FORCED TO HATE

Chapter 4

"What’s wrong, Ji? Why do you look so tense?" Devyani asked as soon as she noticed her husband enter the room with a frown.

"I just don’t understand this generation, Devyani... children these days!" Suraj sighed, settling into a chair.

"What did Arnav say?" She put her holy book aside and sat up straight, sensing something was amiss.

"He wants something, but I’m not sure if I can give it to him..." Suraj replied, his voice heavy with uncertainty.

"Arnav has always been determined; whatever he wants, he goes after with full conviction. But don’t worry. Even if you don’t give it to him, he’ll find a way to get what he wants," Devyani said thoughtfully.

"It’s not about material things this time," Suraj responded quickly.

"Has he finally confessed his love?" Devyani asked, a hint of excitement in her voice.

"How did you know?" Suraj asked, clearly surprised.

"The way he looks at her—it’s obvious to anyone with eyes, that he loves her," she teased.

"What?" He pretended not to understand, trying to deflect the conversation.

"I know you’re not oblivious to it either," Devyani persisted, refusing to let him off the hook.

"I have no idea what you’re talking about," he continued to feign ignorance.

"Why don’t you just arrange their marriage?" She suggested, ignoring his act entirely.

"Yes, I know... I know Arnav loves her. I’ve seen it in his eyes, in the way he talks about her, in how he supports her when she makes mistakes. But we can’t say the same about Khushi. Does she even love him? Even Arnav doesn’t know the answer to that! What can I do for them now?" Suraj finally voiced his deep concern.

"How will you know unless you ask her?" Devyani proposed.

"I thought she’d tell me herself, like she usually does when she wants something. That’s why I mentioned the Sinhas' proposal—to see if she’d say anything about loving someone else. But no, after much persuasion, she only agreed to consider the proposal and didn’t say a word about Arnav... and from what I can tell, it’s not just that she doesn’t love him; I’m not even sure she likes him," Suraj revealed, clearly troubled by his actions.

"Don’t jump to conclusions. She has feelings but doesn’t know how to express them," Devyani suggested, trying to find a middle ground.

"Except when it comes to anger," he quipped.

"Yes, that’s one emotion she has no trouble expressing," Devyani responded with a playful grimace.

They looked at each other and shared a laugh—truly, their Khushi was a unique character.

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"I'm not sure about her feelings," Arnav had confided to his Dadu.

"I understand, Arnav, but we can’t force someone to love us. I’ve already spoken to her about another proposal. Let’s see what she decides. If she says yes to it, even after knowing you love her, then we can’t compel her to change her decision. It’s her choice."

His Dadu's words echoed in Arnav's mind.

But Arnav couldn’t bring himself to tell his Dadu that Khushi didn’t have a choice in this matter—because, she was already his.

He knew he needed to talk to Khushi. What future did she see for their relationship? Did she think she couldn’t spend her life with someone who wasn’t wealthy?