Lawful Sins - Season 2 - Part 42

 

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Chapter 42


There was a long silence between them. Khushi had just confessed to Arnav what happened with her when she was 8. She was abducted but her sharp wits and timely actions freed her. He couldn’t even imagine a child going through such a bad phase in life. Now he could relate why few weeks ago when she made him her driver for one whole day, she fretted when he drove the car speedily. She had almost got a mild panic attack that night and her words ‘Get off me.. Help’ rang in his ears. If he had known this before, he would never play with her sensitive feelings.

His soft strokes on her back boosted her to continue sharing her past.

“I ran as far as I could and only after hours of running, I realized I was lost. Even to breathe in that dark night and freezing cold seemed no less than death. When all my energy drained, I sat alone at the corner of the busy road, hoping for help. The clouds started bursting; I was drenched in the rain but no vehicle stopped to help me. It was that night Arnav.. that night when I realized what it meant to be really alone.” 

A lone tear escaped his eye which he didn’t care to wipe. Her pain affected him in uncountable ways. He could picturize each and every word she described.

“I shivered in fear at every loud honking of the vehicles. A part of me wanted to go home.. feel safe again but another part of me.. wanted to run away from those people who probably had no idea I was taken and lost. That’s when I sensed my first feeling of hatred for someone… for my own parents. I hated them and all these years that feeling never changed”

His heart hammered at her agony. 

“No one came looking for me until it was morning. The first person I saw getting down from the Police vehicle was my mother. I should have run in her arms, hugged her, sobbed and cried but I couldn’t. The rain had washed away my tears forever. I came back to the hotel with them and the first thing my father did was slap me”

Arnav fisted his fingers wanting to kill that man if he could.

“He pounced on me for not using my brains, for not remembering what I was taught about never trusting strangers. He yelled at me for god knows how long but it wasn’t his words that affected me. It was his slap.. that sting on my face which… felt better than anything else in this world. It made me see the dark truth of life. The only people I believed to keep me safe and loved, had shattered my dreams, torn my innocence.”

“Daadu got to know about my abduction and escape through the Hotel Staff though my parents had strictly decided and warned me never to speak about it to him. He was the only one who understood what I had been through and tried to shower his warmth upon me. But it was already late. I had learnt lessons through that one incident, the moral of which was never going to change my mind. One day I saw Dad raising his hand on Kishu because he spilled his juice on Dad’s suit. I couldn’t do anything to stop him. It was my first defeat. I started hating that word.. DEFEAT. I felt like punishing myself so hard to stop this from happening again. I wanted to erase that word from my mind.. my body and my soul.”

Arnav’s body trembled. He desperately wanted to go back in the past and correct this.

“That’s when you started this? Self-harming?” his voice choked.

Her gentle nod affirmed it. Khushi’s eyes lingered over the bruises on her wrist.

“This has made me stronger Arnav. If it hadn’t been this pain, I would never get the courage to do stand up for myself and win over my life”

“It’s wrong” he growled. “This whole concept of self-harm is wrong”

She didn’t argue because she knew he was guiding her the right thing to do but could she just stop this ever? She stopped pondering over it and continued with her past..


“The next time when my father tried hitting Kishu, you know what I did?

She met his eyes.

“I picked the knife from the table and pointed it on my father”

Arnav swallowed.

“That’s another incident which shaped me for what I am today. They had spoiled my innocence, my childhood. I wouldn’t let them do the same with my brother. I warned him if he touched Kishu again, I wouldn’t mind piercing this knife in his heart”

Arnav was left speechless.


“It was that day when I decided to take the chains of my life and Kishu’s in my hand. I didn’t want my parents to spoil our lives anymore. After that day, my father got a clear picture I wasn’t going to let him ruin us. It made me Proud of my actions.. Of my strength. When I was 18, my Daadu fell ill. I knew he was dying. My worry for him worsened. When he passed away, the lawyer informed my parents about his Will. They hardly got anything in hand because Daadu had transferred all his property to me and Kishu and the Company shares were shifted to my name. My father couldn’t accept that and tried to fight for his right but our lawyer was good enough to keep him away from us. He and my mother parted ways and left me and Kishu on our own. Sticking to Daadu always, I had seen him work, his ways of handling a conversation, argument. I remembered all that, brushed my skills and joined the Gupta Group of Industries after my graduation. It was tough.. but thankfully Daadu’s old trusted employees helped me run the company without much issues. Whenever I won a deal, I used to celebrate and when I lost something.. I … did this to myself” she stared at her wrist again.

Arnav grabbed her arm and kissed her bruises.

“You will stop doing this to yourself. Promise me” he grunted.

Khushi didn’t reply. She met his eyes and wiped his tears. Both of them knew how difficult it was for her to change these old habits of hers which had shaped her life so far. Even if she promised him, it would take time.

“That’s the Khushi Gupta you didn’t know about..” she added. “Now you do Arnav. You are the only one who knows it all”

There was again a long silence between them while their eyes were still locked.

“Will you still have the same feelings for me.. like you had before you knew my past?”

Arnav’s grip on her back tightened.

“Never ask me that again” he whispered pressing their lips together. Khushi heaved in relief and snuggled into him.


