No proofread

Arvind's Residence.

Garima sitting on the bed with her back resting on the headboard stared down at a sleeping Arvind holding her hand.

All these years she taught Arvind had stopped the habit of holding her hand in his sleep but he still does it.

She gently removed the hair kissing his beautiful forehead with her other hand making Arvind stir in his sleep.

"Why are you friends with such dangerous people if your business is a legit and genuine one? " Garima thought as she remembered her conversation with Payal, Mohan, Aman, and Sunil the detective in charge of their mission.

Flashback.

It's been months now since they have been meeting in secret and as the detectives dug more into Arvind's activities in the past decades, they realized he wasn't in any gang or dealing in illegal businesses like they thought he was.

In fact, they found out Arvind has not completely abandoned Arnav and Anjali like they thought when it was revealed he was Arnav's sponsor for his education at Harvard.

Accommodation, food, books, and fees were paid by an account that was traced to Arvind Malik until his accident eight years ago which left him in a coma for years.

"I think we are wrong about Arvind Malik. " Mohan exclaimed breaking the reverie of shock that had engulfed them since the revelation. "All the records we have of him have nothing incriminating to it and it looks like he would have never let Anjali marry Shyam if he hadn't been in a coma due to his accident....... Look at Shyam who is now a walking dead in prison all because of Arvind's influence. "

Garima stood up abruptly which took everyone aback.

"I can't do this anymore. " Garima uttered in a very serious and stern voice shocking Payal, Aman, and Mohan but not Sunil the detective as he saw her caving months ago but kept quiet.

"You can't be serious. "

"I am Payal and I realize I don't deserve to be with you and Khushi or my granddaughter........ I did all this for the three of you and because I thought I could win Shashi back but I realize now that I can never really love Shashi the way I love Arvind. " Garima sat back down as they all stared at her silently and in disbelief. "A few days ago I saw the woman you said Madhu introduced to Shashi months ago and I didn't feel jealous or possessive or angry I felt happy for Shashi seeing him smiling with her unlike Arvind whom I had fired two helps for trying to flirt with him. " Garima paused and chuckled and they felt the softness and love for Arvind in her voice. "I thought he was a danger to you and the family but now I realize what he told me was true..... He did have the accident and tried to be in their lives without them knowing. "

"Wait what did he tell you? " Aman asked as they all stared at her with peek interest and curiosity.

Garima sighed and took a sip of her drink.

"Arvind told me he was going to get Anjali and Arnav back from Raizada Haveli in Udaipur three weeks after the incident at Sheesh Mahal but he arrived at Anjali having a nervous breakdown yelling at how she hated Arvind and blaming him for everything that happened and Arnav sitting at the corner emotionless looking like a ghost...... He felt responsible for it and realized how much damage he had done by punishing Anjali and Arnav for what Ratna and his mother did to him. "

"What has Arnav's mother got to do with this?...... She is the victim of all of this. " Payal exclaimed angrily at Garima and she shook her head.

"Believe it or not which I now believe to be true, Arvind was always faithful to Ratna and loved Arnav and Anjali very much until he found out that the drunken incident that lead to the birth of Arnav and Anjali was rape." Payal gasped in shock while the men's eyes widened at the revelation." His mother and Ratna had gotten him to drink alcohol and aphrodisiac and she had raped him to get herself pregnant and they did this on Holi to avoid any suspicion....... He only found out when Ratna I guess feeling guilty for betraying Arvind confronted Sudhadra when she wanted her to use the same tactics to get another child and Arvind had overheard them....... He admitted he let the betrayal get in his heart and head and he stop seeing Arnav and Anjali as his children but instead the result of his being raped....... To get revenge against Ratna and his mother he took advantage of something they both feared....... Ratna was a woman who prided herself in her husband loving her and made sure everyone knew and Arvind went along with it....... Sudhadra was a woman who loved her reputation more than anything and raised her children to fear and obey her......... So his revenge was bringing prostitutes to the palace and intentionally making them make noise for people to think he was having sex with them. "

"So he wasn't sleeping with them? " Aman asked and Garima nodded.

"This hurt Ratna's ego and he made sure the servants in the palace all knew how she couldn't satisfy him and with time, it spread like wildfire as Ratna was taunted and confined herself in the palace same goes for Sudhadra....... He said I felt happy and got his justice through this but unfortunately, he realized the damage he had done when he saw how pale and emotionless the once bubbly Arnav looked, and seeing Anjali have that nervous breakdown jolted him into reality........ He left for South Africa unable to face them and but never left them......... He told me how he anonymously invested in Manohar's car dealership shop since he was the one taking care of them and the rest you already until his accident eight years ago when a drunk driver knocked him off the road....... He was in a coma for almost three years and his rehabilitation and his healing together took almost four years of his life....... After he was healed, he found out about Arnav's marriage and everything that had been happening........ I don't think I can go on anymore....... It's better if we end it all here and I will try to convince Arvind to let us leave....... Please keep his existence a secret........ Arnav is happy now with Khushi and Anjali is doing better now....... There is no need to ruin their happiness by telling them the truth...... It will break them....... This might be the last time we meet again. "

Garima stood up with her bag and opened it pulling out a beautiful music box.

