dedicated to psuhuna,suryakavi0912,nilimamalladi,penbengungor1,unitysuperior,Garimasrivasatava,

strings_of_fate4321,BSRaizada,RaginiKumari4,PriyankaGupta,

and to all my lovely readers and friends...

 ~ It's Too Late ~

Part one

AR Fashion House...

Early Morning...

Arnav Singh Raizada was standing in his cabin looking at the life size portrait of his wife, Khushi Singh Raizada's, with his moist eyes. It is his routine for last 20 years now. Yes, for last 20 years since his wife Khushi left RM and his life silently. Arnav knew no one, but he is only responsible for the darkness of his life.. And yes, his un-thoughtful family. 

It is said that, when an Individual lost his path in his life, this is the responsibility of his family to correct his mistakes and bring him back to right path. But unfortunately for Arnav, his family did the exact opposite, they only supported his irrational behaviours and boosted his elephant size ego, and at the end of the day, Arnav is standing here , all alone, repenting and guilt ridden. His family too understand what wrong they all did, but it was a little too late...

They have lost their happiness forever...

If it is properly to be said, then.. it's not they, but him, only he, Arnav himself lost his happiness. Because for the last 20 years, they all did lived their lives, they move on, they had their share of joy, happiness and love in their life but only Arnav was the one who suffered, who spend his entire 20 years of life all alone, in guilt, in pain, in extreme sorrow.

It was all started after his marriage with Khushi... after lots of struggles, misunderstanding and going through a ocean of pain, finally when Arnav Singh Raizada remarried Khushi Kumari Gupta, with all the rituals and with the consent of both the families, he never thought within few months, he , himself will allow Khushi to let go of his life...and this time for forever...

After the re marriage life was so blissful, but when Sheetal Kapoor and her son Arav entered in their life as a guest, Arnav never thought that within few days, his life will be upside down...

Now, when Arnav looked back and tries to analyse the whole situation, only one thing come to his mind, that is what a great fool he is. How easily he got distracted by the temporary charm of his old class mate Sheetal. He never felt any attraction towards Sheetal, never ever..love was never an question. But he just make fun of Khushi without any thought, he just ignore his wife and get close to another woman just to satisfy his ego, he just taunted about her class and educational qualifications to get back at her because she did a DNA test, after the constant nagging and comparison done by his family.. 

They all did mistakes..infact every human beings does mistakes.. and its allowed but the great Arnav Singh Raizada, did not forgive the one single act of his innocent wife which she did in her insecurity and because of his ignorance.

Arnav wiped his eyes remembering the cruel fact that, every time it was Khushi who forgave him.. All of his cruel act, all of his taunts and manhandling, all of his false accusations, all of his abuse.. Every time it was Khushi who bend down and embrace him in her forgiveness, irrespective of the fact that, she was never at fault.

But one time, only one time, one act arises from the insecurity, was proven so fatal, that the mighty ASR punished his wife, by getting close towards another woman infront of her naked eyes.

Arnav asked himself many time what he did get by all of this? It was not he felt any happiness while ignoring his lovely wife when he wanted to be close to her, only to her badly...Arnav was so much in himself and his wounded ego was so high that, he even did not notice the way Sheetal took the advantage of the situation, the way his sister and mami make the situation more worst. He was only too busy to read the face of his wife, when being ignorant and seeing her husband with another woman, Khushi would had cringed with pain or her eyes would turn moist or the hurt was evident in every gesture of her.. Arnav would not deny, that gave him and his bruised manly ego a sadistic pleasure at the beginning and he expected that Khushi will cry and surrender to him , begging his love back to her..

But this time the mighty ASR was a little bit wrong. Because this time ASR did not only abuse or insulted or manhandled Khushi, but he himself brought another woman in between their relationship, in between their love...

And that was an insult for Khushi...

That was a direct slap for her innocent selfless love..

And probably Khushi was too tired to execute and carry forwards the relationship where Arnav contribution was zero.

So, finally she gave up and left her most precious relationship and love and for the first time she choose her self respect over her love..

Arnav could clearly remember the day, the day of his destruction and the day of his doom...it was the day when he with his sister's insistence went to Arav school on father's day and acted as his father.

That day, in the school itself, Arnav felt so awkward when Arav was introducing him and Sheetal as his dad and mom.. and for the first time probably Arnav realized the gravity of the situation, that unknowingly he had given the place of Khushi to another woman..

Did not he?? offcourse.. he did and he felt guilty...

Guilt consumes him and he wanted nothing but to rush back to RM and engulf Khushi in his arms. Arnav decided that after coming back he will erase the distance between them and pull out both of them from the misery.

After completing the school program that day, due to his sister insistence, Arnav had to take Arav, Sheetal , Anjali, nani, Akash, Payal and his mami towards a restaurant for dinner. Nk had left to a friend's place for few days. and Khushi was in RM.. all alone...They went directly from the school and Arnav for the first time got angry due to his sister constant pestering.

After the torturous day, when he came back to RM to start his life with a new tune with Khushi, life indeed give him the most shocking surprise ...yes, his life got change.. Yes, it was indeed the new start of his life because he lost his Khushi forever that day...

When he came back RM that night, Khushi had already left the house. Mamaji who came back from his buisness trip,  was present in the deadly silent living room conveying the message that Khushi has left the house permanently.

