Hello everyone,

Here is the next chapter of this FF.

Not Proofread. Please ignore the typos and mistakes.

Continued from the last part

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Dinner table :

By the time Arnav and Khushi came down for dinner, everyone else had also arrived. Seeing them together, everyone was about to smile but grew serious when they noticed an austere-faced Khushi and a poker-faced Arnav. They stared at Aman, who surprisingly was not behaving like his usual self but rather appeared a little angry and worried. He was glancing at Arnav from the corner of his eyes sporadically. That's when he (Aman) felt the sudden warmth of everyone's gaze on him and raised his eyes, only to find everyone staring at him without blinking, which left him bewildered. He looked at Dadi with questioning eyes, and she (Dadi) pointed towards Arnav-Khushi with her eyes, silently asking what had happened to them. Aman glanced at them once and, looking at Khushi's grim face, understood that Arnav might have told her everything. He sighed and assured Dadi by closing his eyes, indicating he would explain everything later. Dadi nodded and started to eat after getting the assurance and subsequently reassured the rest of the family the same.

But Ratna still felt restless even after receiving reassurances from both Aman and Subhadra Devi, especially seeing Khushi's red-rimmed eyes. She was a mother, after all. How could she stay calm when her child looked so sad? She wanted to ask but kept quiet when her husband forbade her.

Unaware of what was happening around them, Arnav and Khushi ate silently, still reeling from the morning's events-especially Khushi. While Khushi felt devastated after learning the truth about her family and their traumatic demise, Arnav was busy contemplating what to do with Sheetal, Garima, and Anirudh. The atmosphere around the table became very eerie, and Ratna could no longer bear the silence. She finally asked worriedly, "Khushi, why are your eyes red, beta? Were you crying? Did Chote say anything to you, or did he get angry with you?"

Before Khushi could answer, a familiar "What the" was heard from the seat next to her. Arnav scowled at his mother, "What the! Mamma, why did you think I would have done something to make Khushi cry? I mean, what the hell! Do I always get angry?" Hearing his complaint, everyone suppressed their smiles, and Ratna and Khushi began shaking their heads, trying to hold back their laughter.

But how could a sister remain silent? To rile him up, Anjali said, "Absolutely, Bhaiya! Was this even something to ask? Arnav Singh Raizada and didn't get angry? How could this not happen at least once a day? It's your medicine, isn't it? The doctor has prescribed that you must get angry once in the morning and once at night before sleeping-did you forget? And today, you didn't get angry the whole day, right? That's why Mamma asked my Bhabi-darling like that, right Mumma?" Anjali teased him so seriously that everyone burst out laughing, making Arnav more piqued.

But when he looked at Khushi, all his irritation disappeared in a puff and his heart filled with happiness. Perhaps it was the first time he saw his Pari smiling so freely. His eyes misted, but he somehow stopped his tears and whispered in her ear, almost nuzzling her cheek discreetly, "You found it very funny, didn't you, Mrs. Raizada?"

Her smile vanished within a second, and she sucked in a deep breath, feeling Arnav's warm breath on her shoulder blade. A cold shiver ran down her spine, and she began to feel butterflies in her stomach. Her breathing grew uneven due to his proximity.

Arnav felt thrilled and proud to see the effect he had on Khushi. While Arnav was lost in his Pari, forgetting everything, Khushi struggled to suppress the urge to moan his name. She couldn't understand what was happening, but something was happening, which she wanted to stop on one side and not on the other.

While they were both lost in themselves, a clearing of the throat brought them out of their trance. Arnav irritably turned toward the source of the disturbance. "What!!! What happened to you all of a sudden? If your throat has some irritation problem, then go to the bathroom and clear it properly, you idiot! Why are you disturbing everyone here, stupid?" Arnav snapped at Aman, who frowned at him at first, then pouted and began singing in his dissonant and hoarse voice,

"Dost dost na raha... pyaar pyaar na raha, Zindagi hamein tera aitbaar na raha... aitbaar na raha..."

"See Aunty, the friend I brought up with so much love now talks to me like that. My friend became an ungrateful fellow as soon as he got married," he said and wiped his fake tears.

Everyone chortled at Aman's quip. But there was one person-Khushi-who didn't understand it as a joke and thought it to be true. She began to feel guilty listening to him. Her eyes glistened with tears, and her pink cheeks turned pale. "No... no, Aman Bhaiya, there's nothing like that. Why did you think that your friend would no longer be yours after marriage? Your friend and son of this house will always belong to this house and to you. I would never ever separate him from you all. Please trust me," she said, her voice trembling as she tried to justify herself in front of her new family. She didn't want them to misjudge her and hate her like Garima and Sheetal had. After receiving so much love in just a couple of days, she didn't want to lose it-not even in her nightmares.

