Hello dearies...,                                                                                                      18-12-2020

How are you all? I'm not sorry for this late update. Because I already posted this part a week ago. But, my stories section here had some problem that couldn't get published the part. So, after contacting the help desk, the issue got cleared up, and here I'm posting the update again. I hope you all understand my issue. And To compensate for the wait, I'm posting a little long update than my usual one. Let me know how you feel about this part. 

Part 3: 

"Ma? NK? What are you both doing here?" asked Akash, entering Arnav's room. He got more confused seeing the worried, nervous and tensed faces before them. "What's wrong? Why are you looking tense? Khushi, what's wrong? What are they doing here? Are you okay?" Akash asked again. But not getting any answer, his worry got more. "Why are you not answering my questions? Is everything okay? Khushi, did you talk with Bhai? Is he okay?" asked Akash with worry.

Suddenly, Khushi ran to him and hugged him crying, making his heart skip a beat in fear.

"Khushi, jijaji is asking for something. Why aren't you answering?" asked Payal, getting worried.

Both Mami and NK looked at each other and rushed to Khushi.

"Khushi, control yourself. Akash, you come inside I will tell you. Payal, can you please close the door?" asked Mami, making Khushi sit on the bed.

Both Akash and Payal looked at each other in mixed emotions. They didn't miss the fact that Mami is calling Payal with her original name, not with her weird given name.

After Akash and Payal settled on the recliner, Mami explained their doubts about Arnav and his disappearance.

"What the hell are you saying, Ma? Is this the thing to joke?" Shouted Akash.

"And am I looking like a fool to joke about Arnav? And that too in this way? Akash, keep calm and listen to what we are saying. We did our investigation. You need to listen to us first." Said Mami, with that Mami, explained what they found about Arnav missing. Both Akash and Payal are shocked would be an understatement.

"Khushi?" Payal couldn't say anything. Suddenly, she felt an unknown fear creeping up her spine. "Khushi, by any chance, is this done by...," her words were completed by Akash, leaving Khushi, Mami and NK in shock and surprise.

"Shyam?"

Khushi looked at Akash, horrified.

"Jiju? Jiji?" asked Khushi.

"What do you mean by Shyam, Akash?" Asked Mami, unable to control her nervousness.

"I know everything about Shyam, Ma. Payal told me about him before our wedding," said Akash.

"Then, why didn't you tell me about Shyam, previously? He did so much, and now it affected our Arnav. Why didn't you tell me previously, Payal? I know there is no mistake of yours or Khushi's. But you should have told me previously!" said Mami.

Payal looked at Mami apologetically.

"I am sorry, Ma Ji. I didn't want to hide things from you. But because of the circumstances, I couldn't say anything to anyone, other than Akash. I feared everyone's reaction to the truth. I didn't want to make things more difficult between us, as we - me and Khushi - were facing a tough time at that time. More than that, I was busy in fulfilling my daughter in law duties. And also as I already told everything to Akash Ji, this matter skipped from my mind, where you all took up my priority." said Payal looking at her hands. Akash, Mami and NK nodded their heads in understanding. Khushi looked at her sister reliving those days.

Before anyone can say anything, Payal continued saying as if she is in some trance.

"Money was never our priority, and of course, I know every person needs the money, to live their life. We know that money is much needed. But we were taught that relations are much higher than money. We believe that, if there is not enough money and still we can manage our lives with the support of our family, our life still would not stop. But if we don't have any family support, any loved one support, we can't face this world or any problem with as much confidence as we should. There will always be the thought of lack of support. If we don't have money, we never search for it, somewhere else. But, if we don't have a person whom we can say our family, then definitely our heart will search for them somewhere. I am happy now Maji, as much as I was before marriage. Without money, we lived a happy life, because there I have a lovely sister, wonderful parents and awesome Buaji. I enjoyed my life there. And now I have Akash, Nani, you, papaji and di. And, there is Arnav Ji, he is like a big brother to me. I know he doesn't talk freely with me and he is a reserved kind of person. But I know how much he cares for me as much as he cares for you all. So, money or these luxuries never came to my mind. You all are my family, Ma Ji, and I can't see you all sad or worried. That's why I couldn't hide from Akash, at the same time, that's the reason I couldn't tell you all. I am sorry for not able to tell you this previously," said Payal.

