It has been chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

"Khushi, please forgive me for what I did to you. I feel really ashame!" Arnav said as he still couldn't meet his eyes with Khushi.

"Arnav ji, you shouldn't have done what you did!" she said.

Arnav looked at her in disconsolate. "I...I didn't get you, Khushi," he said.

"Arnav ji, what I mean is you do not have to do anything for me!"

"No, Khushi, you deserve it. After what I have done to you, I truly want to make up for my mistakes."

"You don't have to it is not needed, you don't have to take any burden of me," her replies were simply said.

"It's not a burden, Khushi. You have never been a burden on me or anyone," he told her. He felt doleful. The same dejection he had given her today he was feeling it.

"Khushi, I know I have had been stupid, I was just too much into my own pain, never saw yours, I kept on hurting you!"

"Arnav ji, I did not need because my pain can not ever be anybody else's, what I did was just because of the promise made to my friend, I am sorry, this relation of ours cannot go further," she said and was going to wipe her sindoor off when he stopped her as he held her hand.

"Khushi, you might have done for your friend but I am doing for my wife, that's you, Khushi. I never ever hurt anyone in my life, but you are the person whom I gave the biggest pain deliberately. I...I lost Lavanya, but didn't know that it was her mistake. And you was in the car with her too. Today, I nearly lost you."

His words seemed to be an illusions to her.

She looked away.

"Khushi!" he said. She looked back at him.

"I don't have any regrets, Arnav ji. I have no problem with you. And the fact is that in your life I would always be a second woman in your life."

Her words told her pain. Arnav could feel her.

"Was it really just for your friend, Khushi?" he asked. "Nothing else!"
"What should I name your silence? What should I interpret out of it?"

"You know what? Some scars never fade away, not even with time. Yes, it was just for the sake of promise!" she said. "Nothing else!"

Even though Arnav should not feel bad, but he did.

"You are nothing but a second woman to me, do you get that? You are not my wife?" 

"I am not a thing if you didn't like you throw it. Or you come back to own it."

"It is not the case, Khushi, you know that. You were never thrown at first when you were not even accepted."

"You don't even have to accept me now as well, Arnav ji."

"For god sake, you are my wife!"

"I wasn't a day before!" she said him. "All of sudden you have realized I am your wife?!"

"Khushi, I know, I am regretting my actions, I will do as you would say but least give me one chance."

"I am no one to give you the chance, Arnav ji, I have realized that you have really taken a swear on to change."

"Khushi, you were never my counsellor."

"Neither, I was your wi...!" she said.

He was silent. She scared him as she took a sharp breath of air and coughed. "Khushi, you fine!" he asked startled.

"Doctor!" he shouted.

"Khushi, relax, I call the doctor!" he said and rushed. Dr. Kapoor came running.

"Khushi, what happen?" she asked. She checked her chest. As she saw her back coming to normal she seemed to settle back to sleep.

"Doctor, what happened to her?"

"Mr. Raizada, it was the effect of the procedure we ran on her!"

"Is anything to worry about?"

"It will take her time to adjust back to normal fully, her body is pacing with it. She will be fine, Mr. Raizada, I am just warning you for the last time do not give any tension," saying this she just left.

Was that mean if he would set her free she will be tension free? he considered.

How could he just let go off her, like this without helping her get out of the trauma? I understand the pain I have given her not going to let her forgive me easily, but I will try.

"Khushi, if you need time, I will give it to you!" he said. "A woman like you should respect herself enough that she just doesn't let any jerk like me to hurt her again."

***
"Hello, chote. You called at this point?"

"I am sorry, di, were you asleep?"

"No, chote, I was just woke up. What happened?"

"Di, can you come to hospital?"

"Chote, what...what happened is Khushi ji okay?"

"She is fine, just recently got little complications, but doctor said nothing to worry about."

"Hope she gets fine soon! Okay, you come home and get fresh!"

"No, di, it is not for that reason. I need to go somewhere. I wanted someone to be with Khushi. I will be back by the time she will be up!"

"At sharp 5:00 AM you want to go somewhere?"

"Yes!"

"Okay, in fifteen minutes I shall be there."

***
Yes, it is 5:30 AM now but which shop will be open this early. He had never been to shopping and which market opens 24 Hrs he had no idea. May be he should ask Anjali di, he wondered. But that will only make her skeptical.

He decided he will himself surf around the places and see what shop might be opened early in the morning. Even his office mall would be closed. Was that a problem, no? He immediately called Aman. Aman yawned as his phone bell rang. He thought it was his alarm that did go off. But it turned out to be his boss, Arnav's phone.

"Arnav sir's phone this early?" he said. And he took it.

"Good morning, Arnav, sir!"

"Aman, tell every shopkeeper of our office mall to open their shops."

"But sir, this early?"

