Tere Liye | ✔

Chapter Thirty - Punishment

"Both of you lied. But you what's the difference?" She watched as Arnav posed the question and leaned towards her. "That you lied to destroy lives, and she lied to get someone the justice she deserves."

He left a fog in her mind as he stepped back after whispering and she pulled her eyebrows together. Her heart thumped in its rib cage as she whispered back, 

"How do you know about that?" 

A fear took control over her whole body as she saw the upturn of Arnav's lips forming a wicked smirk. The fog that overpowered her mind for a second cleared off, leaving her bare in front of the reality that started seeping - once it did, her eyes widened and her breaths came out in whoosh.

"It was you...y-you did all this..?" Her voice trailed off and though she spoke as if asking a question, her astound eyes showcased that she did not neccessarily needed an answer to that. 

Arnav's smirk stretched and her heart sank, seeing him take delight in her condition. The sinking feeling however rose in anger, as she realized this is what he has been doing - take pleasure in the agony she's been through.

Resentment started flaring in her soon after and she cried out. 

"Why? Why did you do this, Arnav? Why?" 

With tears spilling from her eyes, reached to hold his arms and made a futile attempt to shake his rock-like body. 

"Did you not see how much I was suffering? Did you not feel pity, Arnav?" Her voice begun to rise as she sought answers, desperately wanting, in fact, needing to see something in his eyes that told her he did care. He did felt for her, even though he was the one causing her misery. But alas. She found nothing in his eyes. Nothing but indifference and hatred - hatred that pierced through her like a knife and unleashed a darkening fury which took over her form as she held his collar, seething.

"Why are you quiet?" She shouted, her ablaze eyes boring into his which held the kind of calmness that prevails before a perilous storm. 

"Tell me!" Sheetal demanded, failing to grasp the very obvious reasons for his behavior amidst her own pain at being rejected with so much humiliation. "Why did you turn so venomous? What made you so ruthless to me? What, Arnav, what? What made it alright to harm me like that, my mental health like that?"

What made him like this?

What made him hurt someone so much physically and toy with their mental stability?  

Her questions resonated with vehemence in his ears and as his mind saw the answers playing like a tragic movie. Waves of agony washed over him, as he saw himself crying and begging Khushi to open her eyes and talk to him whilst she helplessly laid in the ruins of her own body. Her pain, followed by her inability to at least express that pain deepened his hostility for the screaming maniac in front and he stepped forward, his bellow resounding above her bickering. 

"BECAUSE YOU HARMED KHUSHI!"

He grabbed her shoulders, his eyes utterly enraged. The throes of anguish that he kept clenched up behind the mask of friendliness to trap Sheetal, lanced through the barrier and rolled on the tip of his tongue whilst his eyes stung, vehemently.

"You hurt her." His accusation did nothing but engrave a blank look in Sheetal's eyes. She watched him pause, take a deep breath before started again, his shouts wavering in the depths of hurt. 

"You tortured her. Mentally and physically. You plotted against her ever since you came here with this, this fake son of yours." He revealed, knowing that the son he was talking about was was not there to hear this truth in such a way. He had been considerate towards the little boy and under the pretext of taking him out for a movie, had slowly revealed the reality of his mother to him, then left his crying and protesting form with Neha before he came here to complete his task.