The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence your mind ~ Caroline Myss

Pouring the water in the glass, he picked it up and brought it to his lips before gulping down a sip only to see her standing at the door of the kitchen nervously twisting her fingers.

"What is it?" He knew what that look on her face meant.

"I want to say something." Her eyes teared up as she said that.

"Yes?" He asked placing the glass back on the slab.

"I am sorry." She choked.

"Please forgive me." She pleaded.

He sighed.

"Anjali, you will have to stop doing that." He said sternly.

"Shyam ji, Please? Chote and Khushi ji are together. Nothing bad happened."

"That wasn't because of you. It's because of Arnav's effort that they are together because if it were up to you--you would've snatched the only chance he had with her by drugging him." He spat.

She flinched.

"He has left Delhi forever. He won't talk to me. He doesn't even take my calls. Isn't it enough punishment for what I did? I lost my brother Shyam ji. Don't make me lose you too." She said silently with stream of tears falling down her cheeks.

"You have never had me ever to lose me Anjali. It was over seven years ago. It still is."

"THEN WHY DID YOU STAYED OVER THAT NIGHT YEARS AGO WHEN I BROKE DOWN? Why did you make love to me?" She whispered at the end.

"Because I was drunk if you remember. I wouldn't done that mistake if I were sane!" He snapped.

"A mistake?" She croaked. "It was because of that mistake that I became pregnant." She yelled stepping close to him.

"It was because of that mistake only that I had to accept you back." He bellowed back on her face.

Anjali whimpered.

"I was drunk but you weren't but still you didn't stop me." He accused.

"Because I wanted to be close to you!" She exclaimed. "I was broken Shyam ji. I still am."

"I shouldn't be surprised. You were selfish and you will stay so forever. I just realized the truth a bit late."He gritted.

"Mom?"

"Dad?"

They both turned to find their 6 years old son standing with confusion and worry written all over his face.

"Dhruv." Anjali rushed to him wiping her tears.

"Why are you both fighting?" He asked looking over at both of them.

"We.. weren't fighting. It was just an argument." Anjali tried to cover it up.

"Did you both have this type of argument everyday? Is that why you have sent me to a boarding school?" He asked narrowing his eyes.

Shyam glared at Anjali because it was her who started it even though he warned her not to bring up anything when Dhruv is home for vacations.

"You are ready buddy. Lets go." Shyam took his hand and started walking out taking him along and the tone he used was well known by his son. It meant no more questions should be asked.

Dhruv stopped him and turned to look at his mother.

"Mom, aren't you coming?" He asked expectantly.

"Actually I-" She looked at Shyam who nodded grudgingly at her.

She cracked a wounded smile.

"Yeah. I am coming." She took his other hand and together they left for shopping which Shyam promised his son that morning.

He was still in a daze all the way out from the court to this cell the officers locked him in.

He has begged her to come to meet him and if luck would have it she would come.

However she changed, her love for him was too strong to just fade away so he would wait.

Wait for seconds and minutes, days and months, years and years if it took.

8 years imprisonment?

He closed his eyes.

He would gladly bear it if he would get to see her once in an year perhaps?

She would come, right?

A heart can hope.

Nobody can snatch it.

He won't lose it.

He won't.

On the very first day in jail, he got too many visitors. Most of them were politicians, ministers and high profile men who had many contacts not only in jail but all over the country.

They offered to have him sent to a luxurious room or better turn his current one to a comfortable suite if he would like or better get him out of here in a few hours.

He refused them all. On their faces.

Not only that, he told them all sternly not to come meet him ever in future and let him be.

His fellow prisoners had laughed at him calling him crazy or if he don't want those favors let them have it?  That they would gladly accept it.

He only walked away without saying anything and dropped himself on his mattress at the floor.

The mattress that consisted of thin sheets and a hard pillow as if not fur but stones were stuffed in it.

With that ASR's imprisonment started with him burying many emotions inside him.

Most potent of which was of longings and a wish to see her someday perhaps?

Maybe she would show mercy on him some day even though he never showed any.

She wasn't cruel like him, right?!

She won't be.

"Oye ASR, someone is here to meet you." The constable shouted before opening the cell.

He shot up standing and ran out as soon as he could amidst the weird glances his fellow prisoners gave to him.

The hope brimmed in his heart as he walked to the visitors cell.

"I knew you would co-" He stopped seeing the person.

It wasn't her but his sister.

Anjali Raizada nee Jha.

