19

Sensitive content ahead. Reader's discretion is advised.

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Arnav

Rolling the paperweight in my hand, I smiled as I recounted my morning interaction with my Khushi.

I still berate myself for misjudging her in the past, but now as the fog of misunderstanding has cleared from my mind, I am beginning to see how innocent she truly is.

She thinks she can get away with lying to me. She thinks I do not know about her pretending to lose her memory.

Well, she thinks that because I am letting her. I am allowing her to build the bubble of her so-called revenge plan around her.

I do not mind it. In fact, I know I deserve it. I deserve her anger and her punishment. And I will take it happily.

I will take anything as long as she stays with me. Be it by pretending to lose her memory so she can plan against me.

I have my resources to ensure that she does not do much damage. So, I will let her play. After all, she deserves to move on from her trauma. And if she can achieve it by doing this, then so be it. I will play along with her.

I had known it from the moment I saw her flinch away from my touch a few hours after she regained consciousness. I had known then that she was lying. But I did not say anything. Because as she had the motive of taking revenge by pretending to have memory loss, I also had a motive behind not reacting to it even after knowing about her lie. The motive being keeping her with me.

Because if I had told her I knew about her lie, she would have again tried to escape, and I could not let that happen. I had done it once, and it nearly killed her. She almost lost her life. That is why I will not let her leave me again. Never.

My chain of thoughts broke when I heard my phone ringing. Seeing the call was from Mohan, one of my bodyguards who has been guarding Anjali's room in the hospital, I immediately received it.

"Is everything alright, Mohan? Anjali is fine, isn't she?" I felt my heart race as I waited for the answer from the other side of the line.

But when I heard the reply, my fear regarding my sister's condition got converted into an uncontrollable rage.

Still, taking deep breaths, I tried to calm myself enough to ask one crucial question. "Were the police able to catch that man? Did he give the name of the person who hired him to do it?"

"Are you sure?" I asked to confirm, wanting no misunderstanding to occur this time.

When he replied to me, I felt my anger rise.

"Ok, Mohan. Send me the recording of that man's confession. And stay outside the room all the time. With this incident and progress, it is vital that you stand guard for 24 hours until the time Anjali gets home. Is that understood?" After hearing a positive reply from Mohan, I cut the call and threw the phone across my office, breaking it into pieces.

Still, with only anger coursing within me, I stood up from my chair and stormed out of the office. 'How dare you, Khushi? How dare you?'

***********

Khushi

"Believe me, Anjali. I know what I saw. There were two people in that den—one man and a girl. The man was threatening that naked girl. I wanted to help her, but before I could do that, someone hit me with the rod, and I lost consciousness." I tried to convince Anjali, but she only shook her head at me.

"You try to play your own words in your mind, Khushi. And tell me if it does not sound absurd. How can there be a naked girl and a man in the Rathore Mansion, and how can we not be aware of it?

"Also, you were not hit on your head by anything, Khushi. The doctor who examined you told us you fainted because of low blood pressure. It could be because of all the work you are putting in for Priya and Aashish's wedding without adequate rest. And that must also be the reason that you hallucinated before fainting." Anjali gently clutched my shoulder, but I could not believe her.

I know what I saw. How could I have hallucinated that? The scene is still so clear to me, and their sounds too—the girl crying and the man threatening her. How could I have such a vivid hallucination?

"Anjali, please believe...." I started to say but stopped abruptly when Anjali increased her hold's pressure on my shoulder. So much so that it was starting to hurt a bit.

"You need to believe me, Khushi. It was nothing but a hallucination, and it would be better for you if you just nodded your head and did not think about it anymore. Ok?"

Although Anjali's voice sounded calm, her eyes were anything but that. Those eyes looked as if she was threatening me, and I was so confused by it that I kept looking at Anjali.

She also seemed to have noticed it, which is why she suddenly smiled, and immediately the angry orbs changed to gentle ones. So fast was the change that I was forced to think if my mind was playing games with me.

"I am only saying this because only a few days are left for Priya's wedding, Khushi. Do you want to think about your hallucination instead of enjoying your sister's wedding functions?" Anjali asked, and I nodded, knowing she was right.

Also, I dismissed my earlier thought. I was definitely hallucinating seeing that angry look in Anjali's eyes. Maybe my mind is really playing tricks with me because of my low blood pressure.

I was startled out of my thoughts as someone clutched my arm and pulled me off the bed.

I stumbled, trying to balance myself to prevent the fall, as I looked up and saw Arnav, looking at me with anger marring his face. He was still clutching my arm and looking at me like he used to before knowing I was innocent.

"Arnav, what are you--" I could not complete the question as he suddenly left my arm and grabbed my throat instead.

