what he did."

"It wasn't only that," broke in Khushi's 'father'. "Shyam got involved in bad company, started drinking, gambling, drugs. The money was never enough for all that. The allowance was enough for us to have a comfortable life. After all, our household expenses were paid for. But Shyam got greedy. And he got jealous … he always was jealous …"

"Start at the beginning," Arnav commanded. "How is it that Khushi didn't know you were not her father? How did she begin to think of you as her real father in the first place?"

The old man sighed, and seemed to collect his thoughts.

                                  

"It all really began …" he spoke slowly, "I suppose, you could say, everything began the day Khushi was born. We - her parents and I - met at the same hospital. My wife was having a baby the same time, and Shashi, Khushi's father, and I were waiting outside. We were called by the nurse, and we realised we had the same name. He was Shashi Gupta, and I am Shashi Kumar Gupta. We laughed about the coincidence, got talking, and became friendly. Anyway, both our wives had daughters, we congratulated each other, and two days later, we both went home. That was that. Never thought we would meet again.

“Then a month later," the old man continued, "we met again at the same hospital. Shashi was not in a good frame of mind. He had just taken his wife and daughter to her parents' home, and been sent packing. It was then that I realised, that he had married her for her money, and was furious that no money was forthcoming. All his dreams had vanished into smoke. He had started drinking, he was quite drunk when I met him - which was why he spoke to me so freely. He had beaten Khushi's mother, then had sobered enough to bring her to hospital.

I had come for a different reason. My baby daughter was sick. She subsequently … died."

The old man stopped and looked at Khushi. Then he gathered himself enough to go on.

"In that visit to hospital, my wife became friendly with Khushi's mother, Garima. She also felt very sorry for her. Shashi had emptied their home, sold their possessions, thinking he would be welcomed at his inlaws ... so  they were virtually on the streets, and Garima was trying to come to terms with the fact that the man she had left her parents for, had lied to her and had married her only for her money. When there was no money, he had promptly started ill-treating her, in the hope, I think, that she would go back to her parents, and he would be free of his responsibility. But Garima couldn't go. She said her father would never take her back, and she was right."

The old man looked again at Khushi.

"My wife," he said softly, "… had just lost her baby girl. And she had seen Khushi at birth just a month ago. She offered a home to Shashi and Garima, because she wanted Khushi. In Khushi, she saw her own little baby. And so did I. It felt that Khushi had been sent to us to make up for the loss of our own baby. So I didn't object to their coming home. Later, I did. I had no wish to be drawn into their quarrels. But they came and stayed with us for some time, then we found them a room next to ours in the chawl, and they moved in there. Garima and my wife, Ritu, were very friendly, and Shyam who was just 3 years old, treated Khushi like his own baby sister. She had come home just a few days after we lost my baby, and after a while he barely remembered his own sister." 

The old man paused, his eyes shadowed. He seemed lost in thought. Then he looked up at his audience, looked directly at Khushi, and continued.

"A few weeks later, Ritu, my wife died. She had never quite got over the infection that killed her baby. Garima was devastated, she had become very close to Ritu. She took over caring for Shyam, she looked after Shyam as though he too was her child, and it was a big help for me. Shashi and I got along all right. But Shashi and Garima used to fight all the time. She was a girl from a big house, and Shashi had been her father's accountant ... like a munshi. He was a very good looking guy, he looked like he was from a high class type of family, and those were the kind of lies he had told Garima, he’d deceived her into believing he was well off, educated and all, and had been working as their accountant only to be close to her. I think she had lived a very sheltered, protected life. She’d swallowed all those stories, she felt delighted that he loved her so much – and to find out that he’d been lying, that he had barely passed school, had lied he was a qualified accountant, and he was just out for what he could get - that just broke her. Shashi used to fight back - he used to taunt her to go back to her parents, they used to just fight all the time."

The old man stopped and swallowed.

"One night, Garima and Shashi had a big fight. I went to their room and got Khushi, afraid they might hurt the baby. Khushi was about two years old at the time. Shashi slapped Garima and walked out of the room, saying he was never going to return. Garima followed him, screaming. It was raining. Maybe she didn't see where she was going. She …" he paused grimly, not looking at Khushi, "… came under a truck."

Khushi gave a little gasp of horror. Shashi Kumar Gupta continued, in a low flat voice. "She was very badly hurt. I took her to hospital. She made me promise that I would take care of Khushi, that I would not give her to her parents. I think she had no faith that they would take care of her after they had thrown her – Garima – out, and her big fear was that they would send Khushi to an orphanage. I owed Garima a lot – despite her own troubles, she had looked after Shyam like her own son after my wife died, and I was fond of Khushi, so I agreed. Garima died, and I was left with two babies to look after. Khushi was two, and Shyam was five. Shashi never came back after that night – I think he didn’t even see the accident.”

Mahendra Shah leaned forward. Shashi Gupta continued.

"I had a job as a chaprasi in a small office. Not too much money, wife gone, and two babies to look after. Khushi used to keep crying for her mother. It was too difficult for me to keep my promise, I thought, so I wrote a note to Garima's parents, that Garima had died in an accident and left a baby. I signed it Shashi Gupta - that was the name I usually used - I hardly used the Kumar - and sent it, along with a copy of Garima's death certificate to her father's address."