Aman and everyone else were stunned to hear such panic-stricken words from Khushi amid what was supposed to be light-hearted banter.

Arnav panicked, seeing Khushi like this, and hugged her, gently caressing her back. "My babyjaan, what happened?" But without saying anything, Khushi just kept crying, leaving everyone bewildered. Ratna left her meal and quickly came to Khushi, gently cupping her chin and asking, "Beta, what happened to you all of a sudden, and why were you saying all this?" Before Ratna could say more, Khushi hugged her tightly and started weeping.

The male members of the family suppressed their emotions, but the women couldn't hold back their tears upon seeing Khushi in such pain. They understood that Garima and Sheetal's behavior towards her was responsible for this sudden outburst. Everyone silently cursed the two women for what they had done to such an innocent soul.

Ratna somehow managed to stay strong because she knew Khushi needed her right now. This wasn't the time for her to break down. She caressed Khushi's back warmly. When she saw Arnav approaching, she shook her head, forbidding him from coming closer, and he stayed back reluctantly. Ratna knew that Khushi needed her mother in that moment-not her husband or childhood friend. If the wound was given by one mother, only another mother could heal it.

When Ratna felt Khushi had calmed down enough to listen, she broke the hug lightly. "Now tell me, beta, what happened that made you react like this?" she asked lovingly, wiping Khushi's tears. Khushi averted her gaze and said, "Nothing, Mamma," not wanting to share how her so-called mother and sister had treated her. She felt ashamed. Before Ratna could scold her for hiding the truth, Aman interjected, "Don't lie, Bhabi! That little joke of mine triggered your emotional outburst, am I... ouch... AHH... ahhh!"

Before he could finish, he felt a hard pinch on his arm. While caressing the hurt area, he saw Arnav glaring at him, and the others were also shooting daggers at him. "Kya? Why is everyone staring at me like that? What did I say wrong? Didn't you see Bhabi started crying after I joked? And YOU-why did you pinch me so hard, idiot?" Aman whined, giving his friend a dirty look.

Everyone rolled their eyes, but Arnav shot him another deadly glare, earning the same in return. "You idiot! She was already emotional, and you triggered her! Have you totally gone nuts? Do you even have a brain or is it cow dung up there?"

Aman widened his eyes, realizing his mistake. He looked at Khushi and apologized, holding one ear.

Khushi shook her head with teary eyes, but a small smile appeared on her lips, amused by their silly banter. Tired of her sons' antics, Ratna said, "Shut up, you two! You keep fighting like children whenever you get the chance. Either keep quiet or I'll drive you both out of here. It wouldn't take much, you know that, right? Anju is more mature than both of you!" She scolded them affectionately, making them pout and fall silent.

Now it was her daughter's turn. Ratna turned to Khushi and said sternly, "You should know very well, shouldn't you, that children cannot hide anything from their parents, no matter how hard they try? And I never want my children to hide anything from me. If this rule applies to Chote, Anju, and Aman, then it applies to you too from today, do you understand? Now tell me what's the matter."

Still, Khushi refused to speak. How could she? What if telling the truth hurt them? She tried to look away. That's when Dadi came forward. Seeing her mother-in-law, Ratna stood up to make room for her to sit. Subhadra Devi sat in front of Khushi, held one of her hands, and caressed her head with the other.

"Bitiya, are you afraid that we might start hating you like Garima and Sheetal did? Is that why you got scared when Aman bitwa joked that Chote had changed after marriage? And you thought we'd blame you for his changed behavior?"

Khushi nodded softly, making everyone gasp. Aman felt extremely guilty for making such a joke and said, "Bha... Bhabi, I... I'm genuinely sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I was just kidding. Rotten jokes like these always fly between me and Arnav. I never thought you'd be hurt by it." He expressed his sincere regret, but Khushi waved it off, saying it wasn't his fault.

"Yes, bitiya, these two always joke around like this. You shouldn't take it to heart. And one more thing-listen carefully, bitiya. From now on, forget everything about that house, except your Babuji and Buaji. Leave behind those haunted memories and that fear. Neither have any place here, got it?" Dadi said firmly. Khushi nodded slowly, and everyone smiled in relief. Dadi took her in a warm embrace and fondled her back.

"Sorry, Dadi. Because of me, you, Mom-Papa, and Arnavji got upset. I didn't mean to disturb you all, but..." Her voice choked with emotion.

