A Second Chance at Happiness : Chapter 11

Khushi was standing by the bedroom window, He walked towards her.

"What is it, Khushi?"

She looked at him for a moment before taking a deep breath.

"Shyam called me today."

The warmth disappeared from Arnav's face instantly. His jaw tightened.

"He what?"

Khushi gently placed a hand over his arm before he could react further.

"Please... listen to me first."

He nodded, although every muscle in his body had become rigid.

"What did he say? Did he threaten you?"

"He tried "

She pulled out her phone from the pocket of her kurti.

"I... I recorded the conversation."

Arnav frowned.

"You recorded it?"

Khushi gave him a small, hesitant smile.

"I know the lawyer had suggested collecting evidence if Shyam ever contacted us again."

She paused before looking directly into his eyes.

"But... that wasn't the biggest reason."

Her voice became softer.

"Also .. I wanted you to believe me."

Those words struck him harder than anything else could have.

She continued quietly.

"I know you trust me now... I know that. But somewhere..." she swallowed, "...somewhere inside me, I still get scared."

Arnav's heart clenched.

"I didn't want there to be even the smallest chance that someone could question what I told you. So... without even thinking, I started recording."

She unlocked her phone.

"I'll play it."

The room fell silent as Shyam's voice filled the bedroom.

When it ended, silence settled once again.

Arnav didn't say a word.

His eyes remained fixed on the dark screen of her phone.

Every sentence she had spoken...

Every defensive explanation. instinct to preserve proof...

None of it was because she doubted herself.

It was because once upon a time...

He had doubted her.

The realization hit him with brutal force.

His mind unwillingly travelled back to the darkest chapter of their lives.

The accusations.

The questions.

The disbelief in her eyes when he had chosen someone else's lies over her truth.

How desperately she had tried to explain.

How he had refused to listen.

Even now...

Months later...

His wife still instinctively felt the need to gather evidence before speaking to him.

He closed his eyes.

"What have I done to you..."

The words escaped in a broken whisper.

Khushi had immediately shook her head.

"Arnavji..."

He looked at her, his eyes already glistening.

He stepped closer until only inches separated them.

"This..." he gently took the phone from her hand, "...this should never have been necessary."

He placed the phone on the bedside table.

Then cupped her face with both hands.

"Khushi..."

His voice trembled.

"You know what hurts the most?"

She silently looked at him.

"It isn't Shyam calling you."

"It isn't his threats."

"It's that the woman I love still feels she has to prove her truth to me."

His throat tightened.

"I broke something inside you that day."

Khushi's eyes filled with tear.

"I made you feel that your word alone wasn't enough."

His thumb wiped away a tear that escaped her eye.

"And today... without even realizing it... you recorded the call because somewhere in your heart, that wound still exists."

Khushi lowered her gaze.

"I wasn't thinking like that..."

"You were."

He smiled sadly.

"Maybe not consciously."

"But pain remembers what the mind tries to forget."

A tear rolled down his own cheek.

"I am so sorry."

She immediately lifted her hand to wipe it away.

"Please don't..."

He held her wrist gently.

"No, Khushi."

"I need you to hear this."

He took both her hands in his.

He looked directly into her tear-filled eyes.

"Your word is enough."

"If you tell me the sky has turned green..."

"I will first stand beside you before I question the colour."

A tiny laugh escaped through her tears.

He smiled.

She stared at him, emotion overflowing in her eyes.

"If you say something happened..."

"Then it happened."

"If you say you're afraid..."

"I'll protect you."

"And if the whole world stands against your words..."

He gently rested his forehead against hers.

"...then I'll stand with you."

"And your truth is enough for me."

Khushi finally broke down.

She wrapped her arms around him tightly, burying her face against his chest.

"I never wanted proof to justify myself," she whispered through her tears. "I just... never wanted us to lose each other because of doubt again."

Arnav held her as though letting go would mean losing her forever.

"We won't."

His voice was steady now.

"Shyam may try to manipulate.He may lie. He may produce fake evidence. He may play every dirty game he knows. But he can never again make me question you."

He kissed the top of her head.

"I failed you once."

His embrace tightened.

"I won't fail you a second time."

Standing in their bedroom Khushi closed her eyes remembering her conversation with Arnav last week. The fear that had lingered inside her eased. 