"A few days after that, I was visited by a pair of lawyers. I was holding Khushi. She had started calling me baba. She didn't remember her father very much, and I had always been around for her. The lawyers asked if I was Shashi Gupta. I said yes. It was only later I realised they were looking for Khushi's father, not me. Anyway, they saw Khushi in my arms, calling me baba, they assumed I was her father. They checked Garima's death certificate, and then made me their offer from her father. I would receive a monthly stipend to take care of Megha, on the condition the money was spent on her, and only on her. I realised their mistake, so I told them that I wasn't related to Khushi, and they could take her with them. I didn't want their money, and I definitely didn't want another mouth to feed. They were confused but they didn't take her ... those were not their instructions. A couple of days later, they came back. Khushi's grandfather made me another offer. He was not going to keep the baby. Either I agreed to look after her, and he paid money for her upkeep, or I sent her to an orphanage. He offered a higher sum of money, and I got tempted. So I accepted. The next time the lawyers came, about a year later, they said she had to start school. The fees would be paid directly to the school, and I would receive my stipend as long as she was registered at school and then college. Garima had been a bright student, a scholarship holder, so the grandfather wanted his granddaughter to be educated.

I asked to be shifted to a good house, in a better area, so that she could go to a good school. I thought it would be good to get out of the chawl where everyone knew that I wasn’t Khushi’s father, so questions wouldn’t be asked about how and why I could afford her school and all. I was shifted to this house, but it was in Khushi's name. The money was paid in Khushi's name. The lawyers never came again, but I knew they kept an eye on her. Then, we started getting parcels every month or two, with food, chocolates, and clothes, lots of clothes for Khushi. Shyam went in rags, simple cheap clothes, but Khushi was always dressed well. He went to the local government school, but her admissions were taken care of, in the best private school of the area. School trips, functions, special classes, all extras – she had it all. If money was required, all I had to do was register her name and it was paid directly to the school – we never got it. Slowly, as they grew older, Shyam's jealousy started building up. He started to question me, why I couldn't spend money on his extras, his clothes, his cricket bat ... and I had to tell him why.  Knowing she wasn't his sister, made his jealousy worse. He used to trouble her, even hit her, but I kept an eye on him. Partly for my wife, because Ritu had loved her. Partly for myself. I had brought her up, and taken care of her from birth, I did care for her, but also I was scared that if she was ill-treated, she might be taken away from me, and the payments would stop. And by now I was used to the extra money – it made life very comfortable for us. But by the time she was in college, Shyam was into bad company, and his demands for money never stopped. I was just a peon. I couldn't meet his demands. He stopped studying - he was never interested anyway, and started one job after another – never stuck to any place because of his drinking. Khushi kept studying, she wanted to, and I encouraged her - our money would stop when she stopped studying or got married. Then Shyam got into that stupid mess in Arnav Singh Raizada's company, and Mr. Raizada came into Khushi's life, and packed us off."

Kaisey Yeh Rishtey 39

Chapter 39

Arnav drove faster than he had ever driven before. They reached the road to Khushi's house, and Arnav braked suddenly. He had seen something, or rather, someone. 

Two men were walking into the gate of the house. They were obviously arguing furiously. Arnav recognized them instantly.

"Where is Khushi?" he muttered, under his breath. "How come she's not with them? Have they kept her shut in the house?"

He parked the car a few houses down, and both men got out cautiously. But the two in front obviously did not expect to be followed. They walked quite openly and casually down the short garden path, to the front door. The younger man, Shyam, produced a key, and unlocked the door. Arnav and Akash watched from a distance as the two men walked into the house and shut the front door behind them. Arnav heard the click as it was locked from inside. He looked at Akash, and by silent consent, they opened the gate and entered cautiously, keeping out of sight should anyone look out of the windows. No one did, and they paused for a moment. Then Arnav gestured, Akash nodded, and they split to go around the house, circling it in opposite directions. 

Round the back  of the house Arnav came to an open window. The glass panels were open, but it was barred with grills. As he hesitated under it, he heard a door inside open, and sound of footsteps walking into the room. Then he heard a voice, which seemed to breathe new life into him.

It was Khushi. And a very cross, bad-tempered Khushi, he realised amusedly, as he heard her first words, relief washing into him as he realised that she was unharmed.

"Where were you, baba? What's taken you so long? I have to go, I told you that! I can come again tomorrow. But I can't stay out this late! I have commitments! You might not be concerned about the time, but I am!"

He waited no more, but moved quietly further. A little way around the house, he came to what was surely the back door. As he was trying the handle gingerly, Akash appeared as well. Together, they forced the door with a minimum of noise, and entered noiselessly.

They walked cautiously through the small hall, quietly moving towards the room where Arnav had heard Khushi's voice. And they heard her voice again, this time with a note of panic.

"Shyam, I can't stay! I have to go! Please! I'll meet you tomorrow, I promise. I'll sign whatever you need to be signed! But I have to go now."

 There was the sound of a slap, then another. But no cry came from whoever had received the blows. Shyam's voice came then, his tone ugly, and Arnav heard his voice through a red mist of anger.

"Shaddap and stay put! You're not going anywhere. Why are you in such a hurry, anyway? He's not gonna be waiting for you. He'll find someone else to warm his bed for a night! You're not that important! You were left there as my surety, now I don't need the surety. You come back home and stay put here. I'll tell him myself tomorrow, but till then, you stay here. You're not going anywhere till we go to the bank tomorrow, and you sign the papers there."

