Dark Paradise Chapter Twenty Nine

Khushi zipped up her bag as she did so memories of their marriage flooded through her mind, the way he had taken her hand so assuredly, how he had lead her to believe that everything would be okay, how he made her believe he loved her and cared for her and now they were separating. She couldn't help but remember the unspoken promises they made as they made their rounds in the Mandhir and how easily he was breaking them now. If just once he would tell her to stay she would but he was silent in the corner. She pulled her bag onto the ground and realised this is how Lavanya must have felt when Arnav and she broke up. Maybe this was a habit of his, a game and Khushi merely just another pawn in Arnav Singh Raizada's master plan. She pulled her bag to the ground and hurriedly brushed away some tears, she was not going to cry, not this time, she was going to be strong. Arnav on the other hand was conveying no emotion simply because he was at a loss, he loved her and people always said you let the ones you love go free and if its real they will come back to you but why would Khushi ever want to come back to the house that held such horrifying memories. He wanted to shout, to take her bag and throw it across the room, ensnare her in his arms and tell her she couldn't go anywhere. But he stayed quiet, what right did he have to stop her when she was making this choice? He didn't have any rights, for the first time in a long time he felt helpless. Khushi started towards the door when she felt his hand on her own, she turned looking at him accusingly. He took the bag from her hand.
"I'll drop you." He said and Khushi looked in awe at him. That's all he had to say. Really? After the past few months they spent together that's all she got from him. Unbelievable.

"Iske kohi zuroorath nahi, meh khud jaa saakti hoon." She said bitterly and it stung Arnav to hear her talk so curtly, he knew she was upset he had just hoped she would be less judgemental towards Arnav after all she was the one who was leaving, she didn't need to make it harder for him.
"Khushi don't argue, just let me do this." He said with a tone of authority and Khushi felt like she didn't have the energy to fight with him, she was drained emotionally and physically. Arnav went ahead and Khushi followed, she stood by as he explained how their marriage was just a pretence to help bring to light Shyam's truth and how now Khushi was to go back home. Khushi looked at how shocked and hurt everyone seemed by this. Naniji walked up to Khushi.
"Kya tum yehi chathi hoon bitiya?" She asked and Khushi nodded meekly, she couldn't admit otherwise when the man she loved had said she could leave. Naniji looked away dejectedly and moved away from the pair unable to fathom a logical argument. They all bid Khushi tearful goodbyes, especially Payal and Anjali, Anjali who felt immensely guilty for having unintentionally played with this poor girl's life. Khushi finished saying goodbye and made her way towards the front door, Arnav kept pace with her, their every movement synchronised. She halted by the door and took in what had been "their home" one last time and then made her way into the car. 

The two silently made their way to Khushi's Buaji's home, Khushi becoming more angry with Arnav and Arnav more upset with Khushi. By the time they reached the house, Khushi didn't wait for Arnav to tell her to "get out" or what he was intending to do which was get her bag out and help her out. Instead she got herself out and her bag, Arnav unbuckled his belt and got out of the car. Khushi was going towards the house when she walked past him.
"Khushi..." Arnav said and raised his hand to reach out to her, but she did not look back, nor did she acknowledge him. Instead she ran into the house, shutting the doors, blocking him out. Payal had rang ahead to warn her family members of what had happened. Khushi took one look at her family members, her eyes lingering over her father, remembering how Shyam was responsible for his state and she broke down. She ran to her old room, locking the door. She flung herself onto the bed and cried to her heart's content. She didn't want to be strong any more, she didn't want to fight and she had nothing left to fight for. Khushi had finally given up. Arnav drove back to Shantivaan in a strange state, he couldn't understand her. He had given her the choice, she could have said no, why was she so angry with him? He wasn't the one abandoning her and giving up. If anything more than ever he wanted to be by her side, he wanted to hold her in his arms and remind her everything was going to be okay now. But she chose to leave and he was respecting that, he just wish he could let all his feelings go too. All he could think of was her sad eyes, the pain in her voice and the way her hands slipped his grip when he reached out for her. He parked the car and slammed his fist against it. "God dammit." He said in barely a whisper, he was so angry but so hurt he couldn't even find the right emotion to feel. He rested his head against the wheel and let some hot tears slip down his face. Khushi was gone...A few days went by and Arnav had silently tried to get on with his life. But it was too hard, his room felt to big, his bed too bare, his closet to spacious and his life too empty. He caved and went to go see Payal. "How is she?" He asked, he'd asked this everyday hoping for a different response to the one he got.

