Part 26 Breathtaking Truth

Arnav was driving the car back to RM thinking about Khushi. He was losing his patience in not getting the final report from Rohan. He didn't know when Rohan would submit the exact report about Khushi. How generous she would be to ignore a diamond ring...! She didn't do it to get into their good book, he knew that. He wasn't dumb not to recognize the pretext of people. He had seen many people in his career who did that.

Khushi was a nice girl. Yet. He didn't want to get close to her by HEART because he sensed he forgot his Khushali whenever he was with Khushi. He would get away from her completely if it got confirmed that she was not his Khushali but until that, he had to be with her... to know the truth... to get the confirmation she was not Khushali.

.......

In the meanwhile,

GH

Shashi was searching for something in the table drawer. He got stuck seeing a horoscope of Khushi. He called Garima. She came and her face drained, seeing the horoscope in Shashi's hand.

"What is this Garima?"

"I was supposed to tell about it... but before that you found it"

Shashi understood the purpose of the horoscope.

"I can understand what's there in your mind, Garima"

That was when Khushi entered GH. She stopped hearing Shashi saying,

"How could we do this to Khushi?"

"Why? Why should not we?"

Khushi could not understand what they were talking about.

"Can't we decide? Are not we her parents?"

"Are we?" Shashi asked which made Khushi freeze.

What did that mean? Khushi's heart raced in fear. She hid herself to hear more.

"Tell me Garima... how did you get this FAKE horoscope?"

FAKE horoscope? But why? Khushi was confused.

"I created it assuming," Garima said.

"Assuming means?"

"I chose the GOOD TIME in her birth date and asked the astrologer to write her horoscope according to the time"

"But why? What's necessary?"

"My friend wants her son to marry Khushi. The boy looks handsome. He earns in six digits..."

Cutting her,

"So?" Shashi asked in a rough tone.

"I want Khushi to marry him"

"So, you created a FAKE horoscope of Khushi?"

"Don't you want to get her married?"

"This is not an answer to my question"

"What's your question?"

"This is not done... don't you feel guilty while doing this?"

"Why would I? What's wrong I'm doing?"

"Touch your heart and say, you are not doing wrong? Khushi is not our daughter. We didn't know her birth time but only her date. That too Khushi told us."

"We may not be her biological parents but, we are the ones who raised her. When she stood alone, losing her father in the flood, we were the ones who embraced her as our child..." she choked.

Khushi was shocked to the core. Was her father dead in the flood? Where? When? Who was her father? What about her mother then? Where was she?

"It doesn't mean we could do this to her, Garima" Shashi said in a consoling manner.

"Then, what will you do? Are you going to keep her with you for your whole life?" She questioned.

"I didn't mean it... it's Khushi who should decide what she wants. We can arrange her wedding if her life is normal..."

Cutting him,

"Means, are you going to tell her the truth?" Garima asked horrified that horrified Khushi too. Why was Garima reacting this way? What Truth she was talking about?

"We have to..." Came from Shashi firmly.

"Noooo... please don't do this to me... she will get to know I'm not her real mother. I could not tolerate it if she showed a little difference in her behavior. I beg you... don't do that..." Garima cried bitterly.

Khushi gulped down hard. The ones who had been celebrating her so far were not her parents. The truth gripped her heart.

"Do you think she will do that? Do you think Khushi will show the difference in her behavior?" Shashi asked.

"I don't know... but please don't tell her the truth,"

"Don't talk like this, Garima. We should not be selfish. We knew what happened in her life... how could we hide the biggest truth of her life from her? She is married, Garima... she is the wife of someone..."

Khushi felt like hundreds of thunders were getting down into her head. She felt like the world became dark in the blink of an eye. Was she married? How? Why? Could anyone's life change upside down in a few seconds? She chocked.

"She was wearing MANGAL SUTRA when we found her. She completed seven phares with her husband. Theirs was a perfect wedding. Don't forget how hard we tried to remove the mangal sutra from her neck..."

"According to her, it was a chain,"

"No... she didn't want to remove it because her husband tied it,"

"What did she know about phares? Nothing... what kind of parents they would be? They got married to a small kid who doesn't know the meaning of wedding,"

"If they got her married at a young age because their situation was like that. Khushi told us about her father's health condition. More than that, her father trusted the Groom's family. That means they should have shared an unshakable relationship. They even respected a little girl's wish and designed a Mangal Sutra as per her wish with STARS just because Khushi likes STARS. Didn't we see how she cried looking at those stars and talked with them?"

Khushi remembered the STAR mangal sutra she found in Garima's cupboard the other day. Was that HER mangal sutra? Was this why Garima became furious when she asked about it?

"It happened when she was seven years old... she even forgot it. Then why did we tell her that?" Garima raised the question.

"We were the ones who made her forget it putting a lot of effort. Don't we know how much she remembered about her marriage and her husband? She kept on speaking about him, Garima. She wanted to go to him. We made her forget him by diverting her. We took her to many places and entertained her. You purposely called her name Khushi instead of Khushali"

"But, her husband would have married someone and settled down in his life by now. According to him, Khushi is dead. Then why are you digging the old grave?"

"Stop talking like this Garima. We raised Khushi because we wanted it. We accepted her as God's blessing. So we are thanking the KEDARNATH where we found her, going to his temple every year the same day we got her."

Khushi got the reason why Shashi and Garima went to Kedarnath on a particular date every year.

"You don't want Khushi to remember anything about the past. That's why you don't want to take her to Kedarnath. It's acceptable but not this"

"But why? She forgot it"

"What if the boy has not forgotten her yet?"

"No chance"

"How could you say that? It took nearly one year for us to wash out his memories from her mind. She was just seven years that time. According to Khushi's statement, the boy must be fourteen or fifteen years old. If seven years old girl could not forget him easily then what about fifteen years old boy? They shared a very good and close bond. You too knew that. Even Kedarnath won't forgive your selfishness"

"Kedarnath knew a mother's heart. He will understand my prayer..."

"Don't try... it won't happen"

"Why?"

"Because from the time we got Khushi, I'm praying Kedarnath to bring Khushi's husband to her"

"Whaaat?" Garima was shocked.

"Yes. I want Khushi to get her husband back... I didn't forget how Khushi cried for him. The way she called his name is still echoing in my ears, Garima... I can't forget it"

Garima cried.

"Don't cry... I trust Kedarnath. He gave us Khushi. Likewise, he will give her husband back... her husband, ARNAV SINGH RAIZADA will come" Shashi said making Garima cry more and stopping Khushi's breath.

To be continued... 

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