"I'll sign them," Khushi replied, and Arnav heard the tension in her voice again. "But I have to go now. I can't stay here till tomorrow. You can't force me to stay here. I won't."

"Khushi." It was her father's voice this time, as firm as his son's but without the ugliness. "Khushi, you don't understand. You  don't have to go back at all. It's over, Khushi. You can come home now. Shyam will sort it out with Mr. Raizada tomorrow." 

Khushi spoke again, the tension in her voice increased. 

"No, baba. You don't understand. I have to go back. I'll come back tomorrow for your papers or whatever you want me to sign. Mr. Raizada will explain ... I have to go ..."

Her voice was rising with her worry. Arnav had heard enough. He walked into the room.

"You heard the lady," he said, easily. "Let her go."

Khushi whirled around at the sound of his voice. She stared at Arnav and Akash in surprise, as they walked into the room.

"Arnav?!" she said disbelievingly. "You here?!" And then her face changed, a different sort of worry entering her eyes. "Is everything all right? At home? I know I'm late but they ..." more strongly, her face changing, annoyance in her voice as she gestured to the father and brother ..."they won't let me go. They don't understand .... please tell them I need to go back. She'll be waiting ..."

Arnav looked at Khushi. Her lip was swollen, there was a red mark on her cheek, but she seemed unconcerned with her physical pain. His anger rose again. With a supreme effort he controlled himself.

Shyam looked at the other man with loathing.

"The bargain is over," he said. "I have your papers. You can take them. Your men wouldn't let us come here before this. We gave them the slip, but it was only to return your papers to you. Now you can give me my sister back. She's warmed your bed for long enough."

"Give her back - but why?" said Arnav, easily, his tone betraying no sign of the rage engulfing him. "So that you can use her in the same way, the next time you try to fraud somebody again? I think not, Shyam. I think I'll keep her with me. I haven't got tired of her yet."

"She's my sister," Shyam said, fiercely. "I decide where she stays. And she doesn't have to be your whore any more."

Akash flinched, so did Khushi. But Arnav remained cool.

"Ah, such love and concern for your sister! That's so very touching, Shyam. But sadly for you, it doesn't really impress me. You see, I happen to know that your concern isn't for her, is it, Shyam? You really need her for your bank work tomorrow. The bank manager said he needs to see her, before he releases her money, isn't that right?"

Khushi looked at him with surprise. Money? What money? her eyes asked him. But Arnav wasn't looking at her. He was looking at Shyam. 

Shock reflected in Shyam's eyes, followed by a certain wariness. He looked at Arnav carefully, as though trying to discover what he meant. Or what he knew. His tone held truculence when he spoke again, but he spoke slowly, weighing his words more carefully than earlier. 

"Whatever I need or don't need with Khushi, is my concern, not yours," he said. "She was to live with you till I returned your papers. I'm here to return them. After that, she is no concern of yours."

"Ah, but I think that's where you're mistaken, Shyam," said Arnav, silkily, and Khushi shuddered at the dangerous note in his voice. "She is very much a concern of mine. Rather, I would say that she is no concern of yours. She's no relation of yours at all, is she?"

This time shock echoed in the three faces turned to him. Shyam looked frantically at his father and then back at Arnav. 

"No relation?! What d'you mean?! She's my sister!" he gasped frantically. It was obvious that he realised that something was wrong. "She comes back to us, to her home. Our bargain is over. You have no hold over her. She comes back to me, or I'll go to the police and tell them that you're holding her against her will."

"But my bargain with her isn't over yet," Arnav informed him, trying not to look at Khushi's baffled face, his heart bleeding for her. He had to deal with Shyam first. "And I think I have more grounds than you to keep her with me. You see, Shyam, Khushi is not my keep. I'm not holding her against her will. I thought this might come into your mind at some time – to blackmail me about keeping her as my mistress, so I got rid of that problem at the earliest. I've married her. She is my wife. And oh, yes, I was forgetting. She is not your sister. She is no relation to you at all. Nor to you," he added to the old man cowering in one corner.

Khushi looked blankly from one man to the other, trying to make sense of the conversation, her head reeling. Not related to her father and brother? Whatever was Arnav saying? And why were neither Shyam nor her father contradicting him?

Arnav didn’t look at her, his whole attention concentrated on the two men. Guilt and fear was written on their faces as the realization dawned on them that he knew the truth. He looked at them disgustedly.

"Your game is up," he informed them curtly, as Akash moved unobtrusively to guard the door. "The police will be here shortly, along with Khushi's bank manager. He will vouch for the fact that you have been living off her money for the last twenty-four years. That you’ve been using the money given for her own use, for yourself, without her even knowing about its existence. You two can look forward to a long spell in jail, I'm happy to say."

"And I've not seen anyone who deserves it more," added Akash, distaste and disgust on his face, as he stared at Shyam and his father. "We'll have you up for theft, fraud, and whatever else we can get on you! Maybe murder, as well. We still don't know under exactly what circumstances Khushi's parents died, but I'm willing to bet you might have had a hand in that, as well!"

"No!" burst out Khushi's father, or, rather, the man she had always thought was her father. "Not murder! Never that! You've got it wrong! All wrong! That's not how it is!" 