"Kaise ho Chote? (How are you Chote?)" She asked tearfully blinking back the moisture seeing his grown beard and hollow eyes. He was wearing a simple brown kurta with its sleeves rolled up.

Her gaze fell on a few scratch marks on his arms and she rushed to him worriedly getting the hold of his arms.

"How did this happen Chote?" She cried out.

He freed himself with a blank look on his face.

"Its nothing."

"Did you try to harm yourself?"

"No. Until I have a hope in my heart I won't do anything." He said silently.

"Then how did you get these?" She exclaimed.

"I have got the punishment with penal servitude Mrs.Jha. Do I have to explain it to you what does that mean huh?"

She sobbed then resting her head on his shoulder.

He neither consoled her nor hugged her back.

"Do not distance yourself from me too Chote. You only have me now."

"NO!" He shrieked.

"I have no one as mine except hers. Khushi is my wife and she is the only family I have left now.I don't know anyone else. So just don't come here.I don't need anyone but her."

"She is gone Chote. Her family left to Lucknow." She said wiping her tears.

"She will come to meet me. I'd had asked her. She would." He said silently looking at a distance.

"She won't Chote. She ha--" She stopped herself.

"She hates me I know. But she isn't as cruel as me. She isn't ASR. Someday she will come."

"What if she didn't?"

"SHE WILL!" He whisper yelled before storming off to his cell.

"Abe ye ASR ki kya kahani hai? (Oye, what is the story behind this ASR?)" Tej one of the fellow prisoners of ASR asked Ramu while shifting the cement from the truck to the field.

"Pta nahi yar. Constable said it is something related to his family." He shrugged throwing the sack over the pile of others and so did Tej before tracing back the path to the truck.

"Did you see how many people visited him when he was brought in jail? With high connections!"

"Yeah he belongs to some well off family.Some business or something." Ramu commented eyeing the said man carrying the sack over his back and throwing it on the pile before heading back to the truck silently.

He didn't mingle with anyone nor did he misbehave. He would do his work, he would eat and then he would go to sleep everyday while everyone around him tried to find distractions in these moments of imprisonment, he kept silent.

Many days would go without a word from his mouth.

Raja the well built, too proud of criminal along with his gang members Kali and Satya often used to throw their work burden on him and he would not even speak a word. In fact he did their work too without a complain or a hiss from his mouth.

At nights, he would gaze at the ceiling as if it held all the answers. To what? They didn't know. Most of them didn't.

"Are you regretting it?"

Arnav was digging an area on the construction site with only the trousers and a vest on when a fellow prisoner came to him. They were here as labors to work on this land.

He stopped and turned to look at the owner of the voice before turning back to his work without answering him.

"For trying to kill your wife and actually killing your child?" The man continued and it stilled Arnav.

Wiping the sweat with his arms, he turned to him throwing the barrel on the mud pile before folding his arms across his chest and raised his eyebrow.

"Thank goodness, you are not dumb or deaf as I started to think you are." The man chuckled unfazed by his piercing gaze.

"I don't know if it will make you feel better or not but do you know why am I here?"

Arnav kept staring at him blankly wanting him to leave him alone.

"I killed all of my children not one.They weren't unborn to begin with and I wasn't under some misunderstanding or something either. I was sane and I knew what I was doing."

"Why would you do that?" Arnav exclaimed breaking his silence.

"That's a long story. Will tell you some day."

Arnav frowned.

"I am seeing you wallowing in guilt days and nights for an year now and when your sister comes to meet you you scowl like a child.Why don't you revel in the fact that you have someone who is still looking out for you despite of everything?"

"You don't know anything so stop with your advises will you?" He gritted before picking the barrel and resumed the digging.

"I may not know everything but I know most of it don't I?"

He didn't answer as sweat starting tricking down his head to the shoulders as he fastened his work in frustration.

"By the way, I am Malhar. People here call me Malu Bhai." He said and left when he refused to answer.

Arnav straightened up clutching the end of the barrel tightly with his clenched jaws.

He tossed and turned in his mattress not being able to sleep properly like many other nights.

But tonight the restlessness was only rising not giving him a bit of respite.

Having done crimes was one thing, being in denial was the other and hearing them from someone's mouth was another thing altogether.

After trying for an hour, he gave up and sat up with his back to the wall and knees up his chest.

Malhar was sitting at the other corner of the cell with his eyes wide open.

Seeing him sitting, he stood up and seated himself besides Arnav.

"It was because of my sister that I did all that." Arnav mumbled wiping the tear rolled down his cheek. He silently narrated him everything at the end of which neither Malhar consoled him nor rebuked him. Instead he told him his own story.