Mami along with Akash and NK stood, shocked after hearing Payal. But Khushi ran to her sister and hugged her tightly, sharing the same thoughts and principles, about their lives. Mami rushed to both the sisters and hugged them tightly.

"I am so sorry for whatever I said to you both before. Somewhere in my heart, I know what you both are. Still, I said so many bad things for you. But you both were thinking, worried and caring about my family. I was so worried about my Akash and My Arnav. Now I know that we are so lucky to get you both as our daughters-in-law," said Mami kissing Payal's forehead.

NK looked at everyone and to change the atmosphere and do the needful things he said, "Okay..., fine. I think we have much more important work than this. We should find Nannav now. All these things maybe we can postpone them to later."

Then, Khushi said whatever doubts she has about Shyam.

She also showed whatever she and NK found about Shyam. Just then Khushi's phone rang, she saw the name and told Aakash, "it's Aman," and she answered the phone.

"Yes, Aman Ji, what's the matter?" Asked Khushi.

"I'm sorry for calling you Khushi bhabhi. But I couldn't get Akash sir. And also I couldn't get ASR on the phone. Did he call you? Did he contact you? I don't understand a thing. He just left for London but didn't reach there. And not even for once he called me?! It's not a common thing!" Aman expressed his worry.

"Aman, it's me, Akash. I will meet you in the office tomorrow and will talk with you. You just carry on with the work we decided yesterday," with that Akash disconnected the call and turned to Khushi, to hear more from her, and she continued.

"He was asking me about the documents, which he made me take the sign from Arnav Ji before he left for London." Said Khushi

"Which papers, Khushi?" asked Payal.

"I don't know Jiji. But when I checked those papers, I noticed that they are related to some cases. He said he's dealing with some AR cases. That time I was so worried thinking about Arnav Ji knowing about Shyam. Maybe Shyam said something to Arnav Ji, about our relationship which made Arnav Ji so angry with us. So I wanted Shyam to tell the truth about us to Arnav Ji. Shyam said to me, if I take the sign on those papers, then he would come and tell everything to Arnav Ji. So, I took his signature on the papers. Then I said to Shyam, to tell the truth first then he will have papers. I also took photos of those papers before and after taking the signatures and hid them somewhere. Then I went to the airport, and I begged Arnav Ji to wait for some time to know the truth about Shyam and me. But Shyam never came to the airport, Jiji. He's just used me to get the signature. When I returned from the airport and thought about the happenings, then only I realised that, why would Shyam deal with a case of AR, as AR has already a legal team to deal with all the cases related to it."

"Can I look at that picture, Khushi Ji?" asked NK.

Nodding her head, Khushi gave her mobile to NK after opening the gallery.

"And then I got a doubt, so I took out the papers and rechecked them. But for my shock, they are not the same papers which Shyam gave to me. Those are some property papers stating arnav Ji has transferred to Shyam. I was shocked after reading them. I took the picture before taking arnav Ji's signature. You can check the time. But Devi Mayya ki Kasam, I took arnav Ji's signature on some case papers. I don't know how papers got to change and when." said Khushi with tears forming in her eyes.

"But, if he was dealing with an AR case, why did he ask you to take the signatures? Why didn't he take it by himself?" asked Mami.

"I asked him the same Mami. He said, he is in a hurry to leave and can't take signatures from Arnav Ji. That time I was so occupied in worry and couldn't make sense of his words. As he said he would tell Arnav Ji about our broken relationship, I became blind to all other things. For me, Arnav Ji's trust is more important." cried Khushi.

"These are not any property papers, but it's Arnav's Will. It's stating that if anything happens to Nannav, then all his property and wealth goes to Shyam," said NK.

"What the!" said Akash, snatching the mobile from NK to read the content.

"Devi Mayya, how can I be so ignorant? But Nanhe Ji, please trust me, I don't know how papers got changed. I am sure that I read some case-related papers before taking signatures." said Khushi, desperate for someone to believe her.

"Relax, Khushi. We trust you. But tell me one thing, did you take the signature immediately after reading?" asked Mami.

"No, Mami. It took two days for me to gather the courage to ask Arnav Ji about signatures. I was so scared and sad to go in front of him." said Khushi.

"Then I'm sure, Shyam might have changed the papers without your knowledge," said Akash.

