The Diwali of Decisions... Part 2: Arnav's Quandary

 

             The Diwali of Decisions

                     Part 2

AN: Hi everyone, I am back with the second part of my latest story. Again, I've stuck to the canon up until the first Diwali episode, and my story takes off from there. I hope you enjoy reading this. Your comments and criticisms are always welcome. The final part will be up some time next week. Happy reading :) 

               

               Arnav’s Quandary

There was a slight knock at the door, and Arnav looked up expectedly.

“Arnav bhaiya, your coffee.” Hari Prakash entered the room and kept the cup on the table beside his recliner.

He felt a slight twinge of disappointment.

“Where is everyone?” he asked in a clipped tone, eyes still on his laptop.  “Bhaiya ji, Nani, Anjali di and Lavanya ji are in Nani’s room, Mamiji has gone to the ‘temple’ and Akash bhaiya hasn’t come back from the office yet.” The answer didn’t do anything to improve Arnav’s mood. ‘Okay, you may go now.’ The boss barked. HP left, still unphased, he was used to his Arnav Bhaiya’s well-meaning insolence.

 

Well, of course Akash was still at the office, that’s where he himself should have been. It was f***ing three in the afternoon, and Arnav Singh Raizada, the Founder and CEO of AR, was home already, frustratingly failing at drafting an important mail. Oh, how the mighty have fallen! He wanted to ask about her, but didn’t know how? He had left early for his office this morning, wanting to avoid any chance encounter with one Miss Gupta. While leaving though, he had overheard his di tell someone over the phone that Khushi hadn’t reached yet. He had assumed that to mean that she must have been on her way and had rushed out, hoping to find some semblance of calm amidst the chaos of work.

 

The coffee was still untouched an hour later. He was leaning back against the recliner, his eyes closed, his form still, a slight frown on his forehead, the only indication of the restlessness within.  Her torso wrapped in the chiffon, the red of the saree paling in comparison to the alluring hue of her visage… he hadn’t been able to keep his eyes off her all night, he had been hypnotized. He was pretty sure he would have followed her off a cliff in that moment. The realization of his vulnerability in matters of Khushi jerked him back to his reality. He got up and moved to the poolside, hoping to rein-in his mind through gardening.  Arnav Singh Raizada was famed for his self-control, he prided himself on his savvy intellect, his famed ‘dimaag’, while the heart lay forgotten, somewhere deep inside, making very brief appearances in matters of Di. Khushi, somehow, had brought the flutter of his heart back. From the instant she fell in his arms; her eyes glassy, her lips quivering and her hands looped around him; his heart had made its presence known. The constant ache to possess her had followed close behind.

 

He had always been rather free with her; pushing her, pulling her, grabbing her, holding her… even marking her. He had been able to justify it all, to himself at least, in the name of anger. And so, he embraced the anger, with all its volatility, any excuse to touch her… Last night had shattered the pretence though, and his desire for her lay bare… unabashed and bare. It had to be his obsession with red, the colour was probably a siren’s call for him, it beckoned his maleness… And red on her, magnified his obsession beyond measure... It was the siren singing his favorite Sinatra song, exclusively for him. The pull was undeniable. He found himself facing the wall where he had held her captive a few hours back, imprisoned himself by her allure. His fingers traced the empty wall, willing the moment back, wishing a do-over. ‘What would you do different Arnav? Stop yourself from taking that first step in her direction or… or complete what had remained unfinished?’ The answer stunned him.

 

He would have kissed her, and she would have let him. The slight shiver of her frame, her downcast eyes, the quivering lips, had all been signs of her coyness, some slight hesitation even. At the slightest hint of reluctance; he would have stopped. But when she had met his gaze, in her eyes he had seen her permission, a plea… an invitation. The memory of her softness lay embedded in his flesh, his fingers could still feel her touch, the image of her delicate form caged within his arms was still fresh in his mind. Frustrated, he threw away the watering-pot, hoping to get rid of the unrest within. It didn’t. Why couldn’t he stop himself? Why didn’t she stop him?

 

“Chote, what happened? I heard a loud noise? Is everything okay?” His Di had barged in with a barrage of questions, forcing him out of his reverie. She saw the discarded vessel and temporarily calmed down. Arnav moved back to his room, hoping to avoid any conversation with his Di.

 

“Chote, why are you so distressed? Did something happen at work?” concern for her brother evident in her tone.