******************

Khushi woke up with an awe-inspiring sight of Arnav Singh Raizada doing pushups just beside the bed.. shirtless. She cuddled her pillow and admired his dedication towards fitness. She could watch him like this for lifetime. Last night he had kissed her so tenderly that she forgot all her pain that had stocked in her heart since childhood. Though it took her quite some time to share her grief to someone, she felt relieved doing so. No one could have felt her pain better than him. No one!!

“Enjoying the show Miss Gupta?” he asked. His darkly winged brow arched in a silent query.

Khushi raised herself and sat on the bed, without breaking their eye lock.

“Please continue. I prefer watching you like this… sweaty and shirtless” she mocked.

“Just watch?” he teased back.

Khushi’s eyes glittered mischievously. She stepped down the bed and reached him in no time. Putting her entire weight, she slept on his back.

“Do you think you can take my weight and do pushups Mr. Raizada?”

He grinned.

“With ease Miss Gupta” he raised himself on his arms.. continuing the pushups.

She counted till 10 after which Khushi rolled down on the mat, beside him. He breathed hard. She watched him wipe the sweat from his face. Could anyone look hotter and cuter both at a single time?

“You do gym every day?”

“Thrice a week” he replied. “Don’t get much time these days but whenever I do, I ensure to give my best. I think we should work out together someday”

Khushi though was tempted with the idea, she rejected.

“Not a great idea Mr. Raizada”

“I think it is” he rolled on top of her. “We can burn more calories together”

A smile broke on her lips which soon turned into a snorty laugh. She hit her small fist on his chest to shove him off and stood up.

“I am going to shower so should you. We have a group breakfast to head for”

Reminding that, she made her way to her suite. Arnav was glad with her good mood this morning. Last night after that confession, he wondered if she would be back to normal anytime soon again. But he was wrong. Khushi Gupta was a fighter. She didn’t want his pity or sympathy. She needed to be loved and he had that in abundance to give.

*******************

When they came down for breakfast at the Dining area of the resort, the other two couples were already present on the table.

“Good morning guys” Arnav took his seat.

“You both are late” Lavanya mentioned but she was glad that the two were getting enough time to spend with each other. So far her brother was engrossed in fixing her life, now he could finally focus on his own.

“They must have slept late La” NK teased.

“Nope.. Khushi sleeps quite early unless she is working till late” Ruby added.

Arnav and Khushi both glared at them.

“Done guys? You should be thankful we two are so patient with you all” Arnav muttered holding his blush.

“Patient? And you two?” Aman asked. “That’s debatable”

“Fine” Khushi sat next to Arnav. “What are you all interested in knowing? If we slept together? Or had a good time? Or.. more?”

Ruby almost coughed at Khushi’s open questions.

“Jesus” NK interrupted. “No, we are not interested in any of those details. Just curious about one thing though”

“Which is?” Arnav queried.

“Is the connecting door to your rooms locked or unlocked?”

“No, we are not answering that” Khushi snapped. “You guys gave us such rooms, remember? Next to each other’s.. on a different floor than yours?”

“Stop teasing them everyone” Ruby interjected. “I am famished. Will go get some juice first. What will you have La? Can I get something for you?”

“I will come with you. wait”

Lavanya and Ruby left. Arnav got up too with Aman to get his own breakfast. He asked Khushi what she would like to eat but she decided to have only juice for now which he promised to get. Only Khushi and NK were at the table when NK pressed her hand.

“You okay Khush?” he asked with concern. “Last night when Lavanya talked about family outings, I know it hurt you”

No wonder he realized that. She might have kept Nandakishore safe from her own grief but she knew he could read her pain from even miles away. That’s how siblings are.

“I am good” she assured tapping his hand.

“I am glad you are. This smile of yours is very rare” he admitted. “And if I be honest, it pops frequently these days on your face. I don’t need to ask whose effect it is”

Khushi gazed at Arnav who was laughing with Aman over something.

“He makes me feel complete..” she mumbled still staring at her man.

“I know he does” NK replied. “You have had your share of pain Khush.. now its time you come out of it and shine with this man again. He is the only one who could reach so close to your heart, melting all those iron walls you had built around yourself. I know you don’t trust in longer relationships or commitment but I suggest when you already have got a man like ASR in your life, grab him before this moment passes. Who knows what’s in store for our future?”

“He is written in my fate Kishu. No one can steal Arnav from me ever.. not even Arnav himself” she promised.


The other four were back and their conversations changed. None of them were yet aware of a man sitting few tables away from them, secretly taking their pictures on his phone. After capturing more than a dozen pics of Khushi and Arnav together with NK and Lavanya, he shared the pictures on a chat conversation.


*****************

After some sightseeing and a light lunch, the couples visited the local market because the girls wanted to shop some artifacts and souvenirs. Evening time was exclusive for the water sports. Khushi had never been on such friends outing before so this one was special. Even though they were surrounded by two more couples, whenever Arnav’s gaze landed on hers, she could feel the spark. It was evident he wanted her as much as she wanted him. Probably after their trip and when Nani would return home, Khushi decided to talk to her. But to do so, first she would have to talk to the man himself. If last night she could open up about her past, discussing her future plans with Arnav, related to their relationship wouldn’t be that tough either. She might not be prepared for a wedding yet, but they could get engaged. She was desperate for the world to know Arnav Singh Raizada was taken.. that HE was hers.


To be Continued.

NEXT PART 

Note: Precap for You Ought to be Mine Season 3 Part 1 will be posted tonight

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