Hello friends. How are you all out there? Sorry for making you wait for this story. But I am back with the update.

I would like to dedicate this update to
@danity2016 @imaanjillani1 @sujesan61 @Innocentsoul123

Thank you so much for your lovely comments on all my updates.

&

Tons of love with lots of hugs & kisses to
@Haru2009 & @ninishta15

The two girls who are my biggest support system here.
Love u lots sweeties 😘😘

Now enjoy the update.....

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It was almost noon. The sun was busy showering it's terrible heat at the fullest. But the two vulnerable souls wrapped in each other's embrace were least affected because Arnav's dead father's shadow was still as real as the sun overhead. They were going through plethora of emotions.

Arnav's waistcoat & shirt were almost drenched with Khushi's tears & Khushi's hair were all wet like freshly washed due to Arnav's tears.

Khushi's body was still shaking with sobs, corroding Arnav's heart more & more while he himself was trying to muffle his own sobs to comfort Khushi.

Both of their's mind & heart were running a marathon of thoughts. Thoughts of pain, agony, sorrow, trauma & suffering. But not for their own self but for the other, which was not surprising at all.

Forgetting his own sufferings & loss, Arnav's heart was crying for Khushi who had a ruined childhood due to his father & then when she grew up his son showed her a living hell. What if she didn't had her maasi & nanaji then what would have happened to her? How she would have survived in this cruel world? All these gut-wrenching thoughts were slicing his heart into million pieces.

Khushi's heart was sinking due to the revelations. Her parents whom she believed died in an accident were actually murdered by the father of that man whom she loves to death. How is he at fault in this? He was a child himself then.

A child whose own father snatched his most precious thing from him - his mother, whom he loved the most & then that murderer father himself too left the world showing his cowardice leaving his children alone in the world of miseries & pain.

What if naniji & mamaji wouldn't have been there for them then how they would have survived in this whole wide world? No wonder her Arnavji was so averse to love & marriage. All the credit goes to his treacherous father, he got to experience betrayel, hatred & never forgetting nightmares at such a tender age.

Experiences play a bigger role in a person's outlook towards life.

"Arnavji" Khushi broke the silence, still not leaving the comforting warmth of his embrace.

"Hmmm..." He trailed in his gravelly voice.

"Arnavji are you sure about the authenticity of whatever information that PI has provided that too of many years ago? How is it possible? There could be any loopholes."

She asked hoping to get something to latch on so that her Arnavji won't bury himself under the guilt. She knows that he is feeling guilty for his father's deeds & this is the main reason of his backout from marriage.

" No Khushi." Arnav replied caressing her back with one hand & smoothing her hair with the other.

"Khushi, this private investigators are professionally trained. They have their own ways & wide information network to dig the truth even if it's buried in the graves under the ground. Above all this PI has the reference from the person whose authenticity & genuineness can never be doubted."

Khushi jerked hearing this. Raising her head from his chest, still staying in his embrace, looked into his eyes confusingly.

Arnav looked down in her eyes & understood her confusion & answered her unasked question. " My chachi."

Khushi frowned scrunching her eyes.

He blinked his eyes in affirmation.

"Yes Khushi. My chachi. Investigating the case, the PI reached to Lucknow then to my chachi. Most of the information was provided by her & rest from the police records & other reliable sources."

He took a deep breath & continued further.

"Khushi, after I threw my chacha out of Sheesh Mahal, he shifted to a small rented house with my chachi. His business also got affected & almost doomed. He was always a slave of alcohol. He started drinking more & blabbered everything in his besotted form & thus chachi came to know everything. She didn't want us to endure more pain due to our past so she didn't tell us anything. Chacha's drinking increased, resulting into liver failure followed by a painful death in two months." His lips curved into a satisfactory smile of his chacha getting his deserving punishment.

" My poor chachi who never got love & respect & neither a child from her husband stayed with him till his last breath performing all her wifely duties towards her undeserving husband is now staying in a rented one room house alone & stitches people's clothes for her survival." He concluded looking into her eyes where he saw concern for his chachi. He couldn't help but feel proud of loving such kind hearted woman.

"Don't worry. I will take care of her." He said putting her concern for his chachi at rest.

Khushi nodded her head with a smile in understanding. Arnav cupped her face, gulped a lump & said looking into her moist eyes with his moist ones, "I'm sorry Khushi. I'm so so sorry. You had to go through so much due to my father. You lost your parents, sibling, your childhood got spoiled. All because of my scoundrel father." His eyes released the controlled tears feeling Khushi's loss.

Khushi couldn't see her Arnavji breaking down. All guilty & remorseful for the crime he didn't do. She too cupped his face, wiped his tears with her thumb pads, kissed his cheeks one by one with all her love, sucking his pain along with his tears.

"No Arnavji. Why are you apologizing for the crime you are not involved in? Whatever happened was your father's doings. You are not the culprit & I don't hold you either. Heck, you yourself were a child then. So stop feeling guilty for what you are not responsible for." Her love filled hazel eyes looking deep into his guilt filled orbs.

