The tricenarian woman was sweating worse than an athlete on a run, as she continuously scratched her wrist with her nails. Khusi felt her insides twisting as the skin on the young woman's wrist started turning red.

"You don't have to be afraid of anything, okay? We will just ask the questions and you give us the answers.. No need to be scared of him," A female cop spoke softly to Diyasha, who was a nervous wreck.

"I don't know much ... "

The female officer huffed in annoyance at the same line Diyasha had been uttering since the minute the inquiry had started.

"Okay! Listen here woman! I have been very patient ... " Abhay was about to snap at her when Khusi stroked his chest to stop him from lunging at Diyasha. His anger vanished, and Abhay's eyes stilled on Khusi. That woman was already scared shirtless. She couldn't handle another raging armed officer charging her.

"Diyasha, you know me right?" Khusi asked, sitting beside Diyasha, who was Nitin Joshi's maternal cousin.

She nodded, her eyes down.

"Who am I?"

"David's class teacher."

"Not only that. I'm also someone who is trying to make David's life a little better. I know you know what he faces in the house daily, don't you?" At Khusi's question, tears swarmed in Diyasha's eyes, and she quietly nodded.

"Don't you want to help your nephew live a better life. A life where he wouldn't have to be scared in his home?"

"I do ... but, I ... I am scared," Diyasha choked, her face turning red with the strain in her throat.

"Of what?" Khusi asked. All other officers watched with wonder as Khusi was able to make the woman, whom everyone else thought was practically mum, speak.

"I am scared that Nitin wouldn't let me be near David or take care of him, if I disclose anything. And I can't lose David, not after losing my ba ... " Diyasha couldn't continue as her emotions choked her, making her gulp the lump down painfully.

"Don't worry about it. Nobody would know that you helped. And look at the brighter picture. David will finally be free of his abusive father and alcoholic mother."

Abhay already had gathered enough proof on how Nitin beat David black and blue almost daily, to shimmer his frustration. His mother hadn't ever cared, appearing in mid video, in half drunk state, only to laugh hysterically at Nitin who would either be dragging a crying David up and down their staircase or slapping him.

But it wasn't enough to proof Nitin guilty on charge of child abuse or molestation. He had powerful connections and had contacts with influential people. They needed an alibi. Someone who could verify the allegations. Diyasha could be the witness because she lived there 24X7.

David needed better parents and a safe home.

In the end they couldn't make Diyasha agree to help them. She wanted to, because she loved David like her own child, but her fear for Nitin was higher than her urge to help David.

● ● ●

Sweat glided down her temples as Khusi tossed and turned in the bed, the blanket encased around her body, as a heavy feeling in the stomach kept her awake all throughout the night.

Heaving a deep sigh, she snapped open her eyes and sat up, old memories appearing behind her head.

Her school days, Renuka Mukherjee who always used to wait for her daughter to return from either work or classes to feed her, her father dropping her off to coaching classes. It had been almost a year since she had talked to them, the last time when her mother blamed her for Bhaskar's infidelity and her father, when he tried to fix her broken marriage.

It wasn't like she had forgotten their behaviour and had forgiven them, but it was hard to forget your parents. No matter how shitty they were. Because along with the bad memories of the last few days, she also had countless good ones too, which outweighed the bad days.

She had always been the pampered one, never spent more than a week alone without her parents, never lived in a hostel. Her education was completely done from her home, along with the job.

But life fucked up. Suddenly she had to leave her parents back and stay alone, aloof in a new environment. She had missed them terribly in the beginning but had slowly adjusted as time went by. Crying didn't help then, it wouldn't help now either.

Shaking her head, she swung her legs off the bed and climbed down. Draping a shawl around her body, she decided to get some fresh air.

Strolling out of her room, she slided the glass door of the backyard and stepped outside. The night was chilly, and the hills standing proudly in front of her were dead silent.

Khusi stood there for what felt like eternity but was merely a few minutes, when old memories crashed down upon her. She tilted her head back to stop the single drop of tear from gliding down her cheeks, and pulled out her mobile from the pajama pockets.

Sliding down her screen, her fingers halted in front of a folder, the urge to open it strong.

Memories.

She clicked on it and countless pictures appeared in front of her. Starting from the first day of her college, when her father bought her the first phone, since the last pictures she had clicked last year during her visit to her hometown.

Dipankar Mukherjee was looking at the camera with sheer boredom but Khusi knew he wasn't annoyed at her when the picture was taken. He was just not very expressive. Her mother on the other hand was beaming at the camera, showing off her new choker.

"Now that's what is called a picture perfect family."

Khusi gasped as the rich baritone voice hit her ears, his hot breaths leaving back tingles down her spine. She whirled back, hand on her chest and eyes widened in the shape of saucers.