"I married my wife for love. She did it for money. She already had a boyfriend. I didn't know it until 12 years of our marriage. We had five children. Two boys and three girls. I was so happy with them. With her." He stopped as if to gather the courage to speak further.

"I was planning a surprise anniversary party and for that I left home that morning telling her that I won't be back for a week. She sulked and I knew why. She was thinking I forgot our anniversary. Smiling inwardly I left without consoling her planning to come back early before she would arrive home.She worked in a MNC but still the greed for money-" He stopped.

He sighed before continuing.

"I did go back home that evening with an enthusiasm to drag her out to show her the surprise.My children were sleeping at that time. I used the spare key to enter our home and tiptoed to our room only to find my wife...and him naked on my bed."

Arnav's breath hitched.

"I didn't know what came over me then. I separated him from her thinking that he was molesting my wife or something." He chuckled dryly.

"But that wasn't the case. When I punched him, beat him to pulp he blurted out everything in a heartbeat to stop me. He told me how much of a fool I had been that I didn't notice the obvious. That I never saw how different my children looked from me. That how my wife never loved me and never conceived my children but his. That how I nourished and brought up his children as my own."

Arnav saw as a few trail of tears streaked down his cheeks.Wiping them he continued.

"I lost my senses when Shanti turned her face to the other side when I questioned her, begged her to tell me that all this is a lie but she didn't speak a word."

"You killed them all? The children in anger?" Arnav asked with his heart in his mouth.

Malhar nodded sniffling.

"They were sleeping like a baby. I locked the door and loaded my gun." He choked. "If I wasn't taken by the anger too much I wouldn't have done that ever. I have loved them like my own. I considered them as my own always. Forever." He sobbed without a voice.

"Shanti kept banging the door. That bastard yelled from outside but I didn't stop until I shot all of them with five bullets one by one. Then I went outside to find a numb looking Shanti. She bellowed in agony when I shot the last bullet in her lover's head right in front of her eyes.Then I surrendered myself to the police. Shanti died a few days later due to brain stroke.Just like that I lost everything."

"Why--" Arnav cleared his throat after many minutes when Malhar finished.

"Why did you tell me all this?" His throat felt too heavy. After a long time, he felt like someone has scratched open his old wounds.

"In a few days I would be hanged owing to the court's verdict. I just wanted to be helpful to someone before I go and face my children. They must be really hating me."

Arnav swallowed.

Does his child loath him too?

Of course he must.

He has killed him before he was even born or saw the world and not only that he tried to harm his/her mother as well.

"You should revel in the thought that god didn't punish you by not saving any of your loved ones like he did to me.Imagine what would have been your condition if you had seen your child living and breathing and then you'd had killed him. It wouldn't have left you ever.It doesn't leave me trust me. I have seen them living. I have lived with them. Those moments, those blissful days cut me into pieces every second and every minute, every day of my life." His voice cracked.

Arnav shuddered.

"Your child died inside her womb. You haven't seen him/her living. You haven't lived with him.God saved your wife. She didn't die despite your hard attempt.The mercy was upon you from the supreme power. He knows everything of who is doing what and why.He knows how to punish those who err. If he wanted to punish you for a lifetime then he wouldn't have saved your wife."

The hope brimmed in Arnav's heart.

Maybe Malhar was right?

Sometimes when everything is crumpling down inside you.. you just need an anchor to pull yourself back together to break all over again or to get the strength to go through the excruciating agony.

Malhar words proved to be that hope for him.

The hope which grew and died everyday within him for the coming years.

Malhar was hanged on the due date and that was the day he felt like he was left alone all over again.

In last few days Malhar grew the hope in him and those days were somewhat tolerable as compared to the last three years he spent in cutting pain of guilt, love and longings.

"Chote, I brought your favorite aloo sabzi." Anjali opened the tiffin before him while he stared at her emotionlessly.

Anjali was content if not happy when she called this morning to ask for his permission to meet him and constable told him that ASR hasn't refused. She has rushed over here as soon as possible making his favorite sabzi.

"Can I feed you?" She asked expectantly.

He didn't say anything.

Biting back a sob she tore the roti dipped it in the sabzi taking some in it brought it to his mouth.

"How is she?" He asked silently.

Anjali gulped.

"Tell me?" He stressed.

"I will but only if you will eat with my hands." Anjali pleaded.

