The chair scraped against the cracked concrete floor as one of the bodyguards dragged it forward and placed it directly in front of Anant.

Arnav walked forward slowly, his sharp gaze never leaving Anant’s face. He sat down with calculated ease, crossing one leg over the other as if he had all the time in the world.

Anant gulped, sweat beading on his forehead. That look in Arnav’s eyes, it wasn’t just anger, it was lethal and he had seen it before almost two years ago when Arnav took everything from him and exposed his money laundering business and because of that, he had been on the run from the authorities since then.

“I have nothing left to give you,” Anant rasped, his voice trembling. “You already bought back Sheesh Mahal....... Exposed my business and I lost everything...... I have nothing else to give you. ”

Arnav tilted his head and chuckled darkly.

“Wrong, Anant.........You still have something I need....... I need answers and unfortunately you are the only one who can give it to me. ”

Confusion flickered in Anant’s eyes, but before he could respond, Arnav leaned forward, his tone icy.

“Tell me the real truth about the night my parents died.”

The words struck like thunder and Anant’s eyes widened in shock before he quickly shook his head, panic flashing in his expression.

That refusal was enough to ignite the storm in Arnav’s eyes. His jaw clenched and his fingers gripped the armrest of the chair tightly.

“If you won’t speak willingly, I’ll force it out of you.”

Anant’s head snapped up just as one of the bodyguards stepped forward, a syringe gleaming in his hand. His breath quickened and he stammered.

“W-what are you doing—?”

Before he could finish, two guards pinned him down. The needle pierced his skin as his body jerked against the ropes and his muffled protests fading into shallow gasps.

Within seconds, his eyes grew hazy, his body slumping. His head lolled weakly and his lips parting as he struggled to focus.

“What… what did you give me?” he slurred.

Arnav leaned back, smirking.

“Truth serum.....Now tell me what happened that night.”

At first, a hollow laugh escaped Anant’s lips, his voice heavy and distorted under the drug’s influence. Then, words began tumbling out raw and unfiltered.

“Arvind was finally going to divorce Ratna........He’d found her....... His Shanti, the only woman he ever loved.”

Arnav stiffened, his chest tightened as Anant chuckled bitterly.

“Ratna, she was obsessed with him since childhood and it didn't help that Maa and Deviyani were best friends who were rooting for them......... But he never loved her..........He loved someone else and that Shanti..........  He rejected Ratna when she confessed and this broke........ She showed up at a party I arranged at Sheesh Mahal, got drunk and ended up with the chauffeur’s son...........Weeks later, she found out she was pregnant and she claimed it was Arvind's when your grandmother confronted her......... She said they’d both been drunk but Arvind denied it but she was convincing.......So convincing that  Arvind began doubting himself.”

Arnav’s hands curled into fists, his breath coming uneven.

“Maa hated Arvind’s girlfriend,” Anant continued, his tone lazy but cutting. “So she forced the marriage on Arvind and Ratna gave birth to Anjali........Poor Arvind was forced to give up his love and forced into a lie all because of a manipulative and obsessive woman.”

Arnav’s heart hammered as the revelation sank in.

Anjali is not his Dad’s daughter?

His voice cracked as he demanded.

“How do you know this?”

Anant smirked groggily.

“When you were three, the chauffeur’s son came back..........His little girl needed a bone marrow transplant.........He demanded Arvind’s permission for Anjali to get tested....... Arvind didn't believe him but the chauffeur's son revealed Ratna knee and paid him to keep quiet and Arvind… can run a DNA test to proof he was the father of Anjali........Arvind ran a DNA test and it confirmed Anjali wasn’t his...........But you Arnav, you were his mirror image......... His own blood.”

Arnav’s breath caught. His chest felt like it was being crushed.

“Arvind confronted Ratna........ She denied it at first but later admitted it when he threw the DNA test at her......... Arvind walked out and a few months later he reconnected his Shanti and they lived together for months, he only visited sometimes.........You remember that, don’t you?”

Arnav's memories flooded back, his father disappearing for long stretches, returning like a shadow to visit but only played with him and ignored Anjali and he now finally understood why.

Anant’s voice dragged him back.

“He filed for divorce two years after he found out.........But later, he came back defeated and stopped the divorce.........No one knows why.”

Arnav’s throat tightened. His voice was hoarse.

“Then why? Why did my mother kill herself?”

Anant’s drugged eyes gleamed with cruel amusement.

“Arvind wanted to divorce Ratna, take you away and reveal the truth to Anjali after her wedding........ Ratna lost it and threatened to kill herself but Arvind brushed her off as Ratna always threatening to kill herself if she didn't get her way was nothing new to him......... She thought the gun was empty as Arvind always kept it so......... But I’d used it for target practice and left it loaded.”

Arnav’s blood ran cold and Anant’s lips twisted in a mocking smile.