“I am fine di.” He answered, looking at his laptop, hoping she didn’t hear the remnants of the tornado brewing inside him in his voice.

“If you say so.” She relinquished rather easily; the touch of worry still intact though. She started to leave, then halted, turning back at the door she asked, “Did Khushi ji or Payal ji call you today?” The note of apprehension was palpable now.

“No. Why are you asking? Didn’t she come for work today?” he asked getting up from the recliner. His posture, alert.

“No. Payalji had called this morning, asking about her. She was really worried. I assumed Khushiji was meeting Lavanya at the office or something, since she had said she’d need to go there for a few hours this morning, so I gave her Lavanya and your numbers, I had thought she would have called.” She seemed really worried now.

“Di, please relax. I will call and check.” Arnav tried to calm his sister, while still feeling increasingly distraught himself. He called the next second but got no response.

“Anjali bitiya, please come to my room.” They heard Nani calling, probably from her room.

“Di, you go and check on Nani, I’ll try to call again. And don’t worry, I am sure everything is fine.”  The panic in his voice said otherwise.

“Chotey, I…”

“Anjali bitiya” Nani called again.

“Okay Chotey, keep calling. And let me know the instant you hear something.” He promised and she left.

 

She had tried calling him a couple of times during the day but he had wilfully ignored all attempts at contact.  He didn’t want to talk to her, not when he knew that the volcanic emotions within him would make him say something hurtful and humiliating, once again breaking her heart… And his. After all, just last night he had obliterated her very existence, calling her a gold-digger again, claiming their moment held no meaning, that she meant nothing…and worst of all, he had attacked her at her weakest.  He had been cruel to her, there was no other way to put it. He had seen the hurt in her eyes when he had announced his engagement, he had witnessed her struggle as she attempted to gather the broken bits of her spirit, her dignity, while feeding mithai to his family at this ‘happy’ occasion. She even had the sugar-free ones for him, she always did. He should have left her alone, given her time to build her self back up again, as she always did. Any other day, he probably would have. Last night though, he felt guilty and threatened, all at once, and so he had cornered her, like a mad dog, clawing at the tattered pieces of her dignity. Arnav Singh Raizada hated himself in that moment and in every moment since.

A couple more busy-tones and non-responses later, Arnav was getting agitated. The phone was still ringing when he rushed out of the house and to his car. As he pulled the door open, someone picked-up the call.

“Hello Khushi. Khushi? Hello? SOMEONE SPEAK DAMMIT!” He barked at the lack of response from the other side. The line wasn’t dead as he could hear people speaking at the other end.

“Hello Khushi, I…” he halted midway as the voices on the other end became slightly more audible and he heard her name.

“What has Khushi ever done to you? Why couldn’t you show her just a little kindness.” Was that her sister? He vaguely recalled her screaming at him when he had dropped an unconscious Khushi home. Of course, it had to be her. He tried to focus on the voices while starting the engine.

“Payaliya, I didn’t mean for her… I mean, I thought she wanted this.” Buaji sounded guilty.

“After she had explicitly expressed multiple times that she didn’t want to get engaged to Shyamji?”

‘What! Khushi’s engagement! What the hell was going on? Why didn’t he know of this? And who is this Shyam? She had never mentioned a Shyam.’ The information, the realization, the questions had resulted in a physical shudder. He could not and would not imagine Khushi with someone else… “Mine” the primal being had once again reared its ugly head.

“Bitiya, Shyam babua would have been a great match for her…” buaji seemed unconvinced herself and a male voice spoke in her stead,

“Payalji, it’s just early wedding jitters,  I am sure, in time, she would have wholeheartedly accepted the arrangement.” The voice tried to persuade, while not sounding convinced himself. And had he heard this voice somewhere? Did he know of any other Shyams? He didn’t have time to organize his thoughts as Payal all but screamed.

“She doesn’t love you Shyamji, why is it so difficult for you to understand?” there was silence. When Payal spoke again she sounded wrecked, “My sister never wanted much in life, but she did want love… Khushi wanted to marry for love, and buaji you wouldn’t even allow that. The threats, the emotional blackmail… did you not see her face last night? This family broke her. And now… now she is gone.”

Arnav panicked. ‘Gone? Where?’

“Hello? Hello? Anyone there?” he screamed into the phone and someone finally answered.

“Hello Arnav ji, sorry I didn’t realize you were on the phone.” It was Khushi’s mother on the line.

