Hello dear friends,

Thank you for your patience. I was stuck in some personal work. I hope you all will forgive me for the delay.

One more important thing. Please do read the note before starting reading the next part, as the note is related to the last update.

Note :

I, mistakenly, wrote about not finding Shyam in the previous update, totally forgetting about the fact that I had already written about Shyam and his punishment in one of my early updates. One of my readers reminded me of that. Thank you for reminding me.

I hope you will forgive me for the mistake. I will change it.

Now let's get to the story.

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RM [STUDY] :

After some discussion, Aman was about to leave, when Arnav said, "Ammy, I want Anirudh Malhotra in front of me tomorrow, first thing in the morning in my office." Aman looked at him in disbelief and said, "Tomorrow morning? Would you go to the office tomorrow? Your wedding took place just two days ago, and your reception will be in two days, and you're telling me you'll go to the office now for all this? What would bhabhi think, Arnie? Have you gone totally crazy or what?" Aman berated him mildly.

"I am doing this only for your bhabhi, Ammy. I am doing everything only to punish her culprits. And for that, it is crucial to meet Anirudh," his face turned serious.

Aman sighed loudly, "I know, Arnie, but you should spend some time with bhabhi right now, don't you think? This time will never come back in your life. Bhabhi's marriage did not happen the way every girl dreams. I agree you tried everything so she could perform all the rituals, but performing rituals is not the only thing in marriage, Arnie! Every girl has some dreams about her marriage, about her future husband. Every girl starts to knit dreams from the time her marriage is fixed until the marriage itself. They go through a different feeling during this time. But bhabhi didn't even get a chance to experience all that. Now, if you snatch this time away from her too, then what will be left for her in the name of wedding memories? Did you think for a second? Only memories of a forced marriage she had to go through to save the honor of her family and father? And what about you? Didn't you want to spend time with bhabhi? Arnie, you waited for her and this time together for ages. And now you're wasting time on all this bullshit? We could handle this after your reception too, brother. Now go and spend time with bhabhi." Aman tried to knock some sense into his friend's mind.

Arnav heard what Aman said and understood as well, but he was still reluctant to let it go. He had a nagging feeling that if he didn't act now, it would be too late, and he would rather not take any chances with those people. He took a heavy breath and said, "I understand, Ammy, but this meeting with Anirudh is important before Sheetal escapes from there successfully. I want something in my hand before I permanently deal with those mother-daughter duo. Shyam ka toh jo karna tha woh mein kar chuka hoon, ab in teeno ki baari." The dispassion and lack of sympathy in his voice shuddered Aman. He knew his friend-once Arnav decided on something, no one could deter him. He took a shuddering breath and said, "Okay then, Anirudh Malhotra will be in front of you." Saying that, he was about to leave when Arnav called him again and stated, "Not only him, Ammy. I want ALL his dark secrets. Alright?" Aman nodded and left to complete his job.

After Aman left, Arnav went to look for Khushi. He knew Aman was right-that he should spend quality time with Khushi-but what could he do? He wanted to remove all the hurdles that could stand in the way of his Pari's happiness. He would rather not delay. Furthermore, he wanted to give his Pari a happy, carefree, and stress-free life without any hindrance. That's why all this was essential. But spending time with Khushi was equally important now, as Aman was right-he couldn't snatch these little pieces of happiness from her.

He was thinking all these things while looking for her when a teasing voice of his dad broke his reverie, "Oh, Chote Maharaj! Where were you going in such a hurry?" Arnav rolled his eyes at his father's teasing and asked desperately, "Where is Khushi, Dad?"

Sr. Raizada smirked at his son's desperation and thought to tease him a bit. He rubbed his hands together mischievously as he didn't get many opportunities to tease his son. So how could he let this chance go? He asked with a mock-serious face, "Hmm, Khushi, haan? Look at him, Ratna. Your Chote is no longer yours. Earlier, when he used to come down in the morning, the first thing he used to ask was, 'Where is Mamma?' And now your son asks about his wife instead of you, first thing in the morning. Oh God, what a day you have to see, Ratna!" Aditya Raizada held his heart and sighed dramatically.

At first, Arnav, Ratna, and Subhadra Devi were confused when he started talking, but then they rolled their eyes seeing his drama. "If you're done with your drama, could you please tell me now where my wife is?"

Ratna and Subhadra Devi were trying hard to control their laughter while listening to the banter, but Aditya gasped, "Did you just call my concern for your mother drama? How could you, Chote? Look at your Chote, Ratna!"

