Her heart pounded.
You're stupid, Khushi, to tell him you love him now.
Khushi ignored the voice in her head and listened to her heart. The time for lies and secrets was over. It was their one hope of getting through this.
"But the night of Diwali changed everything," she continued. "You announced your engagement to Lavanya-ji and I lost my only reason to say no. I didn't have the strength to keep denying my family so I agreed to the engagement. Do you remember the day you bandaged my hand at the temple?"
"Yes. I remember every moment I've spent with you," Arnav-ji replied softly, holding her tighter against him.
"That day, at 6, I was meant to engaged. But I was at the temple, with you placing a bandage on the same finger Shyam would have put the ring on. Devi Maiyya protected me that day, protected us. When I finally reached home, Shyam had convinced Bua-ji that horoscopes don't matter, and we did the exchange of rings immediately. Then I lost the ring, and you found out."
Her voice trailed away as she remembered Arnav-ji's pain, his anger. The words he'd used to hurt her, while agony shone in his eyes.
"I became suspicious after Jiji and Jija's* wedding was fixed. I found out the truth the next day, the Satyanarayan pooja. Do you remember how I came into your room that day? My feet carried me there when I was worrying about Shyam. I saw Di's husband for the first time that day, found out he was Shyam, and broke my engagement. I saw you at your pool a few minutes later."
He'd asked if her fiancé had hurt her. She hadn't denied it, but had kept silent when she realised the truth would destroy him. His sister was his whole world.
"Bua-ji kicked him out of her home that night. I didn't know if it was the right thing, but I decided not to tell Di and destroy two families with the shameful truth. Shyam misbehaved with me every chance he got. That day, on the terrace, I thought you'd invited me up there. But Shyam was there, saying he'd written the message on my mirror. I tried to get away but he forced me to stay. I yelled but no one could hear me."
Arnav-ji had stilled. He was frozen in anger; she could feel the tension in his arms, in his chest. She stopped, afraid to tell him any more.
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* Sister and Brother-in-law; meaning Payal and Aakash
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Forgive Her Anything (IPKKND AU) #Wattys2016
Fanfiction(IPKKND AU) In love with his brother-in-law's mistress, Arnav Singh Raizada is torn between his duties as a brother and his feelings for a woman who could destroy everything he loves. After giving his wife a final chance to explain herself at the ai...