“Can I speak with Khushi?” He was blunt, pleasantries take time and he didn’t have any.

“Ji, we had tried calling you, but then we found her letter. Khushi… Khushi is gone.” And she broke, sobbing out loud.

Arnav disconnected the call as he entered Khushi’s lane in Lakshmi Nagar. He couldn’t console anyone now, not even outwardly. He had to get there and talk to someone, get the relevant details as soon as possible. He had to find her. Khushi couldn’t just leave… she couldn’t leave him. Didn’t she know , he couldn’t breathe…

He was lurched back to reality as he neared her house and saw someone leaving.

“What was jeejaji doing here?” Arnav wondered out loud.

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

AN: Thanks for reading. See you soon with the final part. 

Love

Srija :)    

The Diwali of Decisions... An ArHi Fiction

 AN: Hi everyone. I recently re-watched the etire first season of IPKKND (probably for the fourteenth time) and felt inspired to write again after almost 5 years. 

So this is set after the 'almost kiss' diwali episode. Khushi is back home, dazed and confused; Arnav has announced his engagement with Lavanya ; and Khushi is pressured into agreeing to get engaged with Shyam. This is where this Three shot takes off. Hope you like it.

AN2: This work of fiction is a work of my creative process, so please respect my copyright over this original content.

                                                The Diwali of Decisions

                                 

                                 Khushi's Conundrum

‘Who was this broken woman staring back at her?’ As if on instinct she turned back, hoping to find someone behind her. She was alone. She looked into the mirror again, and a pale face with hazel-brown eyes looked back at her. She had scrubbed her face clean of the little make-up she had applied for the Diwali party, but a thin line of slightly faded kohl still framed her eyes. People often said she had beautiful eyes, and even the extreme tiredness within and the slight shadows underneath couldn’t mar their sublime beauty. Only, the mirth was gone.

 

Payal shifted in her sleep and the rustle of her blanket pulled Khushi back to her reality. She moved to her side of the bed and checked to see if her sister was comfortably wrapped and warm. She was. The bed looked cozy and she was tired, but she decided against getting in. She knew sleep wouldn’t come easy tonight, a lot had happened and she needed to take stock of the day. She needed jalebis.

 

She dimmed the light of her room and moved to the kitchen. Some twenty minutes later she was sitting on the stairs in their backyard, a cup of scalding hot tea and a small platter of jalebis by her. The red saree she had worn to the party at Shantivan was loosely hanging from one of the ropes tied across the yard. She had looked pretty in it… no, she looked beautiful… his eyes had conveyed that to her.

 

He had been kind to her these past few days, charming even. He didn’t scream at her when she broke his favorite vase, instead, he took the blame and even assuaged her guilt by claiming it was just fine… nothing special. He had even paid the hospital bills for her Babuji's treatment, without her ever asking for any help. She also knew how difficult it was for him to be emotionally available, and yet he had been there, for her. The Lad governor was slowly turning into her Rajkumar, and that metamorphosis had terrified her… and maybe even excited her? The acceptance of this excitement had been nudging at her and she had closed her heart to it… well, she had honestly tried to, but some of it had seeped in.

 

She realized she had been fingering the payal on her right ankle all this while, and she was reminded of his hands there, his touch… so innocent and yet the most intimate one of her life. She had felt his fingers linger, a fraction of a second longer than absolutely necessary, and she shivered, again. She wanted to know why he had it? Why he had held on to it? But Arnav Singh Raizada didn’t answer questions, especially not those asked by a woman of her ‘aukaat’. She wondered if he had thought of her aukaat when he had looked into her eyes… when he had taken those first steps towards her? She shivered at the mere memory of the moment.

As the cool November air hit her, the shivers intensified. She pulled her dupatta tight around her form. Why didn’t she say anything? Why didn’t she ask him to stop? He would have, she knew that.  She had wanted to, she told herself... Only, when their eyes had met, she glimpsed something in his… No, it wasn’t love. She had seen desire…  Unmasked, unhinged and raw desire. It should have scared her, it should have snapped her out of that timeless bubble and back to three-dimensional reality, only… Only she knew his eyes were simply mirroring hers’. She was hesitant and terrified. She had gripped her saree in hopes of getting a grip on herself. But all she could hear was heartbeats… Hers? His? She couldn’t say. And the flutter at the very core of her being had consumed her. So, when his fingers caressed her face, she had leaned into his touch. And when she felt his breath on her lips, she had waited…

‘Waited for what Khushi? What were you waiting for?’ She hesitated. Accepting the truth, even to herself, would make her wantonness too real, and the Lucknow in Khushi wouldn’t allow that.  But she couldn’t hide anymore, not when in her heart she knew, that had she not clutched her saree and restrained herself, she would have reached for him… She had wanted his kiss.

