Betrayal Part 18

BETRAYAL PART 18


"Okay, until, Karan and Anjali are out we shall plan about the engagement," Lavanya said.

"Hmm!" Arnav murmured.

"Jiju, me, and Lavanya will go to the mall and choose dress for Anjali."

"And me and bhai will go and choose a sherwani for Karan," Akaash said.

"Sounds awesome. But don't worry about the dresses, I am working on them."

"Oh, yes, I totally forgot you will design their dresses."

"Okay, then me and Lavanya would go and book the beauticians appointment and see the wedding planners!" Payal said.

"Sure, then I might go and choose the card layouts! Bhai, you would come with me, right?" Akaash asked.

"Yes, I will."

"Who will book the venues for the functions?"

"Once we are done with the stuff that we have decided on we..."

"I will look after it..." Khushi said.

"Hey, Khushi, come," Akaash said.

"No, Akaash, I have to go to the hospital. But on my way, I would go and book the venues. But by the way, what it is really for?" she asked.

"Don't you know? It's for Karan and Anjali's engagement. Bhai, you didn't tell her?"

"I forgot!" he muttered. He felt the urge to leave, but he remained seated at his spot to stop questions that might be raised.

"No, actually he did tell me. It's just me who forgot. Looks like I have been forgetting lot more nowadays."

Akaash laughed.

"By the way, Khushi, shall I come along with you?" Lavanya asked.

"No, I shall be fine," she said.

"How could you go alone? Arnav would go with you then if not me."

Arnav rolled his eyes in anger.

"No, it is really fine, La. You guys should carry on."

"Come on, Khushi, Arnav go. Me, Payal and Akaash will take care of everything. You go with Khushi and when you return make sure to book the venue.

Arnav didn't protest as it hardly matter to him. "Sure, let's go."

***

Khushi hadn't gone far to the door when she said to Arnav, "Arnav, you don't have to go with me. I will take mom along with me."

"I would have loved it if you would have said that in front of everyone!" he said. "Can you please come I have way more better things to do!"

She nodded and walked after him.

***
At the hospital!

"Hi, Mr. Raizada, how are you doing now?"

"Lot more better, Dr. Sharma. Thanks!"

"That's good to know. Even Khushi is doing great. She must have told you. Her asthma and anemia is completely in check."

"Yes, she told me."

"And congratulations for the twins too!"

"Thank you!"

"Anyways, I just asked her to come to the hospital so that I could confirm all the reports are fine, and the precautions from now on wards that she needs to take, last week when you were in the hospital had been really bad for her. She collapsed twice. I initially thought her health might worsen but for you and the babies she took good care of herself. It's now complete 3 months of her pregnancy, Mr. Raizada and 6 more months."

Arnav smiled. "I am sure there is nothing to worry about anything else."

"No, just keep her stress free. But I would suggest for her to still take her medicine for one more week. And rest make sure she doesn't carry or do anything heavy. More stress free she could be better it would be for her and babies."

"I will make sure of it thank you once again, Dr. Sharma."

He shook hand with her and left the room to Khushi who was waiting for him outside the doctors office.

There he saw her playing with a little baby. "Your baby is really cute."

"Thank you, he is 3 months old."

"What is his name?"

"Arun."

"That's a cute name, Arun."

Her smiled disappeared when she looked at Arnav. She didn't know how long he had been waiting. But it didn't look either as if he was angry about it. He was just busy on his phone.

"Bye, Arun," she said and stood up. "Take care of yourself," she said before leaving.

"I am sorry you had to wait!"

He didn't say anything and brought his phone to his hear to talk and he started walking.

"Yes, la!...Yes, everything is fine. Nothing to worry about. Khushi is expecting twins...Thank you so much...Treat? Sure!...Tonight, yes! As you wish!...Don't worry...I am absolutely free...Anything for you my friend...Yes, will go there directly...Caterers? Uhm...Yes, I know one place, I would see if they are opened then we shall confirm that one, after that we really don't have to worry anything else...Yes, pandit ji...Don't worry about that either Mrs. Gupta had said she will look after that...Yes, see you soon at home...But aren't you suppose to be at the mall...What? Anjali and Karan? What they were even doing there?...Shopping? Good. No, I ain't laughing. Anyways, it's okay...Do not shop anything related to their engagement...Yes, I am working on the design for my sister's wedding lehanga and Karan's sherwani...In a day or two I would finalize it and in a month it would be ready...Yes, we shall. See you at home."

He hung up the phone. "Lavanya want the treat for the twins," he said without acknowledging Khushi.

"Do you really want to give it?" she asked.

"For my friends and family happiness, yes."

"Who I am to say no then?" she said.

***
"Arnav, did you book the venue?" Lavanya asked.

"Yes, I did. And it is already finalized."