"Aman, would you like to do it, or I make you sit home for the rest of your life?"

"Yes, I mean no sir. I just want to say yes, sir, I ask them to open the shops," he said.

"Soon! I will be at the mall in 5 minutes."

"Sir, you want me to come as well."

"Yes!"

"Sir, please give me half an hour I will be there in no time!"

"Listen, you don't need to hurry up, take your time and don't drive fast. I don't want you put others life in danger."

"Yes, sir!" he answered surprised.

***
Arnav roamed in the shops as he had no idea what he should give Khushi. He didn't even know her likes and dislikes. But he knew what Lavanya liked. He was sure Khushi's like were be quite the same if not exactly same.

Everyone was shocked seeing Arnav Singh Raizada, out for a shopping himself.

Arnav went to the gifts shops first.

"Mr. Raizada, please come in!" shopkeeper greeted as he knew his day was definitely going to be great as Arnav Singh Raizada, a rich business man had come to his shop, that simply meant a lot of early morning business.

"Please sir, tell how can I help you?"

"Pack all the soft toys that you have in your shop specifically that's for a girl. Also, do you have cards?"

"All?" he said with his mouth opened.

"Why? Is there a problem?"

"No, sir, not at all. And sir, card section is in the left corner. Come I show you!" he said.

Arnav could see there was a tonne of varieties to choose from. But it was for different audience. Baby girl, baby boy, birthday cards, graduation cards, cards for girlfriends.

"Khushi, would definitely hit me with a chappal if I would get her a girlfriend card."

Instead he went for a safe choice, a best friend card. Why not just start their new relationship with a friendship, he thought.

"Okay, pack that big pink friendship card!"

"Sure, sir. What else?"

"Do you have flowers?"

"Sir, we have artificial ones, but if you want real ones there is a florist shop down one level."

"Okay, what's the bill?"

"Sir, including all the soft toys and the card, your bill is 51,000 rupees only."

Arnav took his check book and cut the cheque of 100,000 rupees instead. As the shopkeeper was quite old man so he was sorry he had to wake him early.

"Sir, it is 51,000 rupees!" Shopkeeper said.

"Deliver all this in an hour in half an hour to this address," he said as he passed him a note with a address of the hospital written on it. "And this card I shall keep!"

"Thank you so much, sir and sure!"

Arnav went to the florist shop straight after he left the gift shop, here too he had no idea what to buy.

He asked the florist to parcel all the flowers to Khushi's hospital ward. Even here florists was surprised.

Aman had looked for his boss every where but he couldn't see him. Until, he asked few people around, and they told his boss was thinking of buying whole shopping mall for a special person.

As Aman finally able to track him, he ran towards him.

"Sir, shopping done?"

"Yes, have bought few toys and flowers!"

Aman coughed "few?" he said to himself.

"Aman, looks like your throat is dry like a flower, give it a water."

"Yes, sir, it has got quite cold," Aman said as he stuck his tongue and bit it.

"Sir, anything else you want to buy?"

"Yes, some jewellery!"

Aman resisted to cough, last thing he knew was he would buy the whole jewellery shop as well! And he wasn't wrong. He bought necklaces, chains, anklets and Mangalsutra. The last one he kept with himself along with a card, and a flower for Khushi for him to give it.

As he was finally done, he was back to the hospital.

"Chote, you back? And what those soft toys for? Flowers? I see few men going to Khushi ji's room!"
"Uh...Di...I didn't know which one she would like so I bought all of them."
"Awww...I didn't know my brother would be so cute. She would love it!"

"Yes, di. Is Khushi up?"
"No, not yet. She is sleeping! What is in the bag?"

Arnav immediately moved back. "Uhm...nothing...it's my personal stuff."
"Personal stuff or a gift for Khushi ji?" she said as she wiggled her eyebrows.
"No, di, it's really my stuff!" he said in return.
"Stop lying, I know. Don't forget that I am also married."
"I went for a shopping, I thought of buying few things for Khushi. Also, I have decided that we will celebrate our anniversary that's in less four days."
"Chote, is that you saying?" she asked.

Arnav kept the bag on the chair and
sat in the chair himself, and told Anjali to sit as well.

"Di, I want to give our relationship one chance," he said. "Because it's only one chance it needs. I always hated her for no good reason, I don't know exactly if I should call it a hate, I never wanted to give anyone La's space. Yes, I had said I will marry her, but then never did anything that would really keep her happy. Di, I don't know how to mend her broken soul."

Anjali listened to her brother and didn't say anything until he was done.

