"But Sheetal-ji is Aarav's mother, isn't she?" Anjali whispered confused recovering from the initial shock she got.

The nurse had left taking the form with her.

Sneha Saxena takes a deep breath, looking at a woman whose emotions were at one point in time, as same as hers. They both loved the same person although she didn't love him as insanely as Anjali did, yet she did, and they were betrayed by the same person. Shyam Manohar Jha is a gold-digging bastard — who can go behind anyone if they have money worth crores.

"Well, you guys were betrayed by Sheetal Kapoor who made her way into your home using my son! She was cheating you right under your nose and you saw nothing except for what she showed herself to you."

Raizadas gasped in shock, unable to believe what the woman was saying. Well, the woman in the picture was practically a stranger to them. How could they believe her?

"But why she would do that?" Anjali asked in confusion. Sheetal was a good woman who has mingled with everyone in her home.

"Why should we believe a stranger, hello hi bye bye," Manorama who was always fascinated with modern women, supports Sheetal over the stranger practically standing in front of them.

"Well, I thought you easily trust strangers." Sneha wasn't the one to succumb to defeat easily, as she gives it back to them equally.

"What? I think you don't know but Sheetal was my Chotte's friend," Anjali makes it clear to the woman standing stiff, confidence boozing out of her figure overpowering the other attributes.

NK interrupts the conversation, saying the facts, "She's right, Di. Sheetal is a betrayer."

His declaration did nothing good to the people present in the situation, except Devyani, Payal, and Akash who believed NK.

"Do you know her before, NK bitwa?" Manorama asks the main question, without beating around the bush.

"No," he fumbles but is confident as he mutters a denial.

Manorama huffs rolling her eyes, she expected it! "Whoever she is had you wrapped around her finger, NK Bitwa. You don't even know her. It might be her trap."

NK looks at Manorama, his eyes are wide open in shock. What is she even saying? Had Sheetal's magic drowned them to such a limit that she isn't believed his nephew? Isn't Sheetal also a stranger to them?

"I agree I don't know her before but again we also don't know Sheetal before," he points out the logic.

"But she is our Arnav Bitwa's friend," Manorama argues. Well, she is right practically. But that doesn't mean they know Sheetal in and out. Do they? No. They don't.

Why aren't they realising that? NK wonders looking at the foolish minds of his Maasi and Anjali Di.

They would have if they had their brains in the skill. God did make them perfect, fitting their brains in the correct place.

But as they grew to close Sheetal, especially in the last few days, their brains had slipped from their knees to the feet it seems.

When did the brains reach their knees? Must have when they chose to ignore the blatant truth.

"Ma, if NK bhai is saying Sheetal is a betrayer, she must be! Why would he lie?" Akash opens his mouth, defending NK and his words. If he's saying this with so much confidence, he must be saying the truth. NK doesn't blabber away just like that, without having confirmation on the things he doubted.

The last time they didn't believe him — it cost them a baby's death.

"You shut up, Akash Bitwa. This Khoon-Bhari taang has anyway tied you around her little finger. I don't want my NK bitwa to fall into the trap of this rude woman," Manorama had developed a dislike towards Sneha when her voice sounded a little rude when she back answered to her Anjali Bitiya and her.

Devyani controls her desire to slap her daughter-in-law.

Why doesn't she let the woman talk and come clear with whatever she wanted to say?

"Payal is my wife's name, Ma!" he grits his teeth in anger.

Sneha had enough of the drama happening in front of her and she screams a little, shrugging their drama away, sighing, and coming clear with her words, "I'm not talking about Sheetal."

She successfully gets the attention of the Raizada Clan who are about to enter a battlefield.

"Then who?" Anjali questions in curiosity. Is NK saying the truth? Why would he believe a stranger woman? Anjali was stepping into the danger zone again — not trusting her brothers.

Repeating the same mistake!

NK in the meanwhile had stood silent, without interrupting Sneha and interfering himself in the conversation or a battle one could say. He was hurt! His words weren't taken into the account. Better he keeps silent and lets Sneha deal with them.

If he wanted, he could have stopped them and shown them the proof — the video Om Prakash had recorded, in which Sheetal herself had declared the heinous act she played with Aarav, Sneha, and Raizadas.

But he didn't! They didn't believe his words, and that hurt him. What if they say he blackmailed Sheetal to confess such things in the video?

He doesn't trust them with himself anymore!

"Isn't Shyam Manohar Jha a stranger when you met him the first time or when he made his way to your heart?" She didn't want to get into the past but the woman isn't ready to believe her. Well, good, when she shows her the proof, she'd believe.

She also finds it weird for them to trust a stranger than their own just because she's their family member's classmate.

Weird Circus! She thinks in her mind.

"How do you know Shyam-Ji?" Anjali stammers a bit in the end, stuttering her ex-husband's name a little.

"Well, you don't know a lot many things about your ex-husband, Miss Anjali Singh Raizada," Sneha felt sorry for the woman, well she did feel sorry for herself when she was betrayed by him.

Anjali's eyes poured into more tears at the spat that was thrown on her face. She really didn't know anything about her ex-husband. Didn't ever think he could kill her Rajkumari! She couldn't ever believe he'd kidnap her Chotte, but he did. Everything was proven and pieces were put in together in front of her.