Arnav looked into her eyes, which were full of love for him. He couldn't bear to see it because he didn't feel himself worthy of it. He removed her hands from his face & stood up in a jiffy. "How can you not hold me responsible Khushi? It was my father, who turned your world upside down by collapsing the foundation of it." Repugnance dripping from his eyes & voice for his father.

"Exactly Arnavji." Khushi too stood up from the bench & went & stood near Arnav. "It was your father who did all the crimes against my maasi , my parents, me, you & your family. We all suffered due to him & not you Arnavji. Then why you are feeling guilty & pushing me away from you? Why are you punishing me & yourself too for the crime neither you did nor I? Khushi asked, her voice shaking towards the end.

Arnav turned towards her hastily, cupping her shoulder balls firmly said with a mad intensity in his eyes & voice, "You are not understanding Khushi. You don't deserve me. I'm the man whose father ruined your happiness. I'm the man who is responsible for all your miseries since childhood till date. Khushi be it me or the people related to me are responsible for your life turning into shambles."

"Be it my wastrel father, my scumbag jijaji or my vecious dadi. Above all its me who tried to break your self confidence, made fun of your morals, snatched your dreams by trapping you into a contract marriage & you almost lost your life in saving me. We have snatched one or the other thing from you at every step Khushi & you will keep on loosing every thing dear to you until you are attached to me Khushi."  He was on a toll of proving himself unworthy of her at any cost. His vulnerable body was trembling in a paroxysm of remorse & guilt.

Khushi has seen anger, hatred, guilt, penitence, possessiveness, protectiveness, love every emotions in these brown orbs. But for the first time she is seeing a different kind of madness in his eyes. His intense red eyes were terribly widened. His eyeballs moving from side to side scaring her to the wits. He was determined in his decision of pushing her away from him. Khushi felt her heart weep acid tears seeing his condition.

Arnav continued in his firm voice. "Khushi, do you remember what you used to call me?"

A frown furrowed her brow & before she could react he himself answered, "A shaitaan. Yes Khushi that's what I am because I have a shaitaan's blood running through my veins & that makes me a shaitaan too. A shaitaan with a marred past & those who throw themselves in their lot suffer hell throughout & you have defenitely experienced it with me but you don't deserve it further more." His hold on his arms firmed harder. He desperately wanted her to agree to whatever he was saying.

"Khushi you are just 19. You have your whole life ahead which should be full of dreams of bright future, get educated, build a career & then settle in life with a man who does not have a marred past & can give you a happy present & a happier future."

His heart was burning while saying this. But he has to do it for Khushi's better present & future. "What you got Khushi? A ruined childhood, spoiled dreams & a never forgetting pain of loosing your parents. Hell it even reduced you to call yourself a jinx. You blamed yourself for all the tragedy that occurred into your & your family's life. Whereas in real all the blames should have been laid at my doorsteps. I am the jinx in your life Khushi & not you. You were the angel who got tattered due to this jinx called Arnav Singh Raizada."

The words came fast & furious now. His anger & his panic making him voluble.

Khushi was shell shocked hearing him. Arnav stared at her & found shocked written all over her face & immediately realized his folly.

He left her shoulders, shut his eyes tight cursing himself under the breath, exhaled a loud sigh before opening his eyes & let out a dry chuckle.

"What did you think Khushi? I would be sitting back relaxed after giving you the biggest betrayel & breaking you within. No Khushi. No matter how firm I was in my decision but I was too breaking from inside not knowing how you must be coping with this agony & a verbal conflict with di added more to my restlessness." His eyes were reflecting the pain he went through that night.

" I just wanted to make sure that you were OK if not fine. I had to douse the fire burning my insides & roasting my heart & soul. So I came to your house to have a glimpse of you. To my goodluck, your room window was half open. I stood near it & saw you breaking down in your amma's arms & calling yourself a jinx, taking responsibility of all the tragedies on yourself. Khushi I died a slow death then & there hearing you saying such things about yourself." He tried to gulp his pain but the boulder in his throat would not let him swallow. The pain in his eyes & voice was palpable.

" How could you blame yourself Khushi & call yourself a jinx when you were not less then an angel in all those people's life who were attached to you
Mostly mine Khushi." He growled on her face gripping her upper arms, staring in her eyes. Pain racking his body & soul & the same pain reflected in her eyes.

She literally peeped into his heart & soul, staring back into his intense eyes. She knew he loves her. But to this extent of madness. Her heart doubled with pride for getting this man's love. How would she let this love go away from her life? She would be definitely doomed if she let's it happened. She will fight with him, for him, for their love, till she doesn't get him back with all his sanity, getting rid of this madness he is currently showing.

To be continued....

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So friends. How was it?

Do let me know through your lovely comments as always & yes pls don't forget to vote 🌟 too.

A/N

This is to inform my readers that I have posted a two shot named

MY AMMA

It's on Garima & Khushi. How their relationship develops from an aunt-neice to a mother-daughter. It's a unique concept & it's already completed. Those who haven't read yet do give it a try u might like it & those who have already read can read it again. I won't mind 😉😋😜😝

Thanks.
Love - Kavita 🌷