Hospital,

"Welcome to hell, Ms. Gupta!"

A blurry smirk formed on his equally blurry face.

Khushi was resting on the chair, after a complicated surgery. She had no more appointments or any further surgeries. While resting her head on the headrest, she didn't realize when she slipped into a slight slumber, her head aching.

Soon enough, she dreamt of a blurry face who was smirking at her. She frowned in her sleep, her memory was blurry.

A sweat drop dripped down her forehead. Another equally disturbing blurry face she had seen. The voices were resounding and unclear.

"I don't want to see your face, you'll be working from the guest house today."

She frowned more. What were those? Is she that woman in the flashback? Who was that man? Why was she crying?

She struggled with the memories, breathing hard, sweating before opening her eyes, jerking hard.

Yet another one played in front of her eyes. As if it was a movie. A movie with bad quality. Voice clear. Faces blurry, still.

"Get out!"

A male. Stronger tone. Loud enough to break the walls. The voice seemed familiar, surprisingly. Whose voice was that? She didn't know. She couldn't recognize it. Her head ached. She did what was best. Stop thinking about it. 

These Memories in some parts of her brain are stressing her. Putting a stop to such blurry flashes, she gets up.

She decided it was time for her to go home. Better she sleeps on her fluffy bed than sit her when she had no appointments.

As she drove the car towards her house, she saw a couple kissing each other on the side of the road. Another few bits of memories came across her mind. Of her and her ex-husband.  They were happy, weren't they? Until it lasted. Memories roamed around her head, she went into flashback.

The day that destroyed her relationship forever. Not that she regretted it. Never ever! That was one of the best decisions of her life.

Khushi had just come back from her medical camp, ending things early, wanting to go to her home and relish a few beautiful moments in her husband's arms before getting back to her duty again.

With a smile on her face and a spring in her steps, excited about the surprise she was about to give him, she unlocked the door.

As if that fate was against her plans, just when she unlocked the door of their flat, all her plans were left through the open space the door provided for free, when she walked in.

There sat her husband, Jay with a woman beside him. Her husband was just about to initiate a kiss with another woman — who was not her.

The bag in her hand had fallen down, breaking the silence in the room.

The couple was alerted. Jay was shocked at finding his wife a few days earlier than she was supposed to come. In fact, he thought she'd be late for a few more days.

Khushi looked at him with something akin to loathe. As if he's not even a human. He gulped down, afraid for his married life, not able to meet her eyes. Khushi's gaze didn't weaver. She was just looking at Jay, all the hurt was throwing thousands of needles through his heart.

"Khu-" Jay tried to talk. Khushi looked away, taking the fallen bag in her hand, she walked to their room — a room that would be just his from now on.

Not before saying, swallowing the lump of betrayal, trying hard to keep the bay of tears at the corners and not let slip them, "Divorce papers would be on your table soon."

"Khushi..I..listen to me," he walked behind her, leaving Sheetal behind who was smirking in her mind. Finally, Khushi caught them red-handed. Good for her and her son. Jay was hell-bent on not telling about Aarav or her to Khushi. He deserved the divorce and to be with her for life long.

Khushi was breathing hard by the time she reached the bed, throwing the ruffle bag, quite carelessly. Not really cared where it fell. She was hurt when she walked into the hall. She was angry now when she walked into the bedroom. 

Variations of emotions when you face betrayal are quite weird yet justifiable. 

Anyone who knew Khushi would easily say, without a blink of an eye, that Khushi is great at dealing with anyone with patience. She had lots of it. Really a lot that even if she could donate, it'd not lessen her patience. 

But if at she reaches the threshold point and loses all of it, no one could be worse than her. Not even her father and Hitler come together.

An angry Khushi was poisonous to health. Not just a danger. That kind of poisonous that would have no anti-dose. People would be careful not to cross limits with her who know her in and out.

Jay, even after knowing her well enough, had awoken the wanton inside her. He'd not be spared. She so wanted to use her martial skills and beat him black and blue for cheating on her.

Aah! Do her hands deserve to even touch him? She fumed and when Jay was about to touch her, she walked back, gritting her teeth in anger, "Don't. Don't even touch me."

"But Sweeth-" Khushi's glare was enough to shut him up and when he tried to open his mouth again, Khushi screamed in fury, "Shut up, Jay. I saw with my own eyes. Don't try to justify. You were about to kiss her."