He turned to Khushi pleadingly, as she listened to Arnav and Akash, a look of growing horror on her face, as she began to comprehend what they were saying.

"It wasn’t fraud! They always knew – I swear they did! Khushi, you can't do this to me! Listen, Khushi, I've always looked after you. I've been a father to you, I've always thought of you as my real daughter! Khushi …"

Khushi looked at him, and then at Arnav, in complete shock, her world crumbling around her.

"Baba," she whispered. "You're not my …?"

Arnav went swiftly to her and held her face in his hands.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," he whispered, regretfully. "This was not the way to break it to you."

Khushi shook her head, and moved away from him slowly, still looking at him disbelievingly. Arnav looked at her steadily, making no move to go closer again.

"You knew?" she whispered. "You knew all the time? And you never told me? Never said a word ...?"

Arnav shook his head and Shyam seemed to come to life.

"NO!!!" he roared. "I won't stand this! All my life, I've stood and watched as she had it all, the best of everything, and I won't stand it any more. They didn't want her back, she wasn't good enough for that! Then why should ….!!!"

He pounced on Khushi, and dragged her towards the door. His actions were so sudden, that she didn't even think to resist. Shyam looked at Arnav with loathing.

"You want her back, then you pay me for her. Otherwise, she stays right here ... and I empty her bank account tomorrow, when the bank opens."

Akash barred his way, but Arnav stepped forwards, as Shaym's father whined "No, no, Shyam," in the background.

"This one's mine, Akash," said Arnav, steadily. "I've waited a long time for this pleasure."

Shyam left Khushi's hand as Arnav advanced on him.

"So have I," he said, between clenched teeth.

The fight was short, and fierce. Shyam was angry, the pent-up frustration of twenty-four years of imagined neglect and envy driving his fists. And Arnav remembered each word of Khushi's, her every tear, her loneliness, and her utter despair. And that fury drove his fists. They fought hard, and silently. And the fight ended, as good fights do, just as the police burst in through the open door, accompanied by the bank manager, Vijay Dhawan, Mahendra Shah, and an old lady whom nobody recognized. Arnav delivered a final knockout punch to Shyam's jaw, and Shyam fell to the ground, senseless.

Kaisey Yeh Rishtey - 38

Chapter 38 

They drew up at the hospital, and Arnav parked and almost ran into the building, closely followed by an equally anxious Akash.

Khushi was nowhere to be found. 

Arnav cross-questioned the nursing staff in the physiotherapy department, and managed to trace a surprised Mrs. Gill in her small office on the first floor. She was startled to see the two men, and even more so at Arnav's evident worry. Quickly she checked her schedule planner, and turned back to him.

"She would have been here till about half an hour ago," said Mrs. Gill. "She had appointments till 2, she always leaves by 2, since Radhika ... your niece?" questioningly at Arnav, who nodded tersely. Mrs. Gill continued. "Yes, Radhika gets home from school by 2.30, so Khushi makes sure to leave by 2. I did see her a while back, but that must have been before her last appointment. She was with a patient. I think they are still here. Would you like to speak to them? Maybe she said something to them as to where she was going. I came to give her your message, but she had already left."

Arnav nodded, his face tight. They waited in Mrs. Gill's room, and she returned shortly, followed by … Aman.

Aman looked surprised to see Arnav there. Mrs. Gill introduced the two men, and Arnav nodded curtly in acknowledgement.

"I know him," he said, briefly. He turned to Aman.

"Did Khushi say anything about where she was going?"

Aman shook his head, evidently bewildered. "What's this about?" he asked. "Is Khushi all right?"

Akash answered for Arnav, who was obviously trying to keep both temper and impatience under control.

"We're not sure, that's why we're asking. There may be a problem. Have you seen her today? Is she still with your wife, by any chance?"

Aman shook his head, his face beginning to  reflect the worry he saw in the eyes of the other two men.

"She's not with Anjali now, I can tell you that much. Anjali didn't have an appointment with Khushi today. But they met briefly," he said. "My daughter's not been keeping well, and Anjali always wants to see Khushi, when that happens. Khushi was with Anjali for about fifteen minutes or so, I think. I wasn't there. I came just in time for Anjali's physiotherapy session ... we do that together. Khushi was just leaving, so I didn't really talk to her. Khushi did mention that her car had broken down on the way to the hospital, and she had sent the driver to the garage to get it repaired. I offered to drop her home after Anjali finished, but she was in a hurry. She had promised Radhika that she would be home by the time Radhika got back from school and she was getting late. I think she said she'd catch a taxi, but I went in with Anjali for her physiotherapy, so I'm not sure what she did."

Arnav went white.

"So she's not even with her own driver?! She went hunting for a cab?" he demanded, harshly. Akash took one look at him, and left the room quickly. Aman shook his head, and Arnav exploded again.

"Today, of all days! Damn it, man, couldn't you have seen her home?! Couldn't you have shown her that much consideration? She loves you, couldn't you do that much for her?!"

Aman looked at him, bewildered.

"What is the matter? Why today, of all days? What's the problem?"

Arnav almost snarled at him.

"Her father and brother are after her again," he said, furiously. "That's what the matter is! But I'm not going to let them get her. They're not going to put their filthy paws on her again."

Aman looked at him evenly.

