Hi friends.. I'm back with a new update....

I would like to dedicate this update to @ninishta15
My Nishu has passed her exams with flying colours..Congrats Nishu
I am so happy & proud of you...

& to @Haru2009
Neenu I miss u so much sis...
Do well in your exams & come back soon...

Now enjoy the update....

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Before revealing the truth of her contract marriage to her family she saw one last time in those deep brown orbs of that one man who has been the sole reason of her life turning upside down within minutes & this has been going on since the first time she had met him in Sheesh Mahal at lucknow where she fell in his arms till her last meet in his office some hours back, where he brutally broke the tiny bit of hope she had in him.

That time in his office she had seen the usual rudeness, arrogance, ego & stubbornness in his eyes. But all was covered with a thin layer of helplessness, that's what she had felt.

But right now she could see only tint of guilt, remorse & above all there was a silent plea in them with a sheen of salty water. She knew what that meant.

But now it was way too late to give into his pleads or should say he himself pushed her to that extent.

There is only so much a person can endure & in her case she has already crossed that bar. In fact the graph is increasing every moment & she needs to put a full stop before she looses herself completely.

It's high time she takes a stand for herself, for her self respect, for her dignity which is brutally crushed every now & then with his nasty deeds & harsh words.

Although she knows everything he did or said was due to his uncontrolled anger & caustic tongue. But he can't get away with this excuse always because it's her at the receiving end every single time to bear his anger, harshness & imposed decisions. This has to end somewhere so be it today.

Seeing the unwavering determination in her eyes Arnav understood that he has lost the battle. Not that he was scared of her family's reaction or scared of facing their wrath.

He knows that he rightfully deserves whatever would be thrown in his way from his inlaws after the whole revelation.

He is ready to bear everything, except for one.

Being away from his life.

His Khushi.

The thought itself was enough to stop his heart.

He swallowed hard. His jaw moving back & forth trying to control his restless form.

The fear of loosing his breath, his life was palpable.

But he would not let that happen in any circumstances. He won't let anybody take her away from him. Not even herself.

Khushi looked at his anguished face with teary eyes. Her heart pained for his agony & she hated herself for that.

But what to do of the traitor tears that flowed without her will? No, she can't let her heart rule over her anymore.

Getting a grip over her emotions, she firmly wiped her traitor tears.

Taking a deep breath, clasping her amma & buaji's hand tight on either sides she told them everything from the night he forced her into contract marriage including the taunts & the torchures, till their last meet in his office & his intentions behind buying their house.

At the end of her narrative there was a shocked teary silence, which broke with Garima's loud sob when she pulled her daughter into her tight  motherly embrace.

Both mother & daughter were crying their heart out. One with the regret of not understanding her daughter's pain & suffering & the other for feeling some peace after letting out all the pain & trauma she had been bearing all alone till now since months.

"Amma, I didn't deserved that slap that day amma. I didn't." Khushi complained to her mother, crying hard sticking to her chest.

Garima couldn't speak a word due to the regret of abondoning her daughter when she needed her more then anybody else.

"I am sorry bitiya. I am really very sorry." Apologized Garima as soon as she got her voice back. She hid Khushi more into herself, caressing her back, trying to ease her pain.

She wanted to scold her daughter, ask her why didn't she confide in them before? But she knew the answer better. Garima knew that her daughter would never want to give any pain to her family  or never want to see her family in any problem, enduring everything all alone.

Garima also knows that somewhere Khushi feels obliged towards this family for sheltering her. She also holds herself responsible for Payal's broken first marriage, courtesy to their taunts & blames at that time & therefore to make everything correct she ruined her own life without letting her family have an inkling of it.

She so wanted to go & held that devil Raizada's color, shake that arrogant headed man & ask him, how dare he think so low of her daughter? How dare he force her for marriage & then torchure her physically & mentally? How dare he break her daughter's delicate heart so brutally? But does she have that right?

No, she doesn't. She has no rights to question him because she herself did no different from him to her daughter. Heck, he was nobody then to her daughter but she was her amma. But she herself didn't trusted her daughter then. Slapped her, accused her & even disowned her daughter when she should have supported her, should have tried to understand her, should have trusted her own upbringing. But no, being her amma she herself berated her, abbhored her. Then how can she accuse this Raizada for the same.

So right now she did what she didn't do then. Support her daughter, comfort her, console her.

Buaji's condition was no better. She had this regret of forcing Khushi to get engaged to that scoundrel Shyam. But by God's grace Khushi got saved from his evil cluthces. But when she eloped with Arnav & married him, although she was angry on her for doing so but somewhere she was happy as she felt that Arnav is far better then Shyam & will keep her titaliya happy as he loves her. This thought was enough for her to get rid of some of her regret.