Before Ratna could say anything, Subhadra Devi slapped his head affectionately and said, "Yes, we saw everything. Your concern and your drama too. And Chote, Khushi bitiya is in the kitchen preparing something for you. You wanted to talk to her, right? Now go," making Sr. Raizada puff his cheeks in fake anger.

Arnav left for the kitchen, throwing a triumphant smile at his father, which made him even more irritated.

"What, Ma, you too! Couldn't you ever support ME, your one and only sweet obedient son against your cunning, disobedient, always-angry, nose-on-tip arrogant grandson of yours? Because of you guys, I could never tease him, and he always won over me," he sulked.

His wife and mother laughed out loud hearing his sulking words. Ratna, amused by her husband's drama, couldn't help but tease him, "What are you, Aditya? A baby who starts sulking because he couldn't win against his competitor or brother? You're his father! Seeing you like this, who would believe you are THE FORMIDABLE ADITYA SINGH RAIZADA? If your employees saw you like this, they'd faint, my sweeto!" She pinched his cheek laughingly like he was a baby, and he swatted her hand away, pouting.

"Should I say one more thing?" Ratna whispered in his ear, "Chote always won over you, not because of our help but because of his intellect and spontaneity. You'll never be able to beat him, at least not in chess like you dream of. And as far as teasing is concerned, there also, you won't be able to beat him. You know why?" Aditya, who was sitting there dejectedly, looked at his wife quizzically.

Seeing his skeptical gaze, she said, "Because he's too intelligent for you," and started laughing loudly, making him whine more.

"Ma, see na, how Ratna is teasing me and indirectly calling ME, THE ADITYA RAIZADA, an idiot!" he grumbled.

She tittered and said, "My daughter-in-law is absolutely right. You actually are a total idiot in front of my grandson. You know, my Chote's brain is faster than that of the smartest animal in this world. Not only that, but you are nothing in front of him," she proclaimed proudly.

Even though he was putting on a show, Sr. Raizada couldn't help but feel proud as well. But he continued his drama, "Alright... alright, I understand. For you, only your daughter-in-law and grandson are important. But there is no respect for the one for whom they are here. You're very mean. I have no one but my daughters, Anju and Khushi. From now on, I'll only team up with them. You betrayers, just wait and watch. My daughters will always support me and will never disappoint me by betraying me like you all. I don't need anyone but them from now on, huh," he grumbled, wiping fake tears from his eyes.

Ratna and Subhadra Devi chortled after hearing him, and thus their bickering continued while waiting for their children to come.

•─────✧─────•

MEANWHILE, IN THE KITCHEN :

Arnav, who was sniggering after witnessing his father's antics, had to stop at the kitchen door. He was staring at the scene unfolding inside the kitchen with dazzled eyes. There, Khushi was busy cooking something with her saree wrapped around her waist, which gave him an unexpected opportunity to peek at her bare, slim waist. The way the pearl-like beads of sweat were rolling down her forehead and tracing the curve of her swan-like neck bedazzled him. Her unkempt bun created an erotic picture from which he was unable to take his eyes off, even if he wanted to.

Before today, the kitchen had never seemed so beautiful, so homely, and so sensual to him. It was as if the blood circulation in his entire body had flowed down to his southern part. His trance suddenly broke when Hari Prakash appeared in front of him. Gritting his teeth, he glared at him and signalled him to leave. Hari Prakash scurried away, leaving his sexually frustrated bhaiya with his innocent bhabhi alone in the kitchen to spend some romantic time.

With predatory steps, he slowly moved toward Khushi and gently hugged her from behind, startling her. Because of the sudden embrace, Khushi initially stiffened, but when she felt her Arnavji's warm breath against her nape, she relaxed. Feeling him so close, a beautiful smile appeared on her lips, illuminating her entire face.

Before she could say anything, a sweet moan escaped her lips as she felt his small, wet kisses.

"Arrrnavvvvjiiii!"

Her eyes shut on their own, savoring her husband's sudden affection.

"Ummm Arnavjiiii, wh...what areee youuu doing hereee?" she asked him with difficulty.

"What am I doing? I am doing what I'm supposed to do. What are you doing here, Pari?" he groaned, tightening his hold on her while continuing to kiss the other side of her neck. Khushi's answer got stuck in her throat when Arnav started caressing her flat stomach over her clothes with one hand.

Not able to bear the sweet torture given by her husband, she turned and hugged him tightly. She kept expressing her love again and again, saying, "I love you." Hearing the sudden expression of love from Khushi, Arnav was stunned for a brief moment. He broke the hug and stared at her flustered face with such tenderness that it gave her goosebumps, and she hugged him again to hide her blushing state.