She smiled and handed it to Payal who stared at it and back to Garima.

"Arvind bought it for Anaisha...... Please give it to her but in your name and please send me a picture of Anaisha with it........ I will find a way to explain to Arvind about how she got it......... I will take my leave now. "

Garima walked a few steps but halted hearing Payal's words.

"I still don't believe what he told you but if he is what will make you happy and he will never be around us then so be it...... Good luck Amma. "

Garima's eyes teared up and she wanted so much to hug Payal but restrained herself and walked away.

A few hours later, she got an email from Aman with a video of Anaisha happily bouncing to the music of the music box and she smiled with glassy eyes.

Flashback ends.

"Rima? "

The voice of Arvind snapped her out of her trance and she stared down to find Arvind with a look of concern.

He stood up and kneeled in front of her cupping her cheeks.

"I know you will miss our daughters just like I will miss Arnav and Anjali but you are right....... We have made mistakes that ruined their lives and now they are happy...... Our presence will only ruin their happiness....... I have arranged for us to go to Italy and start all over again....... In a week from now, we will be in Italy. "

Garima was happy and surprised by his words and hugged him.

She thought he wouldn't give in to them leaving when she brought it up especially when he walked away after she tried to convince him and avoided her for a few days until recently.

Arvind broke the hug and kissed her forehead as she smiled through her tears which he wiped away.

"Thank you for the video of our grand baby and am sorry for controlling you the way I did and am sorry for now standing up to my mother for you........ Do you forgive me? "

Garima nodded and hugged him again and Arvind smiled widely as he reciprocated.

Garima started kissing his neck making Arvind moan and she pulled away and crashed his lips onto hers as they made passionate love to each other through the night waiting for the day to start a new life.

No matter how toxic their love for each other was, there was no denying they were made for each other.

RM.

The entire family including a confused Anjali sat at the dining table as Arnav and Khushi wanted to reveal everything they found to them.

Arnav knew he couldn't keep what he found out to himself therefore he asked Anjali to come over including Nani and Mami who were shocked when the call came in.

Mohan, Payal, and Aman on the other hand were in their world wondering if they should tell the family the truth about Arvind Malik or not but what they didn't know was that circumstances were about to force them to reveal the truth.

"Chote?...... Is everything okay?....... Is Ana alright? " Anjali asked looking concerned and Arnav smiled at his sister.

The exact expression and concern she had for Anaisha was the same as she had for him until the night their lives changed forever.

"Don't worry Di, Anaisha is as troublesome and cute as ever........ Hari Prakash and his brother are playing with her in her playroom. " Arnav responded and was taken aback seeing Anjali narrowing her eyes at him and he immediately knew why and chuckled.

"Don't call my angel troublesome...... She is an angel compared to you who was a little demon...... You were even worse immediately after you started crawling and if you and Usain Bolt were on the tracks, you would have surpassed him. "

Everyone laughed seeing Arnav looking flustered at being exposed.

"So if Ana is alright then why did you call me, Nani, and Mami here? "

Arnav sighed hesitating but Khushi held his hand and squeezed it and the family knew whatever he was about to say wasn't good since Arnav is not a hesitant person.

"I asked Sumit Kaka to get me some of our old toys from Sheesh Mahal to give to Anaisha and I found something. "

Arnav pulled a diary from his jacket and placed it in front of him as the others except Khushi looked on curiously.

"This diary is about to prove to us that Maa wasn't the woman she portrayed herself to be....... Papa was the first victim of her schemes with Dadi and also explains why he all of a sudden stopped loving us. "

Payal, Mohan, and Aman looked shocked hearing Arnav and they finally believed what Garima had told them.

Nani gulped looking scared as she had a suspicion about what Arnav was talking about and this didn't go unnoticed by Mami who held her hand.

"Sasuma?.... Are you okay? "

Everyone turned to her and realized she looked as pale as a ghost and Arnav and Khushi immediately realized she knew.

Arnav chuckled shaking his head as everyone turned to him to find him glaring at Nani who looked down with a look of shame on her face and Arnav jerked up and yelled at Nani

"You knew!....... You knew and never said anything and let me hate Arvind Malik....... You knew your wretched daughter was the culprit but let me love a dinner like her and hate a victim like Arvind Malik....... You knew. "

Anjali was shocked hearing Arnav's words but he knew he was telling the truth and leaned in and picked up the diary which she knew would answer all her questions.

