Part 17 Behind the Picture

We went back to Mini Palace late. Khushi intentionally made it late. Khushi started from RM with her Mini Cooper whereas I drove mine.

When we entered the Mini Palace, the servant crew looked at Khushi shockingly as if she had made a mistake that could not be forgiven. It was because she was in the Bhandhini saree. Khushi crossed them with a mockery look.

As usual, she watched her favorite program. I didn't interact with her as I was not in a good mood but my eyes were on her. Khushi often looked at me sensing my gaze.

"Do you want to ask me anything?" She asked me.

I nodded no. She turned towards the TV with a slight frown. After the program was over, she went to her room.

I was tossing on the bed as I lost my peace of mind completely. Khushi was not a head-weighted girl, she had no pride in her Royal background, she talked to my mother and sister sweetly, she appreciated my mother's handmade food wholeheartedly, but... She always kept a distance from me. Even though I voluntarily talked to her she never showed interest in prolonging the conversation with me. Was she angry with only ME? Or, didn't she like me?

I decided not to want to confuse myself but I just could not. I didn't sleep that night. I felt pain in my body as I was tossing on the bed for the whole night. I sighed in annoyance when the sunlight hit my face. I was tired. but I had to go to the Hotel Savera today. A conference was going to be held there. My father wanted me to be part of it. I got ready a little earlier as I had to attend a conference.

I got stuck, seeing Khushi in the same saree. Hadn't she removed it yet? But why? How did she sleep comfortably in the saree?

Dolly came to our room and knocked on the door. I wanted to see her expression because when we came back home last night, she looked at Khushi with an unbelievable expression who was in a simple Bhandhini saree. I opened the door. As I expected, she saw Khushi tip-to-toe.

"I have a strain in my ankle... I can't do exercise today" Khushi said.

"I will call the doctor," Dolly said.

"I will tell you if needed... now, you can leave"

Dolly spared my glance and left the place. Khushi turned to go to her room,

"Why did you lie?" I asked.

She looked at me and said,

"I feel lazy,"

I didn't think it was a lie.

"Then you could have told her the truth..."

"It's not necessary," she simply said.

Taking my bag, I left the Mini Palace.

Afternoon

I came out of the meeting hall completing my conference. When I came to the huge main hall of the hotel, the hotel became feverish. A few guards rushed inside the hotel, looking here and there cautiously. My lips curved into a smile, seeing Akash and Payal entering. How didn't I catch the point, seeing the flaunty gesture that it would be related to Guptas? I stood noticing what happening there.

Akash looked at me and smiled. He nagged Payal and signaled her to look at me. Payal's face lit with a pleasant smile, seeing me. In no time, she rushed to me and hugged me delightedly. The guards looked at her embarrassingly. Akash gestured for them to step back and they did.

"How are you baby?" I asked reciprocating the hug.

"Superfine, Bhai," She said with a flashing smile.

I saw Akash coming towards us.

"Hi..." I said.

"Hi, Arnav" he extended his hand formally.

I shook hands with him.

"By the way, what are you doing here?" Payal asked.

"I came to attend a conference"

"Oh... Bhai, do you know why Akash brought me outing?" Payal asked.

I raised my brows.

"It's because you have started taking Bhabi outings. So, he too wants to do the same" Payal smiled at Akash teasingly.

I sighed inwardly. I didn't know what my wife was up to. I had no idea where did she go but these guys were thinking she was on a date with me.

"Join us, Arnav" Akash asked.

"It's ok, Akash, you guys carry on"

"No way, bhai... You have to join us" Payal insisted me.

"Please, Arnav. My sister will get upset with me if she gets to know I didn't treat her husband nicely" Akash said.

"Please Bhai..."

I decided to join them not because I had no choice. I wanted to know about my wife. Being her husband, I was blank in her matter. I know nothing about her. I didn't feel good about it.

I nodded okay.

Akash led me to the reserved HALL. Yeah, he didn't reserve a table but a HALL...! Royal privacy...! And, I was there to ruin their privacy...!

I took a seat with them.

"What would you like to have?" Akash asked.

"This is your party, order your choices," I said.

Akash ordered a five-course meal, without seeing the menu card. I knew we had to wait at least half an hour to receive our orders. That was the chance I waited for but I didn't know how to start. But, my sister was a sweetheart. She came for my help.

"By the way, did Bhabi wake you up at midnight?" Payal asked me a cumbrous question.

MIDNIGHTS? I looked at her all flushed.

