A Promise Broken! (Completed)

A Fragile Doll

I once again dedicate this piece to the numerous authors of IPKKND fanfics who have penned down such beautiful stories even after a decade, keeping the show alive and giving late entrants like me a chance to be a part of this wonderful ArShi world. A special mention to

@FlorK2D, @AksArshi, @vijis_2706, @kavyanjali08,

– who seem to have an endless supply of imagination and talent to continuously deliver masterpieces.

I have tried to keep the character and their background information as close as possible to the original show. Any deviation may either be due to a memory loss on my part, an assumption where the show left scope for interpretation or simply an alteration to suit the plotline. This is my second story but leniency is still very much appreciated.

The first paragraph is a quick recap of the events till the time Arnav returns home after his kidnapping and can be skipped. The other tracks – Shyam being thrown out, Anjali's miscarriage, ArShi remarriage - occur but with variations as compared to the original show. They are not the focus but still crucial to the main plotline so I have mentioned them in short, highlighting the divergence. Happy Reading!

Arnav Singh Raizada – the young, debonair and crafty CEO of AR Designs who lived in Delhi with his Nani (Devyani), Mama (Manohar), Mami (Manorma), Di (Anjali Jha), Brother-in-Law (Shyam) and cousin (Aakash) met Khushi Kumari Gupta – a happy-go-lucky, selfless and naïve girl who was brought up by her adopted family consisting of her Babuji (Shashi), Amma (Garima), Buaji (Madhumati) and cousin (Payal). They two, as different as chalk and cheese, were brought together by fate. They got off on the wrong foot when they first collided in Lucknow and the distance grew when they met again in Delhi. His taunts about her character and economic status and her fierce stance against his insults, when she worked in his office and trained his girlfriend (Lavanya), added fuel to the fire. A twist in the tale was brought by Payal and Aakash falling in love and somewhere along the way, Arnav and Khushi too got an inkling of their true feelings. However, before their love story could proceed, disaster struck in the form of an immoral brother-in-law (Shyam) and a tragic misunderstanding that led to a disastrous decision of a forced contract marriage. Before the misunderstanding could be cleared, Arnav was kidnapped by Shyam and Khushi risked her life to get him back.

On returning to Shantivan, Khushi and NK divulged the ongoings of the last few weeks. Arnav also added that he had seen the vile face of his "jijaji" earlier but kept quiet for his Di's sake. Before he could go into details, Anjali fainted and the family rushed towards her. Shyam was thrown out of the house. Due to lack of evidence, he couldn't be handed over to the police as yet. Building a case against him meant involving the traumatized Khushi and/or Anjali, who was already weak with a complicated pregnancy. Arnav and Khushi reasoned that Shyam, with his financial resources cut off and true face revealed, couldn't do any further harm. If only they knew then how wrong this decision would turn out to be.

Assuming their glass doll was on the verge of a breakdown, the residents of Shantivan were anything but shaant (calm). Arnav was recovering from his injuries but needed to take charge of the situation. Khushi wanted him to rest some more but Arnav couldn't leave the work or house responsibility to Aakash. Especially since Aakash was so miffed at Khushi for hiding the matter over a prolonged period, that he barely concentrated on anything but silently accusing her. Payal also kept her distance. This situation caused friction between Arnav and Khushi as well. To avoid the palpable tension at home, Arnav spent time at work, figuring out his next moves.

To everyone's surprise, Anjali made a quick recovery within a few days. Her family was so relieved that they failed to notice her increasingly frequent trips to the "temple" and the constant messages from "friends". They were blissfully unaware that she was meeting that slimeball behind their backs. Further distraction came in the form of Payal announcing that she was over 2 months pregnant.

Nani was ecstatic with the news about her first great-grandchild. However, this information brought to the forefront her traditional and superstitious views. Her daughter has eloped with Mr. Malik, her granddaughter with Shyam, and her grandson with Khushi. Two of these marriages had already ended in disaster and she was worried about the third. She couldn't change what had happened but that does not mean she will sit back and do nothing.