Dadi sighed, understanding her feelings. "Look bitiya, you didn't disturb us at all. Parents are never disturbed by their children's problems. And never hide anything from us, especially from Chote. If you or any of our children have concerns, we must be informed. Always remember-parents can never be at peace if their children are upset. So never hide anything from us," Dadi soothed her worries.

Khushi gazed at Dadi, comparing her to Garima. One woman, who had raised her, never treated her as anything but a burden. And this family, who had known her for only a few days, loved her unconditionally. Was it even humanly possible to love someone so deeply just because their son loved her?

Her trance broke when Arnav's sarcastic remark reached her ears. "Yes, because not only you, Khushi-no one could trouble us more than Papa. He holds the copyright to trouble us anytime. Right, Popsy?" Arnav teased his father, mischief dancing in his chocolate-brown eyes.

Aditya glared at everyone when he saw they all agreed with Arnav. "Chup ve! Aren't you ashamed of teasing your father?" Saying so, he punched Arnav softly in the stomach.

"Why? Did I say anything wrong, Mumma, Dadi?" They immediately shook their heads, teasing Aditya more.

Khushi laughed out loud, seeing her handsome father-in-law's sullen face, making everyone feel relieved. Arnav felt content that he had been able to lighten her mood.

"Okay now, chop chop, let's eat. And Chote, I want to talk to you and Aman bitwa. Come meet me after dinner," Dadi said.

Hearing her, Arnav and Aman looked at each other, then at Dadi, shrugging their shoulders. They figured they'd find out soon enough.

Everyone finished their dinner while teasing each other. Afterward, Arnav and Aman went to Dadi's room to meet her as requested, and the rest retired to their rooms.

IN DADI'S ROOM:

"Dadi, you called us? Anything important?" Arnav asked while entering the room.

"Yes, Chote, Aman bitwa. I wanted to talk to you both," Subhadra Devi said, asking them to sit.

"Tell us, Dadi. What's the matter?" Arnav looked at her, uncertain. But Aman already had an idea. Dadi had been worried about Arnav and Khushi's demeanor during dinner.

Dadi looked at her grandson's confused face and said, "Before I start, Chote, tell me what happened to you and Khushi bitiya? You both looked upset. Tell me everything without hiding anything."

Arnav exhaled deeply and recounted everything Shashi Gupta had revealed to them, how Khushi overheard it, and her reaction.

Before Dadi could respond, Aman shrieked, "WHATTT!! Bhabi came to know?" Arnav nodded solemnly.

Aman closed his eyes in despair. Dadi shook her head, dejected. "How low can Garima stoop as a woman? As if what she's done wasn't enough, now murder too? I can't even imagine what Khushi bitiya went through. Hey Devi Maiya! How many more tears of blood must that innocent girl shed?" She wept silently.

Arnav clenched his jaws. "No, Dadi. The days of MY Khushi shedding tears of blood are over. Now, those who made my angel cry will shed tears of blood. Don't cry, Dadi. If you break down, who will give us strength?"

They comforted her, and eventually she calmed down. "Chote, I want them punished for what they did to my poor bitiya and her family. I want YOU to punish them before handing them over to the police," she insisted.

"You don't have to worry, Dadi! They've already been taken care of. Their punishment has already begun," Aman said, smirking.

Subhadra Devi looked at Arnav's cold eyes and cunning smile and knew their dark days had begun. She felt relieved.

"Dadi, you were supposed to tell us something, right?" Arnav reminded her.

"Oh yes, I forgot amid all this. Garima came here this morning. She tried sneaking into your room. Fortunately, I saw her and stopped her. She ran off, muttering something. I thought you should know."

Hearing this, Arnav and Aman's faces turned rigid. Arnav looked at Aman and nodded-it was time for the next step. Aman nodded back.

Arnav took out his phone. "Jenny, are you ready? Tell them to start and record the entire process. Send it to the necessary place."

After listening to the response, he cut the call with a malicious grin.

A cold chill ran down Subhadra Raizada's spine, wondering what was coming next.

[ All the pics and gifs downloaded from Pinterest ]

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That's it for now, friends.

How's it? I hope it came out good and if not then do forgive me for letting you guys down.

I know after all these days you all needed Arshi momments, Sheetal and Garima's punishment.

The thing is I needed to re-read the entire story to connect the dots again. And I've started to read it again. So from the next parts you all would get the desired updates.

And one more thing, now I know why you guys don't vote for the stories. I have seen so much of grammatical mistakes and sentence construction mistakes while re-reading it. After all these you voted for my story, Im really feeling greatful. My stories seriously did not deserve your votes. Still you guys did.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for that.

If you like this update, please vote and comment.

Regards,
Dipanwita86
5/08/23