"That's true, that she is really hurt, Chote. In the past one and a half year, she had gone through a lot because of you, top of La's death fear in her mind. I would say it was your mistake, if you had married her, even for us you should have given her the right that she well deserved. Chote, she left her family. She had nothing to gain. She is a very strong girl, Chote, touch wood, if I was in her place I would have given up on everything. In the end, chote, all I want to say is that she needs you in every other way. You are his life partner. If you are going to start a new life, try it with maintaining your lifestyle and your relationship with Khushi. Chote, don't let go off her. If she is mad let her be, let her take it out. Until now, she didn't vent her anger on anyone. She had just shoved it inside herself. The trust that she has lost in you, you have to gain it back, it took her 1 year to make you a sensible man and in this 1 year she took very wrath of yours without complain, I am pretty sure, Khushi ji, is not that stone hearted, once you get that trust of her back to you, she will always be yours. Also, let me tell you, she has always considered you your husband, doesn't matter what she says if it was Lavanya or whatever, Chote, she has done everything that one wife would do. Being modern in her lifestyle, in her thinking, she has always been a lady of good values. Don't let her loose herself, if this time you managed to break her, she will die. The regret you face now would be nothing in front of the one that you might face because of your one mistake. The only reason we chose not to tell you about Lavanya was because you truly loved her. You would have shattered knowing because of her carelessness she lost her life. This thing Khushi knew, for this reason she kept it stoned in her heart. But there is a limit to everything, Chote, I see she has become helpless. And I can't see her like this."

"Di, if she wants to scream, yell, want to hit me, she can do all of it, I won't mind. After what I said to her, it would be nothing. I really want to give her the support and the respect. Di, I promise I won't let her break again, I will stand for her, with her. If she has considered me her husband, I do have considered her my wife."

"This is what I wanted to hear, chote. The whole family is with of you," Anjali said and give a kiss on his forehead.

"You sit, I get a tea for you."

"Di, don't worry I will have breakfast after Khushi is up. She hasn't eaten since yesterday."

"Okay, you go and see Khushi ji, I will wait for you."

"Di, you go home please. I have asked some decorators to come; even I have finalized the design, can you please check and supervise them?"

"My chote, wants his eldest sister to do something and dare she deny it," Anjali said and gigged. "Okay, I am happy that you are taking initiative to give happiness to the woman who always thought of you. Such person are hard to find."

"It would be shameful of me if I won't do it."

"Did Dr. Kapoor said when we can take Khushi ji home?"

"No, I think she needs proper care and rest , if she will be at home, she will only think of work!"

"Alright, as you say!"

"Okay, di, go home and I see Khushi."

"Alright!"

***
Arnav had just entered in when he saw Khushi looking around in awe at the hundreds of toys, and flower bouquets in her ward.

"Who could do this?" she thought as she looked at Arnav she understood it was him who did it.

"Good morning, Khushi!" he said.

"Arnav ji, these many toys? And bouquets?"

"Uhhmm...Kids left it from the orphanage home," he lied. Khushi could tell he was lying as his tone wasn't had confidence that was suppose to be in it. Also, they all looked expensive, surely, kids wouldn't have afford them.

"One shouldn't do anything if they aren't comfortable telling it was for whom!"

"No, I wasn't uncomfortable. I mean, why would I be? However, Khushi, how are you feeling?"

"I guess I am doing fine!"

"Did you like these toys? And the flowers?"

"I don't like soft toys, I am a grown up woman," she said. "And flowers you just ruined!"

"Arnav ji, I bought this kurta pajama for you, I will like if you wear it!"

"I don't care what your like and dislikes are, Khushi, but please just take this out of sight I don't wear this sh*t!" 

"Rather than giving it to me, if you would have given it to the orphanage home children they would have loved it and appreciated it," she said and got out of the bed.

"Khushi, where are you?"

"Washroom, do I need a permission for this as well?"

"Come I help you!"

"I am strong enough to help myself to walk to to the washroom if I would need help I will call the nurse," she said and pressed the buzzer.

Nurse came rushing to the room. "Yes, sir!"

"She needs to go to washroom, can you please help her?" Arnav said.

"Yes, sir!"

"Please carefully!"

***
"Khushi, I know the damage that I have done is not going to be mend easily. But I want to start our relationship with a friendship. This is a little gift for you!"

"It's funny, Arnav ji, because I don't see anything that has really changed, it's just old me and old you."

"Khushi, you were the one who had said if me denying the fact that you are not my wife, would end our relationship, in this world no relations had ever existed."

"That's because I was wrong, Arnav ji. I was wrong, I repeat. Because as you there is nothing in between us."

"Why do you think so, Khushi?"

"Why did you think there was nothing in between me and you? Arnav ji, look, please focus on your family and business. Please let everything change but the fact I was always a second woman in your life. Arnav ji, please leave!"

"Khushi, we can talk."

"I don't want to, please just leave!"

"Khushi, are you feeling okay?!"

"No, I am not okay, as long as you are in front of me I will never feel okay. Just leave now. Please!" she cried and shouted.

Arnav looked at her as she denied to talk to him.

Nafrat ho gaye hain pyar se ab...