Sun Raha Hai Na Tu

21. The defiance

"I have booked our flight for tonight. You can pack whatever you want to get from here."He said in his ASR tone.

He has learnt from the past that being weak would not get him Khushi.

Shyam shook his head incredulously at his tone.

"Arnav keep your anger and dominance in check...and impatience too." Shyam whispered for his ears which Arnav ignored.

Khushi's face was expressionless.

Akash, Payal, Buaji and Garima were holding their breaths and were scared at this calm in this hall. Maybe the calm before the storm it was?

Shashi spoke this time.

"I know she...is your wife again unfortunately Mr.Raizada. But this time everything will happen as per her wish."

"Everything IS happening as per her wish." Arnav said firmly looking into his eyes.

Shashi's anger flared.

"You don't have to be angry Sir. I am not here to fight. I am here to get her back peacefully.She promised me that if I gathered myself back together only then I can come here to meet her. I am okay now and I am here." He said the last words staring into her eyes.

He was twisting and untwisting his fingers.

For the first time ever in his life, his life, his breaths, his heartbeats depended on someone else's existence and decision.If she refused to come along with him he didn't know what he will do or can do.He don't want to hurt her now that she has become his reason to live, to breath.

"Khushi bitiya, are you ready to go with him?" Shashi placed his hand over hers who was silently listening everything without adding her perspective when it was her life which was being discussed here.

"No." One word from her mouth and earth crashed upon his head.

"But you said-" Arnav started.

"I said that you can come to meet me when you will get your shit back together. I didn't say anything about going to stay with you!" She screeched and he paled.

"You are backing off from your words." He said scared from inside.

"I am not."

"Yes you are!"

"And what if I am?" She gritted.

"If you don't want to live with me then why did you marry me?" He asked silently, defeated.

One after the other pieces of his being were crushing from inside without anyone's knowledge and it pained him like hell.

It hurts like hell

And he needed her badly to stay alive to keep standing on his feet!

"I think I answered that already."

"You want to destroy me then do it. Come and live with me.Destroy me all you want. I won't do anything." He thinned his lips to stop himself from screaming.

"For that I don't have to live with you, Mr.Raizada." She said solemnly.

"I think I am already succeeding in it ain't I?"

He clenched his jaws.

Everyone was confused what Khushi was doing and what was going on in her mind.

Everyone except for Shashi. He knows what was happening here.

Arnav's restlessness peaked.

He has waited, waited for the last 7 years, two months and 13 hours of his life for this moment.He has waited to get her forgiveness just a little bit, just a minute bit so that he could atleast get some peace, some solace from this hell of a life where every day he sleeps and wakes up remembering all he ever did to her.