chapter 6

  chapter-6

Arnav got down the stairs

Ar-I know it all di I heard your all's conversation on phone which non of you realised that I had picked up

That unsettled everyone for a while but anjali went up to him and putting her hand on his shoulder tried to comfort him and may reduce the pain not knowing about his own child for 5 yrs and khushi not telling him that she is back to Delhi

Anj-I know arnav it's painful but it's ok look at the bright side of it tha...

She was cut short by a running amaira towards arnav

Ama-sir when mamu and buddy are coming ?

Arn-don't worry sweety they are on their way till then come lets talk

Ama-ok

With this everyone settled in drawing room talking to amaira,everyone excited to know about her to get close to her

Nani-betiya aap kahan rehti hain?[ where do u live]

Arn-nani she had lived in london so I think she would be comfortable with english

Ama- smilingly looked back at him as she was sitting on his lap and spoke no sir mujhe hindi bhi atti hai main ghar par ma mamu aur buddy ke sath hindi main bhi baat karti hun aur kabhi kahi buddy mujhe punjabi bhi sikhate hain[no sir I know hindi also I can talk in hindi with ma mamu and buddy at home and some times buddy makes me learn punjabi to ]

Anj-arre wah aap to bohot intelligent ho [wow you are so intelligent]

Amaira smiled and said thanks

Mamiji-betiya what do u do I mean studies in which classwa ? [you study in which class ]

Amaira first chuckled a bit at mamiji's english and then sweetly replied I study in 1 standard

Payal-baby aapke ghar main kon kon hain? [baby who are their in your family]

Amaira-I have mom ,mamu and buddy

Akash-who is buddy to you ?

Am-buddy is also my mama he is younger brother of arjun mamu but I call him buddy because he is my friend more than mamu that is why I call him buddy

She was telling how she live in london with whom ,what all she do and everybody was so keenly listeing to her with great interest and asking her all about her and khushi also very cautiuosly to no let her get   suspicious

They came to know that really were a small  happy family

Arnav-and your father?

Everyone noticed that the wide smile on amaira's lips vanished instantly and everyone felt bad for this

Am-I don't know about him ?that had hurt everyone somewhere but they knew the reason but arnav who didn't knew the full truth asked her why

Am-actually whenever I tried asking ma she would get sad and would run away crying so  buddy and mamu told me that it hurts my ma a lot dad is not a nice man he had hurt ma a lot remembering him makes ma sad so buddy asked me not to talk about him

Arnav felt sad about it for her mother to and felt really sorry for amaira too

He saw how amaira quickly hid her pain and smiled for everyone and this again brought the memories of khushi to him and he thought of resemblances between amaira and khushi and didn't know why but he wanted to comfort her

And he pulled amaira close to him and gave a kiss on her cheeks and changed the topic

Arn-hey sweety tell me why do you call me sir ?

Am-what should I call you than

Arnav-hmmm let me think

Am-hmm let both of us think she enacted and copied him which brought smiles and chuckles on everyone's face but before they could talk any further the door was opened and in came arman and arjun running in dishevelled, tear stains visible on their faces apprehension ,sadness clearly visible

Arman-princess he whispered

And amaira ran in his arms getting away from arnav's arms which he didn't liked

Amai-buddy saying this she ran into his arms and hugged him tightly and arman too hid her in his arms kissing her on her hairs and face several times

Arma-how are you princess ?are you fine ?

Arjun too hugged her and all three hugged

Arju-are you fine princess?

Arma-where were you betu you know how much I missed you

Amai-was now crying seeing her mamu and buddy crying and also looking at their  condition she knew it was because of her and she was a bit scared to as she thought they will get angry

Amai-I m sorry she said by holding her ears I just wanted to play with maria and then got lost and than got dizzy due to low sugar I had no sweet with me than sir helped me she pointed towards arnav

Arjun-thanks a lot ASR you don't know what you have done for us

Arman-thanks a lot ASR I  own you my life for saving my princess thanks a lot

Arnav just nodded as he was sad that now they will take amaira away from him his little respite from his sadness and also controlling and trying to understand why he was getting so jealous of arjun and arman and specially arman his word "my princess" pricked arnav

Arman looked at amaira and saw how sad she is seeing them

Arma-hey betu you don't have to be sad nothing has happened to me or bhai

Arju-hey look here princess you know we love you and can never be angry with you

Amai-smilling sachi

They both kissed her on her cheeks together and she hugged them together and kissed their cheeks

Amai-but ma would be angry with me na?

