If I started talking about my growing up journey, it would take me forever, but what I could say about it was that if it weren't for my parents, I wouldn't have grown up to be such a strong person that I was today.

They always told me to stand tall with my head high and never to fear anyone and that's what I did. Slowly as I grew up, it became my personality, I became so strong and I always believed I was going to be this way, I knew nothing had the power to change it, but that was until I met Arnav.

At times, love doesn't hold you up, it ruins you, as for me, it did exactly that, ruined me. I would explain how.

It had been two weeks since I found out about the bet and in those two weeks, I hadn't stepped out of the house even for once. I sat in my room always wondering where I went wrong, at times I felt so broken I ended up crying.

In this two weeks I had cried as much as I wouldn't have in my entire life time? Why? Because of Arnav. I felt terrible, I had become this person that I never wanted to be, I always wanted to remain strong no matter what and today I was here hurting and crying over a stupid guy who had a bet about me. he dint deserve my tears, not at all.

In this two weeks, there wasn't a day when he wouldn't show up at my place, I watched from my window daily as my parents threw him out but he kept on coming back, why was it hard for him to understand that everything between us was over now?

Even if he came here every day for years, I would never forget what he did to me, never!

A knock at the door of my room disturbed my thoughts, I looked up and looked at dad as he walked in, with a faint smile on his face, he sat down beside me.

"You know Khushi, for the very first time in my life, I am disappointed with you." He sighed, I looked at him worriedly, why was he disappointed?

"What did I do dad?" I asked.

"You've changed. Look Khushi, I know he had hurt you, and although I don't know much about it, I know one thing and it's that this isn't you. Look talking to him or not talking to him is upon you but I don't want him to control your life?

Look at you, you haven't stepped out of the house in two weeks, why? I don't remember my daughter ever locking herself up in the house for anything.

I know maybe it's because you don't want to face him but running away isn't the option my dear, if you don't want him in your life go tell him that on his face and tell him to leave you the hell alone, I brought up you to always stand up for yourself, not run away from problems Khushi.

I want my strong daughter back, I want the old Khushi back, the one that would never miss her classes for anything, and here you haven't attended the university in two weeks, why? Because of him? he shouldn't be the reason why you do anything in your life, you should be the reason.

Loving someone is important my dear, but loving yourself first is very important, so if you don't want me to be disappointed with you, you would get dress, go attend your classes, your friends are waiting for you downstairs." He said.

I nodded as he stood up and walked towards the door, but then he stopped and turned to look at me.

"I am sorry for disappointing you dad, you are right, I won't let him control anything about my life, I have always been strong, I always will be." I assured him.

"That's like my daughter." He smiled as he walked away.

I stood up from my bed and headed to take a shower, I stood under the shower just wondering how different everything was going to be from today onwards.

I was always scared of letting a guy in my life because of what happened in my childhood, and then Arnav came and slowly he drove those fears away, but then now he had maximized them.

I don't think I would ever be able to trust anyone, that fear would always remain with me, no matter how genuine anyone would be, he ruined everything for me.

*****

I walked out of my room after getting ready, I found Zion right outside, he looked at me with a smile and pulled me into a hug.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I think now I am." I smiled faintly.

"You know I can still go beat him up if you let me, I am so pissed at him." Zion clenched his fists angrily.

"I know you are angry Zion, but I don't want to give him any importance at all, I'll just try to forget that he even exists." I said, he nodded as he held my hand and we both headed downstairs where the girls were waiting for me.

"So glad you finally came out of the room." Bonnie smiled happily as she rushed to hug me.

"Yeah, I missed driving with you." Katherine said.

"Oh come on, don't lie to me now, since you and Damon got together, you've driven with me maybe twice only." I teased her, but instead of making faces at me what she would have usually done, she dint, she just looked uncomfortable about that topic and so did everyone else at the mention of Damon's name.

Obviously they all knew what had happened because they had forced me to tell them, but I dint get why there was a sudden silence about it, I mean Arnav was the one that had done wrong to me.

"What's wrong?" I looked at Kitty, but she wouldn't say anything.

"She broke up with Damon." Caroline said.

"Why?" I looked at her in surprise.

"Because the bet wasn't Arnav's idea alone, Damon was in it too, and I don't want such a person in my life, not the one that could dare to hurt my friend in any way." Kitty said.

"Aww, I love you so much." I pouted as I rushed to hug her.

*****

I parked the car in my usual place as Kitty stepped out, bonnie had come with her car at my place so Caroline drove with her.