But after the revelation of the reason behind their elope marriage, her regret has increased manifolds.

She was the matriarch of the family. It was her duty to see for the happiness & wellbeing of each of her family member.

Then how she could not see all these coming? How could she not see the pain & grief behind her titaliya's smiling face? How could she not understand her agony & trauma?

Buaji could not take it anymore & she hugged Khushi & Garima's shaking form due to their sobs. The three ladies were trying to share each other's pain, holding each other in a tight embrace.

"Buaji, I m not a bad blood buaji." Khushi said between her sobs, nodding her head.

"I have my dead parents good blood, my Shashi babuji's morals & self - respect, my jiji's sisterly love, my amma's & your unadulterated love, care & concern running in my veins buaji, then how could u think that I would break your trust? How could you say that I am a bad blood? How could you regret for accepting me after my parents death? How could you abondon me when I needed my family the most? How could you disown me? How could you say that I am no more your daughter & no more belong to this family?" Today Khushi didn't held back anything. She let out each & every single pain she was going through since past 6 months.

Shashi's heart was slicing into innumerable pieces & each piece was paining more then the other hearing her daughter's suffering. But he couldn't do anything to soothe her, owing to his physical condition which was again that wastrel Shyam's doing.

"Hamka maaf kardo titaliya. Hum se bahut badi bhool hoi gai tumko pehchanne mein. Hum tumra dukh, tumra darad nahi jaan paye. Tum akele saari taklif bardassht karat rahi aur humko pata bhi naahi chala. Maaf kardo hamka bitiya." (Forgive me titaliya. I made a big mistake, not understanding you. I couldn't understand your pain, your grief. You were enduring all the problems all alone & we didn't get an inkling of the same. Please forgive me my child.)

Buaji apologised to Khushi with teary eyes, joining her hands & bowing her head down. Regretting big time.

Listening to buaji's apology Khushi immediately came out of her mother's embrace & held buaji's hands, nodding her head said, "Buaji I didn't tell you all these to make you regret or wrong you all. I endured everything until I could but now I was at the end of my tether buaji. The water was going above my head. It was getting difficult for me to breathe, let alone survive. I couldn't take it any more all alone. I needed my family to support me, to help me out in saving my whatever self respect & dignity was left over. Is it too much to expect from my family buaji?" Her pain reflecting on her tear streaken pale face.

Buaji pulled her in her embrace & said," No Khushi, you have all the rights on us. We are your family. We will stand for you, with you." assured buaji caressing her hair & back.

Khushi felt at ease after lifting the huge burden she was carrying since months. Buaji's words worked like a bam on her broken heart. 

Arnav saw his inlaws crying, consoling & apologizing to Khushi for their behaviour towards her. They were helding themselves responsible for Khushi's ruined life. Whereas it was him, who was whole & sole responsible for their daughter's every single tear.

He wanted to go & apologize to them for his deeds. But his Khushi's shattered & heart-broken state was corroding his heart & her unending flow of tears was falling like acid on his heart corroding it more.

He so wanted to go & snatch his crying Khushi from them & hide her in the hollow of his arms. Take away all her pain & soothe her with his love.

But he knew better. Right now she needs her family. He can just see her crying her heart out, clenching his fists & jaw, trying to breath deep to control his urge of taking her in his arms.

Seeing her distraught form his eyes had determined fury on himself  mixed with the promise of retribution.

While consoling her niece buaji's eyes went to the man responsible for her niece's terrible state.

Anger rushed in her veins as never before. She was berating herself for believing in this Raizada to look after her titaliya. But he showed her a living hell.

Detaching Khushi from her embrace buaji got up from her place & moved towards Arnav with furious steps, rage filled eyes & anger bursting through her nerves & the next moment everbody witnessed THE ASR getting slapped by buaji. Then she unknowingly fulfilled Garima's wish, she questioned Arnav shaking him vigorously, gripping his forearms tight.

"How could you Arnav Singh Raizada, how could you hurt such an innocent soul? How could you think of her as a home wrecker & a gold digger? Why did you beleived that pathetic excuse of a humanbeing Shyam & not my titaliya? Why didn't you straightaway asked her before taking such a drastic step & killing my Khushi's soul? How could you even think of insulting her, let alone torchuring such a fragile girl? Why didn't you beleived her when she told you the truth? How could you doubt her intentions when she never gave you a single reason for doing so? How could you? Tell me how could you?" There was a maddening rage in buaji's words & eyes for Arnav. Her actions were not less terrifying & she was ready to sizzle his cheek again.

"Buaji." shouted a shocked Khushi & before buaji could raise her hand to slap him again, Khushi reached her & held her hand.

