𝙰𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝.

𝙳𝚞𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚞𝚜𝚢 𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍𝚞𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔, 𝚞𝚙𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚐𝚘 𝚊𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚜.

𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚔 𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚊𝚖 𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚋𝚞𝚜𝚢, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚎 𝚘𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚞𝚙𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚔 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚔.

𝙸𝚝'𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝙸 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚍𝚘 𝚝𝚘 𝚔𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚞𝚙 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚜.

𝙸 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍.

𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚊 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚔, 𝙸 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚍𝚎𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚍𝚘 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚎 𝚛𝚞𝚕𝚎.

🄴🄽🄹🄾🅈.  ⏬⏬⏬

Flashback continues.

Shashi entered only to find his sister pacing back and forth.

Madhumati rushed to his brother immediately she saw him but stopped when he saw the medicine bag in his hand.

"Where is Payal? " He asked as he walked into the house not finding Payal.

"She fell asleep a few minutes ago. " Madhumati replied. "What happened Shashi?...... Did you stop her? " She asked as she sat by his brother.

Shashi sighed in disappointment and told his sister everything.

"What will I tell Payal when she ask of her mother!?..... She is too young for this..... I don't want her to be grow up traumatized."

"We will have to tell her the truth..... It's better now than late in her life....... Come on..... Go take a bath and come down for some food and take your medicines and don't forget to remind me for us to find the Guptas and thank them for everything. " Madhumati said and Shashi nodded and went off.

He then come to the dining table afterwards, had his food and medicine and went of to bed with a heavy and betrayed heart.

One Week Later.

Shashi watched his quiet daughter become even more quite since that day.

The following day after his ex wife's betrayal, they woke up to someone knocking and Shashi went to open the door to find the police at the door.

He let them in and what they told him shocked him.

The train his ex wife and lover took derailed a few meters after taking off killing nearly half of the passengers on board and unfortunately his wife and lover were part of those deceased.

He was asked to identify the body and it was indeed his ex wife.

He performed her last rites much to the dislike of Madhumati.

Payal was devastated when she found out about his mother and even though Shilpa wasn't the best of mothers , Payal genuinely loved her.

Shashi felt a hand on his shoulder breaking his reverie.

"Why are you portraying Shilpa as a good woman in front of society and Payal?..... You and I know she was a monster who left you and his daughter for another and also sold the shop without your knowledge and now the new owners wants the shop ...... We are lucky they've given us a few weeks to get everything in order..... Stop making her an ideal wife and mother. " Madhumati exclaimed in anger.

"I have to for Payal's sake...... She comes first before us..... And in your anger towards Shilpa you don't realize your suggestions will hurt Payal which I know you don't want to...... And as for the shop..... We have some few weeks to work hard and pay them back their money and get the ownership of the shop back. " Shashi said and Madhumati looked at him worried.

"But Shashi..... They will only give it back to us if we pay twice the amount..... How will we be able to pay them back that huge amount of money. " She exclaimed in worry and fear.

"We will find a way. " He assured his sister.

After that there was a knock on the door and Madhumati opened the door only to find a beautiful couple and a chubby but cute and beautiful little girl holding a cute puppy in her hand at the door.

She was about to asked who they were but Khushi squealed babuji and let go off her puppy and and run off to Shashi and he smiled and picked Khushi up and kissed her chubby cheeks making her giggle.

Madhumati realized they were the couple who helped his brother and she let them in.

She served them some snack and tea and Khushi asked her parents to go out and play with her puppy and they agreed but with a condition that she had to stay close.

"Thank you both so much for helping my brother...... We found your house to thank you but found it empty and your neighbors said you had to leave because an emergency came up. " Madhumati said as she sat by his brother.

"Yes..... There was a problem with the movers moving our stuffs from our former house so we had to go there to solve it. " Aahan revealed and they both nodded.

"We heard about your ex wife...... And we are really sorry....... How is your daughter coping with her mother's elopement and her death" Shreya asked in concern.

"I didn't tell her because she is too small for that and I don't plan on telling her....... Her having a good image of her mother at this stage will help her go through this phase...... Am just worried because she has become more quieter than she was before and I have tried everything to make her smile but nothing works...... I a..... " Shashi paused when he heard giggles and stood up and moved out only to find Payal smiling and giggling like she had never before.