She'd not be giving any heeds to his justification. Whatever his reasons were. He CHOSE to CHEAT. His so-called reasons don't change the fact. Period.

Jay took a deep breath. Yes, it's true he was about to kiss Sheetal. But he did not, right? Did he? He explained the same to his wife, "Yes, I was about to. But I didn't and never did till now. It-It was fir-first time." He wasn't confident, breaking his words in between. 

Khushi closed her eyes, and snorted, chuckling slightly, "So? How does that even matter, Jay? If I wouldn't come, you'd have definitely kissed her. Wouldn't you?"

She challenged him to deny it. If she was a second late, she knew what would have happened. Yet the man in front of her is justifying his behavior as if he did a favor by stopping at the right moment.

The funny fact was he only stopped when he saw her. What if he didn't see her and vice-versa?

"Yes, it's true. I'd have but I did not, Khushi."  He stressed the words 'did not'. He had no shame admitting he'd have kissed Sheeatl if Khshi didn't arrive. He just fuelled Khushi's anger and hurt her more. Somewhere in the corner of her heart, she hoped against hope he'd deny her words.

Alas! It broke with his single 'yes'

Composing herself, she grinds her jaws together, pointing her finger towards him, showing him a mirror, "Again, how does that even matter? You were thinking of cheating on me and might have been thinking a lot for so many days to do something like that. It is emotional infidelity, Jay. It takes time to develop feelings for someone else. Or is just lust?" She can only wonder why? "Even if it was just lust, did you forget you had a wife?"

Wasn't she right? How does that matter that he did not kiss her yet? His intentions were already far off-limits. Doesn't that say the whole thing? He had emotionally cheated on her already and was about to cheat on her emotionally.

Jay shook his head. It wasn't like he forgot he had a wife, "Khushi-"

Khushi cut him off, clearing the stance between them. No matter what, he had cheated on her, with a kiss or no kiss. Just the thought entering into his mind that he could cheat on her is enough, "Let me tell you. If you forgot you had a wife and cheated on me, it's better we divorce because a man who can forget his wife just because she was two months away, can never love his wife. If you remember you have a wife and still cheated on me, it's better we divorce still because, clearly, I've no respect in your eyes. Forget about love."

For, what is love when there is no respect?

"Khushi, but I never touched her until today."

Khushi looked away in disgust.

"I was just finding solace in her words. I'm just emotionally attracted to her. Nothing else. You were away for two months busy in your camp. You did not talk with me much for two months and Sheetal was there to share my emotions, and support me. I sought it and-" he didn't know how to complete his words and mumbled under his breath explaining his side of the story.

Khushi shot a glare at him. So, as she thought, he emotionally cheated on her. "Emotional infidelity is as worse as physical infidelity, Jay. No explanation from you is going to change my decision. What did you say? You had no one to share your emotions with when I was away?"

She narrowed her gaze at him, even though she was alone with no husband to share her worries, did she cheat? "Well, let me enlighten you. Even I was there alone, not able to share my worries with anyone when some of my patients died. What about me? Did I find solace in someone else's arms there just because I was alone and my husband wasn't there to share?"

Jay was frustrated with her continuous blames on him for cheating on her. He didn't realize what he blurted out in the moment of anger. Well, anger is indeed the worst enemy, "Who knows! You might-"

Before he could even complete his sentence, Khushi slapped him right across the cheek. His cheeks turned red slowly with the intensity of the slap. Forgetting the disgust she had to even touch him, "This is it. This is the second action of yours that made me fall out of love a little more. Respect and that trust in you are nowhere now, I'm sure I'll move on someday. Divorce papers will be soon delivered here. Enjoy with that woman."

She gushed a deep painful breath. His first action, him cheating on her, and his second action, worse than the first one, is to accuse her of infidelity. Enough! She wouldn't let someone assassinate her character. If anyone disrespects her character or maligns it, she had never been easy with them.

The man in the equation was her husband, who mattered the most to her, who was the man she loved to the core and listening to him say such things would never ever let her forgive him.

Done with the confrontation, while walking out of the door, she heard a little boy's voice.

"Dad," Aarav came running into the room without bothering to hear his mother's calls.

Khushi was shocked yet again.

"So, you have a kid too?" She gulped down another lump, trying hard to keep the tears at bay.

"Yes, my ex-girlfriend's kid was born to me and her." Jay looked away unable to talk more. What would he talk about? That he deliberately hid his kid because he didn't want to lose Khushi and yet got emotionally connected to his kid and his kid's mother in the process? Khushi's constant absence had only fuelled his needs more.

