The Other Half

Chapter 10

(Nutan Street: First Installment)

Shivaay was in the kitchen, asking the caretaker of the house to get the required groceries, when he heard it.

A loud scream. "KHUSHI!"

Worried, he rushed to the hall.

Advay was holding Payal sideways, tightly clutching her wrist but not moving her at all. Payal seemed unconscious.

"Get her on the sofa!" Shivaay ordered.

Suddenly, Payal shook her head.

Shivaay closed on her. "Payal, are you okay? What happened?"

"Don't touch me!" Her lips moved, but it was not her voice.

"What?!" He felt someone drag him aside. It was Pooja.

"Stay aside. The less you try to understand the better."

"Advay Bhai, we need your brother." Her lips moved again, still it was not her voice.

"What the hell is going on?" Shivaay asked, completely shaken.

"Where is Arnav?" Advay asked.

"Outside I think, he got a-"

But Arnav entered just then. Without anyone telling him to, he wrapped his arm on Payal's other wrist. Then he looked at Advay.

"Khushi needs to disappear." Advay said and Shivaay scrunched his eyebrows in confusion.

"K needs to what?"

(Vashishth House: IV vs KG Part 6)

Khushi tried a third time to move out from her spot and stop listening to the romance going on in her background. This time, they didn't look in her direction. Just to make sure, she spared a glance. They were looking at her.

No, not at her. She looked in the general direction and saw the one woman who would have created a scene had she seen them together. Flipping around, she found the love-seat empty.

Shaking her head, she made a run for it towards Chandani's room. Chandani was awake, scrolling her newsfeed. Making a quick decision, Khushi ran to the washroom, letting out a general thank you to her sister. She was barely done prepping to look like she had been freshening up, when she heard her phone ring.

She came out to see Chandani holding her phone. "Who is Laad Governor?"

Khushi didn't answer her right away. Picking the call, she spoke, "Yes?"

"Miss Gupta, we've barely had breakfast. Can you control your snooping tendencies for once?"

"It wasn't planned that way." She said smoothly.

"So you weren't purposely doing that?"

"Of course not! Do I look like someone-" She stopped. Chandani was here. "Sorry, I'll take this outside."

"Don't you dare cut this call, there are people in line."

"I'm aware of that. Give me a second to find a private place!"

Now she was back from where she'd run. Chuckling at the irony, she resumed her conversation. "I can speak freely now."

"You were honestly not snooping?" It was her sister.

"Why would I snoop? I hate this place!" Khushi said in a low voice.

"That's Advay's home you're talking about."

"What are you talking about? Advay Bhai's home?"

The next information from Payal sent shivers down Khushi's spine. And then the names hit home. She finally knew why Indrani's persona made her skin crawl.