A Night on a Highway (completed)

chapter -5

I had some free time today so giving an update a day early than schedule. Enjoy.

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This came as a huge shock to everyone. Anjali was pregnant and she had gone out that night for buying abortion pills!

Nani closed her eyes in despair, silently asking Gods why were they being so harsh on her grandchildren? First, Arnav was accused of causing an accidental death, then they got to face police enquiry for Shyam's murder who himself was a cheating scum and now this, Anjali was pregnant with his child. Had she already gone through abortion though?

"Will you tell us everything now or will we have to probe more?" Inspector.Manik asked and Anjali didn't need to be told twice. But she just had one request, she wanted her brother, Arnav beside her when she confessed her story...

.

.

Khushi and Arnav were sitting side by side, on a bench in that public park. She had noticed how Arnav had not driven the car this time but let Mohan drive them here. Of course, his SUV was seized being a 'crime evidence' but she also suspected if it had anything to do with him being hesitant to drive so soon after that night when they had hit Shyam. No matter how much they hated that man, being involved in 'hit and run' had taken some mental toll on them, whether they openly said it or not. And even if at times, they could read underlying meanings of each other's silence, right now she needed to know why he had called her here. He had said he wanted to ask about Shyam but 10 minutes since reaching this place, he hadn't said a word.

"Life is strange isn't it, Khushi? I had thought I learnt to know people, to read their true intentions but how wrong was I! I had trusted my Di's husband for so long, only to know he was a cheating bastard." he said, clutching the edge of the iron bench they were sitting on. She looked at him, but he was looking straight ahead, as he spoke next "And you? I had always thought you were not as naïve as you pretended" he gave a small mirthless laughter, "only to start realizing you were -" he said and stopped as he heard her gasp at his 'confession' and realized what he was going to say. Deciding it was still too soon, he changed the course of the conversation to his usual sarcastic ways, "you were too innocent to realize how the world is full of cruel people."

Did he mean only Shyam or his own behavior to her in the start, that was for her to decide.

"What are you getting at Arnavji?" she came to the point. This conversation was making her uncomfortable. Besides, she still didn't know if she was ready to trust his words after his initial blow hot blow cold behavior with her.

"Khushi, will you please tell me how did you meet Shyam? When did you see him the first time?" he asked, this time looking at her and she saw a fear there. As if he was not ready to accept, she was involved with his di's husband, albeit without her will. And she decided to tell him the truth, even if it hurt him.

"I will tell you the answer Arnavji, but will you be able to hear it? Because you may not like to be the reason why Shyam came in my life..." Khushi dropped the bomb!

And as she kept on telling him how Shyam was the one saved her from eve-teasing which was caused by the leaked footage of Arnav and Khushi, to how he helped her get job at AR and finally proposed marriage, Arnav realized two things. One, he had caused havoc in her life since the beginning and two, Shyam was in Lucknow during or around same time when he met Khushi. What was he doing there?

But before he could ask more, his phone rang. It was Nani asking him to come home immediately.

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Dropping Khushi back to her home, Arnav reached Shantivan, amidst a thick tension there.