"Is that the same kid who used to call you?" Khushi mumbled, in the hearts of her hearts, knowing it was true.

Even before she went to the camp, there was some kid who calls Jay every now and then. When she asked, he laughed it off with a wave, that he was his friend's son and likes him. Great! What an actor he was. He should be nominated for Oscar for his realistic acting.

Jay nodded, still looking away, not able to meet her eyes.

It was enough for Khushi to understand what she was in his life — nothing. Just nothing.

"Why did you hide from me?"

Sheetal, in the meanwhile, had taken away Aarv, closing the door behind her, and smirking at her success in successfully breaking their marriage.

"So, you were seeing her from the time even I was there, didn't you?" she didn't ever care to whom he talked or laughed until he was loyal to her. She had trusted him for his loyalty.

And what he did do? Broke it so mercilessly under her nose and she didn't even know.

It was true Khushi sensed him detaching from her, but she didn't give it much care, engrossed in her own work and responsibilities. Did she fail as a wife somewhere? She couldn't deny it. 

"I'm really a fool to shrug it off when you were emotionally not into me while we were being intimate," she murmured. She should have asked him why he was emotionally detached from her. She didn't. It was her fault. But does that mean she deserved this? Infidelity?

Jay remembered those days before her medical camp. It's been three months since he met Sheetal and his son and was instantly attached to Aarav. He didn't realize when he detached himself from Khushi emotionally just because she was emotionally wasn't available. Their sex life was great, though. Yet when he wanted to share how he grabbed a big deal in his office was cut mid by his wife who would run away to the hospital as soon as she gets an emergency call. This only happens when he wanted to share his emotions. A very few times, she even left him for an emergency amidst their love-making session. Similar incidents like those had made him feel lonely. He needed to share his heart's whispers with someone. Sheetal, being his ex-girlfriend had clicked instantly and they were carried away in an emotional affair.

"I just got to know five months ago she was the mother of my kid. I couldn't help myself from getting attached to Aarav and even Sheetal as time progressed."

Sheetal was her name. It sounded familiar to her. Oh, yeah, she even attended a call a few months ago on his phone. The lady introduced herself as Sheetal with a kid crying behind her.

Again a lie that Sheetal was his friend's kid's caretaker. There was never a chance to even doubt her husband. 

"So, I was blind for a total of five months," she chuckled, without a hint of humor.

Jay sighed. This was the time. He needed to tell her, "You were never there, Khushi. You're always on duty, serving your society. What about me? What about my needs and emotions?"

Khushi scoffed at him, rolling her eyes at him for playing the victim card making her a villain in their marriage. "So, if you were a doctor and I'm a businesswoman, I'm supposed to cheat on you for not giving me time?"

Jay's nerves tickled down at her words, he screamed in the highest of his tempers, "Khushi!!"

"Don't shout. You just portrayed that. What kind of hypocrisy, Jay? Hats off to you! If it was me in your place, I'm not supposed to cheat but if it was you, you can actually cheat. I never know you were a chauvinist. My fate!" Khushi groaned in ire. She wanted to give him another slap.

"Khu-" he was cut off by Khushi who was gulping down the hot tears.

"You could have talked to me, Jay. You could have told me what were you feeling about my duties. I'd have done something. I'd have adjusted my schedule. I could have..just done anything. You just had to tell me," she whispered, broken with the black ashes he threw on her.

"You didn't ask me ever," he reasoned.

"Really? What was that every time I call you if I was about to come late and you say you'd be all fine with it?" If he wasn't fine, can't he tell? Doesn't he have a mouth? Not that she'd leave the hospital and come running but she could have known he wasn't fine with that and she could have done something..anything! 

Can she murder him for putting it all on her, if she was forgiven for the crime? Her gaze sent shivers down his spine yet he gathered the words to say, "What am I supposed to do? Pick a fight?"

Khushi pushed him on the chest, beating him on the shoulder, her eyes moistening a little more, "Yes, dammit. It'd have been better than what you did just now."

He was about to justify his actions, "Khushi. I-I am-" But Khushi doesn't let him, "Don't explain. Not anymore. You strayed in our relationship."

Disgust was clearly visible in her hazel eyes and Jay didn't like it. He wasn't alone in this who was responsible to destroy their marriage.

His wife was equally at fault too.