“Ratna pulled the trigger by accident.........Arvind was stunned hearing about her death......... I finished it by killing him.......... Made it look like suicide and spread the lies saying he cheated, said he was dishonourable........And you all, you fools believed me.”

He laughed, a horrible, broken laugh that echoed through the room.

Arnav’s entire body shook and his lungs refused to take in air. His father, the man he’d hated all these years had been innocent and he was worshipping the culprit and fulfilling her wish at the cost of nearly loosing the love of his life.

The room tilted and his vision became blurred.

“Arnav!” A distant voice of Aman broke through. Boots pounded the floor and hands grabbing his shoulders as Aman and the guards shouted his name before everything went dark.

Meanwhile at Shantivan, Anjali paced back and forth like a caged animal in her room, her hands trembling slightly as she muttered to herself. Shyam, reclining lazily on the bed with his arms behind his head, rolled his eyes in irritation.

“Something is very wrong, Shyam!........Dadi being friendly with Khushi is not normal and her caring for Preeto, that’s even more stranger.........Dadi never does things without a reason.” Anjali exclaimed frustrated and Shyam gave a low chuckle, shaking his head as if amused at her panic.

Shyam with calm smug replied.

“To me, it’s very normal, Rani Sahiba......... Don’t you see?..........Dadi is trying to get into Arnav’s good books.......... And to do that, she has no choice but to win over Khushi and anyone close to Khushi........ It’s simple really..........Arnav is Khushi’s puppet.......... He dances to her tune, always.........  To please Khushi is to automatically please Arnav and this is the way get into his good books...... All this is a strategy by Dadi.”

Anjali stopped mid-step, her face tightening as Shyam’s words sank in. She slowly nodded, her lips curling in disgust.

“You’re right, absolutely right and I hate it...........I should never have asked you to meet Dadi and bring her back to Shantivan........That was my biggest mistake..........I thought she’d be on our side.”

Shyam sat up now, his expression sharpening and he firmly replied.

“Forget what’s done.........We need to think ahead..........There’s only one way left to fix things and make Arnav forgive us........ And for that, we use the baby..........Our child is our only weapon, Rani Sahiba........The only solution for us to get the good life back.”

At his words, a slow smirk spread across Anjali’s face. She rested both hands on her belly, rubbing it possessively.

“Yes… .......this baby will give us everything back......... Arnav won’t be able to resist.......No one will especially Khushi, she loves kids and she would never want a child to suffer for the mistakes of their parents.”

The two of them shared a sinister look, lost in their scheming completely unaware of the truth.

Cut to Dadi’s room, the old matriarch sat rigid in her armchair, her eyes blazing as the small screen in front of her replayed every word from the hidden camera she had planted in Anjali’s room. Their faces, their plotting, their shameless greed, it was all laid bare.

Her knuckles whitened as she gripped the armrest as she furious, whispered to herself.

“I will never let this happen........Not while I live........ Never.”

The camera’s red light blinked silently, capturing the storm that was about to break.

Shanti’s Apartment, Outskirts of Delhi.

The small apartment was eerily quiet except for the sound of Garima’s sobbing. She sat in the middle of the room, collapsed on the cold floor, tears streaking her face. In front of her, Shashi sat frozen in his wheelchair, his expression a mixture of horror and disbelief. Beside him, Buaji clutched the armrest of the chair, her lips trembling with rage, her eyes glistening.

Shanti stood a few feet away, her body stiff, her face pale as she stared at Garima as though she were seeing a stranger for the first time.

The silence was broken by the echo of Garima’s choked plea.

“Shashi-ji… Jiji… Shanti… please forgive me.”

But no one bothered to do so.

Unknown to Garima, Shanti had called Shashi and Buaji back to her apartment and revealed everything she knew about Garima and her schemes and they were shocked before Garima came to her apartment.

Flashback.

Garima had entered Shanti’s apartment, her face pale, her hands trembling. The moment she saw Shanti, she collapsed to her knees, clutching at her saree desperately begging.

“Shanti, please… don’t expose me. .......I beg you.”

Shanti’s brows furrowed, her voice calm yet sharp.

“Which crime are you asking forgiveness for, Garima?........Should I forgive you for the secret letter you sent to Subhadra Malik, pretending to be me, asking her for money so I would leave Arvind?..........That letter that made Subhadra hate me?..........Or should I forgive you for the lies you spun about my daughter’s death, when in truth you stole her with the help of that nurse and gave her away?”

Garima’s face twisted in guilt as she broke down completely.

“Both… all of it…”

She fumbled into her bag, pulling out a worn photograph with shaking fingers and held it out to Shanti.

“I gave the child, your daughter to my best friend Kriti and her husband....... They were infertile, and I thought I was doing them a favor and also be closer to her..,...I thought I was punishing you too.”

