Only You....

What is the truth?

My hand trembled, and my eyes blurred as I stared at the checks... They were reminding me about Arnav's betrayal again, I wanted to throw them away but stopped as something captured my attention.. I looked closer and realized that they had never been deposited...My heart started racing thinking what it meant!!!

A sense of unease settled over me, and I felt like there was something hidden from me, something big, but what? Arnav was not here; he moved to the USA, but Babu ji... Why did he never mention anything? Why did he never say the truth he knew? Why did he keep asking me to get married to other guys, forgetting Arnav but never saying anything about Arnav's true color... He could have told me that he gave money to Arnav and he left me for that; why did he never say anything..?? Was there a secret my father had kept from me? Or was Arnav involved in something I didn't know about? The unanswered questions swirled in my mind, deepening my confusion and anxiety...What could possibly explain this strange situation?

I was extremely confused. It felt like I was putting together a puzzle, but I didn't understand the picture yet.. Should I talk to Arnav? No, will he give me the true reasons.. Wait, what about I ask Amma about it?

Feeling frustrated and confused, I went to my room, my mind was still racing with the same questions.. Why didn't Arnav ever cash these checks? What was the reason behind it? Why my father never mentioned anything about it?.. After a while my mother walked in..

She sat down beside me, and asked with concern... 'Are you ok, beta..You look pale.. Is anything troubling you? Are you feeling any pain? Please tell me..'

I faked a smile and said, 'Offo Amma..I am fine, stop worrying..'

She took a breath of relief and said, ' Do you want to eat something? Let me cut some fruits for you, or do you want to drink some milk?'

'Amma, please stop it..' I replied with annoyance.. 'I am already fed up with Arnav's over-caring.. Now you don't start, I am pregnant, not sick.. Ok?'

My mother smiled warmly... 'Khushi, I cant tell you how happy I am seeing that Arnav is taking such good care of you.. It shows how much he loves you..'

I looked at my mother with an uneasiness and decided to steer the conversation toward my father to see if I could get anything useful.. 'Amma, do you remember how Babu ji used to take care of me? He was always so attentive and thoughtful for my smallest wish, he always made sure I am ok and happy..'

She nodded, her eyes becoming a bit misty... 'Yes, your father was a wonderful father..He always put you first..'

I felt little guilty as I was reminding her about my father but I had no other option.. So, I continued, trying to sound casual.. 'He must have had a lot of plans and dreams about my life, my wedding, right? Did he ever mention anything about Arnav? He used to like him a lot, right?'

She looked thoughtful for a moment.. 'Your father respected Arnav a lot. He thought very highly of him. He even talked about sharing some of his business ideas with him..'

I felt a flicker of hope. Maybe this was the key to understanding the checks.. 'Did Babu ji ever say why he wanted to share his business with Arnav?..'

She nodded and said.. 'He always thought you and Arnav are going to be together and believed he was the right person to take his things forward. He loved you both so much..'

I felt so heavy in my heart hearing this, he loved Arnav so much, he not only trusted him with me but he wanted to share his business with Arnav.. Oh Arnav, You hurt not only me but my Babu ji too.. How you expect everything will be normal in our life after betraying us like this..

Gathering some courage I finally asked, 'Amma, did Babu ji ever say anything specific about giving money to Arnav?..'

My mother looked puzzled.. 'No, beta, he never mentioned giving money to Arnav.. He just wanted to share his business with him, after you two get married..'