The recording on her phone had served its purpose, but Arnav's unwavering promise was worth far more than any piece of evidence. 

From now on, she knew that her truth would never have to stand alone; it would always have him standing beside it. 

She stood there some more time as the cool evening breeze brushing against her face.

From where she stood, she could hear faint voices drifting from downstairs.

The family was once again discussing Anjali.

About The divorce proceedings, What Shyam's next move could be.

Every conversation in Shantivan eventually circled back to the same topic.

Khushi sighed softly.

She worried for Anjali. Although her sister-in-law maintained a composed exterior, Khushi knew the legal battle was reopening wounds Anjali had spent years trying to heal.

Lost in thought, she didn't hear the bedroom door open.

A pair of arms slipped around her waist from behind.

Khushi was startled

"You scared me, Arnavji."

He rested his chin lightly on her shoulder.

She leaned back against him comfortably.

His lips brushed the side of her temple.

"The whole house feels... heavy." She said after sometime. 

"It does."

He remained silent for a moment, watching the evening sky with her.

"I was thinking about you and us.. We could use a break."

"A break?"

He nodded.

"What are your plans tomorrow?"

She smiled knowingly.

"It's Saturday. No college. No assignments due. So I was planning to help Nani with breakfast and then probably spend time with Di."

He kissed her hair.

"Change of plans."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"We're going to Nainital."

She blinked.

"What?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"Just the two of us."

She turned around fully to face him.

"Arnavji..."

"It'll only be for the weekend."

He gently tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

"We'll leave early tomorrow, Spend two peaceful days there, No meetings, No discussions about divorce, No family drama, Just you and me."

Khushi searched his face.

"You've already planned this, haven't you?"

He looked adorably guilty.

"I may have."

"You booked everything?"

"Yesterday."

"And you didn't even ask me?"

"I was hoping my wife wouldn't reject spending two days with me."

He pulled her closer.

Then her smile faded slightly.

"What about Di?"

Arnav understood immediately.

He cupped her face.

"We're not abandoning her."

He spoke gently.

"Nani, Mama, Mami, Akash, Payal... everyone is here. And she herself is involved in her work and other meetings."

"The lawyer will also be meeting the family only next week. There isn't anything urgent tomorrow."

He paused.

"And Di herself would probably throw us out of the house if she knew we cancelled a trip because of her."

Khushi smiled.

"She probably would."

He nodded.

"And Khushi..."

His voice became softer.

"You've been carrying everyone's pain on your shoulders."

Her eyes glistened.

He rested his forehead against hers.

"I want to see you laughing by the lake, I want to take you boating, I want to watch you bargain with shopkeepers until they surrender."

She gasped dramatically.

"I do not!"

"You absolutely do."

"They're the ones who surrender voluntarily."

He shook his head in amusement.

She looked at him for a long moment before wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Okay."

His smile widened.

"Okay?"

"We'll go."

He lifted her slightly off the ground in excitement, making her squeal.

"Arnavji!"

"What? You said yes."

She laughed, lightly hitting his shoulder.

"Put me down."

"Not happening."

"Someone will see."

"Let them."

He grinned.

Khushi shook her head affectionately.

"You're impossible."

"And tomorrow..."

He kissed her forehead.

"...I'm stealing you away to Nainital. And then for two days its just you and me.."

 As they stood together on the balcony, both silently hoped that the quiet hills of Nainital would give them the peace and the time together they had been missing amidst the storms surrounding their family.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Anuj smiled against her forehead, his arms tightening around her for a brief moment before he gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face.

"I missed you too," he admitted quietly. 

Anjali rested her forehead against his, her fingers absentmindedly tracing the collar of his shirt.

Anuj looked at her for a long moment.

Neither of them spoke for several seconds.

The world outside the windshield carried on as usual, but inside the parked car, time seemed to pause.

Finally, Anuj broke the silence.

"Can I ask you something?"

She nodded cautiously.

"You've never really told me much about your life."

She instinctively stiffened.

"I..."

He immediately shook his head.

"You don't have to."

His voice remained calm and reassuring.

"I'm not asking because I want answers."

She looked at him questioningly.

"I'm asking because I've noticed."

He smiled faintly.

"You've built walls for a reason, I respect that."

Her shoulders visibly relaxed.

"I'm not going to ask questions you don't want to answer."

She looked back at him, surprised by the absence of pressure.