That sudden hug from her broke his stupor. Unable to control himself, he slammed his hard lips onto her petal-soft ones and began kissing her wildly. Khushi's heart pounded inside her chest, feeling his fanatic kiss. She could feel the emotion her husband poured into that one kiss. It wasn't carnal-it was filled with emotions that had burst in his heart after hearing his Pari's unanticipated and spontaneous confession.

Today was the first time Khushi had expressed her love first, that too without Arnav taking the initiative. A while later, she also started kissing him with the same intensity. She clutched his shoulder first, then slowly sneaked her arms around his neck and pulled him closer than he already was. Getting such an intense response from her, Arnav began to fondle her back while continuing to taste her lips.

As time passed, their breathing grew more erratic. Khushi trembled with pleasure when he took her mouth into his and sucked it hard, giving the same treatment to her lower lip as well. The taste of her cardamom-flavored mouth freshener and her eager response drove him insane. He wanted more of her, so he pinched her waist to make her open her mouth. She gasped, and he plunged his tongue into her mouth, eager to suck her sweet nectar out.

"Ummm...mm mm...Nan...naavvv..."
Feeling the utmost pleasure given by her husband, Khushi moaned. Hearing her moan his name, he got thrilled and started kissing her more aggressively.

After kissing each other for ages, Arnav broke the kiss, feeling the need for oxygen, but did not separate his lips from her skin. Leaving her lips, he moved closer to her jaw and traced it with his tongue, making Khushi pant heavily. He then traced down her neck with his tongue, closing his eyes as he savored the taste of her skin. His intense sucking and licking turned her into a moaning mess. They were making out wildly in the kitchen itself, forgetting about their surroundings.

Suddenly, he bit down hard there, making her moan a bit loudly in pain and pleasure.

"Ahhha... aaa... ummm," she moaned and turned her head to give him more access to her skin. Hearing her painful moan, he sucked and licked the spot with his warm tongue to soothe her tingling pain. He pulled down the sleeve of her salwar and began to suck there, leaving her neck.

While kissing her, his hand touched Khushi's breast, making both of them freeze for a few moments. His mind warned him to stop going further, but his heart did not want to stop. That's why he waited for a moment to see Khushi's reaction-to see whether she wanted to stop him or not. But she didn't do anything to stop him; instead, she pulled him closer, which gave him silent consent to go ahead.

Getting her approval, he started to knead her breast gently.

"Umm... hmm... umpfff," she moaned and pulled him up, smacking her lips into his. They were kissing each other frantically when their dadi's voice,
"Chote... Khushi bitiya,"
broke their haze of passion.

Even then, they continued to gaze at each other deeply, as if still caught in that fog and unwilling to come out of that reverie. But once the spell broke, Khushi couldn't make eye contact with Arnav due to her shyness. She averted her eyes when she felt his palm still resting on her left breast. She looked away, flushed, when he finally moved his hand.

Arnav smirked at her crimson face but said nothing, choosing to give her time to adjust to their growing intimacy.
"There's no need to be embarrassed, Pari! This was just our love... coming out passionately. And the most important thing is, it was only ME-your Nannav. And I love you the most... always remember that, okay? So, no need to be awkward or self-conscious, hmm? I'm going out, you come when you're ready."

Saying that, he left after gently kissing her forehead, allowing her some time to compose herself.

Khushi blushed as she watched her husband leave. A shy grin appeared on her lips, remembering the moments they had just shared, and she hid her face in her palms, blushing hard. After a while, she came out, having composed herself completely.

•━━━ ✽ • ✽ ━━━•

DINING TABLE [RM]

When Khushi came back from the kitchen, she saw that everyone was as usual busy in their cheerful banter and bickering and were waiting for her to join them for breakfast. Standing there silently, she started to enjoy the scene without disturbing anyone.

A small smile crossed her lips when Aditya proudly told everyone that now he had not one but two daughters-and that he would team up with them to defeat Arnav. Anjali happily agreed without showing any hint of dislike or unhappiness. Seeing so much love, her eyes filled with tears.

She had never received this kind of love and affection from Garima and Sheetal back in the Gupta house. Yes, she had a sister-but only in name-who always enjoyed humiliating her. She was nothing more than unpaid house help for them. In fact, they treated her even lower than that. If her father and aunt had not been there, she probably wouldn't have even received proper food. Only they had treated her like a human being.