Arnav and the rest of the family was dumbfounded, though at the beginning Arnav thought it was a prank done by Khushi but even searching after every corner of the house , no one got any single trace of her, Arnav stumble back in his feet., so, finally he successfully destroyed his happy life..

But that day, mamaji's one word broke his already shattered heart into pieces...

Arnav still remember the exact communication with his mamaji 20 years back..

" Arnav bitwa, Khushi left the house.. our happiness of the house permanently left." His mamaji whispered when Arnav was shouting Khushi's name crazily after not finding her in their room.

" What?? What are you saying? And you knew? Then why did you allow Khushi to leave? Why did not you inform me then and there?" Arnav almost shouted towards the father figure.

" I thought why to bother you with the unnecessary matter? Because I observed you were no more concerned about Khushi bitiya instead you were busy with your ex girlfriend and her son." Mamaji said earning a loud gasp from everyone and Arnav felt his breath almost leave him.

" Girl..girlfriend?" Anjali whispered in a trance.

" Yes, Sheetal Kapoor was Arnav's ex- girlfriend, don't you knew Anjali bitiya? And above all her son, who was exactly his photocopy, as you all said and compared all those days... so, I thought now Khushi bitiya is no more needed in Arnav's life.. thus I supported her decision when she was leaving this house." Mamaji sarcastically replied while putting Arnav in the pit of a fire.

"What... What are you saying mamaji.. Why did you thought that ..." Anjali was cut off rudely by Manohor "because I never wanted history to repeat. I never wanted that Khushi to follow my sister path, I never wanted to Khushi became another Ratna... because the way Arnav was behaving, he was proving that indeed he is the son of Arvind Malik.. and never mind Anjali you too proved that you are carrying malik's blood. I did not wanted Khushi too commit suicide...understood.??"

The angry and straightforward reply made Anjali cry out loud and the other family members were too shocked .. But Arnav felt as if someone had slapped him hard on his face, as if someone had snatched the ground beneath from himself, as if someone was squeezing his heart in death grip.

Was he gone that far??

No... No....No Dammit... He loves only one woman.. and that is his wife.. his Khushi... Whatever he did is out of his bruised ego...

But their trance was broken when Arav clapped happily breaking the stupor state of everyone, " ohhh... finally Khushi aunty is out of the family.. now I will live with my dad and ASR will now marry my mother." This statement snatched everything from not only Arnav's but every family members too.

" Who told you that ASR is your father?" Akash asked this time coming out from his stupor.

" My mom.. mom told me when he took me from the orphanage, that because of Khushi aunty ASR is ignoring my mother and put me in orphanage, that if I acted like ASR, then I will get the opportunity of living in this family, I will be very rich , and ASR will throw out Khushi aunty, Finally she is out of our life...ayeeee..." Arav blurted out everything before Sheetal could stop him.

It did not take much time for Arnav and rest of the family to find out about Sheetal dirty plan and to their surprise, Aman reach there with a file revealing about Sheetal's truth.

Arnav was surprised after listening that it was Khushi who had instructed Aman to do the background check and Khushi knew about the report before leaving the house. Aman told them, that His Khushi Bhabi instructed him strictly to send the file personally but after tonight.

Arnav cried out loud afterwards reaching in their room in agony... the room was turned into dark once again...there was no hope, no ray of light and no life anymore...."

And that was the day 20 years back Arnav Singh Raizada truly understood that he is not the person who wrote his destiny, because if there was any chance to write it, then he would probably snatch Khushi from her hiding place and again re plant her in his life...

But alas....

It was a little too late..

Since then, Arnav is waiting for Khushi to return back, because his every effort's got failed as he was unsuccessful to find out Khushi...

A knock in the cabin door bring back Arnav from his memory lane..

" Come in"Arnav muttered in his as usual emotional less voice.

" ASR, the boy has come to take your interview." It was Aman Mathur, his PA who informed him, about the schedule.

Nodding his head, Arnav gesture him to send the boy in his cabin.

One month before, Aman came to him saying that a boy doing journalism in his 2nd year, wanted to take an interview about a famous personality as per their curriculum and he wanted to interview ASR.

Though Arnav dismissed the idea but in Aman's constant pestering, finally Arnav gave up. Aman was the one who was beside him like a pillar in last 20 years when Arnav sometime felt that there is no meaning of his life anymore, when he felt he will not able to carry forwards, Aman was there in his dark phase.. Thus he finally gave in, before Aman's request and agreed for the interview.

But for the last one month Arnav is noticing a change in Aman's gesture. He was taking leave without prior notice, he was looking so dull and one day Arnav himself observed him crying in his cabin... Though after asking many a time still Arnav did not got any answer or Aman excuse just increases Arnav's suspicion that Aman is hiding something.. But later he let it go..

" May I come in..?" A voice forced Arnav to come out from his thought.

" Yes, come in" Arnav sat in his leather chair and prepared himself for facing the boring question answer session.

But the moment Arnav's eyes fell on the young boy who entered in his cabin, his breath stop and he felt his heart beats again after 20 years.

The boy is the exact replica of Khushi... His khushi... the face, chin, lips, jawline, straight hair, and the pale white skin...Arnav was as if seeing his Khushi after so long but in the form of as a boy.

To be continued....

Author note:

My First FS on Arshi...

This is the first part...The next part will be the last one.

Waiting for your precious opinion..

take care..

Love,

Mamree

18.10.2019