He opened his mouth frustrated and she placed the morsel in his mouth as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"She has started her law practice again and she is doing quite well ever since. She is working for many NGOs and women shelters."

"Which NGO?" He chewed the morsel.

Anjali helped him with a few more.

"NGOs which work for women who face abusive marriages." She finished and the morsel got stuck in his throat.

Anjali didn't say anything more refusing to meet his eyes.

"How does she look now?" It's been years since he last saw her. Heard her. Hugged her. Touched her.

His eyes pricked.

"I haven't met her Chote." Anjali avoided the topic.

He gulped down the morsel with great difficult and standing up asked.

"How is Dhruv?"

"He is fine Chote."

"And Shyam?"

Anjali swallowed.

"He is too." She mumbled silently.

He nodded and left back to his cell.

He might have stopped talking to her but he knew her well to know that everything wasn't fine between Anjali and Shyam. Not even after the birth of a child. Not after they were back together.

Shyam has come to meet him the day he got to know about Anjali's pregnancy and has told him that he was going to take Anjali back home to Jha's mansion.

He has just nodded and has simply told him never to visit him again.

"Arnav, what are you saying? At least let us meet you occasionally. We can't just leave you like that?" Shyam has pleaded.

"Why don't you understand Shyam? I cannot meet that so called sister of mine knowing that she is reveling in motherhood now a days when MY Khushi has pined for it just because of me and my sister only.I know wherever she is.. she must be crying over the fact that she can't be a mother anymore while one of her culprits is already a mother of a child."

Shyam didn't say anything but has left silently giving him a brotherly hug.

Through newspapers he read all the news of AR falling down and then rising up again after the collaboration with Malhotras Anjali and Shyam did.

They both had tried to involve him many a times. When he signed of the power of attorney on Anjali's name they asked him to give them ideas to bring AR out of the shambles during inital days of his jailing. But he refused to comment on anything.They gave up later on.

Shyam became the legal adviser of AR. He told him himself and he has got AR out of the many cases which were made by false accusations by his rivals.Surprisingly neither did AR's downfall affected Arnav nor did its come back in the business world.

After Malhar's death, his routine went back to being all silent and reserved.

In Malhar's language.. Deaf and dumb again.

But the hope which he infused in him after his departure still remained alive in Arnav's heart.

Hope that all this might end one day. One day she might come to meet him. One day he might have a place in her life once again.

That one day he might get her love back...again?

But nothing happened of that sort even after 6 years of his imprisonment.

She didn't come to meet him neither did she show any mercy by leaving him for even a second.

She occupied his thoughts 24/7. She haunted him in his dreams.She lived with him as an ache that settled in his chest everyday and would open up every night to suffocate him.

His fellow prisoners knew him well by now not to probe him because he neither spoke nor answered anyone.

He engrossed himself in labor work everyday even taking the burden of other's work just to keep his mind off her thoughts.

He volunteered to educate the young prisoners in rehabilitation centres in jails and that would occupy his free time if he had any. That was only time of the day when he talked but to his students only just to teach them.

Like all the other prisoners he was being paid for all the work he did.

The very first time the constable has handed him Rs.2000 years ago as his salary, his throat has constricted with a huge lump.

Taking the money silently he has pocketed them and has headed to the washroom.

He has looked at himself in the cracked mirror only to find tears in his eyes.He has chuckled mirthlessly seeing his own condition before splitting into sobs with his shoulders shaking until he couldn't cry anymore.

That was the first and the only time he has cried in his imprisonment of 6 years. Until that day!

His silence of years was broken a few months later when a blurred picture of Khushi was posted in a newspaper with an article of how she has become a name in NGOs and for women who faced humiliations from her in-laws or husbands.

He has read each and every article regarding her over the years but never did he found any of her pictures attached to any of the posts. He felt like she was doing it deliberately not to let him have the peace of seeing her so she never let any newspaper to past her pictures so that it never reach him. Was that so?

With tears in his eyes he has gazed at her picture even though it wasn't clear but he could recognize the contour of her face very well. He would have recognized it anyway even if her name hasn't been written on the top of the article.

He has slept that night with a sense of peace hugging the newspaper close to his chest.

He woke up in the morning and panicked not seeing the newspaper in his hands.Frantically his eyes scanned the surroundings but he didn't find it anywhere.Everyone must have been taken to have the breakfast.

He rushed over there and looked at everyone's table silencing the commotion going over at the breakfast.

"Did anyone see the newspaper that I had with me the last night?"

All of them gasped as it was the first time many of them were hearing him speak.

