Arnav parked the car near Khushi's flat building, Mohan Kaka was about to get down the car to open the door for Khushi when Arnav stopped him, "Rehne do.. jyada heropanti dikhane ki jaroorat nahi hai (Let it be.. you don't need to show off yourself as a filmy hero much)." 

Arnav got down the car, leaving an embarrassed Mohan Kaka behind. He opened the door for Khushi, who silently got down the car.

She noticed Arnav wanted to accompany her till her house door, so she turned to him with a polite smile, "Thank you for saving me and dropping me home. You don't need to worry, I can manage to go upstairs on my own."

He looked at her with his stoic gaze before saying with a bossy tone, "Chalo! (Let's go)."

Khushi gulped, intimidated by his tone. She turned to go forward as he followed behind. By now, Khushi already understood that this man is really stubborn and determined to do whatever he wants. He doesn't seem to listen to anyone except Mohan Kaka.

*****************************************

While they're climbing up the stairs to reach her floor, Khushi remembered something as she looked at Arnav's side curiously, "Sir.. if you don't mind, can I ask you something?"

"I do mind. Miss Gupta, don't forget that you're just my PA. The fact that I saved you when you fainted and dropped you home, doesn't give you any right to start a casual conversation with me. I'm not your friend now," he replied rudely.

"I know my limits, sir. And trust me, it's not my intention to behave casually or friendly with you after you saved me either," Khushi explained, "But I need to ask you one thing. It's really important for me to know," she ended with an urgent, worried tone.

"Shoot!" he curtly replied.

"I actually.. wanted to know.. what were you doing in that guest house?" Khushi asked with a hesitant tone, fidgeting her duppata.

"And then you claim to know your limits," he shook his head mockingly.

"It's not what you're thinking," Khushi sighed. She took a deep break before continuing, "Okay, let me explain my side of the story. Then you will understand why I asked you this question."

"That guest house was actually my home in the past. It belonged to my late parents, and I also lived there with my elder brother before my parents passed away. But after my parents left this world, my elder brother had to sell our house to Mr.Sinha so he could start a small business and be able to take care of me. But after he bought our house, Mr.Sinha didn't do anything with it, as we learned that he left the city and the house remained untouched. I've got old keys of the house, that's why sometimes I go there when I miss my parents. And that's why I'm asking how you got access to that house?"

"I'm planning to buy it from Mr.Sinha. I was there to check the house conditions," he let her know the reason for his presence in her old home.

"Oh," that's what Khushi managed to utter as she tried to act unaffected but failed miserably. Her face fell, and she lowered her head with misty eyes. If Arnav buys the old guest house, he will be taking the most precious place from her. Her parent's home is the only place she feels closest to her parents. The place is very close to her heart.

As they reached the third floor, they walked through the corridor that led to Khushi's house. When they reached the door of her house, Khushi was already feeling her heart heavy and aching. She was just trying her best act composed in front of Arnav, but she really wanted to lock herself up in her room and cry her heart out. This was surely one of the worst days of her life. First, Aman broke her heart, she broke off her engagement, and now, she gets to know that her parents' home is being snatched away from her.

"Do you want that house back?" Arnav asked bluntly. 

Khushi looked up at him immediately with her teary, hopeful hazel eyes.

Arnav raised his one eyebrow questioningly, and she instantly bobbed her head innocently.

"Let's make a deal then. I'll buy that house from Mr.Sinha and then sell it to you. Done?" he asked in a no-nonsense tone.

Khushi gulped, her face fell again, "But I don't have money. How will I pay you?"

"Pay me in instalments. You were working to help your brother with your wedding expenses, right? Now use that money to buy that house from me," he shrugged.

Khushi stared at him numbly for a while. It's the overwhelming and gratitude feeling that hit her so hard that she was unable to express her feelings to him. However, she composed herself and managed to speak a few words to him with tears rolling down her cheeks, "Thank you.. thank you so much."

"No need to thank me. I'm not doing you any favour. It's a deal between us. Tomorrow, I'll make you sign the contract too," Arnav said emotionlessly.

"Still,"

"Miss Gupta, we'll discuss this tomorrow," he cut her off intentionally as he rang the bell of her house and walked away from there.

Khushi pouted, watching his retreating figure, and at the same time, Shyam opened the door for her. He followed her gaze, confused. "What happened, Titaliya? What are you staring at?"

Khushi shifted her attention to Shyam. She smiled softly with a slight frown, adoring her face, "I went to our house to talk to Amma and Babu ji. They sent me a genie through their magic lamp (guest house), and this genie came to fulfil my wish, and now he has returned to the magic lamp."

"What are you talking about, Khushi? I'm not understanding anything," Shyam asked, confused.

Khushi let out a small chuckle before walking inside the house and dragged her brother to their favourite spot, the balcony of her room.