"Ohh, you ... " Khusi drawled, biting her lips. The last time they had talked properly was a couple of weeks ago, when the kiss happened. It had been enthralling, stupendous and mind boggling, which had made Khusi crave Abhay's lips all throughout these 14 days.

She had been scared of her reaction to Abhay's propinquity. Khusi had barely known him for a few months and she had kissed him. It felt wrong, as if she was cheating on herself, betraying the set of rules she had made for herself.

The kiss had only made Khusi overwhelmed, but Abhay's case was completely different. The pull he had for her had intensified when he had got her taste. He had wanted to go on that day, and wished to have a full blown make-out session with Khusi in David's washroom, overlooking the lurking danger behind the door. But he couldn't.

Khusi wasn't ready.

They had managed to escape Abhay's villa that day only because of her, and he would always be grateful to her for that. What he hated though was Khusi ignoring him for the last couple of weeks. It had been sheer torture for the man, when the woman he was falling for, was barely talking to him after kissing him.

But he knew it wouldn't be easy. Mending a broken heart always took time, and he was ready to wait. No matter how much time it took. Because what he felt for her wouldn't just disappear with a mere act of ignorance.

"Yeah, it was. Once upon a time," Khusi mumbled, switching off her phone and tucking it inside her pockets. She barely considered her parents a part of her family now. The disdain and rage she had for them intensified whenever someone had tried to remind her to forget them, only under the excuse that they were her parents.

"It still is. Just because you aren't together now doesn't mean the memory is broken too."

Abhay's words peaked Khusi's ears, but she didn't acknowledge it. Rather she decided to ask what was pestering her for a very long time.

"What about your family?"

At her words, Abhay took a deep breath and exhaled sharply, a wry smile on his face.

"My family is Yuti."

"Yeah, but the others?" Khusi pushed, subtly trying to ask about Yuti's not so visible mother.

"My parents are dead. All three of them."

"Three?" Khusi's eyebrows shot up at the queer answer.

"Yeah. Three."

"Okay, and you have been a single child?"

"Technically yes, but I had a brother." Khusi's narrowed her eyes at the odd way Abhay was answering.

"Where is he now?"

Abhay sighed and shook his head. "Some other time?"

Khusi felt annoyed when Abhay dodged her questions but decided not to nag. Pulling her shawl in, she was sauntering inside the bungalow, when Abhay caught her arm and made her whir back, their eyes colliding.

Khusi's breath hitched at their proximity as Abhay's silver grey eyes twinkled in the moonlight.

"It's not like I don't want to reveal my family. I want to. Trust me. But I am scared."

"Of what?" She titled her head.

"You may not like what is buried there and might leave me for something my parents have done."

"Why would I do that Mr. Mathur?" Khusi cupped Abhay's cheek, her eyebrows furrowed, puzzled.

"Sins of the father. Don't they all say it's something, madam ji?" Their hot breath fanned each other's faces as Abhay cautiously encased Khusi's waist, afraid of her rebuff. When she didn't complain, he tightened his hold and pulled her into him.

"You didn't judge me because of my past. There is no chance that I would judge you based on what your parents might have done," Khusi assured, nudging Abhay's face with her nose, their proximity causing havoc in her stomach as heat creeped up her neck and cheeks.

"Because there was nothing to judge in your case. How is it your fault if your jerk of an ex-husband cheated and you divorced him? How is it your fault that you are infertile? Why is it wrong that your ideals are different from most of the people in our society? Rather I admire you for those and respect you a lot for walking away from that fucker," Abhay whispered, his eyes shimmering as he stared back at Khusi, his gaze making Khusi's knees tremble with glee.

"Then rest assured, you have nothing to worry about too. Take your time," Khusi mumbled, joining their foreheads and smiling softly at Abhay who nodded, cupped her jaw and dropped a chaste kiss on Khusi's crown.

She was just about to walk away, when Abhay's next words halted her. "Whenever possible, try to talk to your parents once. They might have done a terrible mistake in the past, but there are good things they have done for you too. No pressure or no guilt tripping you, just stating facts based on what you have told me."

Khusi's lip thinned, but she nodded nonetheless and strode inside. Abhay was about to lit up another cigarette and pass another sleepless night in the backyard when his gaze ceased on a cheekily smiling Yuti, who was sitting on the balcony. He cursed inwardly, not sure since when she had been observing their encounter.

"Go to sleep now, papa. I am sure you will be able to today, now that Khusi Miss has finally spoken to you after giving you the silent treatment for so many days."

Khusi chuckled as Yuti's high -pitched voice reached her ears.

"Shaitan, tu aab tak jag rahi hai!? School nehi jana kya subah?"

(You devil, why are you still awake? Don't you have school tomorrow?)

She giggled and poked her tongue at Abhay, before ambling back inside her room.

~ • • • • • ~

So sorry for the late update lovelies 🥺. Had some emergency 🤧

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if you're liking my story. 😇🥰

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