Taken For Granted

Chapter 37

Khushi's POV

Bhabhi's voice trembles as she finally says it, "HE HAS CANCER."

The moment those words leave her lips, I freeze. My mind goes blank, and the tears that were flowing so freely just moments ago seem to dry up. I stand there like a statue, rooted to the spot, not even reacting when I hear Bhabhi and Bhai scream. My body moves on autopilot as I walk emotionlessly toward where Jiji is lying.

Bhai's voice is laced with worry as he asks, "Khushi, are you fine? What happened?"

I hear the concern in his voice, but I don't acknowledge it. I'm too numb. Suddenly, my phone rings. It's Sam. Without hesitation, I answer it.

"Is everything okay? Aru and Vivu are missing you guys," Sam's worried voice filters through the line.

My voice is cold, devoid of any emotion, "I'm coming in half an hour."

A few minutes later, the doctor comes in to check on Jiji since Bhabhi isn't in the right state of mind to do it herself.

After examining her, the doctor comes out and says, "The patient has had a lot of stress and too many shocks. Please ensure she gets enough rest and is kept away from more stress."

As the doctor turns to leave, Bhai stops her and whispers something in her ear, making her turn back to look at me with concern.

She examines me briefly and then says, "This patient is on the verge of depression... Based on what you've told me, Mr. Oberoi, she's going to need support. She should see a psychiatrist and be kept in a positive environment."

I look at the doctor with disbelief and then at Bhai, who's staring at me with a deeply concerned expression. That's it—I've had enough.

"Stop!" I snap, my anger bubbling to the surface. "Don't show me pity. For the last five years, that's all I've received from everyone—pity. You all treat me like some weak doll that's going to shatter at any moment. But let me tell you something—I am not a weak doll, so stop treating me like one!"

I point at Bhai, my voice rising, "Just because you did a background check on me and found out how I was treated by my foster parents and my ex-husband, doesn't mean you have to pity me all the time. And who gave you the right to tell my entire family about my past life? WHO?"

I see Bhai's shocked expression, but I'm too angry to stop. "You didn't even wait for me to tell you everything from my perspective. Stop being so overprotective—where were you for the past 20 years of my life when I needed you?"

I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. "There's no point in explaining all this to you because you wouldn't understand. I'll take care of Vivu and Aru today so Jiji doesn't have to worry about them. And don't tell Jiji what the doctor said—she's already stressed enough."

Without another word, I storm out of the house and head home. The moment I walk through the door, Aru comes running up to me, crying.

"Mama... why didn't you come to pick me up? It was my first day," Aru says between sobs.

My heart aches for my little one. "I'm so sorry, my baby... I'll drop you off tomorrow, I promise."

Aru's tears start to dry up as he smiles at me, "Promise?"

I smile back, "Of course."

I hug her tightly, and soon enough, Vivu comes running in too. I open my arms wide for him, and he quickly joins us in the embrace. Behind them, I see Karan and Sam, both looking tense.

I check the time and realize it's quite late, so I take the kids to my bedroom and sing them a lullaby until they fall asleep. Once I'm sure they're both sound asleep, I quietly head downstairs, where Karan is on the phone, and Sam is pacing around the room.

"What's happening?" I ask quietly.

Karan ends his call and looks at me while Sam sits down on the sofa, both of them still looking worried.

I walk over to Karan, my voice trembling, "Is Dad going to be okay? How is Jiji? How is Mum? How..."

"Slow down, Khushi," Karan interrupts gently. "I just got some good news for you. I contacted the number one cancer specialist and sent them Uncle's reports. They told me that Uncle can survive. Payal is fine now and doesn't know anything that happened in the Oberoi mansion. Aunty is also fine."

Relief washes over me like a wave. Maybe today isn't as bad as I thought. Overwhelmed with emotion, I hug Karan, and then I move to hug Sam, but I see that he's already asleep.

Karan's voice is soft as he asks, "Khushi, do you want to talk to me? I won't force you, but I'm here if you need me."

I look at Karan, his face full of genuine concern, and all the emotions I've been holding in start to overflow. I begin to cry, and Karan immediately pulls me into his arms, holding me tightly.

"You can cry as much as you want," Karan says gently. "I'll be here for you, just like Shivaay. I'll be your older brother too."

Through my tears, I manage to say, "I want to tell you everything... I want to tell you about my past life."

Karan doesn't hesitate. "You can tell me anything."

I lead him quietly to Jiji's room and begin to narrate the story of our lives from the moment we met the Raizada brothers. Karan listens silently, never interrupting, as I tell him about the hardships we faced in that household and the fights that tore us apart.

As I recount how our ex-husbands accused us of things we never did—how I was blamed for ruining Arnav's Di and Mum's lives, and how Jiji was accused of betrayal simply because she tried to better herself by learning English—Karan's anger is palpable. But what I tell him next will break his heart, and I know it.

With a painful smile, I say, "Even though they did all this to us, we still love them more than anyone else ever could. We can't forget the wonderful memories we had with them, and no matter how much we try to hate them... we just can't."

Karan's expression shifts to one of deep sorrow as he listens to my words.

"Please continue..." he says, his voice pained.

I nod, sadness filling me as I continue, "After we moved to Mumbai, I started getting treatment for my complications from the best doctor, thanks to Nanheji, who forced me to take the treatment. When I was seven months pregnant, the specialist doctors gave me the good news that I had no more complications. It was the happiest day of our lives... but then it turned bad when Mum and Dad came to our doorsteps, claiming to be our real parents."

Tears fill my eyes again as I remember that day. "We refused to believe them at first, but they kept insisting it was true, showing us our birth certificates as proof. We finally accepted them and asked why they had left us, but they never told us the reason... until now..."

Precap - More confession and Arshi moments

Do you think Khushi's outburst is justified?

Is Khushi going to be ok?