"So ready for the classes?" Kitty asked.

"I guess so." I sighed, I don't know why but I was kind of nervous today, I knew Arnav and his friends were going to be around, I dint know how to face any of them.

Well think about the devil ant the devil appears, I saw Arnav stepping out of his car, his eyes fell on me and I immediately held Kitty's hand and pulled her along with me trying to avoid him, I don't think I was ready to have any sort of conversation with him yet.

"Khushi! Khushi please wait." He shouted as he followed me, I tried to keep walking but he kept on calling out my name loud and then it was kind of embarrassing because everyone was looking at us.

So I did something I dint think I would do, I stopped, walked straight towards him, grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the crowd.

"What the hell is your problem, why can't you leave me alone?" I asked once we were away from everyone.

"I just want to talk to you please, you've been avoiding me all this days, please let me talk to you once Khushi, just let me explain everything, please." He begged me.

"What do you want to explain Arnav? And why do you even want to explain? Aren't you satisfied yet? Or is there another bet you still have about me that you're trying to win?" I asked.

"No baby, I..."

"Don't. Don't call me that stupid name, it means nothing to me, you mean nothing to me. Whatever that was in between us is over Arnav, if you can't understand it in words, I will write it down for you so you can stay away from me."

"Look I know I have hurt you, but I am sorry Khushi, I really am." He apologized, I really felt like laughing at this guy, did he really think an apology was going to mend my broken heart?

"I don't need your sorry Arnav, I don't need any apology or anything to do with you at all. I am so don't with you, you did what you wanted, hurt me and won the bet so now leave me alone."

"I can leave you alone, look I know what I did but..."

"Do you really know Arnav? Do you even have an idea what you've done to me Arnav? Don't even nod your freaking head because you have no idea! You ruined everything for me! I always had trouble trusting people, mostly men but I made an exception for you and look at what you did, you broke my trust Arnav, now because of you I won't ever be able to trust anyone ever again.

You know this was the one shot I had at love? I tried this for once because mom told me I deserved love like everyone else out there and I believed her and because of it I trusted you and I fell in love with you Arnav but you ruined it all for me. Now only because of you I would never be able to trust anyone again, I would never be able to fall in love again because I would keep living my life in fear, what if this person betrayed me like you did, what if this person hurt me like you did, what if this what if that, only because of you Arnav!

"Khushi I..."

"No Arnav, I don't want to hear you, I don't want to hear your explanation of why you did what you did or anything. You have no right to talk to me after what you did to me.

Do you even have an idea what all this meant to me Arnav? The only guys I ever had in my life were my dad, my brother and Zion, I never allowed anyone else in my life not jerks like you at least. But I don't know what happened to me, I don't know why I fell so weak despite knowing what a terrible person you were, I don't know how I fell in love with you.

Do you even realize that you were the first ever guy I fell in love with Arnav? Do you even know what that means to me? Do you know what falling in love means for a girl like me who always pushed every freaking guy away from her life because no matter how strong she showed she was, deep down she was scared to be hurt.

Despite it all, despite all my fears I fell in love with you Arnav, I believed you were the one for me, the one that was going to love me without any conditions, little did I know that this love of yours was fake, it was a stupid joke to you, it was a damn bet!

It was all fake, you just played games with me, faked your love, said a fake I love you that I stupidly believed, because I was stupid wasn't I?

Look at me Arnav, the girl that never allowed any guy in her life, was coming all prepared, with a bouquet of flowers, ready to surprise you and tell you how much she loved you. Do you even know how much a big deal it was for me? They weren't just some stupid words I was going to say to you, they meant a lot to me than you would ever know.

It was like after years I had finally found that one person whom I thought was going to be mine only, who would listen to me, love me, do stupid things with me, for a moment I had started changing because I had fallen in love with you Arnav, so no, you don't get the right to speak or tell me why you did all that to me because you have no idea what all this meant to me!" I shouted at him angrily.

Never in my life had I thought that there would come a day where I would feel this hurt and broken, I always thought I was such a strong person, well I guess love made me weak.

He just stood there silently looking at me with tears in his eyes, right now I dint care about them not at all. If he thought his tears were going to convince me to forgive him then he was wrong, that wasn't going to happen.

"I have made only one mistake in my life and that mistake is you Arnav Singh Raizada! So from today onward stay away from me, if you try to talk to me I will beat you the hell up and you know I'm very good at it." I said to him as I walked away, good for him he dint try to stop me because if he did, I would have kicked him really bad.