"You can play your revenge game with me as much as you like, Khushi. But keep my sister out of this," he said, and for a moment, I ceased to struggle.

Although it was getting difficult to breathe, I looked at Arnav deeply, trying to figure out if he knew my truth.

Arnav released my throat and pushed me, making me fall to the floor. He then crouched in front of me and held my jaw roughly, making me look at him.

"Do you really think I am that stupid? That I would not know you are pretending to lose your memory? I knew it the moment you flinched away from my touch in the hospital a few hours after you regained your consciousness.

"I had thought I would let you continue with this. I had thought I would take the punishment you wanted to give me because I felt like I deserved it. I had thought maybe after you finish taking your revenge, you would agree to live a happy life with me.

"But you ruined it all by sending someone to attack Anjali in the hospital today. I provide you with a little freedom, giving you the privilege of having your mobile phone, and you do this? How dare you think about harming my sister? How dare you?" Arnav said to me, and although I understood he misunderstood me again, I could not speak to deny the false allegations made against me.

Because all my focus was on his eyes. They had the same look. I had seen the same look in his eyes when he had come to my room on our wedding night. The same look he used to have when he punished me countless times before knowing my truth.

I froze in fear, scared that he would again punish me in his misunderstanding.

All the strength that I had gained, bit by bit, threatened to crumble, and I began to shake, my entire body lined with goosebumps in fear of impending punishment.

When I did not speak for a while and kept looking at him, Arnav left my jaw and stood up, leaving me sitting on the floor.

He raked his hand through his hair and paced in the room while I continued to sit on the floor, too shaken up to even try to stand.

"You know I love you, Khushi," Arnav spoke after pacing for a few minutes. "But I love my sister more. So, if you ever think of harming her ever again, remember what punishments I can give you to make you regret having that thought. Do you fucking understand me?"

When I did not answer, he clutched my arm and made me stand from the floor. "How many fucking times do I have to tell you to answer me when I ask you a question?"

That question brought back another bout of memories. All the times he had beaten, punished, and hurt me when I was too scared to reply to him.

But this time, I clenched my fists and did not let the fear overcome me. I have now realized the more I fear him, the more he will assert his dominance over me. And I will not let that happen.

So, with all the strength I could muster, I freed my arm from his clutch and pushed Arnav, making him stumble backward.

"HOW DARE YOU? HOW FUCKING DARE YOU COME HERE AND MANHANDLE ME YET AGAIN? GET THE FUCK OUT, ARNAV RATHORE. GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE," I screamed, my sanity threatening to snap as I felt overwhelming anger course through my being.

I noticed Arnav widen his eyes as he looked at me. After regaining his balance, he tried to walk toward me, but I raised my hand in front of him, looking at him with all the hatred and loathing I felt for him.

"Touch me again, you poor excuse of a man, and I will show you what I am capable of. I used to think only you were responsible for what you did to me. But now I have realized that I am equally guilty, if not more. You are culpable for hurting me, and I am guilty of tolerating that hurt. I had been weak then, drowning in my misery as I lost everything at your hands.

"But now, thanks to you, I have nothing to lose. So, I will not fear you anymore. Do you know why? Because there is nothing more left that you can do to me. You have already done your worst, and I have already endured that worst. And here I am, alive and breathing, even after enduring the worst pain a girl can ever suffer in her life.

"After regaining my consciousness, I pretended to lose my memory because I wanted to keep everything under wraps until I destroyed you. But now that everything is in the open, let me tell you, Arnav Rathore, I am here only so I can destroy you. Only so I could snatch everything from you and make you realize how it feels to lose everything you hold dear. And I promise you. I will do it.

"And one last thing. It is a shame that it was not me who sent that someone to attack your sister this time. But I wish I had done that. Because Anjali deserves death for all the crimes she has committed in her life." I finished speaking, and Arnav strode angrily toward me as soon as he heard his sister's name.

"This is the last time I am warning you, Khushi. You can try everything to destroy me but keep my family, especially my sister, out of this. You have already suffered much after our wedding, but think of harming my sister, and you will know all those sufferings were nothing compared to what I would do to you if anything happened to Anjali.

"And no matter what you say, Mrs. Khushi Rathore, let me tell you, my sister does not deserve to die. She deserves to live. And that is why she has now come out of her coma," Arnav said to me, and I felt the claw of fear clutch my heart as soon as I heard him.

Taking my mobile phone from the bedside table, Arnav walked out of the room. I also heard him lock the door from outside, and I knew he would now be imprisoning me in this room.

But I could not focus on that part for now because all I could think about was Anjali waking up from the coma.

"She is back," I whispered and slumped on the floor when my knees gave up, buckling due to the fear.