Part 2 Who is she?
Arnav felt bad hearing her tears-filled words. Did she eat nothing for three days? But why? How was it even possible to be alive without eating anything? How hard it would have been for her to be starving for three days? He walked to the kitchen stage. Taking a plate, he filled it with a few roties and sabji. He forwarded the plate to the girl. She looked at him surprisingly.
"Have it..."
Taking the plate, she sat on the floor and ate. She stopped eating and looked at Arnav, hearing his words.
"Wipe your tears"
She wiped her cheek with her knuckle and continued eating. Arnav put a glass of water, in front of her and waited without disturbing her. She stood, after finishing the plate. Washing the plate, she kept it on the kitchen stage.
"Who are you? What's your name? How did you come here?" Arnav questioned her.
"My name is KHUSHI. I came here by mistake while running from THEM"
"Them? Who?"
Khushi started crying badly.
"Why are you crying?"
"I don't want to marry HIM" she cried again.
Arnav somewhat understood, what was the problem.
"So, you came running from your family..."
"No... my father was the one who asked me to run away from this marriage"
"Whaaaat?"
She nodded yes.
"My had cancer. My father borrowed money from someone for her treatment. She passed away last year. My father could not return the money which he borrowed. The credit grew with interest. My father was even ready to give him our house but he didn't accept it"
"Why?"
"Instead of our house, he asked my hand for the marriage. He wanted to marry me"
Arnav raised his brows getting amazed.
"His horoscope has some major issues it seems. His family astrologer insisted him to marry a girl who was born in a Virgo, Chitra star with one special feature."
"Special feature?"
"Yes, the girl should be born in the middle of September."
"So?"
"I was born in the middle of September and my zodiac sign is Virgo, Chitra Star."
"Oh..."
"My father went to the same astrologer to write my horoscope. As my horoscope is having the same features the man searching for, he asked my hand for the marriage" she said crying.
Arnav was looking at her miserably.
"I don't want to marry him... I don't want to be a second wife..."
"Whaaaat? Second wife?"
She nodded yes.
"He is older than my father"
"Whaaaaat?"
"That's why my Babuji sent me away from them before marriage. They locked me in a room and didn't even feed me because I'm not interested in the marriage."
Arnav felt bad for her.
"Where is your house?"
"Surya Nagar"
"Ok, I will take you there tomorrow"
She nodded ok.
"Sleep for a while. You look tired"
"thank you so much" she was about to sit on the floor,
"Not here. There is a guest room next to this kitchen. Go and sleep there. You can lock the door from inside"
She nodded ok.
"Come"
Arnav took her to the guest room. Khushi looked at the guest room awestruck as it looked grand.
"Take rest. Good night" Arnav left the room.
Arnav was not sure that what she said was true. That's why he said he will take her to her house. He didn't want to trust her blindly. At the same time, he could not be without trusting her tears. She seemed not pretending. Whatever, he will go to her house and get to know whether she said true or lie.
Arnav came to his room, thinking about Khushi. Switching the lights off, he was about to lay on the bed. He stopped and listened sharpening his ears, hearing a different sound from outside. He glanced outside through the window, sliding the curtain slightly. He saw two sets of men gathered in front of Sheesh Mahal from opposite directions.
"Don't know where she went" one said.
"I saw here entering into this premises. She didn't come out of this area"
"What if she left the place by any vehicle?"
"Maybe... we should not waste our time at one place."
"a few of you stay here and a few of you go searching for her" someone ordered.
"We should not go without her... however we should find her"
They rushed in all the directions and a few stayed in Sheesh Mahal's surroundings.
It didn't take much time for Arnav to understand whom they were talking about. He sensed the seriousness of the issue. It seemed these guys were dangerously dangerous. Handing her over to her father was his responsibility. He was even ready to help them to leave Lucknow if needed. He heard a few footsteps rushing here and there, after lying on the bed. It was crystal clear that they were seriously searching for Khushi.
The next day
Arnav knocked on the guest room's door. Khushi opened the door and smiled at him.
"Did you sleep peacefully?" he asked.
"Jee... thank you for your help. Could you please drop me home?" she asked pleadingly.
"Yeah... have breakfast. I will take you to your house"
Khushi nodded ok.
Arnav got a call from Aman. He attended it.
"Yeah, Aman, have you done what I said?"
"Yeah, everything is ready including chopper"
"Yeah... we will have to leave in half an hour"
"We are ready"
Arnav disconnected the call. He had breakfast with Khushi. he stood up finishing breakfast.
"Shall we go?"
Khushi nodded ok excitedly and walked with him. They got inside the car. Two more cars were ready to follow them.
"Direct me to your place," Arnav said.
"Jee..."
She started telling him the way to her place. Arnav drove the car. He made sure that his men were following them. After forty minutes of the ride, they reached a congested area. Arnav looked at Khushi.
"Next street," she said.
When they turned the car into the next street, Khushi was horrified as a few men were beating her father black and blue. He was bleeding brutally. A man was looking at him, sitting on a chair.
"Where is she?" a man who was hitting him asked.
"Babujiiiii" Khushi shouted.
Arnav looked at her horrified. Was he Khushi's father? Khushi got down from the car and rushed towards her father.
"Here, she came..." someone said.
One of the goons clutched her hair and dragged her towards the man who was sitting on the chair.
"Leave me... Babujiiii..." she shrieked.
"Bapu here is your *would be wife*" the man pushed her towards the CHAIR man. He laughed like a devil and clutched her hand.
"Do you think you can escape without marrying me?"
Arnav was horrified, seeing the man. Was he the one who wanted to marry Khushi? Damn... Arnav gritted his teeth wrathfully because the man was 70+.
To be continued...