FF Let Me Love You - Part 6

Arnav  gripped Khushi tighter and closer, she looked at him to see him looking at her, his eyes were dark and expressionless...

Arnav : Tell me what happnened Khushi ?? tell me everything, don’t leave out anything.

Khushi let her head drop over his heart as she continued....

I was at home that day, Payal was in the US at that time, she had gone there for her higher studies, so it was just Maya , Dad and Me at home, that day Maya asked me to go along with her to Dad’s guesthouse, she said Dad wanted me to meet me urgently, so I went along, when I reached there , Dad wasn’t around, Maya told me that he would come along anytime and she left me there saying she had to go shopping. 

But Dad didn’t come, instead it was Jay and his friends who came, my dad had told Jay to make me agree for the wedding  and to do whatever it takes to convince me, he didn’t care whether I loved Jay or not, all he cared about was the merger with the Singhanias, I don’t remember much of the rest Arnav, I was scared, alone, helpess, it was pure terror and I was surrounded, I was hauled into one of the rooms, hours passed, I don’t know who it was or wasn’t, all I can remember is the pain and my own crys to spare me, I screamed out my heart, they stuffed me so that my voice wouldn’t be heard, my body was hurt, covered in blood, pain ripped through my body....

I don’t remember how or when I woke up, Rahul managed to find me, Dad or Maya never bothered to take me from there, either they wanted me dead or if I was alive, they knew I would be forced to marry Jay after what he did to me, and if I died then they would get Payal married to Jay, weeks passed, Rahul took care of me, gradually as my health stabilised, I told Rahul what happened, Dad and Maya came to take me away knowing I was alive, I refused to go and the doctors advised them to not compel me, I went to Shantiniketan, Rahul stayed there as well, he took care of me,the nightmares are never ending Arnav, the memories haunt me even now, when I thought my life was getting back to normal, Dad send Jay and his friends to take me away and bring me home, Rahul had decided long back that he would kill Jay and thats what happened, Rahul couldn’t be stopped, he hacked Jay to pieces, Jay’s parents got his body in parts, I saw it happen in front of me, Rahul went after Jay’s friends, my dad had reached there by then, I knew he would kill Rahul, I begged and pleaded him to not harm Rahul, in my desperation I told dad that Rahul was his son from Mama’s sister Anjali Sharma but that only infuriated my dad, I still remember the manical laugh he gave before Rahul was killed !!! 

My life crashed down again right in front of my eyes Arnav, the memories will never stop haunting me , I never saw Rahul’s body, the culprits walked free because the Guptas and Singhanias had the power to erase it all !! 

I lost all that I had in my life that day Arnav, I died again !! 


Arnav sat frozen, he was holding Khushi tight in his arms, the shock rendered him speechless, his eyes became unreadable, his grips on her body was tight, Khushi could feel his grip getting harder but she was calm, she had finally told him everything that he had to know about her, there wasn’t anything left to be told, left to be hidden, she was an open book in front of him, she could imagine the image that she had created for herself in his eyes, an image of a girl with a dark past and dishonoured present, his silence wasn’t troubling her, she knew he was too shocked to react, Arnav closed his eyes, the blood rushing to his brain, oblivious to the fact that he was still holding Khushi in his arms, the images her words were conjuring up was vivid, he had never felt so helpless, blood curdling fury unleashed itself in him as he thought about the monsters who had ruined her life and put her through hell, thats when he felt her moving in his arms, trying to get away from him, he opened his eyes to find her looking at him, a sad smile on her face, it was the smile of a person who knew her reality, who had understood and accepted her pain as her fate.

Arnav : your place is always in my arms Khushi, stop trying to get away !! 

It was Khushi’s turn to be shocked, 

she couldn’t understand the determination and strength in his voice….

she couldn’t understand why he was willingly walking into her living hell….

she couldn’t understand the reason  as to why he was still holding her tight in his arms…. 

Khushi : Arnav let me go, you know everything about me, there are no more secrets, you know Khushi better than anyone else right now, atleast now try to understand that we cant get married, we are just way too different Arnav, you have a beautiful family who loves you, you have known nothing but happiness in your life, and look at me, you know the evil that runs in my family, you know my past, you know that I have been violated to the extent that I may never be able to open up to you without those memories haunting me, there is too much pain and betrayal in my life and I cant let you be a part of it, you will never be able to live in peace, people around us will always try to tear us apart, I can give you nothing but pain in return for all the love you give me, I have learnt to live with my life Arnav but I cant see you suffering because of me.

Just let me go Arnav !! 

Arnav caught hold of her tighter in his arms, he brought her so close to his face that she was just an inch away from him, she lost herself in his eyes, his eyes were the windows to his soul and all she could see in them was unconditional love and care for her, she could also see another emotion simmering in its depths but couldn’t understand what it was, his voice was a mere whisper but it pierced her heart…

Arnav : Khushi, true that I have a family who knows only to love and give, yes I have never known pain or hatred or deceit or betrayal, but don’t think that the love I grew up receiving had made me a weak person, don’t expect me to give up on Khushi because its never going to happen, I don’t make promises without knowing the consequences, if I make a promise to you, then understand the fact that I intend to keep it as long as I am alive, no matter what your past , present or the future holds for us !!! true that your life has only given you pain, but that doesn’t take away your right to a happy future Khushi, My love isn’t so weak that a saga of heinous crimes committed on you can make me shun you out of my life !! 