"You're very concerned about her suddenly," he noted. "First, you snapped at me, because I dared to have tea with her in a public place. Then you're growling at her family. If you want her so badly to yourself, why don't you just keep her locked up? Or, if you're so jealous because you love her, then tell her so."

He turned to the door. "I'll ask Anjali if she said anything to her," he said. "Anjali spent more time with her than I did. If there's anything, I'll get back to you."

At the door, he stopped and looked back.

"By the way," he added. "Khushi doesn't love me. I know there was a time when she thought she did, and I thought I loved her too ... but times change. She ... well, suffice it to say she doesn't love me. She told me so herself, the last time I met her. The time you saw us on the terrace? I think you'll remember. There is someone else in her life now, and I'm very happy for her about that.  Though I agree with you, I do wish I'd dropped her back home. If she's in any danger, I would have done that gladly. She is, and always will be, a very dear friend, and I can do anything for her."

Arnav stood as though turned to stone.

Akash came back in at a run and pulled on Arnav’s arm. Arnav turned to him, as though in a daze.

"Bhai!" Akash spoke urgently. "She’s not there – not in the parking lot, not at the taxi stand, not on the road. I spoke to HariRam, her driver ... she told him to go home after getting the car repaired, because it was going to take too long. She must have caught a cab. She might be on her way home …”

He paused as Arnav shook his head dully, still in a daze at Aman’s words.

“They must have found her here,” Arnav said slowly. “They knew she worked here. They must have taken a shot at finding her here, rather than coming to the house.”

Akash looked at him, impatient at his slow reactions.

“So then? Where could they be taking her? What do they want with her? Can you think of anything? Think, bhai, think! We have to find her."

Arnav was already on his cell phone dialling Khushi's number. He tried three times, four, five ... and stared at his phone in frustration. Either Khushi had forgotten to switch it back on after she finished with her patients, or ... He didn't want to think of the 'or' ... 

He called the house. Shantitai answered. No, Khushi was not back yet. And she wasn't answering her phone either. This time, there was more concern than annoyance in Shantitai's tone. This was not like Khushi. 

Akash was looking at him worriedly. Arnav pulled himself together, and spoke with an effort.

"They would be after her money," he said, with certainty. "Akash, we need to call the bank. The manager would know if they have gone to the bank to get her money."

He checked his cellphone and dialed a number. He talked to the bank manager, as Akash listened.

"Yes, I'm Khushi's husband, that's right. Mr. Dhawan is my manager. Yes…. Yes…. I understand. Okay, that is really good news. Thank you. So they will be there tomorrow? Did they mention where they would be staying? Right, thank you."

He turned to Akash, a small triumphant smile dawning on his face.

"Shyam and his father have surfaced, and as I expected, they made straight for the bank. But there is a provision in Khushi's account, that if her allowance is not collected regularly for more than a couple of months, she has to be physically present to take the money. These guys didn't know this – obviously, they've never been late before! Anyway, they've promised to bring Khushi to the bank tomorrow morning first thing. I think we need to check out her old house. They have no other place to stay. Chances are they have found her and taken her with them, as she hasn't reached home yet."

"Let's go," said Akash. "but will they be there, bhai? They know you might look for them there."

Arnav smiled grimly. "I have no real reason to look for Khushi," he said. "As far as they know, she's only living with me. They don't know we're married. Neither did the manager, fortunately, till I just told him. The only problem for them now, is that they can't get her money. It stops when she gets married. So we need to reach them before they find out that she's married. Thank god I didn't tell them that I intended to marry her. I hope Khushi doesn't tell them that either ... we decided not to tell them anything when we got married, I just hope she remembers that. And it's lucky we decided that ... Shyam would never have agreed to her marrying me, knowing that his money would stop. My one fear now is that if they find out she's married, she's of no use to them any more, in which case, I don't know what they'll do to her. We need to find her, and fast."

They left the hospital and made for Khushi's old house, Arnav driving as fast as he could.

As he drove, he gave Akash some terse instructions. Akash called Mr. Dhawan's mobile.

"He's not picking up," he informed Arnav. Arnav cursed briefly in frustration. 

"Call again. And again. Leave a message," said Arnav briefly. "Tell him to reach Khushi's old house – give the address - with a couple of cops."

Akash nodded.

Kaisey Yeh Rishtey - 37

Chapter 37

It was a few days later, that things blew up.

Akash walked into Arnav's office to find him talking on the phone to Vijay Dhawan, his face and tone furious.

"Find them!" he barked into the phone, scowling ferociously at the blameless receiver. "Find them now! Let me know as soon as you have! And ask Mahendra Shah if he can accompany the old lady back here as soon as possible. But you find those two, Vijay! Khushi isn't safe while they're on the loose!"

Arnav slammed down the phone, and ran his hand through his hair distractedly. Only then did he notice that Akash was in the room.

"Yes, Akash, what is it?" he asked, curtly. His tone was dismissive, but Akash was not to be put off this time. He moved further into the room, his face determined.

"Bhai, what is this all about? You have to tell me, bhai. The other day, too, you just put me off. But I need to know, Bhai. I'm here to help you if I can. You don't have to do this alone. What is going on? What is this mystery about Khushi bhabhi? Why is she in danger? Tell me, bhai, please!"

Arnav looked grimly at him, and then seemed to relax infinitesmally.

