Valley of Flowers

Chapter 24

'No!' Garima exclaimed. 'Sharadaji gave Khushi the money to go away to Mumbai. She cried the entire night after your mom left our house. 'I didn't even console the poor soul,' Garima lamented. 'All that girl has craved for, all her life is a little love and affection. I failed her miserably! I had always been a little reserved with that sweet girl because I didn't want to offend my in-laws and also because I had been bogged down by family tragedy in the past.'

She looked at Arnav, her eyes pleading for understanding. 'I didn't know what happened between you two at the time but I realized later that Khushi genuinely loved you.'

I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU

Arnav remembered how she had chanted over and over again as he made love to her under the banyan tree. It was at this beautiful moment under the banyan tree, when she gave herself with abandon, had he realized that Khushi had come to mean a lot to him in the last few months.

But had he told that to the girl who had trusted him implicitly? N0. He had equivocated.

'Even if my sister-in-law did offer money, Khushi could have refused,' Mamiji interjected.

'At the time even I was surprised that she took the money,' Garima said quietly. 'But she later told me that Sharadaji threatened to ---' She paused.' ---Khushi didn't want to see her babuji in trouble.'

'How dare you accuse my mother-in-law of blackmail?' Shyam exclaimed. 'Do you think a woman of her stature would have stooped so low as to implicate your husband in fraud?'

Garima looked nonplussed as she shook her head. 'I was trying to say that she threatened to stop Akash and Payal's wedding if Khushi didn't comply with her demands. Payal's babuji would have been devastated ---'

'Oh no!' Naniiji put a hand to her head. 'Sharada...'

'Don't believe their lies Naniji!' Shyam told her.

'I agree with damadji.' Manorama piped in, 'Sharada was spoilt and arrogant but even I find it hard to believe what these people are accusing her of. I think they are lying!'

'Amma, please don't say thing likes that.' Akash said in his mother-in-law's' defence.

Arnav walked up to Shyam and raised his hand and slapped him right across his face. A shocked gasp went through the room as everyone froze with shock.

'Arnav!' Shyam roared back in anger holding a hand to his cheek.

'So my mother blackmailed Khushi,' Arnav said brown eyes simmering with intense rage. 'How did you know about that?' Anjali 's analysis of Shyam's nature a week ago, had made him extra perceptive. In the midst of the chaos he had not missed Shyam's goof up.

'I never said that! It was she –'

Arnav slapped him again. 'Aunty never mentioned fraud. You said my mother wouldn't have stooped sow low as to implicate Khushi's father in fraud. If she didn't – then you must have.'

'Have you gone mad Arnav?' Mamiji exclaimed. 'Why are you hitting damadji like this? How can you believe these people over your own family?'

'They are my family too!' He said loudly and clearly.

'You are angry because, you went against us to support Khushi in this house! After all that you did for her, what does she do? She leaves you with this.' She waved the letter in her hand.

'NO!' He roared. 'Everything that Khushi wrote in this letter is a lie,' Arnav said defiantly. 'She only wrote this letter because I told her about a letter my mother gave me after she had left me five years ago – a letter she never wrote in the first place.'