Shashi's eyes teared up seeing his daughter laughing and running after the puppy with an equally happy Khushi behind her.

That was they day two girls became friends and it later blossom to sisterhood.

After that day the two Gupta family became inseparable. Aahan was actually the new chief of police in the town and with his help, Shashi got his shop back.

Shreya who was a designer for kids made Khushi and Payal her little models.

For the next five years, they were friendship goal in the community but it was short lived when Aahan, Shreya and Khushi met an accident which took away the lives of Aahan and Shreya leaving an eight years old Khushi behind as an orphan.

Shashi adopted Khushi after their death and with the help of Payal and Madhumati, they helped her out of her trauma.

But Madhumati started changing when the people in the community began calling Khushi a bad omen and accused her of being responsible for her parent's death and it got into the head of Madhumati who even though love Khushi sometimes blamed her for problems in the family. He and Payal always stood as a shield of Khushi against Madhumati much to her dislike that her niece and brother will joyfully go against her for Khushi.

Shashi then married Garima the nanny of the Payal and Khushi thinking she will also replace the motherly love for Khushi and Payal.

But she also became his sister's puppet just to please her and be in her good books.

So Shashi had to step in and be a mother and father to both his daughters.

Flashback ends.

Shashi looked at the picture in tears when he felt a hand on his shoulder and felt his wheelchair turn and a crying Payal kneeled on her knees and took the hand of his father.

Madhumati and Garima looked at them in tears and regret.

"Forgive me babuji...... Am so sorry...... I let the taunts of those hypocrites get to me and I punished my baby sister...... I committed the most unforgivable sin..... I betrayed our sisterhood..... And I lost my baby sister. " Payal cried her eyes out in regret.

Shashi knew she was hurting and knew he couldn't blame her because society has a way of destroying people and relationships with their words and Payal is not they only one to fall into their words because his sister also did. If Payal hadn't been a fierce supporter of Khushi against her aunt, then he wouldn't have believed her.

He smiled at Payal and Payal stood up and hugged him.

All this while both father and daughter was oblivious of the bespectacled eyes watching them through the open window.

He wiped his misty eyes and knocked on the door breaking their reverie.

Payal wiped her tears and went to open the door knowing it was Akash because she knew he wasn't the type that gave up easily.

She opened the door revealing Akash who didn't seem angry as she had thought he will be but saw his red eyes an indication he had cried which broke her heart.

Akash moved in and kneeled in front of Shashi.

"Mr Gupta..... I want to ask for your permission to take Payal out but I promise to bring her back before midnight. " Akash said and Shashi smiled at him and slightly nodded his head in approval.

He thanked him and gently held Payal's hand and moved out of the house into his car and they drove out of Laxmi Nagar totally ignoring Madhumati and Garima.

"My little girl was right about him..... He is a good man unlike his family...... I promise you Khushi..... He will surely marry Payal because I will make them marry..... I just hope someday you forgive your sister..... But first I have to find a way to communicate with Akash to help me with Shyam. " Thought Shashi and he started to think of ways to do that.

Somewhere in Delhi.

Akash's car stopped at a park and he opened his door and out he came and so did Payal.

They both moved to the garden which has been their meeting place since they started dating and immediately they got there Payal who was having a hard time controlling her emotions couldn't hold on any longer and flunged herself into Akash's arms and cried out loud.

Akash knew she was hurting and reciprocated, rubbing her back to calm her down.

"Khushi is gone Akash...... My baby sister is gone and it's all my fault..... I betrayed and hurt her Akash..... I betrayed her really badly and I don't deserve her forgiveness...... I want to hurt the people who also hurt her. " Payal wailed and Akash pulled out of the hug and wiped her stained cheeks.

"I already know Khushi is gone. " Akash revealed and Payal looked at her in confusion.

"How? " Payal asked in a choked voice.

Akash sighed and led her to a bench in the garden and made her sit down and told her about how he and his family found out.