"Well, you were also a reason. If you were there for me, I'd not have cheated." He pushed her back, fury emitting from his head.

Khushi could have fallen down but steadied herself before walking away from him, mumbling loud enough for him to hear, "This cannot be worse than this, seriously!"

As she walked past the mother and son duo, she let the tears finally roll down her eyes. Sitting in her car, she cried, and cried and cried until there were no more tears left for her to cry.

Deciding not to shed a single tear for a cheater, she drove to her father's mansion, her home. Her true home.

——————————

Khushi was home an hour later, standing in front of her father, trying to not break down and cry. "Dad."

Adam who was just about to retire to his room, guessed, "Darling, you and here? Did you fight with Jay?"

Khushi, instead, almost ordered, not replying to his questions, "Let's have a drink."

"Sure, let's go!" Adam gave his daughter the space. She'd tell him when she wants to. If she wanted to have a sip of a drink, why not? They'd talk about everything until his daughter feels fine.

——————————

Khushi stayed for whole two days in her home. Adam, although happy to have his daughter for a longer time, was worried about what happened between the couple. If it'd have been their usual fight, Jay would have come home to take Khushi back. Not that Khushi ever comes here for every small fight.

But whenever Jay hurts her with his actions, she'd come here, to relax her mind. He was lost in thoughts sitting in the study room when he heard his daughter, "Dad, I need to talk to you."

"Sure, darling. Come." He smiled and frowned at the file in her hand and her expressionless face.

Something worse is coming, he wasn't prepared.

Khushi put the file in front of him and gestured for her father to read it.

He took the file and after having gone through the file shocked him, "What is this?"

"Divorce. I'm divorcing Jay," she stated simply as if it wasn't her married life she was talking about.

"Why? What happened?"

"He cheated on me. Emotionally! Had a kid from a previous relationship and hid from me," Khushi was still expressionless.

"He knew about it before marriage?" He was calm, controlling the ocean of rage inside his heart.

"No. After marriage. Just recently. I don't want to be married to him anymore." She signed the divorce papers in front of her father.

What happened next was history. A divorce notice was sent to him. Jay decided to live with Sheetal and Aarav. Not to forget the number of bruises he had the next day was forever memorable.

All thanks to Adam, his father-in-law err Ex-father-in-law.

Her marriage had lasted until it lasted. That's it. She had moved on, it took time, but she had moved on. That's what mattered in the end. 

Coming out of the flashback, Khushi parked the car before entering her home, only to see Arjen waiting for her.

——————————

Airport,

Arnav was sitting on one of the luxurious lounges in the VIP Room of the airport, sipping on his black coffee and reading a business magazine, without any care when his phone rang.

Aman!

Arnav lifted the call not taking his eyes off the magazine, and heard Aman say, "ASR, where are you? Did you land?"

Arnav replied, nonchalantly, "Yes, I did. An hour ago, having my hot cup of black coffee now. Why? Is there any problem?"

Aman on the other hand had opened his mouth dramatically. How innocent ASR is acting? Great, just great. Aman thought and murmured into the phone, lowly, "ASR, I should salute you for your acting skills. It was you who lit the fire in Shantivan and I've been unfortunate to witness the Drama from the early morning between those Kashyaps and Raizadas. My ears are bursting and my eyes are burning."

Aman complained about his unfortunate fate from the morning, now standing in the garden of Shnativan away from the drama that had been happening in Shantivan.

Three more hours and the guest would start coming. Raizadas and Kashyaps are hell-bent on blaming each other for whatever happened.

"I'll come in half an hour. Just watch the drama until I come," Arnav instructed, smirking, knowing exactly what would have been happening in that brick of a house called Shantivan.

"Fine, come soon, please," he dropped the phone not cutting the call, and murmured worriedly, "Inn saare bhoot preton ko me nahi sambhal sakta," Aman mumbled not realizing his boss had heard him.

(Fine, come soon, please. I can't take care of these ghosts and witches.)

Arnav chuckled, cutting the call already, as he made his way out.

TV was playing the news on one of the channels behind him.

"Just when we were confirmed with Advay Singh Raizada and Lavanya Kashyap's engagement, recently a video of the couple seemed to be circulating among social media, going viral..."

To be continued..,

Let me know what you think about the update.

What do you think about Khushi's past? 

What's happening in Shantivan?

The next chapter is ready too. It will be up before the morning. 

Regards,

Poly

08/02/2023