14

Third Person's POV

"Khushi, I brought food for you," Arnav said to Khushi as he entered her room.

Khushi was standing in front of the mirror in the center of the room, but hearing Arnav, she immediately walked back to the corner.

Arnav frowned when he saw that Khushi was still wearing the nighty.

"I told you to wear normal clothes, like the ones you used to wear before our wedding, Khushi. Why are you still wearing that dress?" Arnav asked and noticed Khushi now clutching the hem of that nighty.

"Why?" Khushi whispered after a while, unable to control her question anymore.

"What, why, Khushi?"

"Whh..hyy do you want me to wear those clothes? Why have you brought food for me? And why are you not calling me slut or whore? Whh..hat are you playing at?"

Khushi's whole body trembled in fear as those questions escaped her mouth, but she fisted her hands and willed herself to remain standing, no matter how much her knees buckled.

Arnav felt a piercing pain pass through him as he realized how Khushi had been interpreting his actions. "I am not playing at anything, Khushi. My actions have no motive at all."

Khushi wanted to tell him she did not believe him. She wanted to ask him why suddenly, he was showering kindness on a woman who he thought pushed his sister to death bed.

But she was scared.

Yes, she has decided to fight back. But she cannot suddenly let go of her fear of this man and lock horns with him.

'One step at a time, Khushi. You will get there.' She encouraged herself.

"I... I will clean the kitchen after I eat," Khushi said to Arnav instead of asking him the questions whirling in her mind.

"You do not need to do it, Khushi. I have hired maids to do all the housework and care for you. You don't need to do any chores. I know you like to read, so I have ordered a few books for you. You can read those in the living room or your room wherever you like. You can do whatever you want in this house. No one will stop you, Khushi. Not even me."

Khushi felt a sliver of annoyance rise as she replayed Arnav's words. He said she could do anything she liked but would have to remain inside this house. She can do whatever she wants as long as she is in this house.

"I... I want to go out," she whispered.

She is confused by Arnav's behavior and does not know what brought this change in him, but she wants to know if she has gotten her freedom from this change.

'If I could go out. If I could escape this prison--' her thoughts came to a halt due to Arnav's booming voice.

"I won't allow that, Khushi. You will have to remain here in this house with me until I feel certain you won't run away and leave me if I ever let you walk out of the house."

'Still his prisoner.' Khushi blinked her eyes rapidly to stop the tears from pouring out.

Sighing deeply, she slowly sat on the floor, staring ahead.

Putting the plate of food on the center table, Arnav walked to Khushi and crouched on the floor beside her.

"I am afraid of losing you, Khushi. I know I have made some mistakes. I have given you so much pain too. But I now want to correct those mistakes. I want to show you that I am a changed man now who will only give you love and happiness. There won't be any more pain, Khushi."

Khushi looked at Arnav tearily when she heard him. Hearing what he said, her fear subsided for a while, and her anger burst forth.

"You are calling all those things you did to me a mistake? Those were not mistakes, Sir. Those were the crimes you committed."

Piercing pain passed through Arnav as he heard Khushi call him Sir. It reminded him of all the times he slapped her when she called him by his name.

Oh, what would he not give up now to turn back the time and undo all his mistakes?

"I was not aware of the truth then, Khushi. It was in my misunderstanding that I did all those things. But now that I know the truth--" Arnav stopped because Khushi interrupted him.

"You know the truth?"

"Yes, Khushi. The doctor who came to treat you after you fainted, he told me how Niranjan was the one who had proposed to you. He also told me you had then complained against Niranjan and had him thrown out of your university.

"That was the time when I realized you were innocent all along. It was Niranjan who manipulated me, Anjali, and our family," Arnav rubbed his face with his hands, his irritation rising as he recounted how that slimeball manipulated everyone.

"Is that all you know?" Khushi asked as she realized Arnav knew only the half-truth. He still does not know that one significant truth that will shake the foundation of his being.

"What do you mean, Khushi? Is there something else I should know?"

Khushi bit her lips and remained silent, not wanting to say anything.

"Please, tell me, Khushi," Arnav urged, but Khushi shook her head.

"It's better I don't say anything. You won't believe me anyways."

Khushi was relieved that Arnav knew the truth of her innocence. At least she won't be subjected to more pain and hurt while she devises a plan to escape this monster and this prison.

"I promise I will believe you, Khushi. I love you, and I do not want to lose you. I--" Arnav abruptly stopped as Khushi let out a wry chuckle.

"You have already lost me, Sir. You lost me on our wedding night when you forced yourself on me."

Hearing Khushi, Arnav moved forward to cup her cheeks and apologize to her. But he immediately withdrew his hands when he saw Khushi flinching and squeezing her eyes shut.

He quickly stood up and paced around the room, Khushi's reaction making his heart clench painfully against his chest.

"I promise you, Khushi. I will never hurt you. Please don't flinch away from me. Please." Arnav's voice carried his desperation. The desperation to get Khushi's forgiveness. The desperation to make her see how much he loves her.

Khushi also stood up, fisting her hands tightly as she kept them on her sides, showing her barely covered body to Arnav.

"Don't you see all these marks on my body, Sir?" Khushi wiped the tears that escaped her eyes. "These are the results of your cruelty towards me."

"I kept crying that night, begging you to stop. I kept screaming all the other nights too. But you never stopped. You only hurt me and gave me immense pain. And now, after doing all that to me, you want me not to flinch away from you?

"I wish I could be strong enough not to flinch. I wish I were brave enough not to be scared of you. But I am not strong or brave, and that makes me hate myself."

"Khushi, give me one chance, please. I promise you that I will undo all my mistakes. I know those are the marks I gave you, and you have no idea how guilty I feel. How deeply I regret hurting you. Please just give me one chance, Khushi. I will shower you with so much love that it will heal everything." Arnav moved forward to hold Khushi's hand, but she moved backward, shaking her head.

"The marks on my body will heal one day, but what about the marks on my soul? What about the rip in my dignity? How will you heal those?" Khushi felt her body going warm as her anger kept rising with each passing second.

"Please, Khushi. I love you. I really do," Arnav told Khushi, not knowing what else to say or how to answer her questions.

"You don't love me, Sir," Khushi countered, and Arnav frowned at her.

"I do love you, Khushi. Please believe me," Arnav said and noticed Khushi vehemently shaking her head.

"Why don't you believe me, Khushi? Why?" Arnav wanted to know. Once he knows her reasons, he will do everything he can to refute them and show Khushi how truly he loves her.

"Because you don't snatch the honor of the person you love. Because you don't humiliate and rip the dignity of the person you love."

Looking at Arnav's stunned face, Khushi slowly walked toward him, tears streaming down her face as she recounted all the times Arnav beat her. All the times he humiliated her.

When she was close enough, she whispered the last sentence that was potent enough to make Arnav stagger back in shock. "Because you don't rape the person you love."