"You're right, Akash. You need to know, and I need to tell you. Your Khushi bhabhi has literally been held captive for most of her life by a pair of goons. Because I got her away from them, when I married her - unknowingly, I might add - they are now rather annoyed with me, to put it mildly. And they want her back in their clutches, as soon as possible, so that their source of income resumes. It dried up, you see, when she was no longer with them."

Akash gasped, completely speechless.

Arnav smiled, and it was not a nice smile.

"Does she know?" stammered Akash. "Why … how …?"

Arnav shook his head.

"No, she doesn't know this. Any of it. The why's and hows, I am not very clear about myself," Arnav admitted. "It's taken me a long time to get this much clear. And how these people managed this much, what means they used to blackmail her grandparents … I really don't know. But I mean to find out. And to find her real family. But first, Akash, I need to check that she is all right. These men haven't been seen since last night in Nagpur. Just enough time to have got back here, and tried to do some mischief."

He pulled the telephone to him, and called home. Shantitai answered. Khushi had gone to the hospital, she said tersely, in answer to Arnav's rapid fire questions. She had a few patients. She had said she would be back in two hours, but it was almost three. It was not like Khushi to be late. Radhika was waiting for her. Shantitai did not approve.

Arnav terminated the conversation as soon as he could, and dialed Khushi’s cell phone. He stared at the instrument in frustration – Khushi never answered her cell phone while she was with patients in the hospital – it was either on silent, or the number was switched off. Getting more agitated, he fired off a couple of messages to her, and then called the hospital. Yes, Khushi had come to work as usual. Probably, she was still in the department. Wait, they would try and connect her.

A pause.

They were not sure, but she didn't seem to still be there. Was there a message?

"Yes," said Arnav, fiercely. "Tell her that her husband called. I'm coming to pick her up. She should not leave without me. On no account. I don't want her to leave alone. Not even with the driver. She should wait for me. It's very important."

He looked at Akash, his eyes hard and worried.

"They can't find her in the hospital, Akash. I'm going there. You go home. If there are any calls for me, make sure you take them, not anybody else. I'll call you as soon as I can."

"I'm going with you," said Akash, firmly. "I don't want you to be alone. And you can tell me the whole story while we're on the way."

Arnav nodded curtly, his mind far away. He cursed himself inwardly. He should have done more to protect her, he should have worked faster on tracing her family.  This was his fault.  If anything happened to Khushi … he blocked his thoughts.

"I don't understand …" Akash said, forcefully, when they were in the car, speeding towards the hospital, "why bhabhi has to work at all. Why didn't you stop her?"

Arnav looked at him mildly. "Why should I have stopped her?"

Akash gazed at him in exasperation. "Well, for one, there's no need for her to work. You don't need the money. Radhika needs her more at home. If there was such a danger, why …?"

"For one," Arnav said, evenly, "till now, there has been no such problem. I have kept those two under my supervision from the beginning, more so since I realised what was happening. For the second part, yes, she is needed at home by Radhika, but she is also needed by a number of her patients at the hospital. Knowing the work she does, how much it is needed, I couldn't stop her, even if I had wanted to. She has never let it interfere with her care of the house, of dad, you or Radhika. She's a highly educated, qualified girl, and the days are long over when a girl like her stopped working when she got married. For the third ..." Arnav stopped, and swallowed. He had to say it, he thought, had to warn Akash. He owed him that much. And for once, he needed to share his fears … his biggest fear … of Khushi walking out of his life.

"For the third part, if she had stopped working when she married me, she might have found it very difficult to get her job back, or get another job, when our marriage was over. I would have happily provided for her for the rest of her life, but she is too independent to accept that. This was part of her job for her, and she would continue her work when it was over."

Akash was staring at him in complete and utter shock.

"What … are you saying?!!! What marriage will be over?  What job?!!! Bhai, you're not making any sense!"

Arnav looked steadily at the road ahead, and steeled himself to say the next words.

"Khushi is a trained and qualified psychologist and psychotherapist. That is the reason I married her - to help you all - you, dad, and Radhika. It was a job for her, and she was under a lot of personal pressures at the time, so she accepted. Our marriage was to last till such time we both felt that you, dad and Radhika were able to manage without her, maybe a year, maybe two. Then I would divorce her quietly, and leave her free to get on with her life."

Akash looked as though he had been knocked on the head with a rock. A large one.

"No," he whispered. "No, bhai. It can't be. Khushi bhabhi … she can't leave. She can't leave us. She can't leave you!"

He turned to Arnav fiercely.

"She loves you," he said, forcefully, angrily. "How can you let her go? How can you send  her away? She loves you! She loves all of us, but you … you're her life! How can you even think of sending her away?!"

Arnav looked ahead, suddenly feeling hollow inside.

"She doesn't love me," he said, dully, feeling the words sink in, and making himself face them. If she loved him, she would have said yes the other night. But she hadn’t. She still hadn’t. He glanced at Akash briefly. "She doesn't love me, Akash. It's a job for her. A job she does very, very well."

"No!" Akash said, hotly. "I've seen her look at you. So has Shivi. Bhai, you can’t be so blind! Khushi loves you. She loves us all, but most of all, you. Don't send her away. Don't let her go, bhai! Please, don't send her away, please!!!"

“I don't want to send her anywhere," said Arnav, angrily. "But neither do I want to force her to stay against her will. She was in one hopeless situation, I don't want her to be forced into another one. She deserves some happiness in life, after all she's been through."

