Part 34

Khushi was about to slap Anjali when a hand held her's. Khushi saw a shocked Manorama holding her hand. As soon as Anjali saw Manorama she started her water work.

"How could you Khushi? I love you and Payal doesn't mean I forgot my daughter. How could you raise your hand on her." Manorama was shocked seeing the scene in front of her. The girl she thought was the best for her family was about to slap Anjali. Was she fooled all these time? Was her's a wrong judgement? That was what running in Manorama's mind

"It's okay mamiji. I should have never asked her about their relationship. I should have realized I lost my right on my brother. Leave it here mami, if chotte came to know he will feel bad."

"No bitiya. Arnav bitwa should know what happened here. If this is what happens when the marriage is just proposed, I fear what will happen after that. We will definitely talk about this to him"Manorama said while giving Khushi a stern glare

"No mami, the party is going on. It will be disturbed"

"No bitiya, it has been winded up. I came here to call you both so that we can discuss about marriage. Thank god I came here at right time"

Khushi stood silently without giving any explanation to Manorama. She wanted to know how Arnav will react. Whether he will try to know what really happened or will just give in to his sister's manipulation. If the love he promised is true then he will hear what really happened ,It will also help her to know if she will be taken for granted in future. So she kept her silence .Manorama hugged Anjali consoling her an then took her to the living room were the rest of the family were waiting not before asking Kushi to follow.

"What took you so long Mano?" Manohar asked

"I saw something happening in kitchen.Thank god I saw that otherwise I would have not seen the real face of Khushi"

"What do you mean Mami?" Arnav asked. Guptas looked at Khushi seeking answers

"Ha Manno. What happened to you suddenly? Why are you speaking like this. You were all praises about her not less than an hour before that now you are saying this."

"I would have thought like that if I haven't seen how she was behaving with our Anjali bitiya. Do you know she was about to slap our bitiya if not for me stopping her."

"What?" everyone asked shocked with what they heard. Arnav quickly went near his sister to console her seeing her crying. Then he looked at Khushi as if to ask why. But all he got was a blank face. Arnav composed himself without getting anything from her. In background he could hear nani asking Khushi why did she do something that.

Arnav closed his eyes to regain his composure then slowly retrieved from Anjali's hug .He went near Khushi

"What happened Khushi?"

"You are asking her bitwa?" Manorama couldn't control her emotions. Not that She hold grudges against Khushi but Anjali always held a special place in her heart. May be because she craved for a daughter which she never had which Anjali occupied in the past years.

"Let's ask what really happened Mami. Do you know why Khushi raised her hand? What di said to her made her do that? As far as I know Khushi, she is not a girl who loose composure soon, if at all it happened, it should have been me who would have received 'N' number of slaps from her for the things I did. If she didn't loose it then then there must be something di did which made her do that. Don't you think?" Manorama nodded agreeing

"How can you chotte? I thought you still loved me. Have you become so ignorant towards me and my pain just because of your love for her. Am I least important to you?" Anjali wept seeing things not going like she wants

"No body said that bitiya. But before we say anything we have to know what really happened. I am not saying you will intentionally say something to Khushi bitiya for her to react like that but may be unknowingly you may have hurt her feelings bitiya. We all know Khushi bitiya will never do something like this without a reason." Nani said caressing Anjali's hair. Shyam stood at a distance with out coming near his wife to console her.He felt something fishy in the whole act. He have learned to read Anjali way better than the façade she puts off.

"You are choosing her over me nani?"Anjali asked.

"Stop this di. Tell me what really happened?" Arnav intervened

"I didn't do anything chotte, We were talking about your proposal today .I don't know why she reacted so violently when I said how you and Akash fell in love with both sisters. How She become important in your life" Arnav took a long breath knowing this was not the truth.

"Khushi would you tell me what happened? What really did di say that made you cry? You may have hid it well but I can see the sadness and tears in your eyes. So tell me Khushi and mind you I want the truth and the exact words she said you" Khushi nodded. She explained everything that happened in the kitchen. How Anjali insulted her mother .

"No chotte, She is lying. Why will I say that?"Anjli cried more

"You are jealous. You can't digest the fact that she is important to me. You think I haven't seen the way you were glaring Khushi when I made Khushi wear mama bangles. You think I have not noticed how you were treating Khushi and Payal from morning. How you where ordering around them, treating like servants. You think I just magically appeared every time you were trying to prove them that you hold the power in this house. So now tell me why you said something like that" Arnav asked giving a look which said you better tell the truth.

"because I hate her. I hate her. She and her sister snatched everything from me. Khushi took my chotte away from me. And my husband, He is always all about how great she is, praises after praises, Even to the extant that he point out her as an example to some of his clients. Everything is about her. Khushi this, Khushi that. What about me? Have she faced anything that I faced in my life that you all dot around her like she is some princess. Mami for whom my happiness came first now dots around Payal. Khoon bhari tang se seeda Payal bitiya. Nani couldn't stop parsing them. They became so important to you all that you didn't had any problem with me staying away from this home. I am sure they may have done some black magic ". Anjali roared but the next moment she was awarded with a loud slap from mami.