"Don't think too much, Bhai, she has the habit of cooking at night..." She giggled at me.

I was stuck. Cooking at night? What kind of habit was that? Didn't my dad say she feels like hell about cooking?

"Actually, our Mom won't allow her to cook. When Mom went to Jaipur for an official trip with my father, Khushi cooked at midnight after everyone slept" Akash said with a slight smile.

"But why? She could have done that at daytime..." I asked.

"No, our servants would not allow her. They only obey my mom's orders. So, she chose to do it at midnight without anyone's knowledge"

"And, she had woken up Akash from his sleep to taste her dexterity" Payal laughed.

But I could not laugh because I felt it weird and unusual.

"Why didn't your mother allow her to cook?" I asked.

"She didn't want Khushi to get hurt. Is not the kitchen a place to be careful?"

"But, she cooked in the midnights... without getting hurt. You could have supported her if she is so much interested in cooking"

"I did... I requested my mom to allow her to cook"

"Did she allow her?"

"No... she tightened the force. Khushi lost the freedom of cooking at night too" Akash laughed.

I gazed at him.

"Actually, my mom loves us very much but Khushi conflicts"

"What's there to conflict? Every mother loves her child"

"Actually..." Akash hesitated.

"What?" I nagged him to complete it.

"She is not our mother but stepmother," Akash said making me shocked.

Was Mrs. Mithra Gupta, not Khushi's real mother? I looked at Payal who was also in the same state as me. She too didn't know about that it seemed.

"Is it? Is not Aunty your real mother?" She asked.

"No... but she is not less than our mother"

"Doesn't Khushi like her?" I asked.

"Not exactly but she maintains distance from Mom"

Something seemed wrong to me but I didn't know who was wrong.

"Why? Why did she maintain distance from her if she is not less than your mother?"

"It's Khushi's perception. She didn't like it when my father married her because she loves my mother very much"

I wanted to ask him, 'Didn't you?' but before I did that, Payal did.

"Don't you love your mother?" She asked.

"I do... but she is no more. I don't want to hurt Mom in the memories of my mother. So, I accepted her. Do you know how happy she was when I called her Mom?"

"Doesn't Khushi call her Mom?" I asked.

Akash nodded no.

"She won't... You know what, my mom does everything for her betterment but Khushi sees it from another angel"

"Means?"

"She finds flaws in mom's actions. She didn't want to marry you just because you are my Mom's choice"

That was a big blow to me.

"Is that your Mom who chose me?" I asked.

"Yes... This is the same place, I and Mom saw you for the first time" Akash smiled.

"Here?" I frowned.

"Yeah, you were hitting a guy with anger for eyeing Payal"

I and Payal spared a glance.

"At that time, I didn't know Payal was your sister. After a week only I met her at a party..."

"And you liked her... right?" I asked.

"Yeah, more than me, Mom liked her very much. She said she wants a Bahu like Payal"

I saw Payal blushing.

"In the same instance, Payal got a place in my heart," Akash said looking at Payal lovingly.

I thought I was missing something.

"When we got to know you are Payal's brother, my mother was not ready to MISS you. So, she put a condition because she wanted you to marry Khushi"

I connected a few dots that had been beyond my reach until a few minutes ago. I started getting a clear picture slowly and steadily.

"I never saw Khushi trying to cook at the Mini Palace," I said.

"How could she cook when there is a cooking crew?" Akash asked.

"So what?"

"They were strictly instructed not to let Khushi enter the kitchen"

I straightened myself. The problem seemed different. I got my lost confidence about making things right between me and Khushi... if Rohan gave me a positive report.

That was when I remembered I switched off my mobile due to the conference. I turned it ON. The very next second, I got a call from Rohan. He should have tried my number continuously, I supposed. My heart started racing. I became tense about what he was going to tell me about Khushi.

"Excuse me..." Excusing myself from them, I came to the corner of the hall.

"Haan Rohan..."

"ASR, your wife went to her friend Preeto's house. It was at Indira Nagar"

"Friend's house?"

"Yes, at first she went to the TAJ hotel and left the car in the parking lot. Wearing a burqa, she came out of the hotel and left the place in an auto"

"Auto?" I frowned.

"Yes"

"Are you sure, she is my wife?"

"Cent percent sure. She went to Indira Nagar. It was a crowded middle-class area. Her friend Preeto and her mother welcomed her"

"What did she do there?"

"She COOKED there"

COOKED? I was like what the hell...!

To be continued...

Note: The next few updates are available on INKITT.