"OUT. MY KHUSHI WILL NOT COME WITH YOU."

He isn't come into reality yet. If he was ASR he wouldn't be spoken to them like this when he still feels guilty. Khushi sighs at the thought.

"He forced you to come here, didn't he? We know he will do something like this when payalia called us."

"No buaji. He didn't forced me, I came here on my will." Khushi intervenes.

"Don't take his side. Wait where's Rajiv? Did he done something to him?" Asks buaji in angry tone.

"Who's Rajiv?" Arnav raises his brow as he feel he heard this name somewhere.

"He's her husband." Buaji blurts out before Khushi could do damage control.

Arnav eyes turned red in rage. His fingers forms a fist.

"No one but I AM HER HUSBAND buaji. Dare you take another man name with my khushi." He roars whereas khushi flinches at his voice.

"Arnavji please.. you should not talk to elders with this tone."

He took a sharp breath and nods accepting her point. He knows, his Khushi will not leave him henceforth. Apparently he believes in Rajiv words. Strangely he finds Rajiv words true than anyone's words.

Buaji glares at Khushi for taking his side. They saw Khushi making way towards the bed supporting Arnav. She made him lay on the bed and tucks him inside the comforter.

"I'll back. Will you just sleep until then?" She whispers softly against his ear.

"Khushi... No.." His eyes instantly took a wary look.

"I promise. You trust me right." She assured him and caress his forehead time to time in a comforting manner.

"They.." He points his index at the Gupta's. Khushi sighs and places her lips on his forehead without hesitation. Ignoring the gasps she asks "I am saying na. Trust me. Won't you do that?"

"I trust you but not they."

"So you're not trusting me again."

"No no... I'll take rest. And you should come to me. Promise." He hurries to clear his stance.

"Pakka promise." She flickered his nose and his lips stretches into a full fledged smile.

Pushing the comforter over his frame, she gestures her buaji, amma and jiji to outside.

They made a face and left outside.
.
.
.
.

"You're doing wrong Khushi." Starts an concerned Garima.

"It's not going to work." Says Payal.

"You're entering into den willingly." Mutters an angry buaji.

Khushi inhales a sharp breath before braces herself to face the clan of her protectors.

"I know you're not happy with the happenings. I... I mean Rajiv knows about us and he willingly let me break our relationship. I and Rajiv are never meant to be. He's my friend, not more than that." Khushi close her eyes ready to hear scoldings.

"What? Is it any child play? First Arnavji married you forcefully for six months and after legally separated from him, you married Rajiv and now you're saying you both are not meant to be and Rajiv let you go just like that. Is it any joke? Where's your moral khushi?" Payal raises her voice whereas elders helplessly looking at the siblings. They don't know what to do. They do not want to force Khushi into a relationship once again.

Khushi blenches at the tone "Please jiji. Try to see the reality from my eyes. Do you think, it's easy for me to break a nuptial bond just like that? No jiji. It took all my willpower to break my morals which I worship like a god. Do you know, I was just breathing all these days. The moment I saw arnavji, I came alive again. The minute I came to know his health status, I broke completely."

"You can live without love Khushi but not without TRUST. Your relationship with arnavji lacks the major element."

"Time will change everything. I trust him. He'll redeem himself."

"Life is not a fairy tale where the hero changes for heroine just in a blink."

"You yourself said that life isn't a fairytale, then it's absurd to expect everything to change soon. Everyone learn from mistakes and I learnt in hard way the same way he did."

"What a joke khushi? When did he learnt from mistakes? From the start all he did was to hurl insults at you, distrust you, hurted you. Then how can you expect us to accept him?"

"He did learn it jiji. Hadn't he realised his mistake, he wouldn't stood by my side when Shyam threw nasty words at me after his kidnapping. He wouldn't slapped him. He did learnt it."

"Then what I seen on the poolside? Do you have any explanation to cover up his blunders?"

"It's his anger. His anger words held no meaning."

"So you mean, you forgive him for everything. Then why did you married Rajiv?"

"It's a mistake."

"WHAT?"

"Yes, it's the biggest mistake of my life. If only I hadn't come on your and di words. I was angry on arnavji but never once I thought to move on from him. But you and di did a perfect job on brainwashing me. Using my uncertainty, you changed my views. Like a fool, I didn't heard my heart and went ahead with my brain. See where it ended. Everything is a mess."