She narrated the whole incident to him and ended with an overwhelming emotional note, "See bhaiya, whenever I think everything is going wrong in my life, he makes an entry and brings a new hope in my life. Now, also, I was crying for Aman and upset with my broken engagement, and he came and reminded me of Amma's words. When I heard him say, 'Sunno sabki, karo mann ki', I instantly knew I should listen to my heart and stay firm on my decision. He gave me a new goal in my life, to make money and buy back our house, instead of crying over my broken engagement."

"Are you sure he's willing to wait for you to save money to buy our house from him?" Shyam asked, still not believing what he heard.

"He said I should pay him in instalments," Khushi replied.

Shyam smiled a little, getting emotional. In the past, he sold his parents' house with a heavy heart, he didn't want to, but he was forced by life circumstances. He never thought he would be able to get that house back due to the mounting expenses and problems in his business and other priorities in his life. His main purpose in life was to save money for Khushi's wedding, if he couldn't provide a big fat indian wedding, then at least a decent memorable wedding to his little sister. But now, there's a hope for them to get their parents' house back.

Khushi rested her head on Shyam's shoulder as they were settled in her swing, staring at the dark sky emotionally.

"By the way, Arnav Singh Raizada is not as evil and heartless as he seems. He changed my mood today by giving me this chance to get our home back, so I won't call him Rakshas anymore," Khushi said with a small smile playing on her lips.

Shyam was relieved to see Khushi had other thoughts occupied in her mind other than thinking about Aman and deteriorating her health because of him. Now, he's getting worried for her physical and mental health. He knows Aman won't stop here. He will do something or other to bother Khushi in the office. And that's what disturbing him now.

"So now you also agree with me that he's a  handsome guy?" Shyam teased her to divert her from thinking about Aman topic.

"Hmm.."

"Hmm, kya? Haan ya na bol? (What, hmm? Say yes or no?)," Shyam tickled her belly.

"Haan, haan," Khushi giggled, pushing his hand away while whining, "Stop it, bhaiya!" 

"Accha, I will stop if you go to sleep like a good girl now," he said as he got up and pulled her up with him, taking her to her bed. He made her lay on her bed and covered her properly with a blanket. Then he sat beside her on the edge of the bed and placed his palm on her forehead to check if she had fever or not.

"I'm fine, bhaiya," Khushi blinked her eyes assuringly at him.

"Sachi? (Really?)" Shyam asked concernedly.

"I know it will be difficult to forget Aman and move on in my life so quickly.. but now I'm firm on my decision, and I'll do my best to focus on what's best for us," Khushi said in a sad yet determined tone.

"Khushi, tell me one thing clearly now. Did you break off your engagement with Aman because of me , or was it purely your decision? Do you still love him?" Shyam asked in a serious tone.

"It was my decision only, bhaiya. It no longer made sense to continue this relationship because I would not be able to look at Aman with the same love, respect, and admiration that I had for him. Now, my feelings for him have changed. In the past, I loved myself more because I was in love with him.But now I feel like I will lose my self-respect if I continue in this relationship with him," Khushi said with a firm tone, holding her brother's hand to assure him of her decision.

"I completely understand what you're explaining to me. And you've my full support in this. There's no need to fear Aman, his mother, and this society. They will speak nonsense to you, and they will make you feel guilty for taking this brave decision to call off your engagement. But you don't need to pay attention to what they say. Your brother is here with you, and we'll face the consequences together," Shyam said, patting her head affectionately.

Khushi got tears in her eyes after hearing him. She raised his hand that she was holding till now close to her heart, "I'm so lucky to have a brother like you in my life."

"And I'm so proud of having a sister like you in my life," he pinched her cheek smiling emotionally, "Meri bacchi badi ho gayi ab (my kiddo has grown up now). Stop crying now, close your eyes to sleep. And yes, you won't leave to office tomorrow. Take a day off to rest completely and take care of your health."

Khushi shook her head vigorously at the last line, "No bhaiya. I'm sorry, but I can take leave tomorrow. My boss already allowed me to take a day off office today. I can't take him for granted anymore. I want to show him that I'm also serious and committed to my job. You don't need to worry about me, I already took my meds and had my dinner with Sir and Mohan Kaka na. I just need to take proper rest now and tomorrow, I promise I'll wake up with full energy to go to the office. Also, it's good if I do some work to distract me. Staying at home won't help much -

"Okay, fine. You convinced me mohtarma (madam). I'll let you go to the office tomorrow, but only on one condition. I'll myself come and check if you're in condition to go to work or not, only then you'll have my permission," Shyam said, flicking her nose.

Khushi smiled a little and nodded her head, "Done!"

Shyam kissed her forehead before he got up from her bed, wishing her good night, and he walked out of her room, closing the door after reminding her to call him if she needed anything.

Khushi took her phone to check time before she slept, and she frowned slightly, seeing many missed calls from Aman. Putting her phone on silent mode, she kept it on her side table and rested her head on her pillow, closing her eyes to sleep, chanting to herself, "Don't think about him, Khushi."