"I don't want to force my way into parts of your life you've chosen to keep private."

He paused before continuing.

"But I also don't want to pretend that what happened in Dubai meant nothing."

Anjali's heartbeat quickened.

"It wasn't just... one night for me."

His words were honest, not demanding.

"I've tried convincing myself it was but I failed."

She remained silent, listening.

"I think about you, I miss talking to you, I look forward to your messages."

He gave a self-conscious laugh.

"Which is ridiculous considering how little we actually know about each other."

She smiled faintly.

"It isn't ridiculous."

He searched her face before speaking again.

"So..."

He hesitated, choosing every word carefully.

"I have a proposal."

She raised an eyebrow.

"A proposal?"

He chuckled.

"Not that kind."

Her smile widened.

"I'm listening."

He leaned back against his seat.

"If you're comfortable...IF..."

He deliberately emphasized the word.

"...we could continue seeing each other."

Her expression became unreadable.

"As friends?"

He nodded.

"Friends..."

Then added with quiet honesty,

"...who share the same physical attraction we discovered in Dubai."

Her breath caught.

"I don't want promises you can't make, don't want commitments you aren't ready for, don't want explanations."

His eyes met hers steadily.

"If you choose to keep your personal life separate...I'll respect that, I won't expect introductions to your family, I won't cross any boundaries you set."

He took her hand gently, giving her every opportunity to pull away.

"And if you decide this should remain a secret.. It stays a secret, Only between us."

Anjali stared at him.

He wasn't trying to claim her.

He wasn't asking her to reveal parts of herself she wasn't ready to share.

He was simply offering honesty.

"I know this isn't... conventional," he admitted with a sheepish smile.

"But I'd rather be truthful than pretend I can forget and pretend to move on after whatever happened between us."

She looked down at their joined hands.

"And if I say no?"

His answer came immediately.

"I will wait for you to enter your home and then will drive back home. And this will never affect our professional relationship. "

There wasn't even a trace of resentment in his voice.

"I don't want you to feel obligated because of what happened."

She studied him for a long moment.

"You're making this very difficult."

He smiled.

"I was hoping to make it easier."

"It would have been easier if you had acted possessive."

He laughed softly.

"That's not really my style."

She shook her head, amused despite herself.

"You don't even know whether there's someone in my life."

"No."

"And you're not curious?"

"Very."

His grin returned.

"But curiosity doesn't give me the right to ask."

That answer affected her more than she expected.

Most people in her life wanted explanations.

They expected them.

Anuj, however, was offering acceptance without demanding access.

She slowly intertwined her fingers with his.

"Anuj.. I can't promise where this will lead."

"I'm not asking you to."

"I can't promise I'll suddenly open up about everything."

"You don't have to Anjali..."

She searched his face one last time.

"You really won't interfere with my personal life?"

"I won't."

"You'll let me decide what I share?"

"Always."

A small smile appeared on her lips.

"Then..."

She squeezed his hand gently.

"...I'd like to keep seeing you."

His eyes brightened.

"As friends?"

She smiled knowingly.

"Friends... with complicated chemistry or with benefits.. And this is our secret."

He laughed.

"I think that's the most accurate description I've heard."

She leaned forward and rested her forehead lightly against his.

"But one condition."

"Anything."

"If either of us ever feels this arrangement isn't right anymore...We say it."

He nodded without hesitation.

"Agreed."

He extended his little finger playfully.

She looked at it and laughed.

"Seriously?"

"What? We're making an unconventional arrangement. It deserves an unconventional promise."

Still laughing, she hooked her little finger with his.

"Deal."

For a brief moment, they simply smiled at each other- two people who had unexpectedly found comfort in one another, choosing to continue their connection without demanding more than either was ready to give. 

As Anjali finally stepped out of the car and walked toward the gate, Anuj waited until she disappeared from view before starting the engine, carrying with him the quiet hope that this would not be another goodbye.

Anuj merged onto the main road, but instead of turning on the radio as he usually did, he drove in silence.

The city lights blurred past the windshield, yet his thoughts remained fixed on the woman he had just left behind.

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Friends with benefits."

He let out a quiet laugh.

His laughter faded as he replayed the conversation.

He hadn't planned any of it.

The words had simply come because the alternative - letting her walk away completely had been unbearable.