"I can't believe you're speaking like this. Now that Arnav Singh Raizada become a saint and we're your enemies"

"Stop it jiji please. I am tired of everything. Tired of sacrificing. Tired of losing my happiness. Tired of giving my life decisions to others. He's worng, I never compromise on this truth. But..

Di is right at one point. If he's wrong then we're too. We've no right to hide such a scandal of their life from them. You said about trust right. If arnavji was a traitor according to you then I am traitor on his view jiji. Leave arnavji, Anjali di had trusted me right. What did I done in return? In the name of safeguarding her I hide the biggest truth of her life. Shyam tried to kill arnavji inspite of the chance we given him. Our chance vent in vain. If he deserved a chance, then arnavji too deserves a chance."

"But khushi, he has many flaws. You can't live a peaceful life."

"Everyone human being has some flaws jiji. Even you have."

Payal shoots a sharp glare at her.

"You shouldn't have involved Rajiv in my life. Don't be shocked, Rajiv told me about your interference. It's you who instilled the marriage thoughts in him, it's you who persuaded him to took forward a proposal to me. Before I could think of forgiving arnavji, you pushed Rajiv in my life that too deliberately. Isn't it a flaw? Who gave you the right to decide my life? Who gave you the right to decide whom I should pair with?"

Payal looks at her with hurt. All she did was for Khushi happiness but never once she thought she would be accused for that. She wipes her tears.

"Khushi... He's a nice man unlike arnavji and Shyam. I thought you deserve a peaceful life away from them. You deserve happiness Khushi."

"My happiness lies in arnavji not Rajiv." Khushi cries. She regret the minute she give into their wishes in one of her weak moment.

What a mess they created? Thinking to settle one's life they did destroyed many lives and wasted a year.

"He's not stable." Payal argues back.

"Blame me for that. No one but I am the reason." Khushi wails.

"Who knows, once he's back to normal he may turn into the same arrogant man who only knows to hurt you."

"What is your vengeance with him? Can't you see, how much suffered he is? Isn't enough that he, the ASR gone insane not able to cope up with his heartbreak? Do you think he'll hurt me henceforth? Even if he did, I know how to tackle him. I know how to handle him. I need no one permission to live with him. I am done with everything. I am going to live, what my heart desires. Good night."

Khushi marches outside not giving the chance for Payal to retort back.

She rushes to Arnav room where he's waiting for her eagerly. The moment she opened the door, he beams at her in happiness.

"I was afraid."

She smiles lightly and went near him. He held her palm instantly and gestured her to sit.

She was going to sit opposite to him, but he hurries to stop her "Not here. Here." He pats a space behind him.

She frowns but nonetheless she did. And Arnav lays his head on her lap and held her palm against his chest.

"I thought they'll not let you come near me." He reveals in low tone.

"I promised na. Once you are fine, we're going to live happily." She grins at him expecting the same enthusiasm from him.

"I am perfectly alright."

"I don't think so."

He scrunches his brows trying to find what was wrong with him. His brain refused to budge his orders.

"Don't think too much. Everything will be fine soon. And you will be muttering your what the and bark orders at everyone..."

Arnav interrupts her finishing the sentence.

"And you'll be fluttering like a butterfly all around our house and scolding me for my grumpiness. And you'll bring your stars above our bed and Salman posture, devimaaiyaa statue.... Anddd... Arnav-Khushi hamesha."

She chuckles amidst of her tears. Arnav lowers her head down by hooking his arms behind her neck and press his lips against her skin on forehead. Khushi closes her eyes and place her head on his. Slowly Arnav drifts into a peaceful slumber with Khushi beside him caressing him time to time looking forward to a happy life ahead where no misunderstandings, no ego, no treachery but LOVE exists.

Aakash sighs in relief seeing the couple through the glass door regretting his flaw on not standing by his brother when all his brother did was to safeguard them. He failed as a brother. He wipes his misted eyes.

"I shouldn't have dragged her on that night and ordered amma, buaji to not let him meet Khushi. Maybe everything would've worked on different way, if I let them on their own." Payal whispers eyeing the content couple.

"We failed our siblings."

_End_

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Anyone want epilogue?

Thank you all for your wonderful support! It's an accidental story and I am glad, I didn't regret it.

Let me know your opinion on comment section!