Chapter 2

Khushi stood still. She was frozen. The one person she was running away from, the one person who never wanted to see her face again had appeared in front of her. Was this possible? Could it really be him? She could never forget what had happened. The incident that had forced her to return to Lucknow, the reason she had to use her old name again. Everybody in Lucknow knew her as Khushi Kumari Gupta no one her knew what had happened after she had left to Delhi. No one knew why she came back and under what circumstances she came back. What had happened was too painful. She would never survive if she had to relive everything. It was this very incident that had changed her life. It had showed what the world truly was. Stone-hearted and merciless. She couldn’t feel anything now. She had cut herself off from everything she thought was right in this world, including love. She’d never be able to love again. This Khushi was different to the one he knew. She wasn’t the same anymore. “Hello Mr Raizada. I’m Khushi. One of the partners in K & A Designers.” Khushi’s tone was business-like almost as if it was a business meeting and she had never met Arnav before.

Arnav had sensed she was somewhere near when he had first walked into the hall but he didn’t think he would see her. He knew she would never want to see him again and he couldn’t blame her. She was right. He had wronged her. If only he had listened to her when she had tried to tell him. If only he had listened. If only… It was too late now, nothing could be changed but it was him that had to live with the regret. She was standing in front of him but she didn’t seem like the same Khushi he had once known. It was almost as if she had changed after she had left. The thing that shocked him the most was how she had introduced herself. It was as if she was meeting him for the first time, as if she had never known him before. “Hello,” was all Arnav could say. He had never expected that reaction from Khushi but still, he couldn’t blame her. “Yes yes, I’m coming. Excuse me Arnav, I have some other clients to attend to but you two can talk. I’ll be back just now.” Arav was walking towards the other end of the hall and had left Arnav and Khushi alone standing in front of each other.

It was as if in those few seconds all those moments they spent together came back. Khushi had killed all the feelings she had but the attraction they had towards each other was too strong. She couldn’t suppress the feelings she had for Arnav or the memories she kept locked up. She couldn’t take the chance the feelings were too strong. She just wanted to be embraced those strong arms that held her once a very long time ago. Khushi turned around and ran towards the door. Before Arnav could say anything she had disappeared out of sight. She called for a taxi to go back to the apartment she shared with Kajal and Shweta. She couldn’t stay at the party any longer knowing he was there and they would be alone. Her façade of being stone-hearted and uncaring didn’t work when it came to him. She loved him too much for her own good. Despite everything he had done to her she still couldn’t hate him. Khushi got out the taxi and paid the driver. She ran into the apartment and locked the door behind her. She needed to be alone. She needed to let it all out. She needed to cry. The last time she had shed any tears was in front of Arnav when she had left to come to Lucknow. She slid down the door. She was too weak, she couldn’t take another step. She sat on the floor thinking of everything that had happened. She could still remember it very clearly almost as if it had happened yesterday. Even after a year she couldn’t forget what had happened.

“Khushi! How could you? I can’t believe you could stoop this low!” Arnav had stormed through the doors of RM shouting. Khushi was sitting and talking to Anjali and Sanjana (Arnav’s younger cousin sister) but stood up when she heard Arnav’s voice. She knew that tone that he used but it was more what he said that had an impact on her rather than how he said it. “Arnav, why are you shouting and what are you saying? What have I done?” Anjali and Sanjana stood up from where they were sitting and were walking towards Arnav and Khushi. Everybody else had heard the shouting and had come downstairs to see what was going on. “I know everything you did. I thought you loved me Khushi. Despite everything I had done to you before, despite me hating you, you still fell in love with me. That’s what you told me right? It didn’t make a difference what had happened before, then why did you deceive me? Why did you play with my feelings? My life? Answer me Khushi. Arnav had grabbed Khushi’s arms and was hurting her. Khushi had tears in her eyes but Arnav was blinded by range and didn’t notice anything. Everybody had gathered around the two of them in the hall. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t deceived you Arnav. I’ve never lied to you.” Arnav was getting more furious, “Again Khushi, another lie. You don’t have to hide anything anymore. I know everything, Karan told me. There’s no use hiding it.” Khushi was shocked. Never before had she heard Arnav speak to her with such sarcasm. It was a side of him she had never seen before. “Karan…” Khushi didn’t understand what Karan could have said to him to put her in this situation. “Yes Khushi, Karan. Your childhood friend or should I call him your childhood love.” Khushi was stunned, “How could you even say something like that Arnav. You know he’s my friend and nothing more.” Arnav laughed, almost as if he knew she was going to say something like that. “That’s not what I heard. You had a very interesting relationship with him didn’t you? So why did you marry me then? Was your plan to marry me for six months then divorce me and take my money so you can go and live happily with him? Answer me Khushi. Why aren’t you saying anything?” Khushi couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Karan was her friend, then how could he do this to her. She knew he wasn’t happy with her choice when she got married but it had nothing to do with him.

“Enough, Arnav! How can you just throw accusations at Khushi without even hearing her out?” Sanjana couldn’t take the shouting anymore. It was driving her insane. How could her brother be so irrational? How could he only believe one side of the story? “I know very well what you’re talking about but you’re wrong. I’ve been friends with Karan for almost 5 years. I also know how he feels about Khushi but he’s feeding you false stories and you believe him.” Enough was enough. She wouldn’t hear her brother trying to degrade her Khushi anymore. “You know nothing. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. She hugged him in front of me. I ignored it thinking it was because they were good friends and she hadn’t seen him for a long time but the matter was something else.” Arnav was being irrational. He couldn’t think straight but nothing mattered to him more than the fact that the person he loved the most in the world had lied to him and deceived him. “Her silence says everything. She’s not denying anything which means I’m right. Look at me Khushi.” Arnav had grabbed her arm even tighter and was leaving a mark. “Look at me. You are a low class, immoral little slut. There is no place in this house for such people.” Arnav was dragging Khushi towards the door with everyone running behind them. He threw her over the doorstep. “Stay out and don’t even think of coming back. I never want to see your face again.”