The darkness of her surroundings and chilly breeze was making shivers run across her spine. A message from an unknown number had compelled her to arrive at the location and she herself did not understand which part of the message made it hold so much of control over her. Was it the underlying empathy or the assurance of support?

"So you have come. I was sure that you would come, Khushi Gupta or should I say, Khushi Singh Raizada?" drawled a heavy voice behind her as she quickly turned around with her gun pointed at the person.

"Relax! I mean no harm. I thought the message made it clear enough," said the stranger, making Khushi think. She decided to pose a few questions before lowering her weapon to ease her own mind.

"First things first, I was never Khushi Singh Raizada to begin with and I neither have the interest nor any reason to be so. How do you know about my past?" she demanded, stepping towards the other man in an attempt to see his face better but it was of no avail as he had worn a hoodie which covered most of his face.

"It is not very tough to find out, Khushi Gupta. Especially when your current job is offered as a compensation for what happened in the past. It was not at all tough," chuckled the other man but his laughter was heavy and without any genuine emotion.

"Who are you and why do you want to help me? Surely, there is no dearth of people whom you can offer your help and as far as I know there is surely dearth of people who want to help. So, out with your reasons," commanded Khushi, hoping that it was not a grave mistake that she had committed by arriving at a location of his choice.

"What can I say about myself? I like to describe myself as someone who would help anyone asking for it. But like you said, there is a dearth of people who want to help and too many people to whom help can be extended so, I expect few favors from you and trust me, that's where you fit the bill. There are certain emotions that resonate in us and those are just what I need to achieve my mission," he answered, making Khushi wonder what he was raving about.

"What favors do you seek? And what are those emotions that you are talking about?" she asked, confusion clouding her mind as his words seemed to puzzle her beyond her control.

"Revenge, my dear. Sweet revenge."

____________________________________________________________

Shantivan,

"What do you think about her condition, Dr. Shukla? Is there any way to make her condition any better?" questioned Arnav as the doctor in question looked at his patient with regret pooling in his eyes.

"Sorry to say, Arnav, but I don't think her condition can be improved. I don't think she received the right preliminary treatment. Her reports state that she was in shock and there was trauma to her head, both could have resulted in the condition. Her higher brain functions are totally lost and it's just the lower brain-stem functions like respiration which are functional. She neither has the ability nor the will to recuperate. I hope you are understanding what I am trying to say," answered Dr. Shukla with regret and compassion in his tone, in order to reduce the impact as much as he can.

But the impact on the man in front could not have been decreased. Khushi had already lost her father in the shootout and according to the doctor, there was no way she could ever relish any part of life with her mother. Guilt and agony washed over his conscience as he felt daggers poisoned with remorse piercing his soul, right through his heart.

It could have been avoided if he had chosen a better path to accomplish his mission. He had ruled out the involvement of Khushi's family in the terror activities during the course of his mission and he should have ensured that they stayed out of the trouble's way. But instead, either he was more concerned about nabbing the rest of the gang or he was more concerned about his own safety. The basic duty as a police of safeguarding the lives of innocent laid forgotten, much like the wedding vows taken that night.

"I will leave it to Khushi to decide about this, Dr. Shukla. Thank you for coming," said Arnav, finally coming out of his reverie.

"Sure. I know it is a very tough decision but I hope you find the strength," wished Dr. Shukla, walking out with the servant who was escorting him out, only to come face-to-face with Khushi who seemed to be puzzled by his presence.

Another surprise in the form of seeing Arnav in her room made her sense of surprise turn into anger. The happenings of the day only fueled her fury further.

"Why was the doctor here?" she demanded, her eyes spitting venom at him, causing him to look up at her.

"I just wanted him to check over Sasu...." he paused seeing her expressions morphing dangerously and bit back the word coming out as he was habituated to addressing her as his mother-in-law.

"You don't have the right to address her so or get her checked up. Anyways, did you want to check if you did enough damage or was searching for any scope to inflict some more?" she spat, her condescending tone and her features showing derision punching Arnav right in the gut.

"Whether you believe it or not, Khushi, I have some amount of goodness in me. I am not proud of what I did in the past and I think it was avoidable. It is because I realized that the entire fiasco could have been avoided that I am trying to avoid doing further mistakes. My guilt cannot give you back anything from the past but my realization can prevent several mishaps and that's what I am trying to do," replied Arnav earnestly, wondering if she would even bother looking at him in a different light after everything he had subjected her to.

His honest reply stirred something lying dormant in her - a desire for peace. But the sight which waited her behind him ensured that the desire died a dreadful death swiftly; the sight of her mother who could hardly feel anything, how could she ever forgive the person who made her end up in that state?

"I may have fallen in the trap of your words in the past, Mr. Raizada, but you ensured that the person who knew how to trust, how to forgive and how to live had died a horrible death. The one in front of you does not know any of them so don't even try your tactics on me," she lashed, pushing him out of her way as she walked into the room and shut the door on his face with a thud.

As more lightnings of realization struck him, he felt his insides burn. It was not as if he had not known but hearing her bitter words about how she had forgotten how to live churned his insides with agony and regret.

Where would the darkness filled path lead them to?

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Target for the next part is 85.