The realization shook her. She stood up and started pacing along the corridor, the concern for the discomfort of her family members fast asleep in the adjoining rooms, suddenly forgotten. What was she doing? What did it all mean? He had said it didn’t mean anything… that she shouldn’t dream beyond her means. What had she expected him to say? Was it even possible to name their relationship? Could their momentary loss of judgement qualify as a relationship at all, even a nameless one? No, a relationship was what he now had with Lavanya ji, they were engaged to be married, as was she with Shyam ji. Both Lavanya ji and Shyam ji had only ever shown her kindness and this is how she was showing her gratitude? By betraying their trust! When did she become this despicable a human?  How could she let that fleeting moment of passion blind her to every other relationship in her life? This had to stop, right away.

Well, he was engaged to Lavanya ji and everyone in the family had happily accepted their relationship, so her work there was done. It was simple then, she would just never step a foot inside Shantivan, ever again. Problem solved, right? Only, their recent history would say otherwise… It didn’t matter how far or fast she runs in the opposite direction, she would eventually find herself in his arms.  She couldn’t risk it, not anymore, there was too much at stake. And then there was the question of Shyam ji. He was a decent man and deserved someone truthful and honest and loving, and regardless of how hard she tried, she couldn’t see herself ever feeling anything for him… ever loving him, like a wife should her husband.

The last few months had passed-by in a flash, from her Jiji’s broken heart to her father’s paralysis, so much had happened. When did she find the time to weave this web? How could she let everything get so messy? Will she ever be able to sort everything out?

Midnight blue had given way to a much lighter shade and even that was now rimmed by a slight orange, as the first rays of morning light were attempting to pierce through the veil of darkness. Her decision made, she headed back inside. Khushi knew what she had to do…

AN: Thanks for reading this. Please do let me know if you liked it. Part 2 of this three shot (TS) will be published in the next couple of days. 

Chamkili Ch-19

                                 'Chamkili' 

                                           Ch-19

                                            Together

Water boiled atop both the stoves and she bustled around the kitchen getting things ready. She poured milk into one of the tumblers and opened the container for coffee, inhaling the aroma before adding a spoon of it to another tumbler. She then added some tea, followed by three spoons of sugar to the boiling milk and water. She had taken off today; it wasn’t like KaLa would shut down if she didn’t show-up one day. Her husband, however, didn’t have the same luxury; AR might actually shut down if he wasn’t there. She had just turned the gas off, when she heard his car stop in the premises. Oh nothing even remotely filmy was going on here. He had called her a while back to inform that he was leaving work and would be home soon, it was as simple as that.

_______________________________________________________

The door opened to a deathly quiet living-room. Regardless of the difficulty that he was having admitting this to even himself, he missed the days when he was greeted by his women dancing to some ridiculously catchy bollywood number.

He was still trying to remember the song when she hugged him from behind and then took the bag from his hand.

“Why don’t you head to the room and I’ll follow. The coffee is ready.”

He kissed her cheeks before doing exactly what she had asked.

She was thinking about the events of the day as she headed to her room. It had been almost a week since her Jiji had received the medical reports and it was like they were all stuck in some weird time-loop where nothing ever changed. Where days flew by and yet time had stopped crawling.

Nani was trying to be strong and yet the vulnerability and despair in her glassy eyes gave her away. Dadi and Mami had also stuck to their routine of taunting Payal at every opportunity they got. Anjali supported Payal and yet that hardly helped. Anjali had been uncharacteristically phased and was seldom even in the house, something that had not escaped Khushi’s notice.

Just then she heard some sound coming from the kitchen and peeked in to find Payal pouring a glass of water. Aakash ji must have come home. Probably now her Jiji could shed a few tears in the privacy of her room, with Aakash ji right there to hold her. She needed that.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Her eyes searched him the moment she entered their room. But then she heard the shower running and busied herself with setting the patio-furniture and the beverages beside the pool. She herself settled on one of the chairs, quietly waiting for him. Soon he joined her there. A set of black track-pants riding low on his hips and a wet towel around his neck comprised his entire attire for the evening. She poured the coffee for him and tea for herself and with that, they shared their day together.