Hence, she proposed to get ArShi remarried with the blessings of the families. With Anjali almost 7 months pregnant and Payal expecting, a simple ceremony with no outsiders was finalized in the coming month. Haldi and mehndi happened in the day and the pheras in the evening. Everything went off without a hitch. ArShi left for their honeymoon in Bali. There their love blossomed further and Arnav promised Khushi to always be there for her.

A few days after ArShi's departure, Anjali went to meet Shyam. Since his phone had been unavailable the last 10 days, she hadn't been able to convey the good news to him and now she decided to share the joy in person. She met him in their secluded spot and recounted all the happenings of Shantivan. So engrossed was she, that she failed to notice the mask slip off his face till it was too late. On hearing that Khushi was romancing Arnav, Shyam lost his cool and poured out all the venom he had in his heart for Arnav and what all he had done to separate the two. Realizing his blunder, Shyam once again tried to sweet-talk Anjali but she was having none of it. In frustration he slapped her and being on the edge of the stairs, Anjali lost her balance and fell down the stairs. Shyam ran away to save his hide, not giving a second look to his pregnant wife nor caring about the fate of his unborn child. Anjali yelled in pain till she fainted. To keep their meetings hidden, she met Shyam in a discreet spot, so no one heard her screams for a long time and thus help arrived too late. Not only did she lose her child but the prolonged bleeding caused irreversible damage to her womb and she lost her ability to conceive.

On hearing the news, Arnav and Khushi cut short their honeymoon and rushed back. Anjali's revelation about her meetings with Shyam, the latter's confession and subsequent miscarriage left the Raizadas and Guptas with a variety of emotions. While some were cursing Shyam, some were angry with Anjali for being so foolish and some were still in a state of shock. One thing they all agreed upon was that Anjali had a long battle in front of her. Arnav was badly affected by the turn of events. He felt that he had failed to live up to the responsibility his mother had bestowed upon him. But not anymore. He decided to double down on his efforts and this time fill his sister's life with peace and happiness that would not be fleeting. He would leave no stone unturned to take care of his Di.

Unaware that his two resolutions would not be in harmony for very long, Arnav started strategizing on how to get things back on track. With Aman's help and money power, he built an iron-clad case against Shyam based on irrefutable evidence and witness testimonies (few genuine but most fabricated). It may have been the wrong approach but surely felt like the right thing to do.

After that chapter was finally closed with the desired results, he turned his focus to his Di. He made it a point to spend some time with her post-work, keeping her updated about his business dealings as well as random topics ranging from Bollywood celebrities to international affairs and from fashion trends to local news. He even suggested she join him at AR so they can spend more time together but Anjali was more comfortable at home. He then requested his Nani to take away the household responsibilities from Khushi and hand them over to Anjali. This seemed like a good idea but Anjali proved to be incompetent at managing the work flawlessly like Khushi. The occupants of Shantivan were used to a certain standard and requested, rather demanded, that Khushi once again was in charge. Thus, this attempt also failed. Nothing seemed to lift Anjali's spirits. Not even the news of her Chote's baby.

Yes, Khushi was expecting. Owing to the atmosphere in the house, the celebrations weren't as grand as when Payash had announced their news. Nonetheless, it was a happy occasion that seemed to cheer everyone up. Everyone, except Anjali that is. Then one day, a miracle happened. Anjali was back to her normal self - discussing baby tips with Khushi, cooking for her and even taking her shopping. Everyone was thrilled at this development barring one, who knew this is just the calm before the storm.

The intuition turned out to be right; the bubble burst and it all came crashing down. The day had arrived when hidden agendas would be unveiled, true characteristics would be revealed, loyalties would be tested and a promise would be broken. The showdown began with an unrealistic demand.

To be continued.

Who do you think was wary of Anjali's behavior?

What could be the demand and who was asked to fulfil it?