Shanti’s trembling hands took the photo. Her eyes widened as she recognized the face in the picture. A sob escaped her lips.

“Preeto…”

Her knees buckled and she sank onto the sofa behind her, shock draining the blood from her face.

Before she could say more, a hand suddenly yanked Garima backward. The sharp crack of a slap echoed across the room.

Garima reeled and looked up, stunned, to see Buaji towering over her, her eyes burning with betrayal. Behind her, Shashi sat, his face streaked with silent tears sitting in his wheelchair.

Flashback ends.

Shanti finally spoke, her voice breaking.

“Why, Garima?.......Why did you hate me so much?...... What did I do to you to deserve all this? ”

The question snapped something in Garima.

Her grief twisted into venom as she shouted.

“Because everyone loved you!........Even though we looked alike, everyone wanted you........... Father adored you because you didn’t hide Maa’s affair like I did......... You never took gifts from her lover while I did, and he never forgave me.........You were always the perfect one, the royal one, the good daughter and I was always the mistake!”

Her voice rose, trembling with years of buried jealousy.

“It was because of you that Father met Hina maa and Neetu...........He praised you for giving him a chance to find happiness again........... Neetu too, she adored you, trusted you and was willing to do anything for you......... She shunned me the moment she learned the truth that I helped Maa run away with her lover came out and she never wanted to be my friend or sister........ Yes I had everything you and Neetu had from Papa and Hina maa but I also wanted a sisterly bind between you and Neetu but I never got it.”

Shanti’s tears fell silently as Garima’s confession poured out like poison.

Garima screaming now not caring how loud she was being.

“I hated it!......I hated you!.......That’s why I plotted against you and Arvind because I knew I could make you and Neetu pay for always shunning me....... Neetu loved you and your pain was her pain....... That’s why I wrote that cursed letter to Subhadra in your name so she’d never accept your relationship with Arvind.......... And when Arvind left you and another woman had his child, I was happy!...........I was glad to see you miserable, alone, childless!...... I and Neetu got married and have our daughters whilst you were miserable and single and that made me happy but that brat Khushi had to be born and have you joy that why I hated Khushi and wanted Shashi to dump her at the orphanage after her parents died.”

She laughed, a hollow, hysterical sound.

“But then Arvind came back to you, and you had Preeto........ I couldn’t let you win again!........So I stole her and gave her to Kriti.......... I made the doctor lie that you could never have children again and in your grief, in your weakness, I poisoned your mind. I pushed you to let Arvind go back to Ratna and her children.........That was me, Shanti........ All me!”

Shanti’s body went rigid, her soul shattering with every word.

Garima’s laughter turned into a wild cackle as she looked at their horrified faces.

Shashi’s hands gripped the arms of his wheelchair so tightly his knuckles turned white. Buaji's voice was hoarse but thunderous:

“Enough, Garima!”

Buaji’s chest rose and fell heavily as she turned to Garima, her face twisted in disgust.

“Tell me one thing, Garima.......Did you know who Arnav was all this while?”

Garima gave a slow, bitter nod.

“Of course I knew.........He’s the spitting image of Arvind........How could I not?”

Buaji stared at her shocked and turned to Shashi and asked.

"Shashi, you knew and never said anything? "

“He suspected and told me but I convinced him Arnav was just a look alike and his name was Raizada not Malik. ”

Garima replied laughed and that was the final straw. Buaji’s hand flew again across her cheek, a brutal slap ringing louder than the first.

Buaji furious and voice shaking with rage yelled.

“You’ve ruined everything!.........Do you know what this truth could do to the girls’ lives?.........To Khushi… to Payal… to everyone?.........You disgust me, Garima!........From today, you’re no sister in law of mine....... I stupidly let you poison me against Khushi...... You are a witch Garima. ”

She turned to Shashi, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Shashi will divorce you........We’ll expose everything to the Raizadas and the whole world....... You will lose everything.........Everyone will hate you.”

Garima’s face drained of color for the first time, she looked truly terrified. She crawled forward, clutching Shashi’s legs, sobbing desperately.

“No, Shashi-ji, please! Don’t do this........I’ll change, I’ll fix everything........Please don’t leave me!”

But Shashi sat unmoved, his eyes hollow, broken. He didn’t even look at her.

Buaji yanked Garima up by her arm and dragged her toward the door. Garima’s wails filled the apartment, but no one softened.

The door slammed behind her.

Inside, Shanti collapsed back onto the sofa, her hand clutching her chest as if her heart would stop. Shashi bowed his head, silent tears streaming down his face, while Buaji stood frozen, her hand trembling on the doorknob.

Lives destroyed all because of Garima’s greed, jealousy, and lies.

To be continued.

Precap: Shanti In Shantivan.

Next Update will be on Saturday.

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