She told him about Payal and Nani and Mami and Dadi and Aakash and he patiently listened, offering his own comments or asking a question every now-and-then. He then talked about his day, about the meetings and projects and problems and she chimed in between, with her own two bits, telling him about her own work issues and the project she was working at and the client who hadn’t got back to them yet and asking questions when she didn’t understand certain things. Their conversations now rarely held the urgency of ill-fated lovers, stealing a moment in time. Instead, now they seemed to have the composure, calm and contentment of two souls who shared their lives together, and were pretty sure they would for a very long time.

A bead of water trickled from his head to his shoulder and was then lost in the towel. Tracing its path with her eyes, she couldn’t hold back and got up, moving behind him. Taking the towel from his shoulder, she started drying his hair herself, while the two constantly talked about random stuff.
__________________________________________________

She was lying stiffly on her side of the bed, consciously trying to regulate her breathing, to hold back her sobs that threatened to breakthrough any moment now. She knew he wasn’t sleeping either and was hoping against hope that maybe tonight he’d reach out to her… that maybe tonight he’d hold her in him arms and let her sob through the night… that maybe he’d cry with her and let her hold him when he did so… And yet she knew her maybes would remain maybes… until the point when she wouldn’t even be left with maybes… The man she had fallen in love with all those months ago, was lost somewhere along the way…

Payal closed her eyes and promised herself that she’d try harder tomorrow… try harder on giving-up…

_______________________________________________________________________________

She could hear the constant humm the AC and yet she felt warm… wrapped up in his arms, the cold could no longer get to her. She thanked her Devi Maiya in her heart. Snuggling in the nook of his neck, she wondered how long had it been since she had had to talk to her Devi Maiya? Too long probably… and with a content smile she fell in a deep slumber…

AN: Aren't we just super excited to see our favourite jodi again??? I have been screaming and smiling since last week when I first got to know of it... Dreams do come true :)

PS: Do let me know what you thought of this update.

Love 
Srija

Arhi ff Chamkili. Ch-18 'The Silent Chimes'

                                           Ch-18                        

                            The Silent Chimes 

“Oh of course, because you are the almighty God, aren’t you Dadi?”

Every eye in the room turned to the door and to say that they were all shocked at who the speaker was, would probably be the understatement of the century… because there stood in all her fierce glory ASR… Anjali Singh Raizada, the woman who was lost several years ago… had finally found her way back.

“Anjali bitiya, you don’t even know what she has done.” Mami tried to make her case.

“Oh right, I am sure Payalji has been plotting this all along… that to not be able to experience the joys of motherhood has been her lifelong dream. Right Mami, Dadi…” she paused for a second before adding another name “…Nani”

“Is this the way to talk to your elders Anjali? I can see that the ill-bred members of this family have changed you for worse.” Dadi tried twisting the argument.

“Are you seriously going to lecture me on manners Dadi, when not a minute ago you were taking sadistic pleasure in ripping apart the woman who has already lost too much?” Everyone and everything fell silent,

‘Di was making sense and accepting truth, for once in her life! It sure was one of Devi Maiya’s greatest miracles.’ The thought crossed Khushi’s mind, however she had the good sense of keeping it to herself.

“Khushiji, please help Payalji to her room and stay with her.” Anjali had taken command in every sense of the word and Khushi did just that.

“Anjali, aap…”

“That’s enough Dadi! There is nothing to discuss here. Once Aakash is back, and I hope someone called him, we’ll talk about all this. We’ll definitely go for more medical opinions before arriving at any final conclusion and making any future plans, and even then it’s going to be Aakash and Payalji’s decision.” With that said she looked at Nani, the woman was simply sitting with her head drooping, seemingly oblivious to anything. Anjali moved to her,

“Nani, you need to keep it together. You are our rock. We need you… Aakash and Payal need you. Nani please…” the older woman then hugged the younger woman and finally broke down.

“Nani…” Anajli’s voice broke a little as she hugged her back. Still she kept herself together… telling herself she needed to be strong for Nani, for Aakash, for Payal…
____________________

Khushi was tightly hugging her Jiji, as if she could shield her from everything. She couldn’t fathom that such miseries would taint her precious Jiji’s life. She could do anything for her and Devi Maiya knew, she had… repeatedly, and so right now, at this very moment, she felt helpless, more so than ever in her life. What could she possibly do to make it all okay? And to think that she was away having the weekend of her life, with the love of her life, just when her Jiji needed her the most? How could the gods be so cruel and to such a lovely, innocent creature? A tear rolled down her cheek.