"Whatever. But now, what to do about these papers? I don't want Arnav Ji's hard work to go into that man's hands. Jijaji and Nanhe, please do something before that man takes everything." Khushi requested them.

"Don't worry Khushi Ji. If he wants to take control of Nannav's property, he needs to register the Will first. Then only he will have rights. As you said you hid the papers, there is nothing he can do," assured NK.

"That's a relief. But yet we shouldn't be carefree with this man. We should do something to make him come out and tell us about Arnav Ji's whereabouts, if not in front of everyone, at least indirectly we should get the info from him. We need to be more careful and alert." said Payal. They sat for some time there, discussing do-s and don't-s. They decided to tell everything to Nani Ji or Anjali after collecting evidence against Shyam. They knew without proper evidence, Anjali is not going to believe in what they would be telling. Because, after everything she worships her husband, she adores him. And as per Nani, they don't want to give her worries at this age. After that, they left to have their dinner.

:::::

"Khushi, did Chote call you?" asked Anjali. Everyone is sitting in the living room after having dinner.

"No, Anjali Ji. I'm also waiting for him to call. I didn't talk with him after that call. It's been long." Khushi whispered with teary eyes. Mami immediately hugged Khushi sideways, leaving everyone in the room surprised.

"What's the matter Manorama? You became close to Khushi?" asked Nani, teasing her daughter-in-law, trying to lighten the gloomy Khushi.

"Nothing like that, sasuma," said Mami, feeling embarrassed with being caught. "But, as Khushi said, It's been a long time since we talked with ARnav. I'm missing talking with Arnav. He never failed to call us how busy he was. And also, immediately after reaching his destination, he used to send us gifts. But till now, neither he called nor sent gifts." said Mami. She wants to see her Arnav to relax her mind and heart.

"Whatever you said was true, Manorama. I hope he is doing fine. I don't know when he will come back." said Nani, shaking her head in disappointment.

"Don't worry, Amma. Arnav might be busy, and he will call when he gets time. You, please don't take much worry," said Manohar.

"I still remember how we - I and Anjali - used to irritate him, with the list of gifts we want. And he knew that we were irritating him intentionally. Still, he never failed to show us his love. He loved me as his own mother. I don't know why, but I miss him..., a lot." cried Mami, leaving everyone surprised. Everyone knows that she loves Arnav and Anjali as her own. But she never voiced out her feelings for Arnav.

"Shh..., Ma, you please don't cry otherwise, you will spoil your make-up. And I'm sure, Papa can't see you without make-up," said Akash, hugging her sideways, gaining a smack from his mother and gasps from rest, which was followed by giggles and laughter. "On a serious note, I am also worried about Bhai. He never did this. He was always in touch with us. But this time, I don't know what to take with this." Akash continued.

"Akash, did you ask Aman? Chote might have contacted him?" asked Anjali, ignoring the fear in her heart.

"No, Di. Nannav didn't call Aman either." NK said in a calm tone.

"Yes, that's why I'm thinking of talking with the commissioner uncle tomorrow," said Akash.

"What? Why? What's the need for that Akash?" asked Nani. "Is everything okay with Chote? Are you hiding anything from me?"

"No, Dadi. I'm not hiding anything but just trying to find out why Bhai is not calling us," said Akash.

"Maybe he is having a problem with the network, or he might be busy with work, Akash," said Shyam, unable to see the drama in front of his eyes. 'Just a few more days, I will see how you people live without your lovely Chote,' thought Shyam, hiding his smirk.

"For God sake, he went to London, Jija Ji. Not any remote area. And about work, how busy he is, he never fails to call us," said NK, who has been observing Shyam's expressions from the time they started having dinner. Even though they know Shyam is behind Arnav's missing, he was surprised seeing his nonchalant behaviour towards the issue.

"I didn't mean in that way, NK. I was just saying that he might have forgotten to charge his mobile or be busy with his work," said Shyam, covering his mistake.

Not wanting to create more scenes, NK nodded his head with a smile.

"So, the thing is, I'm thinking of talking with the Commissioner uncle. He may give any suggestion about what to do. And also, we can take his help if we don't get any information about Bhai. I don't want to take any risk or don't want to waste more time. After all, Bhai has so many rivals in business. I don't want to take a risk. Just for safety, I am thinking about this. You guys, please don't worry, I and NK will look into this. It's late we should all sleep now," suggested Akash.