"Look, I don't mean to hurt you. But let's face the truth. If you think you know how cruel Shyam was when he betrayed you, let me tell you one thing, you know only a part of him and nothing more than that. He was my ex-boyfriend before he met you and the Kid, Aarav is my son with him, born out of a no-strings-attached affair!" She was stating the facts, though her voice sounded harsh hurting people who ever had heard her and known Shyam's betrayal. But that's how she's. Always!

It was such a shock for them for the second time in a row. They got to know Sheetal Kapoor betrayed them and before they could fully accept it, another ugly truth was flung on their faces.

Raizada clan wasn't the only one get shocked. Even NK was shocked for the nth time today. Well, n has no number, he didn't count how many truths were revealed to him from the morning. He wasn't aware the father of the child is Shyam Manohar Jha. How did this beautiful woman fall for a scumbag like him? He thought imagining the face of Shyam, who's ugly at heart.

"What are you saying, hello hi bye bye?" Manorama who had her mouth shut for a few minutes now widened her eyes in shock.

"The Truth!" she simply declares. Although the words were just two and simple as it sounds, they had the power to shatter the little sentience she gathered with abstruse.

"Where is the proof? Show us. Show us! We won't believe you until then, hello hi bye bye!" she twists her mouth looking at the woman. She wouldn't believe her until she showed them the proof.

"Alright! Sure, why not!" she takes out her phone and was about to show them the video when a nurse walks out of the room.

"Excuse me, people! This is a hospital. Can you take out your conversations outside this hospital? Look at the board there."

Silence! The board showed in capital letters, screaming out — Keep Silence!

"We're sorry!" NK apologizes for the unnecessary commotion they made, disturbing the harmony of the hospital.

They keep silent although, in their heart of hearts, all they wanted to do was watch the proof. The proof which would prove the truth!

NK decided to walk into ICU which is a little away from the point where they were standing. To check on Khushi-Ji and his Nannav Bhai.

"Akash, was Arnav or Khushi shifted to some other rooms?" he asked walking up to him before he could go to any of the ICUs they were put in first.

"No, NK. Bhai shifted to Khushi Bhabhi's room," Akash who has just got the message from Aman that the Guptas are home, informed his NK Bhai that they were in the same room.

NK nods as he made his way toward Khushi-Ji's room and creaked open the door, popping his head in.

"Nannav?" NK mumbles slowly, not wanting to disturb Khushi-Ji as he saw her resting on the bed. He walked into the room at the sight of Arnav sitting on the bed looking at Khushi-Ji without blinking his eyes. His Nannav Bhai was eating Khushi-Ji away with just his gaze. They screamed the intensity of several emotions his brown eyes were screaming.

Arnav who succumbed to the slightest noise that could disturb his Khushi frowned at the disturbance and looked up only to see his idiot brother grinning at him.

"What?" he asks, raising his eyebrows. His voice was low, a mere whisper.

"How's Khushi-Ji? And how are you?" his voice was a mere whisper too. Even though it's quite difficult for him, the situation demanded it and it's about his Brother and Sister-In-Law, who is also his best friend.

"She's better than before!" he whispers, for the first time giving a straight answer to his brother who irritates him the most.

"And you?" he questions, raising his both eyebrows at him.

"Fine," Arnav simply shrugs. He was never the one to answer about his wellness. Even if he's not, he'd flung the word — fine!

NK is lost in thoughts thinking if he should inform his Nannav Bhai of all the findings he had found out today, from the morning.

Shyam's Bracelet

ACP's call

Sneha's revelations

Sheetal's wicked plan

Mother and Son were admitted to the hospital, just beside his room.

Arnav Singh Raizada would come out from Arnav sitting on his bed if he'd tell him everything.

Let's wait until the discharge!

NK fixes it in his mind. If Arnav found out later that he hid everything, his brother would skin him alive. He shudders at the thought.

He will tell him soon, as soon as they settle in the home.

Sheetal anyway is lying in the hospital and she couldn't escape, he'll have to discuss it with Akash and arrange security for Sheetal and Aarav. They shouldn't escape.

He couldn't possibly inform the police when he don't have any proof except the video Sneha had shown him.

**

An hour later,

"Oh my god! This kid just beat Nurse with the scissors!" The doctor tends to the nurse who had her hands bleeding from the sudden attack from the 8-year-old boy.

"Better let's get him to a Psychiatrist! Report it," the doctor orders another nurse to inform the dean and get an available Psychiatrist to control the kid — who is now sleeping on the bed after getting sedated.

"Okay, doctor!" The nurse walks out to carry out the order, ignoring the calls from the kid's mother who was hell scared, and heartbroken.

Sneha cries in the corner remembering the sight she had to see her kid in.

She had to accept the truth! The fault was hers. She shouldn't have handed him over to the Orphanage.

If she wasn't impulsive, her Aarav would have been fine. Normally fine!   

Well, it wasn't just her fault alone. People had used him as they pleased! That's the truth for another day. 

To be continued..,

Let me know what you think of the update. 

Again, who hit Khushi and Sheetal? I think you know who it is now!

Regards,

polymath_land

09/12/2022