She deserves more than some happiness, he thought. She deserves the world, and how I wish I could give it to her. How I wish I could be the one to bring a sparkle to her eyes, a blush to her cheeks. How I wish I could gather her in my arms, and hold her tight, protect her against all that the world has thrown at her. How I wish that I could be the one she welcomes into her arms in the day, and into herself, body and soul, at night …

He made himself stop abruptly. The mere thought of holding her, loving her, aroused him unbearably. If only he found her quickly, he promised himself, he would try to woo her, romance her, win her heart, her love. To hell with Aman, and to being noble and giving Khushi more time to get over him. He would make her forget Aman. He couldn’t live without her – and he had to let her know it.

Kaisey Yeh Rishtey - 36

Chapter 36 

Khushi tried to gauge Arnav's mood later that night.

She was still puzzling over his words, and couldn't contain herself any longer. When he came to bed, she was waiting, standing by the window and staring out, a small, slim figure, all in white, her silk dressing gown wrapped tightly around her, her long, dark hair blowing in the soft breeze from the window. He paused for a moment at the door, looking at her, then came inside, closing it softly.

She turned around and looked at him, her gaze direct. Smiling slightly, he walked slowly over to where she stood, and stopped, looking at her, with a quizzical look on his face.

"You …" she began, and then stopped. His gaze did not waver, but he didn't speak.

"You …" she started again, and then gave him an exasperated look. "Arnav, help me here! You know what I'm talking about!"

"You haven't really said anything yet," he answered, maddeningly. "How am I supposed to know what you are getting at?"

"You know!" she said, hotly. "You know exactly what I want to talk to you about! Don't you? Don't you?!"

"Since you haven't said anything yet," he replied, "I should not be able to. But, yes, actually, my dear wife, yes, I think I do know what you are bursting to say. And that, itself, tells me something. Doesn't it tell you something as well?"

She stared at him, stupefied.

"Tell me? Tell you? What on earth are you saying?"

"I thought you were the one wanting to say something," he returned, and she felt like stamping her foot!

"Temper, temper," he said, softly, teasingly, watching her face, as the expressions danced across it, and annoying her still further. She turned and walked away to the window again, and stood looking outside.

Arnav looked at her, knowing what was going through her mind, knowing and yet not wanting to take the conversation further. Because he was scared, he realised – scared of revealing his feelings. It was too soon … much too soon. Or maybe it was fear ... did she still love that fellow, he wondered slowly. He could read her thoughts so clearly most of the time, but this … he didn’t have a clue as to what she felt. Or was he scared to try to read her thoughts … scared that the answer would be something he didn’t want it to be. And that would shatter him.

She had to love him, he thought fiercely. She had to see, to realise that they were made for each other, that their minds and hearts spoke to each other, that they could read each other so well … how could she not see it?

But she gave not a hint, not a shadow of one. When she talked of the future, it was always about leaving. So did she not want to stay after all? Didn't she see what he felt? Did she not feel even slightly the same way? Surely not.

She wasn't averse to his touch, he knew. She had been skittish at the start of their unconventional marriage, shying away from the slightest touch. But that was a thing of the past. Not now, he thought, remembering the fierce embrace on the terrace floor a few hours ago. No, definitely not now. But any more than that  ... that was still a question. 

He would have to wait a little longer, he mused.

And then Khushi spoke, still looking out the window.

"Why did you tell Radhika that?" she said suddenly, taking her courage in both her hands.

"Why did I tell her - what?" he asked mildly, but he tensed. What should he say?

Khushi bit her lip, but then turned around and faced him, although her eyes remained downcast.

"You know. You said that I would never go away from this house. Arnav, why did you say that? Why did you ...? When I go, it will come as more of a shock to her."

"Do you think that she can handle the possibility of your leaving yet?" he asked her evenly. She thought for a moment, then shook her head slowly.

"I'm not sure," she said. Then she looked at him. "But you have to start preparing her, Arnav. If you keep assuring her that I will never leave, then it will be more of a shock if … when … I actually do."

He sighed. Again Khushi only spoke about leaving. As though it was a certainty, an unalterable truth. What was he to say? 

“Khushi … again … why the hurry? Where’s the rush? It’s not been so long after all. Remember, I said, it could be a year, two years … it’s barely been six months! Yes, she’s much better – they’re all better, but this is the kind of thing it takes a while to recover from completely. Let’s take it slowly. We don’t have to start talking about your leaving yet. I’m not in a hurry. Are you?”

Khushi bit her lip and looked away. Yes, she thought, I am in a hurry. It will break my heart to leave here, to leave you and this house, and the longer I stay here, the worse my own heartbreak will be. You helped me to get over Aman – who will help me to get over you?

And she had a sinking feeling she would never get over Arnav. Not ever.

She turned away again and looked unseeingly out the terrace wndow. Her voice was muffled and her words disjointed when she spoke again.

“No … but … My job … if I leave … I have to …”

Arnav looked at her bent head for a long moment. She had said 'if ...'  For the first time. 

Taking a deep breath, he came up to her and took her by the shoulders. Startled, she lifted her gaze to his. 

He looked at her steadily, his eyes unreadable. "And if I say that I meant what I said? That I don't want you to leave - ever?"