She opened it and found the short notes in the handwriting of her mother.

Chills engulfed Anjali as she read the notes and tears started streaming down her cheeks and she started wailing.

Mami unable to understand anything let go of Nani and held Anjali as she cried in her arms.

Isha, Shashi, and Ajay picked up the book and were shocked reading the content.

"Maa was a rapist Mami...... She raped Papa and we are the result of that rape...... Dadi also helped her and Nani knew. " Anjali exclaimed in shock and anger at both Nani and Ratna.

"I finally understand why he stopped loving us...... We were the result of him being violated....... The symbol of Ratna's betrayal........ I don't blame him for what he did........ It was hard enough that he could stand up for the woman he loves but stayed faithful to Maa only for her to betray him in the worst possible way all because he wanted to trap him........ We were nothing but pawns to keep a man...... We deserve his hate. "

"No, you don't dear. " Ajay said as he moved towards Anjali and wiped her tears.
"Your father had a choice to be a father to you and Arnav but he chose revenge and ruined your childhood....... He robbed you two of a happy childhood voided of trauma....... Trauma that shaped you and your brother's life....... I do sympathize with your father but he is also a culprit. "

"Ajay you are wrong? " Isha exclaimed shocking everyone. "I understand Arvind Malik as ironic as it any sound...... If you have been betrayed by the people you once respected and loved, you tend to lose your mind and focus more on making them pay than gathering your loved ones and giving them to love they need....... Look at what I did to Arnav, I wanted him to pay for what his family did to me when he was just an innocent soul........ I nearly ruined his life and that of our daughters in my thirst for revenge....... I had a choice to just reveal myself to Khushi and Payal and give them all the love I couldn't give them but look what I did........ Yes, Arvind Malik was wrong to take out his anger on Ratna on Arnav and Anjali but he is human and was hurt........ We are designed to respond to the strongest emotions and trust me when I say, that love is strong but hate can surpass the strength of love...... Some process betrayal differently and that doesn't make them less of a human....... We can judge all we want but Arvind is a victim of betrayal and a culprit for neglecting Arnav and Anjali. "

Everyone finally understood her reason for defending Arvind Malik.

"Am sorry Anju and Chote." Nani cried as the duo scoffed and rolled their eyes at her. "I found out about it on Chote's third birthday and at first I was angry but I understood she wanted Arvind desperately and wasn't content with his loyalty, respect, and faithfulness..... She was scared if Garima were to divorce her husband, Arvind wouldn't hesitate to divorce her that's why she did what she did."

"Just shut up Nani and stop defending her. " Anjali yelled at Nani who flinched and kept quiet. "You made us love the wrong person....... I lived my life hating Papa for nothing........ Chote nearly ruined his life because of what happened....... We all neglected him because he was a man and I am no different from Ratna...... I am indeed her daughter because I was self-centered and selfish like she was....... I hate myself so much."

Anjali turned to Arnav who was still sitting in his chair and limped up to him and folded her hands.

"Am so sorry chote....... So sorry. " Anjali wailed remorsefully and Arnav wrapped his arms around her waist as she held on to him.

Both siblings cried holding on to each other and everyone was glad to see them console each other.

"I wish Papa was alive..... I wish I could tell him how sorry I am for always insulting and rebelling against him. " Anjali exclaimed and Arnav nodded in agreement.

Payal stared at Aman and Mohan and nodded but Mohan shook his head against the idea because he was afraid of the consequences but one glare from Aman set him straight.

Aman turned to Payal and nodded and she smiled at him and entwined her hands to his and cleared her throat gaining everyone's attention.

"Anjaliji, you can see your father again. " Everyone except Aman and Mohan looked confused.

"Arvind Malik is alive and in India as we speak. " Aman continued as the family stared at them in shock.

"He never really abandoned bhai and Anjali like you all thought..... And we also knew about Bhai's mother being a rapist. " Mohan confused.

"Wait how did you know?...... We just found out about all this just last night and I have safeguarded the diary since sp how the hell the hell did you know about this? " Khushi yelled clearly demanding answers.

Mohan together with Payal and Aman confused everything they knew as the family stood in shock at the revelation.

"We thought we could get rid of him without any of you knowing because we knew how triggered bhai was until now. " Mohan said trying to defuse the anger he knew was about to be associated with the revelation.

Isha glared at the trio pissed by the news and they both gulped praying she couldn't punish them.

She was about to speak when Arnav yelled out Anjali's name.

Anjali had fainted in Arnav's arms as the family rushed to them.

To be continued.

The next update is on Saturday.

Don't forget to hit the ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ button, comment, and follow for more.

٩(ര̀ᴗര́)ᵇʸᵉ.

Xoxo xoxo.