"Awesome, atleast one thing is done!"

"And bhai, catering?"

"I have done that too!"

"Alright, for the engagement we went to our show room and we chose the dresses for Anji and Karan we recently launched. It's for the other functions that would be post engagement. And also cards layouts are chosen. I will show you once Anjali and Karan aren't here around."

"Awesome! Looks like we are on track!"

"We are!"

"Okay, tomorrow I will talk to Karan and Anjali. Just to make sure we aren't hurrying up things."

"Arnav, don't you worry, they both are planning to tell us that they want to get engaged in coming week."

"Wow...they are even ahead of us!" Arnav said softly laughing.

Lavanya giggled. "They are. But we should really check because what if they are planning to surprise us and come up with their own plans."

"That's true too!" Akaash agreed.

***
"Are you jealous, Khushi?" Payal asked as they worked in the kitchen.

"Jealous of what, Payal?"

"Jealous that more than you, jiju is spending time with his friend, La."

"He is spending more time with his cousin too," she said.

"Hmm. Well, more recently I am seeing him talking more to la than you or even Akaash."

"I am his wife, he doesn't have to be formal with me."

"He isn't formal with La either!" Payal replied.

"I meant was, he doesn't have to worry about hurting me in this process."

"Or may be, he really doesn't care about you anymore."

"It's not the truth."

"Hmm...May be you really have hurt him, Khushi."

"What do you mean?"

"Meaning is clear, I know everything."

Khushi was cutting onions and she carelessly cut her finger. She didn't show any sign of pain as the fear of what Payal was more than anything else.

"Hurt him by spending more time in these stupid work and by not giving him proper time. He is really hurt, Khushi."

Khushi took a sigh of relief when she thought Payal really meant about her betrayal.

"I wonder what you was really scared of? Is there anything else he was hurt with?!" she asked.

"Payal, you should really focus on cooking!"

Payal's previous anger and now the way she asked question told her that she knew something.

"And yes, Khushi, I know everything," Payal said. "I just can't believe you can cheat a person like jiju. I can't believe the babies that you are carrying is not jiju's."

Khushi turned around in one quick second to face Payal.

Payal held her by her arms. She made her stand where she could see Arnav, who was sitting in the lounge area. "Do you see him?" she asked as she pointed towards Arnav.

"What really did he to you that you had to sleep with other man and betray him?"

"How...how did you know, Payal?"

"The point is not how I know, the point is what had gotten into you that made you turn that diamond into a stone? No, Khushi, he is still a diamond, because what he is showing is a complete wrong. By turning his back against you, he is just hurting himself. Khushi, imagine when massi, massa ji would know about this truth?

"That man you see right there had accepted every wrong you did to him, but how would you really make him live again?

"He is just trying to be really angry with you and showing his happiness that he truly isn't feeling. Khushi, you killed him and his soul too. And if he hates you now, I am not really sad about that the fact...In fact, I am glad he does," she said and threw the knife from her hand on the floor and left.

Khushi held onto the countertop to support herself, but the truth that Payal knew that she was a cheater she couldn't digest. As fear became overwhelming to her she fell on the floor. As she fell the empty dishes that were kept on the counter top fell.

Arnav's bones chilled as fear took over his mind. He rushed to the kitchen and Lavanya and Akaash followed him. Payal was long gone from there in tears.

Arnav's heart jumped to his throat seeing Khushi shrunk in fear as tears fell down her cheeks. He cupped her face. "Khushi, what happen?"

She just looked into his eyes as she was a lost puppy. "Nothing," she said.

"Khushi, did you collapse?" Arnav asked.

She was in no state to say no, and she immediately hugged him.

Lavanya and Akaash left from there. Arnav had no idea what was wrong with her.

However, he let her hug him but in return he just didn't hug her back. Even if wanted too but he resisted.

"I think you should go to your room and sleep. You must be tired," he said softly. Khushi's sobs shook her body. He held her by her arms and moved her back.

At that moment she saw concern in his eyes but the way he pushed her away from him showed something else.

"Dr. Sharma said you shouldn't be taking stress, now come to the room and rest."

He didn't made her walk but instead picked in his arms. He looked for a brief amount of time she was surprised at his gesture. Then he took her straight to the room and made her sit on the bed.

"What was the matter?...I am asking because so that I could know if my babies are fine."

"If you can't lie why are you lying?" Khushi wanted to ask but she didn't voice it.

She was ashamed now.

"Payal, knows everything."

Arnav looked at her in shock. "How...How does she? Did you tell her?"

"No, I don't know how does she knows!"

"Why are you worried? Didn't you think you did absolutely right and I deserved this betrayal? Then what are you worried about?" he asked.

She was quiet as she had no answers to that...

"Anyways, I will talk to Payal about it," he said and got up the bed and left from there.