"You were trying to use me against Khushi?" Anjali opened her mouth to answer her

"Who are you?" Anjali looked at her husband hearing this question frowning

"Who are you Anjali? You are sick Anjali. I don't recognize you as the person I once loved. You are defiantly not her. She loved her family, her chotte. She was a mother to her siblings. She cared for her family ,she always wished there welfare. But you are not her. You have been filled with so much insecurity and jealousy that you even forgot the love you had for them, the love they shower on you. You have become selfish, self-centered, and evil that I no longer recognize." Shyam admitted the fact he was late to realize.

"Shyamji"Anjali tried to touch him which he denied

"You said about your suffering which I very well know as I too endured the same or even more because you didn't have to face the world. I protected you from everything I could, gave you everything I can .When you were mourning the lose ,I didn't get the time to even properly cry for the loss because I had to take care of you, I was busy making things good for you." Arnav was done with Anjali's attitude that he was no longer letting her off the loop.

"Do you even know what Khushi has faced in her life. You think it was easy for a ten year old child to loose her parents all off a sudden. You think waiting in front of morgue for her mother's body while her father was fighting for life in ventilators was easy. What about losing him too the next day. Can you even imagine how she may have felt waiting for some of her relatives to show up at the hospital so that she could at least see them once because hospital authorities refused to hand over her their bodies as she was just a child. What about the things I made her go through". Arnav couldn't hold back. Anjali's tear no more affected him.

"No di. you don't .You are blinded with your ego, jelousy and selfishness .You can't tolerate presence of somebody other than you in my and jijaji's life. You wanted everyone in this home to only dot on you.Whoever that may be? whatever relation they share with her. But I am done explaining you all this. Last time I warned you the consequences of doing this. It is not Khushi who came in between us siblings it is your selfishness that became a barrier. Just like I said I no longer recognize you as the women I once considered next to my mother. Today you lost your brother. You are no longer my sister. So don't bother to interfere in my or my families matter from now own.

"No chotte, don't do that.I am sorry..I am so sorry" Anjali pleaded and cried.

"I thought you will be happy to know I have found love in my life, that I am finally letting go of our past and  moving on .But you are so stuck up to see my happiness .As a brother I have done everything to make you happy now it's my turn and I am not going to spoil my happiness for a selfish person like you."

"Anjali bitiya why are you like this. Why do you want to spoil chotte's happiness. Why can't you let him be happy" Nani cried thinking where did she fail in recognizing this bitterness in Anjali.

"It's a waste to tell anything to her nani. She is clouded with selfishness .But Anjali let me tell you something. I am done .I am done with this relationship. You can live your life .Me or my relationship with people won't bother you anymore."

"No shyamji. Please don't say this I can't leave without you all. I felt jealous when I heard you parsing Khushiji. I felt like I am no more important in chotte's life when he didn't say me he was going to propose her. I am sorry. please don't do this to me. I will apologize to Khushi but please don't leave me."

"Even now you are apologizing so that I forgive you, not because you realized it Anjali" Shyam said sarcastically.

"Shyamji please don't spoil your relationship because of me. It will only make her hate me more.Everything happening here is because of me. Please don't spoil everything you dreamed because of me.It will make me guilty. Please don't do that" Khushi who was silent till now pleaded Shyam.

"Did you hear that Anjali. Even after what you did She doesn't want to spoil things for you. But look at you? How could you stoop so low to even badmouth a dead person."

"I am so sorry ,So sorry." Anjali fell on the floor pleading everyone but all she got was disgusting looks even from her nani.

"I won't go for divorce Anjali. Not because I don't want that but if I do that you will find that as a new reason to spoil things for the rest of the family. So I won't divorce you but tomorrow the first thing you do is to come with me and consult a psychiatrist. Because you need treatment. Your insecurities and fear had eaten you up to the limit that you are turning evil. You need professional help if you want to overcome this and I wont settle for anything less .I hope everyone agrees with me" To which Raizadas nodded except Arnav who couldn't digest the fact that his di managed to spoil their special day.

"Listen here and listen carefully. I will marry Khushi and live with her in this house. I don't want your presence in my marriage or this house if you can't tolerate my happiness .And don't ever come to me again calling chotte with your fake tears as I won't ever fall for that now onwards."Arnav warned Anjali. Then he went near Khushi and said

"I am sorry Khushi for what she did."

"You are not responsible for her actions Arnavji"

"I am Khushi. I am responsible for what she did. If I didn't cocoon her so much she wouldn't have turned like this. Anyway forget about her, she is no more important in our life. Come ,I will drop you all. It's already late. It wont be good for uncle to stay awake this late." He told looking at Guptas who didn't say anything till now. They just analyzed everything. They were happy that Arnav stood up for Khushi and was not blinded with his sisters fakeness. They agreed to Arnav and said goodbye to Raizada elders who apologized for their daughters words especially Monorama who was also guilty that it was her failure that Anjali behaved like this .Guptas or Khushi didn't blame Manorama as they know any mother who see a scene like that would have reacted like that.