Flawed ✓

Shot#3

"If I ask something, will you be truthful?" Rajiv asks stuffing his yummy breakfast.

"What is this new tradition? I am truthful always." She shrug her shoulder lifting her water bottle to take a sip.

"Will we ever have a future Khushi?"

Khushi chokes the water out. Her eyes teared in no time which Rajiv doubts whether it is because of his sudden question or some other reason which he is obvious.

***

She looks at him in horror. He breath heavily. Oxygen mask itself shifted from it's place by the force his body shudder against the bed. His lips are moving inside the mask.

"Aakash call doctor." Anjali urge Aakash and she herself went forward trying to hold him. Aakash hurries out.

"Chotte relax. Relax..." She murmur on his ears. She herself in panic at the moment yet she has learnt to stay strong in this one month.

"Khushi." She heard his whisper as she leaned her head towards his mouth.

"Chotte. Relax.."

Doctors rushes in and starts to check him and Anjali glued herself against a wall. Few minutes of struggle, arnav went into his deep slumber.

"He's having bad dream or recalling some bad memories." Doctor informs to the siblings.

Anjali muffles her sob. Aakash pats her shoulder in soothing way.

"We'll find solution for this. We cannot leave him like this." Aakash mutters pushing up his specs.

"It's all happening because of us. Only if we had paid attention to the happenings around us. We failed. Not only he's to be blamed, even us. Especially me. As a elder I should have noticed and investigated about the lack of commitment in chotte and Khushi relationship. If not atleast, I should have paid attention to chotte aloofness around Shyam. I am to be blamed the most. I didn't even noticed the depressed state of my grandson, fully immersed myself on Anjali bitiya. I shouldn't had kept quiet when Khushi marriage was fixed knowing how much Arnav was guilty for his actions. We should've tried something to patch them up rather leaving them on their own. More than him, I failed as a elder. I failed as a grandmother. I failed as a head of the family. It's me who was Flawed first." Devayani Raizada slouches down on the chair self blaming herself. Aren't humans and flaws are inseparable? She was bound to do that.

None of the eyes in the room was dry. Each and every eyes poured enough tears already. Not even a single person in the room was strong enough to console the old lady as everyone is immerse in their grief.

At once everyone turns silent. A murmur from Arnav has increased.

"You're MY BEAUTIFUL MISTAKE KHUSHI. Trust me. You're MY BIGGEST BEAUTIFUL MISTAKE." His murmurs echo on the room.

"Chotte..."

Anjali calls him in whisper. Flickering his eyes he open it.

"Khushi."

"Chotte are you fine?" Anjali, Nani, mama, Mami and Aakash surrounds his bed in no time.

"Where's she? You said, if I allow doctor to treat me you'll ask Khushi to come." He asks in less audible voice.

"She'll come chotte. You just take rest." Anjali caress his forehead.

He wish to push her hand but he's too weak to lift his arm.

"You're lying. Where's she? What you did to her?" He roar in allowed audible voice. Anjali jumps back in shock.

"Chotte.."

"Don't chotte me. You did something didn't you? She'll not leave me, I know. You all must said something to her. What do you said Mami? Di? Nani?"

Each pair of eyes rounds in shock. They can't believe, he's accusing them.

"We didn't do anything chotte."

"Wrong. She's my wife. She loves me. She will not leave me unless you guys did something with her."

"Enough... She's NOT YOUR WIFE. You're under coma from past one month. She's married to someone else. She's NOT YOUR WIFE." Anjali roars not able to bear the denial her brother was showing. He's acting as if he and Khushi married happily instead of painful contract marriage.

"ENOUGH ANJALI. Come out of your illusion. We're MARRIED. If you want proof then check our wedding card, one copy was in my room." He yells as he clearly remembers seeing her name and his name on an elegant wedding card. He even admired their wedding invitation.

Everyone rooted to their spot. They can't decipher anything out of Arnav sentence.