Arjun-ya but I m sure you both musketeers can handle her well

Arman and amaira looked at each other and with mischief visible in their eyes and voice  spoke that we can 

After biding bye to raizada's arman and arjun took amira back to malick mansion

And seeing arjun and arman's love and care for amaira had brought immense amount of respect in eyes of raizada's they also thought that how they both suffered because of one mischief of amaira but their was no trace of anger anywhere in any of them and how much they loved her arnav too saw all that and liked it too but somewhere in his heart he felt a pang of jealousy and specially from arman seeing the closeness of arjun and arman  with amaira but again the thought of amaira brought back his memories of khushi and he became sad again when anjali saw this she went to arnav to complete their conversation

An-chotte aap chitna mat kijiye  ham sab khushi se mafi mangege aur request karenge ki wo phirse hamari life main apki life main iss ghar main wapas aa jayen we will wait till she agrees and we all will try to make her forgive us[chotte don't get tensed we all will ask forgiveness from khushi and will request her to come back in in our lives in ur lives and in this house]

Arn-what r u saying di I don't want to destroy her happiness di I did it once but not again di she is happy with her family her daughter her husband she has moved on and going back to her even for forgiveness will bring back her painful past in front of her di I won't let that happen I would try my best that our rods never cross  arnav was not able to control his tears and was moving towards stairs when mamaji who came out of confusion first asked him what he was saying

Mamaji-held arnav's hand -e ka keh rhe ho bitwa khushi bitiya ki shadi nai hai bitwa[what r u sying son khushi is not married]

Arnav thought that they r trying to enact for him so that he doesn't feel bad

Arn-I heard all of your talks so it's ok mamaji I know it all that khushi is in Delhi and she is married and have a daughter too I won't deny it is painful for me but I think it is what I deserved and I would be ok in time being no one needs to   worry

Nani-nai bitwa aap galat samajh rahe hain aap puri bat nai sune hain lagat hai?[no son you r not understanding what we want to say I think you haven't heard all our talk]

Arnav- I heard it nani I heard how akash saw khushi on airport when he went to see off his friend and the conversation khushi had with her husband and daughter-arnav was no more able to control his emotions and everyone saw loads of tears spilling out of the reat ASR's eyes anjali went near him and while wiping his tears she asked did he heard what all nk said

Arnav looked atanjali thinking why r all of them asking him such questions and r hell bent on making him believe that khushi is still his it was getting painful for him but seeing the look in everyones eyes some where a ray of hope fluttered in his heart and he replied that he only heard that nk was denying everyone when they were saying that khushi married someone else means their last ray of hope for happiness in this house has also died and he was no able to listen further and he disconnected after that

Mamiji-ehi liye u r talking like that bitwa u don't know the full thruths ?[that is why u r talking like that son because you don't know the full truth]

Akas-bhai I saw khushi with arman and amaira ?

Arnav looked at akash for a few minutes with blank expression and then shock was evident

Arn-but I know arman is not married to khushi I know his wife's name is ridhima not khushi

Akas-that is where I misunderstood bhai and now I know how arman is related to khushi

Arn-how ?and wait you said u saw khushi with arman and amaira[stressing on amaira's name]

Payal-bhai amaira was the girl who called khushi as ma on the airport and as we now know that arman is amaira's maternal uncle means arjun and arman r khushi's brothers

Arnav was just in shock for several minutes at all these revelations and it took him quite a lot of time to process all information's in his mind  then he looked at his di

Anjali cupping his cheeks -yes chotte khushi is not married and she is amaira's mother

Arn-but then amaira he was still a bit confused

Anjali-chotte apko yaad hai jab khushi RM chod ke ja rahi thi tab unhone nk bhai ko ek letter diya tha [chotte do you remember while khushi was leaving RM she gve a letter to nk bhai]

Arnav-ya

Anjali truned to nk and asked him for that letter nk who had kept that letter in his pocket gave it to anjali and anjali passed it to arnav and asked him to read that letter

Arnav had several expressions of sadness guilt remorse reaching to the end of letter a number of fast changing expressions were visible on his face by the keen onlookers by the end he happy sad guilty a tornado of emotions was what arnav felt by the end of the letter

Anjali again took hold of arnav's face

An-han chottey wo khushi hi thi jisne ham sab ke kiye gaye itne bure bartav ke baad bhi shyam ka sach sabke samne lane ki nk bhai se request kit hi to protect us and the most important of all she was pregnant when she left RM that means amaira is none but your daughter yes "chotteyamaira is yours and khushi daughter" that fact was swirling in arnav's head for long his mind played back the facts he just came to know amaira with whom he felt such a close bond in such a short span of time was ecause she was his daughter his blood his part his and his khushi's part several such thoughts and the reasons for his jealousy with arman and arjun his bond with amaira was clear his hopes were alive again his khushi was still his his khushi was no one eleses but his ,his khushi has not forgotten him instead she had kept and given love to his daughter she has cherished their relation and their love in the form of amaira but then  everyone saw his happy expressions change into sad and then anger the rage and anger which no one has ever seen in their life but before anyone could understand anything they saw arnav taking log strides with murderous range and fire in his eyes and before they could understand towards whom

