Part 13 Separation

"Aman, don't know why I think something wrong is going to happen," Arnav said restlessly.

"Don't feel so... Khushi's father is even ready to talk to your parents. I heard him talking with Khushi's mother"

Arnav was suffocating like hell. He didn't know how Govind made Aman trust him.

"Whatever, Khushi is stubborn. Then why do we bother?" Aman said.

On the other side, Govind didn't even utter a single word to Khushi. He was glancing at her often through the rearview mirror. Khushi also started getting bad vibes through her father's gestures. She felt some sore sensation in her stomach.

When Khushi went to the police station, she didn't find Arnav there. Instead, she saw his parents. She bowed down not having the courage to meet their eyes.

Suddenly, she heard the loud voice of her mother. She saw Megla rushing to the police station crying.

"My Child... how I pampered you... what have you done... is this what your concern for us? Is this what your love for us? How could you do this to us? My stomach is burning..." she cried.

Khushi was looking at her like she was an alien. Did her mother talk about LOVE? Like really? When did she shower love on her? Did she know the meaning of PAMPERING? If she would have pampered her, why would she be searched for love from someone?

Khushi wondered. Why did Arnav's parents silent? Didn't they have anything to tell their daughter-in-law? She saw woman police getting in. She sat on the chair and looked at Khushi.

"Do you know what's the legal age to get married?"

"Eighteen" Khushi answered.

"What's your age?" she asked.

"Eighteen"

"Just eighteen... you have not completed eighteen yet..."

Khushi nodded yes.

"You should have completed eighteen to get married. 47 days left for you to complete eighteen years"

Khushi looked at Arnav's parents.

"Do you know what's the punishment for kidnapping a minor girl?"

"He didn't kidnap me. It was me who went to him"

"Maybe, until you become a major, you are your parent's responsibility. You ought to be in their protection. Your father filed a Habeas corpus. It doesn't matter whether you went with him willingly. He would be punished because it's the law. He will get a minimum of ten years sentence. What say? If you are ready to go to your parents, your father will withdraw the case. Otherwise, no one could save him from going to prison. He will be in jail for ten years. When he comes out of prison, he would have lost everything... including his future. Do you want him to get such a cruel punishment for loving you?"

Khushi bit her lip to control the shiver. What was she talking about? Was not she a major? Was not eighteen years enough to get married? She felt like she was rolling down into the deep valley. Tears flowed from her eyes uncontrolled.

"Choice is yours. You can choose anything you want. If you want him, he won't be with you but in prison. If you want him to be happy, you should go with your parents"

HAPPY? Will he be happy without her? He came leaving his parents for her. He did everything for her. He made all the arrangements to be with her. It's because he believed his happiness was HER.

What is the use of gifting a beautiful painting after making her blind? This was what destiny wanted her to do.

She searched here and there for Arnav. Where was he? Was he taken to jail? Her heart thudded like, it might break her ribs anytime. She felt pain in her chest due to her drumming heartbeat.

On the other hand,

Arnav was taken to another side of the same police station. He saw Linga sitting with an inspector.

"Where is Khushi?" Arnav asked.

"She is with her parents"

"I want to meet her"

"You can't meet her without her parent's permission because she is a MINOR"

"No... she is a major"

For your kind information, she is just eighteen. The next month twenty-fourth only she becomes nineteen. Now, tell me, whether she is a major or minor?"

Arnav became horrified.

"However, she is my wife"

"Her father filed a case in your name for kidnapping a minor girl"

"I didn't kidnap her. Khushi came to me and could not tolerate her parent's torture"

"Whatever, she has no right to make decisions until she becomes a major. It's a law. You are going to jail and will be there for the next ten years. And, Khushi will be sent to a HOME and will stay there until she becomes a major. Do you know how the homes would be? Anything can happen to her there. No one can do anything. Do you want it to happen to her?"

"She won't be without me"

"She had been without you until the last week... her parents know how to keep her with them. You do need to worry about her"

Linga came to him.

"Do you know who am I? You would have heard about me for sure. Doing murder is my job. You have family... don't you want your parents to live long? Don't you want your sister to live peacefully in Goa? And your brother is an army man... he is already fighting with enemies. Are you going to make their life hell?"

"I want to meet Khushi"

"You can't because she is ready to go with her parents. She doesn't want to go HOME. Who will live in the home leaving all the facilities which were lying in front of her?"

"I won't believe it. She would not have made a decision without knowing my decision"

"Who is asking your decision? You are arrested already for kidnapping Khushi. That's all."

.......

Khushi was crying bitterly, clutching the mangal Sutra.

"Remove the mangal sutra and give it to his parents," Megla said.

Khushi looked at her horrified and nodded no.

"Give it to them and come home"

"Amma, please don't do this to me. He is my husband... how could I remove this when he is..." she gulped down her tears hard, without saying the word, ALIVE.

That's when she heard,

"Beta, please give it to me... if YOU don't remove it, I will have to remove MINE forever. Please save my husband's life" Arnav's mother pleaded.

Khushi looked at her shockingly and then at her mother Megla. There was no regret on her face for doing such a heartless action. Khushi looked at the mangal sutra crying. She could not believe everything was getting over. The mangal sutra was the symbol of their relationship. There won't be any connectivity between them if she removed it. She so wanted some magic to happen to save her from these people. Could not she get vanish from their sight? Could not she and Arnav go to an island where there was not a single human to torture them?

Megla tried to take the mangal sutra from her neck. Clutching it, Khushi sat on the floor.

"Noooo... please, Amma. I will come with you but don't ask me to remove it"

"Remove it and come with us. You have no choice. Don't ruin the boy's life by being adamant, Khushi. Linga will make him rot in hell if you don't obey what we say."

Hearing Linga's name, Khushi took her hand from the mangal sutra. In no time, Megla removed it from her neck, making Khushi burst out crying.

Mega came out and gave it to Govind. He sent it to Linga through a constable. Linga showed it to Arnav.

"See, Khushi removed the mangal sutra tied by you" He showed it to him.

Arnav took it from him and looked at Aman horrified.

"Her father said he will get them married," Aman told the inspector.

"If he is ready to get them married, he would not have made us beat you to death," the inspector said.

Aman felt dejected.

"I didn't expect he would betray me"

Without minding answering him,

"Get the written statement from them and send them," Linga said.

The papers were ready. As per the statement, they should not disturb each other nor should meet again. Khushi and Arnav were called. Khushi didn't have the guts to see his face and vice versa. Both were standing next to each other. They were asked to sign in the papers. Khushi saw a teardrop spilled on the paper while Arnav signed. She felt like someone was squeezing her heart. She made a man cry who wanted her to be happy. Because of her, he spilled tears. Don't know what was waiting for her for making a pure soul cry. All she knew was she won't be happy... she can't be...

They were taken from the police station. Arnav wanted to break everything in front of his eyes. He wanted to finish his life jumping in front of the running bus. He never felt so helpless as he did that day. He saw Khushi getting into the car. She was going away from him... forever...

"I can't forget even a second I spent with you, Khushi. It's just two days we lived but it will be staying in my heart for my lifetime. We spent those beautiful nights, meeting one another's eyes... resting on one another's chest... planting wet kisses without thinking of any limitations. There was no right and wrong between us. We didn't care whether it was day or night. We didn't care about the start and the end because we started together. No question rose in our hearts. There was no fear between us. What we experienced on those nights is going to become a dream. The teardrop I spilled has not dried yet. I can never forget those moments till my last breath." Arnav wiped the tears before they hit his cheek.

But Khushi was crying her heart out without caring about anything.

To be continued...