When Alaka first gave me your photo, thats when I saw the pain in your heart, your eyes are the window to your soul Khushi, it cant hide anything and I saw your pain in your eyes, I knew winning your love wouldn’t be easy, I knew you had a lot of memories that held you back from loving again.

Khushi you opened up your heart to me, I can see your wounds, now trust me Khushi, 

Trust me so that I Can heal you…

Trust me to fill your life with happiness…. 

Trust me to erase the memories of your past….

Trust me to help you forget them…..

Trust me Khushi to Let Me Love You !!! 

Khushi had tears in her eyes, she broke down, she cried in his arms, she couldn’t bring herself to tell him yes and she knew there was no way she was going to be able to refuse him, in between her tears, Arnav heard her speak…

Khushi : Arnav I cant do this to you, how can you marry a girl who has been gang raped ?? what about your family, their status and reputation, what if someone brings it up and questions them, what about you Arnav ?? how can you face people who mock you for marrying a girl who has been touched and violated, how will you deal with it for the rest of your life !! 

Anger coursed through his veins as he heard her speak, it ripped through him that she thought herself to be unfit for him, he knew he had to make a few things clear for her once and for all, 

Khushi was surprised to find Arnav getting up with her still held in his arms, he was walking back to the house, he wasn’t talking anything, he walked straight in and took her straight to his bedroom, he set her down on the bed and closed the door, she couldn’t read his expression, his face was determined and grim, he bend down on his knees so that he was kneeling beside her, his hands tightly held hers….

Arnav : Khushi listen to me carefully, I wont repeat this again and I want you to erase errant thoughts in your heart once you hear this....
You were deprived of your Mama’s love, your dad and your step mother are evil personified and I promise you , I wont let them walk free, I will make them pay for what they did to Mama and Anjali Sharma as well !! 
A pack of wolves ripped your life and heart into pieces for their own gains, one of them is dead because if he wasn’t then I would have been the one to finish him, but he is gone, his friends are still out there and I promise you that I will hunt them all, and I will make them bleed to their deaths, they will die begging for forgiveness for what they did to you but forgiveness will be denied to them !! 

Rahul’s death wont go in vain Khushi, I will make raj Gupta pay for what he did to you , Rahul, Mama and Anjali Sharma !!! 

Do you understand that Khushi ??? 

The emotion that she had seen in Arnav’s eyes a while back, finally it dawned on her, it was unadulterated rage and fury to all the people who had wronged her !! She knew he wouldn’t rest until each one of them had paid for their sins !!! 

Arnav could see the acceptance in her eyes and he continued....

Arnav : As to mine and my family’s reputation.... 

As far as I know Khushi, I am getting married to a girl whose heart is as pure as anyone’s can be, you are angel Khushi and your heart is pure and untouched, you can only love, all I need is your heart Khushi, I need you to love me unconditionally as much as I love you and I don’t want anything more than that. As for what those monsters did to you, it was an act of crime and like all acts of crime, they deserve to be punished, and the victim of such an inhuman crime doesn’t deserve to be shunned away, she deserves love and care and happiness just like any other girl in this world, Khushi the crime committed on you hasn’t tainted your body or your soul, your body was injured but like all injuries it will heal, your mind heart and soul was traumatized and my love will heal the dark memories, I will be the one to erase it Khushi, you will be love loved and protected, mind body and soul, you are pure Khushi and you are mine forever !! 

As for what the society thinks, I don’t care and neither does my family, what matters is what our heart feels for each other and if a situation arises , then I am sure that my family will be there along with me to protect you.

Arnav stood up and pulled her into his arms, holding her close to his heart, he whispered just for her to hear...

Arnav : My family will know your past only if there is a need for them to know Khushi, this is about my wife’s privacy , its about our intimacy and I am not letting anyone know anything unless its needed, its upto me to protect you, others even if its family needs to know only if the situations demands it. I love you Khushi and no matter what happens, body and soul I am yours, My heart beats just for you Khushi !! 

If you walk away from my life, thats when I will be in pain, the very thought of you leaving me, of loosing you is sheer agony Khushi, as long as we are together, its perfect Khushi , you and me and our love, thats all that matters  !! 

Khushi looked at Arnav, 

She saw the conviction in his eyes....

She saw the love....

She saw the care...

She saw the passion....

She saw his heart....

She saw his happiness....

She saw his determination to make sure that her sins were avenged....

She saw  her dream coming true in his eyes.... 

Their eyes welled up in tears, they both were crying, their tears falling freely, Khushi cried because her life had found a meaning once again, She had Arnav, she has a reason to live, her existence held a new meaning, she once again had someone to call as her own, she could love again, and this time it was her one true love....

Arnav was crying for all the pain that she had underwent, all the pain of her past which she had battled all alone, he swore to himself that Khushi’s tears wouldn’t go in vain, he would give her all the love and happiness that she deserved and much more, it would be their small world from now on, no more pain but only love !!