Khushi gently rocked Payal, as grief and helplessness and guilt assaulted her, holding her in a tight embrace… as if she’d never let go… only… it escaped her that her Jiji wasn’t holding her back…
______________________

“We are surprised Mr. Raizada, and pleasantly so. After the last presentation, we were quite sure that we wouldn’t really stumble upon anything better, but thanks to AR Designs, we did.” Arnav shared a smile with Aman and Sheetal, after all they were the ones who had handled everything from scratch. Hiring Sheetal was turning out to be a wise decision.

“The contract is yours Mr. Raizada. We just need to fulfill some formalities, but for all practical purposes, the decision is made.” The middle-aged European shook hands with Arnav, making it official… in an unofficial manner, that is.

“Aman, Sheetal, good job! Keep up the good work!”  Arnav bestowed them with a tight-lipped smile and Aman felt like he had won the employee of the year award (well, of course he never had, considering AR didn’t have such cheesy awards). Sheetal had a more subdued response, employee of the year, wasn’t really her agenda. Yet, she congratulated herself a little, small victories, right?

“Now, I want the both of you to head the entire project. Aman, you will handle the management and Sheetal shall be the in-charge of designing. I am sure you’ll do a good job.” And with that Arnav left the office and headed home.

Aman was in seventh heaven, he was proud of himself, pretty sure that if AR did have an employee of the month award, he’d be sure to win it.

Sheetal, however, felt a little let-down. She had hoped that this would give her the opportunity to work with Arnav, and here she was stuck with this what-the-bloody-hell-he thinks-of-himself-Aman. But again, small victories, eh!
______________________

Arnav was at a loss of words.

He was standing a Payal’s door. The two entwined women in front of him. One sobbing, the other still… one holding on, the other had let go already…

He didn’t know what to do, or even say. The fates had dwarfed the unreachable Raizada all over again.

“Arnavji aap?” Khushi’s voice brought him out of his trance. He didn’t say anything though; he simply started walking towards them. When he reached the foot of the bed, he halted. Payal was still staring into nothingness, oblivious to anyone and anything. But for the first time in his life, Arnav saw her… really saw her. He saw how slight she was, how ordinary, and how broken. He was reminded that he had glimpsed quiet strength in her in the past, which was missing now. He wanted to reassure her, tell her that everything will be alright, that he was there for her, but as always words failed him…

Payal felt  something, a warm, reassuring hand on her head; an alien one though. She lifted her head to see Arnav Singh Raizada’s figure towering over her. She knew he wanted to comfort her, to reassure her of his presence and yet the only person whose presence could even attempt to comfort her, was no where to be found…
________________________

 AN: So, how was the update? I have always felt that the characters of Payal and Anjali were underplayed in the show as were so many others. So, this is my attempt to redeem these characters. 

Chamkili. part 17 'Back to Reality'

 
Chamkili
   Ch-17        
Back to Reality

Khushi was happy, really really happy, and no her happiness had nothing to do with her precious Arnavji, or her jiji, or Di, or Buaji, or Happyji, or even the paan-wale bhaiyaji. She was happy for herself and a little proud too actually.

She had returned from Nainitaal that very day and she hadnt even been home yet. She and Arnavji had decided to head straight to their respective offices as she had her meeting with the foreign clients and he, well he had this and that and everything to attend to. She had been very nervous throughout the morning and for the most part of the afternoon, but once the presentation started, she began to feel more self assured. Lavanya was handling the presentation but she had the decency to give Khushi and the other team-mates their due credit. The clients seemed impressed and were quite vocal about it and they particularly praised a few designs by Khushi and even asked her a few questions regarding the same. Lavanya gave Khushi her space and even though initially the younger woman was quite nervous talking to the clients in English, explaining the relevance of subtle mirror-work on an evening dress, she actually managed to do that, enunciating each syllable of English while conversing, and the clients were impressed by her skills.

The market and design representatives of the European corporation had left KaLa, quite appreciative of the presentation and sort of sure of their decision as they openly said that KaLas collection, in its entirety, was the best they had seen yet and that even though they had one more presentation left, still KaLaa chances were in fact quite bright. Mr. Kapoor and Samay had congratulated Khushi and her Lavanyaji had all but beamed at her, truly proud and happy for her friend. Even her other team-mates, who had only given her cold stares until then, actually smiled at her while offering their congratulations. Well, in that moment Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada forgot everything else and for barely a moment, became Khushi her true spirit resurfacing once again.
_________________________________________________________

"Aa gayi aap!"