"Tell me? Did anyone see it?" He asked looking at everyone expectantly.

"No ASR we didn't." One of them said seriously seeing the man on the verge of panicking.

"ASR, you should ask Kamlesh who cleaned our cell this morning." Another one suggested.

"Where is he?" Arnav asked running the fingers in his hairs.

"He just went to throw the garbage."

"WHAT?" Arnav shrieked and called for the constable Rashid.

"What is it ASR?"

"Call Kamlesh please?"

"Why?"

"Please just call him. Do not let him throw the papers.It has something very very important for me.Please." Arnav pleaded clutching the rods of the cell.

Rashid nodded not asking anymore question.He knew without even asking that it must be something special which broke the silence of this prisoner. Silence of years.

A few minutes later Kamlesh handed over the black bag to him which contained many old papers and newspapers.

Arnav snatched it from him and searched the bag and every newspaper frantically only to sigh in relief when he found the crumpled paper right at the bottom of the bag.

Sniffling he spread the paper over his palm and ran his hand over it to smoothed the creases.

A tear slipped his eye and landed over the paper right over her picture.

By that time everyone has been back to the cell.

All of them including Kamlesh and Rashid has seen then how ASR broke burying his face into the creased newspaper.

Raja's eyes teared up too.He has already mellowed down towards ASR in the last two years and has stopped throwing his work on him and has started looking after him silently from a distance without Arnav's knowledge.

He would make sure he ate on time which ASR usually forgot more often. He would make sure through his friends in the cell to grab a plate for ASR too and place it before him and Arnav would eat silently only if the food was before him otherwise he forgot anything named meal even existed in this world.

Now seeing how much this man buried inside him for years broke the bad man inside him.Soften the criminal in him.There was something in this man.His pain was tangible, contagious and too potent that it engulfed the people around him.Made even the bad guys know that they have softness still left in them.

"What is her name?" Raja asked crouching down before Arnav whose shaking shoulders were telling him the story of his inner broken self.

Arnav looked up from the paper with red swollen eyes, sniffled and stood up before walking away to the corner of the cell without answering him and sat with his knees close to his chest and his arms wrapped around the same. Wiping his tears, he was back to being silent within minutes.

Only the swelling in his eyes and the newspaper in his hand clutched tightly against his chest told the story of his breakdown earlier.

"Due to the good conduct and behavior of Mr.Arnav Singh Raizada.The court is nullifying his' remaining one year punishment.He is now free to leave."

Rashid opened the cell and gave him a hug and a thump on his back.

"Congratulation for your freedom" He said enthusiastically.

Freedom?

Was it?

What about his own demons?

When would he get freedom from them?

After Rashid everyone including Raja, Satya, Tej, Ramu, Kali and all the prisoners bid him bye genuinely happy for him that he was going back. The place like this wasn't meant for such men like him.

"You don't belong here. You never did." Tej said passing a smile at him which wasn't returned.

Raja was the last one to meet him.

"If I ever went out of the jail I won't be the same again.I won't be a criminal anymore. All because of you."

Arnav frowned at him.

He thumped his shoulder.

"I owe you a big one"

Confused he turned to leave wondering how did this man changed and he was giving him the credit when he never said anything to him?

How can he be some one's inspiration when he himself hasn't done anything good?

"Sun yara(Listen buddy!) Sometimes it is not necessary that you have to do or say something to change anyone.All you have to is exist and be who you are and it leaves impact on people more potent than any powerful word or action." Raja said his parting words.

As he came out Anjali cried out in happiness and leaped to engulf him in a bear hug.

He hugged her back with dry eyes.

"Welcome back Sale Sahab." Next Shyam embraced him.

The first time he opened his lips after coming out of the jail, he asked about her only in a five words sentence.

"She is still in Lucknow?" his voice has turned more manly, more authoritative devoid of any emotions.

They both let out a sigh before nodding.

"Okay then I'll go meet her first." He stated.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Shyam said seriously.

"Shyam.." He clenched his jaws.

"I HAVE TO MEET HER. See...SEE her!"

"I know you want to but you shouldn't and you can't."

"Why can't I?" He asked pissed refusing to sit in the car as Shyam opened the door of the SUV.

Shyam remained silent.

"Shyam?" Arnav warned.

"Arnav I am stopping you. Its because I have a reason." He said firmly.

"What freaking reason?" Arnav took him through collars angrily.

"Tonight she is getting married and i don't think you'll be able to see her becoming someone else so its better, you stay away."

"Marrying?" He whispered.

With that all of his hopes died there and then.