Nk's neck was in arnav's hands in a deathly grip   akash and mamaji along with the prakash brothers moved towards nk to help him free himself

But it seemed like arnav's hands were glued to nk's neck

Akash-bhai what r u doing ?leave nk

Anj-what r u doing chottey leave nk bhai why r udoing this?

Nanai mami and payal all were pleading arnav to leave n

Arna-why I m doing this u ppl   ask WHY?[he shouted]

He knew it he knew it all along he knew that khushi was pregnant

He now held nk's collar

He knew khushi was pregnant but he didn't tell us not any of us if he would have told me I would have never let khushi go he even never told me in these 5 long years not once that I have a daughter I have  my kid somewhere in this world   living and thinking that I don't care about her when I was not even aware of her existence

Then looking at nk directly in his eyes arnav  spoke

Do u know who much I have lost and missed coz of you I was not able to feel the happiness that every man feels when he comes to know about his first child I was not able to see my baby grow in my wife's womb I was not there to feel when my baby would have first kicked in khushi's womb I was not there to see khushi's belly getting bigger and thinking how much my baby would have grown I was not there to hold to my wife and give her strength when she was in labour I was not the first one to hold my baby in my arms I was not there to hold my baby and waiting with khushi so that first thing when our baby opens her eyes to see the world is us her parents I was not there to help khushi nurture our daughter I was not there to make my daughter learn to walk and talk I was not there to behold and cherish the moments when my would have first started to walk I was not there to listen to my baby's first word I was not there to hold her hand and give her strength and walk her to her class when she would have gone to school for the first time I was never there to listen to her talks about her days her fights her friends I was never there to listen t her wishes her demands and fulfil them do you bloody know who much have I missed

Everyone had tears listening to these talks of arnav knowing what he would be feeling to have missed these such special moments of a person's life

Everyone had tears in their eyes but not nk

He kept listening to all these of arnav's talk and somewhere he too felt bad but that was not more than the reason why he didn't tell anyone the truth

Nk-I know u have missed a lot ASR [he stopped calling arnav as nanav from the day khushi left RM ] but don't blame me I m not the reason the reason is u ur self and if the family ask me the reason than their reason is they themselves

Payal-but khushi didn't told any of us anything nk bhai than how could we be the reason

Nk- now great u ppl have kept on blaming others for  ur mistakes the easiest way out

Arnav hissed nk's name

And nk shrugged arnav's hands from his collar

Don't ASR instead you ppl culd have thought whatis the reason that even after wanting to share such good and big thing of her life khushi didn't went to any of you she didn't went to her husband to share her news of pregnancy[now looking with accusing glares to particular person and than towards everyone] she didn't went to share this news with her elder sister she didn't went her sister-in-law she didn't went to any of the elderly ladies of the house but she turned towards me to her friend to share  this news and requested to not let anyone know about it even today I wouldn't have told it if u ppl were not again[stressing on again]misunderstanding her  coz today like u all I betrayed my friend by breaking my promise did you guys think why she didn't turned to any of you now u answer me asr every girl want to shar the news of her first pregnancy with her husband first but she didn't why?

I will tell u coz sh was scared  hat u l would have accused her again and don't even think of lieing coz I know the answer just answer honestly to urselves none of u knew about shayam's truth than he was like a god in this house that time he would hve made a false story about khushi's child and her pregnancy and I m sure even if he would have said that the baby is not asr's but his and that all is because khushi some mistake I m damn sure u ppl would have believed shayam like fools that u ppl did every time and I know how broken khushi was those days and no woman could ever take accusations on her unborn how could khushi have that is the reason she left RM without telling anyone and she shared the news with me coz she have none of u ppl with her she had done a lot for each and every one u but all that u ppl gave her in return was immense hurt and pain

And I knew asr u wouldn't have let her mve out of RM even than but not to support her or cherish this news this happiness  with her but to torture her even more and also her baby tell me asr would u have believed her that the baby is ur and not shyams answer me asr look into my eyes and aswer me damit accusing is easy but not accepting ur own mistake after saying all this nk went to his room and no one was able to pull their heads up and look at some else everyone was so ashamed of their selves and their deeds

Arnav slowly went to his room his head also down and tears continuously pouring out of his eyes