For a moment there Khushi wasnt quite sure just when had she had entered Shantivan and was shocked into the realization with a very familiar voice familiar yes, but she still couldnt put her finger on exactly who it was. Subhadra Malik, there she was in all her glory.

"Dadi aap?" Khushi was still unsure of what she was seeing. Hadnt Dadi swore off ever coming back to Shantivan?

"What? Surprised to see me, huh? You didnt really think that I would leave the happiness of my heir in your hands now, did you?" Khushi stood there quietly listening to the older woman. She was wondering what she could have possibly done to invite Dadis rage again. But then reason was a silly little inconvenience that Maliks never let get in the way. She had learned that by now, after more than a year at Shantivan.

"Aree Titaliya!" Was that buaji?

"Buaji Amma, aap sab yahan? Is everything okay?" They didnt answer her though. Their heads hung low, in shame? What had she missed? She looked around the living room, trying to find someone who could explain just what the hell was happening here.

"Aree why are your asking your Buaji, ask me you phatee saree. I'll tell you whats wrong." Mamiji hadnt been this rude to her in quite a while. What the hell was wrong with everyone? A movement near the kitchen caught her attention. Payal had just come out from there. Khushi noticed that something was quite off about her. No, it wasn't that she quietly stood in the corner, ever the observer, because even though she'd hardly ever say much, that quiet strength was what actually defined her. That same strength seemed missing. Khushi's protective instincts were heightened.

"Jiji, are you alright?" she asked while walking towards her. But the answer didn't come from Payal.

"Of course she is alright. Why wouldn't she be? After all she is Garima's daughter, the ones around her are the ones doomed, not her, but all because of her." Subhadra taunted. Garima once again looked uncomfortable, ashamed even and Khushi was angry, not at Dadi, but rather at her Amma. Why does she let Dadi bother her so much? Why couldn't she stand for herself for once and especially when her daughter needed her? On the exterior though, Khushi remained quiet.

"Will someone please tell me what's happening here?" Khushi was on the edge now. Enough of this drama, someone just tell her already.

"Hum batate hain." Subhadra said, and then halted for a dramatic pause.
"This woman, your sister, she is not worthy of this house, this status, or this marriage. I had always known that these were ill-matched couples..." she drew a pause again and gave a meaningful look to Devyani. Her subtle shift from this to these was not lost on Khushi. Payal, however, seemed lost in a world of her own...

"In fact, she is not even worthy of being called a woman, not when she cannot even give this family an heir."

What had Dadi just said? Had she heard it right? But that couldn't be, Devi Maiya couldn't do this to her, not to her Jiji. No of course not, she must have heard it wrong or maybe Dadi had some confusion. She had to do something, clear this up, and she would have but Madhumati pulled at her arm, signaling her to stop.

Madhumati hated herself in that moment. She had just stood there as Manorma and Dadiji had shredded Payal's dignity, over and over again, to the extent that her lovely niece didn't even show signs of hurt anymore. She hated herself for not doing anything, for not stopping those women, for simply having to hang their heads in shame when they weren't really at fault, or were they? Garima had been her usual self, there and yet not really. What came as a shock to Madhumati was that even Devyaniji had remained mum during all this. She lost a little respect in Madhumati's eyes in that moment. And then there was Titaliya, her brave Titaliya, she knew she was the strongest one of them all, that she would have said something and yet years of conditioning had won over instinct once again and Madhumati had ended up stopping her. After all, they were the ones with daughters, acquiescence should come naturally to them... it hurt though.

"What are you trying to say girl, that I, Subhadra Malik, am lying? I don't come from an ill-born and ill-bred line, like yourself." Dadi had been back at her derogatory remarks in an instant. She was like a dog with a bone, and everyone knew that she wasn't going to let-go of it, not anytime soon.

"In fact, Manorma, I think why should Akash and all of us suffer in all this? He deserves better."

"Sahi kahat ho Dadiji." Manorma was quick to agree as she threw a death glare in Payals direction.

"Its only fair that he marries again, and this time to someone that I approve of.." Subhadra was cut-off by someone before she could actually finish.

"Oh of course, because you are the almighty God, aren't you Dadi?"