That which Malhar infused in him and he has let it grow with every passing second. Getting them all killed at once was heartrending, painful. Too wrenching.

"Phir toh maira usse milna aur bhi zaroori hai. Jana aur bhi lazmi ho gaya hai.(Then meeting her has become more necessary. More than necessary!)" He spoke after a few minutes with expressionless stance and sat in the SUV refusing to comment anything when media reporters blocked their way on a highway.

"Living in this guilt and the agonizing memories of my children is unbearable.I am thankful to the court that it decided to sentence me to death. That is surely the blessing in disguise for me Arnav.I will be meeting my children and they might forgive me seeing me grovelling.Death is a peace in itself Arnav. I am gonna get it today." Malhar has said this a day before he was hanged.

Peace?

He so desperately wished to get it too.

She was marrying?

She was moving on?

Even in his wildest dreams he hasn't thought of this possibility ever.

He couldn't picture her with anyone else but him.

His chest tightened as if a hand clawed at it.

He wanted peace. He would get it.

He knew what he had to do to achieve it.

But before that he needed to see her...one last time!

Lucknow

Khushi Mansion

He was all ready to go to the office.

Coming out of his room he stopped in front of hers right next to his.

The door was open and he stopped short seeing her sitting on the carpet cross legged.

She was meditating with her eyes closed, hands spread on her thighs.Her hairs were put up in a bun while two long tendrils were falling on either sides of her face making him breathless.

She was looking breathtaking.

It has been a week since they have been living together under one roof but in separate rooms.

He didn't want to do anything that would give her a chance to start an argument and he knew that might open old wounds of them both especially hers and he don't have the strength to see her breaking down in front of him again. It would rip him apart. Like it did on the very first day of her stay here. Her breakdown and cries still linger in his eyes and howl in his ears and break his heart into million pieces.

He knocked on the door. Like he said he don't want to give her any reason to be angry.

On him

He don't want her to be distant to him more than she already is.

"Yes?" She asked without opening her eyes but the stiffening of her shoulders told him that she knew he was at the door.

"Aren't you getting late for the court?" He asked vigilantly.

"No." She replied calmly much to his surprise.

He released the breath he has been holding.

That's when his ears perked up to the sound of the light music playing in the background and that took him back ... years back to an afternoon in RM.

When she loved him with all the fiber of her being

What he wouldn't do to get her to love him like that all over again?

And how many times he would ask him this question?

Still every time it prick him like never before.

"What do you want Arnav?" She asked standing up and wiping her nape and face with the towel before drinking the juice.

"Can I come in?" A memory of years ago swam before his eyes causing his inside to churn.

"For what?" She turned to him, her hands folded across her chest.

"A dance...perhaps?"

"Aren't you getting late for the office?" She raised her eyebrow.

"That can wait." He said silently looking at her expectantly.

"Leave!" She thumped the glass on the table.

"It is just a dance Khushi. It's not that it would make you fall in love with me all over again. Or will it?" He instigated her and it worked.

She walked to him and dragged him to the center of the room.

"Fine. Let's dance then!" She placed his hands on her waist and snaked her own around his neck stepping closer to him making his breath hitch in his throat.

He gazed at her in a trance, her face inches apart from his.

"What?" She asked when he didn't make any move to start.

She gasped when he pressed her closer and twirled them around moving to the light music which grew faster as the lyrics did.

With his one arm he was holding her close pressed to his his front and with the other he held her palm before moving in sync with the music. Tapping of their foot got quick and fast as they moved around the room lost in gazing at each other as the memories flooded back with crystal clear clarity.

By the time the song ended, they both had tears in their eyes.Spinning her around one more time, he took her back in his arms causing her head to fall on his shoulder.

"Do you remember? This song, the dance...the memory?"

He heard her sniffle.

"I think you do." He mumbled against her hairs.

"How can I forget?" She whispered against his shoulder.

"That was the only time when you..." She stopped and pulled back just enough to look into his misty eyes.

"When I wasn't a monster to you." He dropped his head on hers dropping a kiss on her nose.

Arnav was cursing under his breath entering through the doors of RM.

Normally ever since he married Khushi he would make sure not to come home before the night as seeing him makes her happy and he has promised himself that he would never give her any moment of happiness and would break her that much that she would never be able to stand back together.

Ever again!

But today morning in hurry to get out of the bed before she wakes up and leave to the office, he forgot an important file and to the top of it, it was in the secret locker which code only he knew and he couldn't take the risk of telling it to anyone not even to Khushi or any of his employee so he had to come by himself.