*****************************************

Raizada Mansion..

Ratna was on her way to the kitchen when her eyes fell on her son, who was sitting silently in the living room, dropping her idea of fetching water for her husband, she made her way towards him.

Arnav didn't move a bit or seemed affected by her presence as he was staring at nothing in particular, lost in his thoughts. She sat beside him, patting his cheek affectionately, "What are you thinking dear?"

Her touch brought him back to earth as he stared at her side, startled for a few seconds before he composed himself. Gazing intently at her for a few seconds, and then he averted his gaze with a sigh, "I was thinking how you lied to me.."

"I lied to you? About what?" Ratna frowned slightly.

"That it's difficult for women to walk out of toxic relationships. I just met one woman who made this oh so difficult decision in one day," he replied. His chocolate brown dark eyes showed a glint of hurt, a feeling of betrayal by his own mother.

"Not again!" Ratna shut her eyes momentarily before she looked at her son a bit annoyed now, "Please forget this topic, Arnav. Your father is a changed man now."

Arnav rolled his eyes, "Yeah right. That's why he sent that model to me so I could have fun, right?"

"Because in the past it was your father's age, and now this is your age to have fun, Arnav. This is the stage where men are more immature than women. They have their needs and desires. They want to boost their egos with hook ups and flings. This is the reality!"

"Mom, just look at you dammit! I can't even believe you're justifying cheating," Arnav chuckled painfully.

"I'm not justifying anything. I'm just telling you the truth of this world. This is how things work.. Do you think every married couple is living their perfect happily ever after? No, my son, they lie and hide their partners' truth from the world. That's the reality of marriages. These things happen.. we forget.. we forgive and move on. Sometimes, we need to compromise in life, and it's mostly women who are prepared to compromise in their marriage because of the society, their families, and their kids," Ratna explained.

"So why did the woman I met choose to break off her engagement rather than to commit? And her fiance wasn't even cheating on her. He questioned her character and manhandled her, and that was enough for her to make this decision. So what stopped you from making the same decision when your husband did worse things to you?" he asked.

Ratna was getting irked with those judging and accusing eyes from her son, "Then go and marry this brave and perfect woman you met and stop judging your mother every time. I can't believe this is what I get in return after tolerating everything for you and Anjali. I didn't want you two to suffer the consequences of a broken marriage."

"Oh please, Mom! Don't act like you didn't have a choice and don't put the blame on me and Di. I was the first person who told you about Dad cheating on you. I was just 9 years old boy who barely understood what was happening in front of my own eyes, but the sight of my father with another woman on bed was enough to make me feel disgusted. I told you about this.. I expected you to do something.. but you kept quiet. You acted like nothing happened. Everything was fine. You asked me not to share this with anyone. Do you have any idea what you did? You forced me to live with this disgusting secret for years in my life," he looked at her hurt for a moment before turning his face away to hide the emotions in his eyes.

"I thought when you grew up, you would understand me better.." Ratna muttered, lowering her eyes.

Arnav sighed defeatedly as he got up from the sofa, "I already understood you, Mom. Now I'm grown up, and I understand the so-called reality you keep talking about better. And it hurts me to realize that you had a choice, but you choose to remain silent."

Saying this, he walked away from there and Ratna crossed her arms, frowning deeply with her mood off because of this conversation, "I don't know why I came here to talk with him only to spoil my mood before sleeping. Just because one woman broke her engagement, he is judging me now."

*****************************************

Aman's house..

Aman was crying, resting his head on his mother's lap, who was furious after getting the news that Khushi broke off  engagement with her son, "What does this girl think of herself? How dare she break off the engagement when there are just a few months left for the wedding? You don't worry, beta.. I will find another girl for you.. even better than that Khushi. Just wait and watch.. I will get you married to a beautiful, traditional, and intelligent girl who will love and respect you even more than Khushi. She will do everything you say, unlike Khushi, who disobey you every time. It's my curse to that girl. She will never ever get married in her life. And even if she does, then her husband will be a Rakshas who will transform her life into a hell, and only then will she realize your worth."

"No, Ma. I don't want any other girl. I just want Khushi only. I love her, Ma. I want her back in my life. I can't live without my Khushi," Aman cried bitterly.

"She doesn't deserve you, beta.."

"But I want her only. Woh meri hai.. sirf meri (she's mine.. only mine)," Aman said stubbornly.

*****************************************

Thank you so much for the feedback on the previous chapter. I read all your comments, and I'm really impressed with the way my readers understood the characters of the story 😊 🙏🥰.

Last but not least, thank you so much for 3K followers ❤️ 🙏🙏. When I joined wattpad, this number of followers seemed like a target impossible to reach, but as time passed by, I didn't even realise it, but it's now real and only possible because of you all. So thank you so much, once again 🙏🥰.