Khushi gazed at him, her pulse racing, her heart hammering suddenly. "Arnav, what are you saying?"

He looked at her for a long instant, then released her shoulders and moved away. He turned and gazed through the darkened window, looking out into the distance. There was a long silence, as though he was thinking, deliberating what to say. Then he spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully.

"I'm saying that I meant what I said. I don't think you should leave. Ever. I'm saying that it might be a good idea if we turned this marriage into a real one. That you became my wife and part of this house for real, not as part of a contract or a job."

There was silence. Khushi felt a rush, a torrent of emotion sweep through her, elation, hope, a giddy joy … she put out a hand to steady herself against the window framework. He wants me, she thought dizzily, he wants me to stay … to be his wife … for real …

He looked at her then, and she found it difficult to breathe.

"Look, Khushi," he said, quietly. "When we got married, it was a need for both of us. You wanted to get away from your father and brother, and I needed someone like you to take care of my family. We didn’t know each other at all. Certainly not enough to think about the rest of our lives together.”

He turned and came closer to her. She stood listening, her heart beating so fast and loud, she felt it would deafen her.

"After living with you, and getting to know you," he went on evenly, and then he stopped. It was as though he could not think of what to say. Then he turned and looked at her.

"I found that I could very easily imagine spending the rest of my life with you," he said simply. He went on a little quickly. "I mean, we get along well, we vibe with each other, we seem to have the same thought processes on many things. I want my wife to be my friend, my companion, and I think we are that.”

He looked at her, but she stayed silent, unable to speak, her hands twisting with each other in her lap. He looked at them, and went on slowly.

“Khushi … I’m just saying … this is what I feel. I realize that it may not be the same for you. But we can think about this as an option. If we had an arranged marriage, things would have been similar – people don't know each other very well when they get married, and get to know each other only later."

She listened, still unable to utter a word. But the elation, the joy was fading slowly. He wasn't saying that he loved her, she thought dully. Only that he liked her enough to live with her. Was that enough for her?

He waited, but she stayed silent. He came very close to her then.

"Khushi?" he said, softly, and lifted her chin with a gentle finger to face him. She looked at him, but no words came.

"You don't like the idea," he said, flatly, and made to turn away.

She came to life then, and clutched at his arm.

"No! No! It's not that! Arnav…"

He turned back to her, his expression guarded. "Then what is it? If you want some time to think about it, that's all right with me. I realize I've thrown this at you suddenly. I've been thinking about it for some time, but obviously it's come as a shock to you. You haven't been thinking about this at all. You don't have to say anything right now, Khushi. Think about it. It's an option you can think about."

He was hurt, she thought, and as the realization dawned, so did a sense of wonder and hope. She held his arm.

"If I didn't think about this as an option," she said, softly, her head down, "It's because I never dreamed that this could be something you'd want. That you wouldn't mind being married to an ordinary girl like me, that …you could want … me …"

She stopped, feeling oddly breathless.

He half smiled, then looked at her.

"Look, Khushi. Think about it. You don't have to make any decisions till you're ready to make them. There’s no hurry. Just consider it for a while, think over it with a cool head. After that, if you want to make this marriage a real one…"

She nodded, her heart in her mouth. I don’t want time, she wanted to shout. Yes, my answer is yes. I love you. So much that I don’t even care if you love me or not. Just to live with you, be your wife … to show you, even if I can’t tell you …

She stayed silent.

And when he went to bed, he kept the pillow between them again.

The pillow had disappeared for a while, when Radhika had been a regular visitor to their bed, but recently, as she had stopped coming, it had reappeared, unless, as sometimes happened, Arnav slept on the sofa. Tonight, he would have slept there, but he had a feeling …

He wasn't mistaken. Radhika had been seriously disturbed about Akash's engagement, and she woke them that night, crying as she crawled into bed and cuddling next to Khushi, crying that she didn't want Khushi to leave. Khushi woke up as she usually did, when Radhika came, and for once, so did Arnav. He watched in the dim light as she crooned the sobbing child back to sleep, as Radhka slipped slowly back into peaceful sleep, cocooned by Khushi’s warmth next to her, holding her.

Khushi held the little girl for a long time, her eyes open but unseeing in the dimness of the room. Her sleep had been restless, she couldn’t get Arnav’s words out of her head. They had set off dreams inside her, dreams of being part of this house for ever, of being his wife in real, not as part of an elaborate farce, of loving, laughing, teasing … of Arnav …

Arnav shouting out for his towel, his shirt, his phone in the mornings, Arnav lost in his paperwork in his study, till she had to push him to the dinner table, Arnav reading the newspaper in the mornings in his study while she exasperatedly popped pieces of fruit in his mouth because he was too busy to eat them himself … Arnav lying in bed next to her at night,  propped on one elbow, facing her as they talked, … Arnav holding her as they rolled on the terrace floor, his face so close when he told her to forget about Lavanya, his hands on her arms, the time he had held her and she had felt for the first time, a closeness, a passion …

She turned over restlessly … and looked into his eyes. For a long moment, they stared at each other in the almost-darkness over the head of the sleeping child between them. Then he turned over, and she found it impossible to go back to sleep.

Precap

It was a few days later that things blew up

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year 2017 ... wishing all my readers a very happy new year, and a promise ... I  WILL finish this story before Sanaya's next show starts! So you all better wish for that to happen soon! :)