As he neared his room he heard the blaring music which got only notch higher until he reached the door and seeing the sight before him left him speechless and dumbstruck.

There Khushi was dancing around the room swaying her hips and moving her body in sync with the music on the song Love me like you do

"What the" He muttered.

What was this woman made of?

He does everything to break her.

He had been nothing but a beast to her but nothing..

Nothing he did can break her spirit.

She find happiness in smallest of things

Even in worst of situations!

Last night he hadn't been even a little bit easy on her either like many other nights.

This morning like any other one he has left her sleeping after fucking her hard last night not bothering to check on her even though he knew how painful it must have been for her.

She must be feeling sore all over her body but here,

Here she was dancing as if she didn't face anything from her so called husband who once used to shower his fake love on her to get her to trap her, lure her to marry him.

You're the light, you're the night

You're the color of my blood

She was singing loud over the music with a smile on her lips.

What made a lump form in his throat was the way she was holding onto his shirt against her chest while swaying around extending its sleeve as if imagining it to be the real him.

You're the cure, you're the pain

You're the only thing I wanna touch

Never knew that it could mean so much, so much

He walked in the room silently as she moved around, her hands extended ahead making a hollow in between them as if she actually had someone, him moving in sync with her.

You're the fear, I don't care

'Cause I've never been so high

Follow me to the dark

Let me take you past our satellites

You can see the world you brought to life, to life

She gasped as all of a sudden someone entered in between the hollow of her arms making her eyes widen causing her arms to lock at his nape.

"Arnavji?" She whispered touching his cheek.

So love me like you do, la-la-love me like you do

Love me like you do, la-la-love me like you do

Touch me like you do, ta-ta-touch me like you do

What are you waiting for?

She breathed heavily when he tugged her closer and dropped a kiss on her nose.

"What are you made of woman?" He nudged his nose to hers spinning her around and taking her back until she was glued to him from head to toe.

Fading in, fading out

On the edge of paradise

Every inch of your skin is a holy grail I've got to find

Only you can set my heart on fire, on fire

"Huh?" She croaked knowing very well what he was talking about.

"Don't you get tired of pretending to be happy?" He twirled her around before taking her back in his arms, her back to his front. His arms locked with hers on her stomach.

She turned to him.

Seeing him soften up made her open up.

She asked the question nagging her ever since their wedding night.

"Why do you do this to me Arnavji? I love you. Can't you see that you are breaking me every second of my life. I don't know how much strength I have left in me to fully turn into shambles." She cried out cupping his cheeks.

For that moment, seeing the broken woman who happened to be his wife made him forget about his revenge or sister for that matter and he did something which he hasn't done ever since he married her three months ago.

He hugged her rubbing her back as she softly cried against him.

Pulling back she smiled as if all of the burden has been lifted off her shoulders not knowing that it was a rare moment which won't be coming again thereafter.

"I love you." She confessed with a smile.

"I-" He fumbled.

She placed her fingers on his lips.

"You don't have to say it back." She said blinking back the tears.

He kissed her fingers before cupping her cheeks and pressing his lips to hers.

Yeah, I'll let you set the pace

'Cause I'm not thinking straight

My head's spinning around I can't see clear no more

What are you waiting for?

She giggled when he pulled back and rubbed his stubble on her neck grazing it till her chest pushing the saree pallu away.

Meshing his lips to hers one more time he carried her up bridal style without breaking the kiss and dropped them both on the bed with him on the top of her.

Love me like you do, la-la-love me like you do (like you do)

Love me like you do, la-la-love me like you do

Touch me like you do, ta-ta-touch me like you do

What are you waiting for?

That was the only and the single time in their six months marriage when he made passionate love to her but didn't realize it himself that he has fallen too hard for her.

Little did he know he would realize it too late when she won't be the same anymore.

He won't remain the same any more...either.

It was like nothing has changed yet everything had. They were both in each other arms yet they both were miles apart like they were back then.

Then he wasn't willing to accept her love.

Now she wasn't ready to accept that she still loves him despite of everything, despite of all.

Her head was resting on his shoulder while his was buried in her hairs with her one hand encaged in his placed on his chest while the other was at her lower back keeping her closer.

"Can't we start over Khushi? Right from the beginning." He mumbled against her neck putting his chin on her shoulder.

"I don't know." She whispered back closing her eyes as tears fell from her eyes and absorbed into his blazer.

