Chapter 23

    Arnav waited outside the car in the parking of Vijay's building. After few minutes his wife and kid came escorted by Vijay. Vijay placed Muskaan's bag in the back seat and opened the passenger door for them. Once Khushi settled with Muskaan on her lap he closed the door and faced Arnav who was waiting outside for Khushi to settle in. 

"Please don't make her regret the decision to visit your house."

Arnav nodded in agreement and got into the driver's seat.  Muskaan waved excitedly at Vijay as they left the building premises. 

Muskaan was in a happy mood, she was playing with the buttons on the car stereo. Arnav smiled at her antics and asked in baby language.

"What is my cute little button doing with that button?"

Hearing his sound she shifted her attention to Arnav. Giving a toothy smile, she excitedly tried to reach him by grabbing his collar.

"Baby.. come here..  Papa is driving .." Khushi told her loudly as she tried to pull her back. She realized the slip of tongue but she did not show any expression.

    It was the first time she was addressing Arnav as Muskaan's papa in front of him. Arnav noticed this and grinned in satisfaction. Hearing 'papa' he realized something, he was given the place of her daughter's father much before, maybe since the time Muskaan was in her stomach. What if he didn't meet them again?  No.. He did not want to go there.. He did not want to think much on what he has done to her. He will make it up for them..

"It's Ok.. I will make her sit on my lap. Come baby..." he placed Muskaan on his lap and drove slowly. He continued to talk to her in baby language as she excitedly placed her tiny hands over Arnav's big one as if she is driving the car. He was purposely driving slowly as he did not want this moment to end. Once they reach Shantivan they won't be able to spend time alone.

    They reached after half an hour drive and got out of the car and walked with Arnav carrying Muskaan and Khushi in tow. Khushi looked at the house infront of her with mixed emotions. She came to this house with so many dreams but returned from here with painful memories. Now she is visiting the house which was once her home as a guest. Memories flashed through her mind as she approached the main door, both happy and sad ones. 

It was Manorama who opened the door for them.

"Phatti.. ahhh.. Khushi bitiya.. Welcome .. Welcome..   Hello hai bye bye.. Muskaan is looking like a carbon copy of our Arnav bitwa.. " Manorama excitedly welcomed her inside by taking Muskaan from Arnav's arms.

Khushi smiled at her and entered the living room to get a sudden and unexpected hug from Devyani who was waiting for them. 

"Khushi bitiya.. Not even a single day was passed without thinking about you in the past 3 years..."

    Devyani weeped hugging her close, Khushi hold onto her without saying anything. Hearing Muskaan's voice from the background they broke the hug and Manorama brought her to Devyani.

    Khushi looked at the love her daughter is receiving from her father's family. This is what she wanted for her daughter. 

    Anjali, Akash , NK and Payal joined them in the living room. After discharging from the hospital it was the first time Nani was coming downstairs from her room. She was very happy seeing her entire family under one roof after 3 years. 

    Khushi couldn't refuse when Nani gifted a Navratna bracelet to Muskaan. She insisted to take it is a blessing from her great grandmother. Her memory went back to that night of Heer-Ranjha act when Nani gifted her a jewelry set as a blessing. That day Arnav called her a gold digger and threw it away in anger. She was very much by that incident. Some wounds are still fresh and deep.. She excused herself and went to the washroom for some space from the memories this house was invoking inside her. 

    She went to the washroom in Guest room and purposely avoided going to the room which she shared with Arnav. After using the washroom she walked towards the stair case and saw Dadi who was coming out of her room. Khushi walked past her without acknowledging her. 

"So you are here to play your dirty games again.." 

The words from Dadi made her stop and she turned and faced her with a stern expression on her face.

"That should be my question.."

Subadra's face turned red hearing her reply.

"How dare you.. You can easily fool others but not me. When you realized you cannot re-enter into Arnav's life easily, you brought your kid with you as a pawn. What kind of a mother are you? Using daughter for the wealth ?I am not bothered about you, but that kid is my grandson's blood. I am worried that She is being raised by a mother like you." 

Khushi was expecting such kind of words from Dadi.

"I will never be a kind of mother like you. And you don't have to worry much about us. We are not related to you. The last time I checked the father of my kid is a Raizada not a Mallik. And I am not here for money. I just came to visit Nani. "

She retorted with a straight face.

" What do you think of yourselves? Arnav loves you that is why he is behind you again? No.. He loves his daughter and that is why he is asking for another chance. If he loved you why he did not come back early? Or at least he should have contacted you once in the last 3 years, now he came to see his Nani who was sick. By chance he came met you and after knowing about the kid he wanted to have a second chance with you. Otherwise he should have been sitting in London without bothering about you. "

    Even if she repeated inside her mind not to get affected by Dadi's poisonous words, she could not help but to feel bad hearing the same doubt she had from someone else.

"I am not concerned if he loves me or not. I am here to see everyone before I leave for Dubai. And I don't give a damn about your opinion about me. For me you are a human form of failure. A failed mother, A failed grandmother and moreover a failed human being.. Still carrying yourself with so much pride Go knows why. And I have wasted precious 5 minutes of my life arguing with you . I think it is more than enough. And If I see you somewhere close to my daughter with the intention of insulting her existence , I will tore you into pieces without a second thought. I promised myself the day when she was born that I will not let even the shadow of evil reach her."

   With that she left from there immediately not wanting to breathe the same air as Dadi. Arnav who was coming up in search of Khushi saw Dadi was standing there breathing fire and Khushi was walking towards him without any expression on her face. She walked past him without looking at him and went downstairs. He climbed the stairs and reached near Dadi.

"What did you tell her Dadi?" He asked her angrily.

Dadi did not reply anything. She went inside her room and shut the door on his face with a loud noise.

    He went to the ground floor to see how was Khushi.  He noticed was in her normal self when they had lunch with everyone.  Devyani and Manoram asked to stay until evening but she refused politely. She bid goodbye to everyone and left with Arnav. 

On the way back , Muskaan was asleep on her lap and there was a pregnant silence in the car. 

"Khushi did Dadi tell you something wrong? We asked her not to come out of her room but she.."

"No.. She did not tell anything wrong.."

Sensing the coldness in her tone , he was sure that Dadi told her something.

"Khushi.. If she did, please do not take her seriously.. We cannot change her views." He tried to reason.

"When she told me before 3 years will not come to marry me, I did not believe her. I believed you. But end of the day she was right. Now She told me you are behind me because we have a kid. "

She told him looking straight at the lonely road ahead of her.

"Khushi.. That is not true.. When I came to ask you for a second chance I was not aware we have a kid. Muskaan came later. " 

He did not know how to make her believe him.

"You came back because Nani was sick. And when you came to know I was also in India for vacation , you thought you will meet and ask for another chance.. It was just a casual thing for you. Even if I do not accept your apology you should have gone back to your London life normally. When you came to know that we have a kid together, it became necessity to earn my forgiveness to become closer to Muskaan"

Arnav was shocked to hear her side of view. 

"Stop it Khushi.. Do you even know what you are talking.? Yes I came here because Nani was sick. But I would have come back one day for you. I am not here only for Muskaan. Before 3 years because of her lies our life was ruined, now again please don't let her ruin this Khushi."

They reached the apartment entrance and he stopped the car and looked at her with desperation. Words always failed him.

"There was nothing between us for her to ruin. I wanted my daughter to know her father and his family. It is done now. If you want you can visit her once in a while. My return flight is tomorrow afternoon. I had a nice time with everyone. Thank you.."

She left the car leaving a silent Arnav behind carrying a sleeping Muskaan on her shoulders and walked towards the building entrance with brisk steps.

Love,

ST