Everyone sat there thinking about what Akash said. They agreed whatever Akash said is true and went to their respective rooms to call it a day. After Nani, Mama, Anjali and Shyam left to their rooms, NK, Akash, Payal, Mami and Khushi remained in the living room.

"Did you observe him? He is behaving unemotional about Nannav's absence. I never knew we were living with a snake. I'm feeling disgusted, watching him move around freely in the house and society, where the owner and life of the house went missing. How much respect he got from us. But he is not at all concerned about us," said NK.

"You can never realise what he is in reality, NK. We knew how creepy that man could be. We saw how greedy that man could be. And we are sure he is capable of doing anything to get what he wants. He is a criminal with the degree of criminal law. We have to be careful with him. He is capable of anything to do." said Payal.

Accepting her words, everyone left to their rooms to prepare themselves for another tiring and engaging day.

Payal offered to stay with Khushi that night, but Khushi denied saying she would be fine. After bidding Khushi good night, both Akash and Payal left for theirs.

::::::

"Don't worry Payal I will take care of everything. You just take care of Khushi, Di and Dadi. And also keep an eye on that man. If you feel anything different, just give me a call. I will talk with the commissioner about this. And about the office and work, I will talk with Aman he is a trustworthy person. Just, you don't take tension. I need your support in this, Payal. I can't do anything without you. Please, be with me, Payal." requested Akash, holding Payal's hands in his.

"Of course I will be with you, Akash. You are my life, everything I do, everything I live, everything I think has you in it. Without you, I am empty. I love you, Akash." Payal voiced out her feelings.

Feeling overwhelmed, Akash hugged her tight and kissed her head.

"I Love you too, Payal."

Both closed their eyes in content, hoping for the best. Manorama, who saw them left from there with satisfaction. A smile is dancing on her face. She came there to tell them about Shyam's departure at the odd hours of the night. 'It can wait till tomorrow. I will tell Akash about this in the morning. I don't want to disturb them now. Whatever I did was enough,' thought Manorama and left to her room, not knowing what a disaster tomorrow could be.

:::::::::

The talk with NK and Akash, made Khushi relaxed, but still, she remained worried. She realised that her incomplete knowledge of English had brought her to this situation. She also realised, her being ignorant of studies will not help. Being married or not, one should study well. No one should remain illiterate or less literate. Everyone should learn things to their full capacity. She decided she would learn everything which was needed to be more capable of a better life. She realised, being ASR's wife, she has to be more careful and responsible. Being childish, never going to help. After seeing Shyam and his betrayals, she realised that anyone could do this to her ArnavJi, Akash Ji and their family. She couldn't be at a place where she is now. She can't be the reason for her family's loss or defeat. She realised that trusting everyone wasn't a good thing. She understood why Arnav behaved like that, with everyone, not believing. He might have faced betrayals by now. And facing betrayal by a loved one is more painful. Suddenly she remembered Arnav's words.

"What about the pain you gave me? What about the hurt I'm facing because of you?" He asked her once. His expression was so painful at that time. He looked like he was about to cry, the look he had in his eyes was of a kind of shattered, kind of lost. 'So he thought that I betrayed him and it wounded him more than Shyam's betrayal. Does that mean I'm important to him? Did he have feelings for me? And he said he wanted to talk with me that day. What did he want to talk about with me? Why can't he say everything more freely? Why is he so difficult to understand?' Thought Khushi, tears cascading her cheeks.

She takes Arnav's photo in her hands. "Where are you, Arnav Ji? I'm missing you. Please come back to me. I can't live this life without you. I'm scared, I don't know why, but I'm feeling something is going to happen. I need you beside me to hold me when I tumble. Without your support, I don't know how to face this world. You said you write your fate, right? Please help me come to me. Please Arnav Ji..., for your Khushi come back..., and make everything alright" Khushi cried while holding Arnav's photo. She couldn't wipe the fear in her heart. She prayed to God, to make things, alright. She slept holding Arnav's shirt, hoping for him to come home soon.

Will he come?

...to be continued

Let me know how you find the update. And also please point out typos or grammatical mistakes. I'm writing rewriting the SH part now. Hopefully will post in 3 or 4 days. 

Thank you so much for your support and Love. 

.Sri. 

<3 <3