One Step Closer (IPKKND FF | Complete)

Chapter Two

There was just one day in Arnav Singh Raizada's entire life when things had spun completely out of control. The day when his parents died, leaving his sister with a broken wedding and himself with what felt like a permanently broken heart.

Ever since that day and its aftermath, when young 'chhote' had matured ten years over the space of just a few days, he had embarked on a project to toughen himself, to hide his feelings from the world, so that nothing could ever shake him to his core ever again.

And now here he was, standing in front of the woman he had fallen in love with, the woman who had left a mark from the very second she'd fallen into his arms... the woman whose words were now shattering Arnav's painstakingly constructed and fiercely guarded world.

His face grew ashen as he listened to Khushi's story about meeting Shyam in Lucknow, about his pursuit of her, the reluctant engagement and the devastating truth that had thrown Gupta family into turmoil.

Shyam! Di's husband, Di's lifeline. His jiija-ji. Arnav felt a dreadfully cold feeling rising from his gut as he took in Khushi's insane, incomprehensible story.

"She is so good, and she loves him so much, she cannot live without him, without that... disgusting... cheap... lowlife..." Khushi broke down into heaving sobs while explaining how she didn't tell the truth to Anjali after seeing her stress over a broken mangalsutra.

The secret about Shyam had been weighing heavy on Khushi's heart; now that she had finally told it, the floodgates were open. All the guilt and heartbreak was rising like a tide from deep inside her, completely overwhelming her.

Breathless, Khushi half sat, half collapsed on Arnav's green lounge chair and hid her face in her hands.

But Arnav just stood, frozen, unable to move.

He didn't want to believe what he'd just heard, he was refusing to believe it with every fibre of his being. There must be another explanation.

His eyes travelled to the red bruises on Khushi's arms, and he noticed more marks around her wrists, too - right where the bandage was from the mishap with NK's flimsy bangles the other night.

He felt a surge of anger, mixed with shame - he had left bruises on those very wrists before, and brought tears to her eyes more times than he cared to remember. In his stupid, stubborn, unsuccessful efforts to get her out of his heart he had repeatedly wronged Khushi, and every time found himself bitterly regretting the things he'd said and done.

No, she had no reason to make up such a ridiculous story, no reason to lie to him about any of this... she was obviously hurt.

And she had come to him in her pain because she trusted him. After everything.

Finally the spell of the shock was broken, and Arnav dropped down on the lounge next to Khushi and drew her into his arms once again, wanting nothing more than to console her, to make the tears stop. While his mind was still numb, his heart was guiding him to the immediate priority.

"Khushi, shhh... it's okay, I'm here now, I--" Arnav choked again on what he had wanted to tell her.

"I should have told... I shouldn't have... kept it from your family... for so long," Khushi got in between ragged breaths, clutching the lapel of Arnav's blazer. "I warned him, I told him I would only stay quiet for Anjali's happiness sake, he had to behave, he had to stay away from us... but then... what he did just now--"

"What? Dammit, what happened!?"

Startled, Khushi drew away from Arnav's chest and peered at his face. The familiar laad governer anger was in his voice just then, and months of tempestuous encounters with ASR had honed her fight-or-flight instincts.

But Arnav wasn't staring her down in anger - she could clearly read the pain and worry in his expression. So, like ripping off a bandaid, Khushi quickly recounted what Shyam had just said on the rooftop - how he didn't care for Anjali, how he wished he had never married her.

As she spoke, more tears rolled down her cheeks. She had never thought anyone could be so callous, so disrespectful of the values she believed to be the most important in life.

Arnav too felt his eyes welling up as he took in Khushi's words. Memories of Anjali's marriage, of Shyam entering their house, of his sister's pure, absolute happiness - all raced through his mind.

He couldn't think of a single instance when Shyam had been anything but a devoted husband and a respectful family member, charming and supportive to everyone in the household.

Sure, he travelled a lot for work and Di was left waiting, but that was the nature of his job, they had all accepted it - and deep down Arnav didn't mind it so much as it meant Di stayed in Shantivan instead of moving out...

But now Khushi was here in front of him, all bruised and heartbroken. Telling him it wasn't work travel at all, in fact Shyam had never even left Delhi, not since he'd followed the Gupta family from Lucknow to Lakshmi Nagar.

And the reason for her needing to move to Delhi in the first place, the reason Shyam had emerged as a hero in her family's life... all that was because of Arnav's impulsive decision to release that damn footage from his fashion show. A reminder of yet another regret he'd been trying to suppress.

If all this was true... if it was really true, he had to protect his sister, he had to protect Khushi, he had to do something.

Arnav swallowed the lump in his throat and, with an unsteady hand, gently wiped the tears from Khushi's cheeks. His touch lingering, he tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear, fingertips lightly caressing her soft skin.

"I will fix this, Khushi," he quietly said with the steely determination in his voice that was so much more intimidating than his usual angry shouting.

Khushi closed her eyes as Arnav's warm fingertips ran down her cheek, setting off sparks across her skin. Her heartbeat fluttered like a bird and she hardly dared to breathe, afraid to startle the sensation away...

Just then a knock on the door interrupted the moment, and Arnav quickly withdrew his hand.

"Chhote, have you seen Khushi-ji?" Anjali's voice rang out as she swung both doors wide open.

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