"I should have tried harder to protect her..... Even though she never asked, I knew she saw me as her big brother...... You are not the only one who failed Payal..... I also did but it's best this way..... And Khushi is right...... She needs a new environment to heal again and am sure she will definitely come back one day and then we shall both make it up to her. " Akash said looking at Payal who nodded knowing he was indeed right but she wanted Khushi to come back soon.

Payal placed her head on Akash's shoulder and Akash locked his hands with hers and stroked it.

"You know I and Khushi was as thick as thieves since the first time we met...... My mother had then died and even though she was more interested in material things than us, I still loved her and Papa just to please her made sure all her wishes were fulfilled...... When she died it really got to me but Khushi came into my life as my savior and made me smile for the first time since my mother died..... Since that day we become inseparable...... When her parent died she was so devastated and I knew it was my turn to pay her back..... It took a while but I and babuji brought her out of her trauma....... We have been more than sisters since the day we met but look at what I did..... I let my inability to deal with societal taunts get to me ....... Since I got to my sense, it made me realize how strong Khushi was for being able to endure taunts from both society, my aunt and mother....... She is my role model even though she is younger to me by just a year..... She is my idol. " Payal praised Khushi and Akash smiled at her.

He then stood up and Payal sat up straight and he went on his knees and fished into his pocket and pulled a velvet box from it and opened it only to reveal a beautiful emerald ring.

"I know it any be early for you bit ite it's never to early..... This is my promise to you to take care of you and cherish you for the rest of my life. " Akash said and slided the ring on her finger.

Tears cascaded down her cheeks seeing the ring and she loved it.

She then hugged Akash who reciprocated with love and joy taking it as an acceptance.

Payal broke the hug and Akash lifted her up and leaned in and took her lips and kissed her passionately and Payal reciprocated with the save passion and love as him.

They brother broke the kiss after almost running out of oxygen.

Akash winked at Payal and she blushed and buried her face into his chest and Akash hugged her with a smile and then broke the hug.

Akash again reached into his other pocket and brought out a smart watch.

He then took it out and made her wear it.
"Always wear it when you go out okay. " He said and Payal nodded with a smile and hugged him.

After a few minutes in that position, Payal pulled out with a serious face making Akash confused.

"Akash..... I need to kick that man out...... He has put ideas in my mother and aunt's head which caused all this..... But am scared. " Payal exclaimed in fear which worried Akash.

"Why are you scared of him?...... Do you think he will do something bad to your family if he finds out?..... Because if that is the case I can get my lawyer to file a restraining order against him. " Akash uttered in a serious tone.

"Yes I am scared of him because even though he saved Khushi..... Instead of feeling grateful I felt uneasy...... And it got worse when we met him here and buaji accepted him as a paying guest in our house...... I thought I was the only one and shared it to babuji after I saw how uncomfortable Khushi felt when he was around..... Yes Khushi and I are close but she became more clingy each time he was around...... I don't like that man and I will appreciate it if you do that...... He will be back by tomorrow or the day after. " Payal voiced out her concern and Akash began hating this unknown man not knowing he was his brother in law.

"Listen to very carefully....... Immediately he comes back call me no matter the time. " Payal nodded. " I can't have you and my family living with someone like him. " Akash said and Payal looked at him in surprise. "Why are you looking surprised?" He asked.

"You just said my family is your family. " Payal said with a smile and Akash smiled back and cupped her cheeks.

"You are absolutely right...... They become my family they day I fell in love with you. " Akash said and perked her lips. "Come on let get you home...... It's getting late. " He concluded and they went back to his car with their hands intertwined.

Somewhere on Delhi Road.

A man sat his car caressing a picture of a woman.

"Am coming back my beloved Khushi...... I have broken up with all my lover and other wives and all that is left is to divorce Anjali and marry you...... Yes that how much I love you...... Am willing to leave my ATM wives for you Khushi...... Because I love you...... Am done with playing the good son in law...... I know the men in the Raizada family don't like me...... Arnav only tolerate me because of Anjali...... Akash can't stand me and so does his father..... Nani and Mami gravel at my feet because their dump and useless Anjali is my wife and I pretend to be a good husband...... But I don't care about them any more because I will finally have you. " He said and kissed the picture.

To be continued.

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