She had always prayed to her Devi Maiya for a family where she would at least be treated as a human and respected. But day by day, her hopes shattered as the atrocities of Garima and Sheetal increased. Still, she had never imagined-even in her dreams-that her Devi Maiya would bless her with a family that would be nothing short of a gift.

Her musings broke when Arnav's phone rang loudly. She looked up and what she saw unsettled her. Arnav stormed off toward the study without finishing his breakfast. He looked deeply disturbed and upset. He didn't even respond when his dadi and dad asked him about the call. She could sense the seriousness of the call from his expression alone. There was something about it that deeply unsettled him.

She wanted to know what it was and to soothe his worries, but she also knew that if he hadn't told his dadi or dad anything, he wouldn't tell her either. So, for now, she let the matter go and joined her family at the table.

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GUPTA HOUSE

AT THE SAME TIME-

At the Gupta house, Garima Gupta was pacing up and down in the living room, looking completely restless. She was on tenterhooks thinking about her daughter. Not being able to do anything to rescue Sheetal frustrated her. Frustration, anxiety, and anger were etched clearly on her face.

"This Anirudh is good for nothing! When I needed him, he wasn't here. His own daughter has been missing for so many days, and he doesn't even care? What the hell! That day when I told him ASR was our relative, the way he started stammering! What was that? Am I missing something? He looked like a dog being chased by a wounded tiger named ASR," she murmured in agitation.

Since then, his phone had been switched off. She hadn't even been able to contact him.
"Now how will I find my Sheetal? Where should I search? Should I go to his house? But... but he forbade me from meeting him in person. What should I do now?"
She murmured under her breath, pacing restlessly, when suddenly the doorbell rang.

First, she got frustrated. Then, thinking it was Sheetal, she sprinted to the door and opened it with a snap-only to find no one there. Her heart started pounding loudly in trepidation. A chilling sense of déjà vu struck her hard. The same thing had happened earlier when that video of tortured Sheetal had arrived. Beads of sweat gathered on her forehead.

She looked around in dread, checking to see if anyone had left something at her doorstep, but found nothing. She sighed in relief. But the lack of anything made her more irritated. She slammed the door shut with a loud bang. The moment she did, the bell rang again.

She opened the door once more-this time too, no one.
That got her exasperated. She threw her hands in the air, irritated.
"Who's it? Who is it? Insolent people!"
She grumbled angrily and slammed the door again.

Someone, hidden from her sight, was watching her irritation and dread with utter delight. Yes, someone was indeed there-someone enjoying her terrified, frustrated reactions. But this time, on the third ring, he did not disappoint Garima Gupta. He left a "gift" at her doorstep and rang the bell again.

Garima opened the door, ready to lash out-but turned pale when she saw the same type of package. She started trembling in horror, imagining what it could contain now. She picked up the parcel with trembling hands. Sweat dampened her upper lip. She licked her dry lips nervously and stepped back inside with quivering legs.

She opened the packet and found another phone with a note instructing her to open the gallery and view the content.

The ground seemed to vanish beneath her feet after seeing what was inside. Tears streamed down her cheeks. The phone slipped from her hands and shattered on the ground.

"Aaaaaahhhhh.... nooooo... nahi... no, this couldn't happen to my daughter... noooo.... no...SSHEETALLLLL!"

Screaming Sheetal's name, she collapsed to the floor, crying bitterly, slamming her forehead repeatedly against the cold tiles.

•━━━ ✽ • ✽ ━━━•

RM [STUDY]

Arnav was pacing up and down the room, talking-no, shouting-into his phone.

"Haunt him down, Aman Mathur! I don't want to hear anything except a positive response. I want him as soon as possible. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?... Better!"
He cut the call furiously.

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That's it for today.

I hope you will like the update.

Sorry for the late update, friends. As you already know that my brother is suffering from LUNG CANCER and I was in Mumbai @Tata Cancer for his treatment. That's why I got late to give you an update.

Thank you for all your wishes. But the doctors gave us the deadline. He will be with us not more than a year from now. Only a miracle can make him survive. Only prayers can help him.

One more thing, I value my readers, that's why I put notes to let you guys know that I will not be available for some time. But I seriously didn't know that those notes irritate you guys so much that you leave because of these.

HEART-FELT APOLOGIES FOR THAT, FRIENDS. I PUT NOTES BECAUSE I DID NOT WANT YOU GUYS TO WAIT FOR ME. anyway, SORRY AGAIN.

If you like it, please do vote and comment.

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Regards,
Your narrator,
Dipanwita86
11/10/23