"Buaji, please." With tears running like a stream from her eyes she nodded her head asking her buaji to not to do so.

No matter how much angry, upset or dissappointed she is with Arnavji, she can't see him getting slapped by her buaji. It was literally cutting her within.

Seeing Khushi saving him from her buaji's anger Arnav's guilt increased & so did his love for her.

The girl who has always received harsh words, disrespect, baseless accusations, got manhandled from him is not able to see him getting punished for his deeds. He could see tears of love & concern for him breaming in her innocent eyes.

How could he hurt such selfless, caring & loving soul? How could he not see her innocence before? But now no more taking her for granted. Now its time to show her that she is the most important person in his life.

He wants to apologize to buaji & her parents but before them its Khushi who deserves his apology & she will get it. Others will have to wait.

Buaji understood her neice's unsaid words. So she reluctantly stopped herself from punishing Arnav further. Although he deserves worse but she can't hurt her neice more.

Buaji left Arnav & turning towards others said, " Khushi, Garima, Shashi babua we are vacating this house & this city. We are going back to Lucknow, to our own house, to our own city. Now I can't let my titaliya stay with this monster any more. She has endured enough. Now she will get her life, her happiness back, which she can't get staying here. I hope you agree with me & are ready to leave this place?" Buaji asked to Shashi & Garima to which they immediately nodded their head in affirmation.

They too wanted to free their daughter from Arnav's cluthces & the torchurous contract marriage.

" Ok then. Lets start packing our luggage. I want to leave this place as soon as possible with my titaliya." said buaji & left the place to start packing her luggage in her room followed by Garima who pushed her husband's wheelchair taking him to their room to pack their stuffs.

Hearing to buaji's decision of taking away Khushi with them, panic spread through his entire being, clawing his heart with unbearable pain. Sweat beads formed on his face, his throat parched & his eyes filled with fear of his life slipping from his hand.

Khushi was noticing the change in his demeanor since buaji confronted him. She knew he was battling with his fear of loosing her.

Her condition was no different. She wanted this to happen. She wanted to go away from him to save herself from getting more hurt & now when it is happening she is not able to feel the happiness.

Why is she not feeling happy? So what if she won't be able to see him, hear him, touch him, look after his things, keep a check on his diet & medicines!! Why should it make a difference when she herself wants to pull herself back from him & his life?

Involuntarily her hand went to her mangalsutra. She caressed it with her shaking hands. Hell, she knows the reason. she has always thought herself as his wife since he has tied this mangalsutra around her neck, forcefully though.

She is fulfilling all her wifely duties willingly & happily, not forcefully. So will she be able to live without seeing him, hearing him, without taking care of him, dieing every moment worrying for his diet & medicine?

But the main question is, will she be able to live without him?

Ironically she herself knows the answer but she can't acknowledge it because it will expose her to more hurt, more pain & more heart break which she is not ready for as she has already experienced it enough to last for a lifetime.

She was juggling between her heart & mind. Her heart wants to stay with him. Comfort him. Assure him everything will be alright.

But her mind wants to run far away from him, from his anger & unjustified actions. To save herself from falling apart to not be able to be gathered back ever.

Not wanting to break down infront of him & not able to see his agonized form as well, she rushed to her room to cry her heart out in solitude.

Arnav saw her rushing away to her room. No, she can't leave him. How can she go away from him leaving him alone to die without her, without her love? That too, when she herself loves him to death. No, he won't let that happen because she belongs to him.

She is his & he is hers. This is the universal truth which she herself can't deny. He will not let her go leaving him to rot in his self made hell. He needs her to live, love, breath & survive. The same goes for her too. She needs him equally if not more.

If she is determined to leave him then he is determined to stop her. Whatever it takes for him to stop her he will do. Hell he is even ready to go on his knees if it requires to stop her.

But yes, this time he wont force her or blackmail her to keep her with him. He promised himself swearing on his mamma.

Today he will stop her, win her back by being her Arnavji & not the ruling & forcing ASR.

He has given her reasons to be angry on him, be upset with him, hate him to some extent. Now he will give her reasons to love him, stay with him & never leave him ever.

To be continued....

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Ok friends firstly I would like to apologize for not updating for so long. Please don't ask me why because I myself don't know the reason behind it 🙄🙄

Secondly I know I had planned for Khushi's outburst on Arnav which I couldn't show here.

I wanted to give an entire update only on Khushi which was not possible here with family's outburst. So next would be only & only our Khushi.

Thirdly now I have decided not to categorize my stories in TS, FS, SS or FF because I always get carried away while writing & it always outnumbers my decided number of chapters, just like this one 😀😁😂

Ok enough of my blabbering. I hope you liked the update.

Please do vote ⭐ & comment.

Thanks.
Love - Kavita 💝