"Not good Bhai, she's still locked up in her room. She hardly eats and when she does she ends up being sick. She cries all the time but refuses to try to speak to you. I don't know what's happened to her Bhai." Payal said, tears forming in her eyes as she recalled how frail Khushi looked. That idiot, Arnav thought, she'd just been so unwell and now she was doing this. Was she trying to punish him? Because it was working. "Bhai I don't understand, you both love each other. Toh phir yeh saab kyun?" She asked and Arnav sighed deeply, he was beginning to wonder the same. Why was Khushi doing this.
"I don't know Payal. I gave her the choice to leave and she took it. I thought she wouldn't but the first chance she got she bolted and now she's punishing herself and me along with her." Arnav said angrily. Anjali chimed in at this point.
"But what exactly did you say to Khushiji? I want your exact wording." Anjali said knowing how poor her brother was with conversing.
"I said she could leave now if she wanted." Arnav said shrugging not seeing how he phrased it would make any difference. 

"You absolute duffer!" Anjali said aloud, shocked at her brother's stupidity. "You said she could leave now, you never explained to her that she had the option to stay. Bechari, she was so scared that night, she wasn't in the right frame of mind and you..." Anjali was absolutely appalled.  

Khushi sat on her bed reliving the painful moments they had spent together in her mind, she hated him. She hated him unlike any other person she had known in her life. No one had caused her this much pain after giving her so much love. She hated him. She hated the fact that she still thought about him, she hated that every time she tried to eat she worried if he had eaten, she hated how she still worried about him and his medications when she herself was ill. She wanted to forget, pretend it never happened but how could she? He was her one and only as stupid as it sounded. But Khushi believed love and marriage happened only once and he was her once. But now, that was over... 

"Di you know I didn't mean it like that!" Arnav said angrily. 

"I know but how could she, poor girl she probably has gone and thought the worst and now she's beating herself up about it. After everything we've put her through! Chotte you should have been more careful." Anjali said feeling disgusted at the memory of what her ex-husband had put Khushi through.
"Okay what should I do then?" He asked unsure of what he should do.
"Arre go tell her how you feel, placate her and make her realise you love her!" Anjali said as though it were the most obvious answer on earth.
"But she knows I love her." Arnav said and Payal took the wheel on this one.
"Bhai, Khushi is very naive she probably thinks it was all fake and that you just did it for Di, she's also very dramatic so whatever you're going to do its going to need to be big. Especially to make up for how upset she is." Payal warned and Arnav began to think, big, big, big.
"Okay what about flowers, or jewellery or erm...I don't know!" Arnav said frustrated as he saw Anjali and Payal shake their heads at all of his suggestions. HP came in with a brown envelope.
"What?!" Arnav asked impatiently and HP walked over to him handing the envelope to him.
"Courier aya hain, Khushi Bhabi ki liye." He said and then walked out. Arnav sighed and looked at it, it had the hospital logo on it, it was her blood test results. Arnav didn't care if they weren't together at this moment, he had worried about her for a lengthly amount of time and had a right to know. He tore open the envelope.
"Chotte yeh aap-" Anjali began but was silenced as she saw Arnav's face turn into shock. Payal grabbed Anjali's hand as she began to worry.
"Kya hai Bhai?" Payal asked worried, she spotted on the torn envelope the Hospital's logo and now began to worry there was something wrong with Khushi that was more serious than heartache. 

"Di...Payal..." Arnav began but he was at a loss for words.
"Bholo, Chotte bholo, kya hua hai Khushiji ko?" Anjali asked, she too now panicked for her. 

"Main Pappa baanewala hoon." He said with a huge grin whereas the two women simply gawked. "Khushi's pregnant." Arnav said with tears of happiness brimming over.

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