A Promise Broken! (Completed)

ASR's Wrath (Part 1)

The flashbacks have ended and the story will now pick up from where it halted in the chapter titled "ASR or Arnavji". Before we proceed, a quick recap in case anyone is confused between the timelines.

After Anjali's miscarriage, she went into depression and refused to come out of it, in spite of Arnav's best efforts. The Raizadas, who anyway treated Anjali like a glass doll, were desperate to see her back to her former self.

Included among this lot was Payal, whose reasons for Anjali's recovery were more to do with self-preservation and less with concern for the Raizada princess. On the other hand, she was treated like a princess by her Amma and Buaji. They were so busy pampering the pregnant Payal, that they forgot they had another pregnant daughter - Khushi.

Arnav and Khushi were overjoyed with the news of their little one, unaware that their happiness has attracted someone's evil eye. Arnav was the first to decipher the changing winds and took the necessary steps to protect his wife and child in case his hunch turned out to be correct.

Some of his plans were met with opposition by his naïve wife who was under the false impression that everyone is as nice as her. However this illusion broke when she was asked to make the ultimate sacrifice. She was hurt but had her husband's shoulder to lean on.

Now, in tune with Arnav's plans, Khushi was going to stand behind her husband as he showed his ASR avatar to their families. The two of them had descended to where the family was gathered and had declared their decision to move out. On being stopped, Arnav had begun recounting the flashbacks. (End of recap)

Shantivan Drawing Room (Present Time)

While Arnav was narrating the events that triggered his decision, the Raizadas and Guptas were mentally formulating how to defend their actions. Seeing his cold expression, they were scared of the wrath and the destruction it could bring upon them. ArShi leaving the house was just the beginning and Arnav's next words proved them right.

Arnav: I was the ruthless ASR for the world but for my family I was a shield, trying to protect them from the wickedness of the world. But somewhere I was unsuccessful in seeing the malice lurking in my own house and we all faced the consequences. Anjali's unwavering devotion towards that scumbag and my blind love for my sister played a hefty role in clouding my judgment; nonetheless it was a colossal failure at my end. I was so distraught at my blunder that I replayed the last few years to see what could've been done differently.

Arnav: I came to the conclusion that if I had confided in any of the family members, maybe the outcome would have been less disastrous. But then again, given that I'm the only one looking after the family and their needs, sharing this responsibility wouldn't have ever crossed my mind, would it? The cocoon I have built around my siblings have made them incapable of facing dire situations when need be. To avoid such mishaps in the future, I think it's best if they too become strong and competent to handle whatever challenges life throws their way.

Aakash read between the lines and understood that this may be his Bhai talking, but the words are of the ASR, who never spares those who cross him. Hoping to be proven wrong, Aakash gathered whatever little courage he had and spoke - rather he stammered.

Aakash: Bhai, what decision are you talking about? And you mentioned some papers also that you were discussing with Khushiji? Is this anything to do with your recent trips to Mumbai, which have been off the books so far?

Arnav: Wow Aakash, you are more intelligent than I have given you credit for. It's a good thing too, because you will need every ounce of that brilliance going forward.