"But I do. Whatever you want I will do it. Just let me in Khushi. Just a little bit?" He rubbed her back as if to give her the courage to pull them both out of this catastrophe.

She pulled back wiping her face with the back of her hand.

Feeling of emptiness hit him when she moved back letting his arms fall to his sides.

"Where is Kriti now?" She asked about the maid who got fired because of her and she couldn't help but feel guilty.

He sighed.

He knew sooner or later she would ask it.

"I sent her to our farmhouse. She would be working there. Don't worry you didn't snatch her job."

He knew she was guilty to behave like that before the poor maid who had done nothing whatsoever.

She heaved a sigh of relief.

"How many times would you visit the farmhouse?"

She rubbed her forehead in agitation when the question stumbled out of her mouth.

He kept his calm.

"I won't be going there without you." He informed her to ease off her insecurities.

He stepped to her before cupping her cheeks.

"There can never be anyone in my life except for you Khushi. You are my wife. The love of my life. I have been in love with you for years now. If you don't trust me then that's okay. We can work on that."

She blinked back the tears. His words and assurance were cracking the well built walls she created around herself.

"You were going to office." She reminded him in a whisper removing his hands from her cheeks.

"Yeah." He didn't probe her further.

It might be enough progress for a day that she allowed him to dance with her, stayed close, didn't push him away and didn't shout at him either even when he asked to start over.

He could live with that for a day.Nothing can be better than having your morning start with such peaceful moments.

Then he did which he had been doing for a week now before leaving for office.

He side hugged her dropping a peck on her temple.

"Have a nice day." He wished her and left leaving a dazed Khushi behind.

Evening

"Yeah. Send me all the details of your case or better come to my office tomorrow. Of course I would fight it. Don't worry. " Khushi cut the call and turned around to bump to a hard chest.

"Sorry." He mumbled.

She nodded walking past him when he called her.

"Hmm?" She turned to him.

"Your Babuji wants to talk to you." He extended the phone to her.

She turned her face pursing her lips in anger.

"Don't do the same mistake I did. Do not misunderstand your father. He did everything for you. He knew you would never be content living without me." He urged her.

She took the phone reluctantly without negating any of his words much to his surprise.

"Babuji?" She croaked turning her back to Arnav.

He didn't leave and kept standing behind her until he heard her sobs.

Silently he wrapped his arms around her pulling her back to his front, his cheek against hers.

She leaned her head against him closing her eyes.

"I am sorry Babuji. I shouldn't have behaved like that." She choked.

"Yes, I will call Akash Bhai...and jiji too." She mumbled after a few minutes conversation with him before cutting the call and turned to him.

"Thank you" She whispered giving him the phone back.

Raising herself on the toes she pecked his cheek lightly making him close his eyes in anguish.

"No. Thanks to you!" He mumbled opening his eyes and looking into hers.

She pulled back reluctantly knowing why he was thanking her instead.

She has taken a step forward in their relationship willingly all by herself.

She traced her steps back and ran upstairs to her room leaving behind a comparatively relieved Arnav behind.

Maybe they still have a little bit chance left to have a better life together?

If yes then he would work hard to utilize it until they could head to the future and put concrete over the past.

Once and for all

___________________

Precap:

"Khushi what has happened to you?" He exclaimed scared seeing her throwing her clothes in a suitcase.

.

.

"What is your sister doing here in Lucknow?"

"Anjali?"

"Who else?"

"I don't know Khushi."

"Oh please. Don't pretend!" She pushed him.

"I am not lying Khushi."

"I DON'T BELIEVE YOU. You called her here with HER SON to cut open my old wounds didn't you? You wanted to remind me I LOST my RAHUL and the one who was responsible for it is enjoying being a mother? You want to break me all over again? If yes then bravo. Because it's working." She cried out at the end.

__________

Q/A(For the first time in SRHNT)

1. Will Anjali's visit with Dhruv to Lucknow break everything that Arnav has made with Khushi after so much efforts?

2. Arnav's stay in jail has been revealed. What did you really feel reading about his 7 years stay there?

3. Do you think that it's high time Khushi should forgive Arnav?

4. What do you think about Anjali and Shyam situation?

5. What is your favorite most scene or part of the SRHNT and why?

Waiting for your feedback :)

SRHNT is now up to date on wattpad. Next chapter will be as per schedule I posted in my message board. Check it out if you haven't already.

And thank you so so so very much for such a mind blowing response on this story for making it a success on wattpad too. It is now #206 in ROMANCE. Wow. Thanks once again and lots of love to you all.

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Cheers!