When Anjali asked to move on from what happened between them in Dubai, he'd told himself it had been a beautiful accident.

One unforgettable night.

He had tried to bury himself in work.

He had attended meetings.

Signed contracts.

Travelled to London.

Met clients.

Yet every quiet moment had betrayed him.

He would remember the way she smiled when she forgot to guard herself.

The way she laughed with her whole heart.

He tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

"I missed you far more than I should have."

That was the truth.

He had never expected a single night to linger like this.

It wasn't just desire.

It was the ease they had found with each other.

The feeling that, despite barely knowing each other, neither had judged the other.

He sighed.

There was another truth he had carefully hidden.

One he had no intention of telling her.

Not now.

Perhaps not ever.

That he love Anjali Malik from collage.

He smiled faintly.

The irony wasn't lost on him.

After all those years, he had finally spoken to her...

Only because both of them had been trying to escape their own loneliness.

He remembered that night—not in fragments of physical intimacy, but in emotions.

The way she had laughed when they had shared stories over room-service coffee.

And yes...

The passion between them had been undeniable.

It hadn't been one-sided.

She had wanted him as much as he had wanted her.

There had been hesitation at first.

Then certainty.

No games.

No pretending.

Just two consenting adults finding solace in each other's company.

That was why he couldn't dismiss it as a mistake.

Not when he had seen the same longing in her eyes.

Not when, today, she had whispered, "I missed you so much, Anuj."

He exhaled slowly.

"I couldn't let that be the end."

Not because he wanted to possess her.

He understood enough to know that Anjali carried burdens she wasn't ready to share.

There had been moments during their conversations when she would instinctively stop herself, as if revealing too much might unravel something fragile.

Whatever had happened in her past, it had taught her to protect herself.

He wasn't going to force open doors she kept closed.

If she needed distance, he would give it.

If she needed secrecy, he would honor it.

If she only had space in her life for moments they shared together, he would accept that too.

That was why he had suggested the arrangement.

Not because it was all he wanted.

Because it was all she seemed ready to accept.

He rested his head briefly against the seat at a red light.

So for now, he would take what she had willingly offered.

And the hope that, with time, she might one day choose to let him into the parts of her life she still kept hidden.

The traffic light turned green.

Anuj shifted gears and drove on, a quiet contentment settling over him.

He hadn't confessed the feelings that had begun years ago in college, nor the deeper affection that had grown after Dubai. 

Those truths could wait. What mattered tonight was that Anjali had chosen not to walk away. For now, that was enough.

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The lights in Shyam's old apartment were dim, the only illumination coming from the city skyline outside his window. A thick file lay open on the coffee table- the divorce petition Anjali had filed against him.

There had been a time when he believed Anjali would never leave him. She had endured years of emotional manipulation, his lies, and his betrayals. Even after everything had come to light, she had taken time before deciding to seek a legal end to their marriage.

Now she had.

His smile slowly disappeared.

He wasn't angry because he had lost his wife.

He was angry because he was losing the one thing she represented—his connection to the wealthy Raizada family. And also he lost Khushiji.. 

Her smiling face came to his mind. 

Just then, his lawyer, Mr. Malhotra, walked into the living room carrying another file.

He was not planning to represent himself in the court. 

"I've reviewed the petition."

Shyam looked up.

"And?"

"The case against you isn't weak."

Shyam leaned back.

"I know."

"The emotional cruelty allegations may be difficult to prove independently, but there are witnesses who can testify about the breakdown of the marriage. More importantly, the court will look at whether the marriage has irretrievably collapsed."

Shyam tapped his fingers on the armrest.

"I don't care about saving the marriage."

The lawyer looked at him.

"I care about leaving it with something."

Mr. Malhotra frowned.

"What exactly do you have in mind?"

Shyam's smile returned, colder this time.

"The Raizadas. They have a reputation to protect.They don't like scandals."

The lawyer remained silent.

"If this case becomes ugly..."

Shyam continued,

"...newspapers, business circles, social media... everyone will start discussing the Raizada family."

"Their daughter. Their failed marriage.The allegations."

He shrugged.

"They'll want it settled quietly."

The lawyer looked thoughtful.

"You believe they'll pay?"

"They won't call it paying."

Shyam smiled.

"They'll call it a settlement."

He stood and walked toward the bar.

"Rich families don't buy justice."

He poured himself another drink.

"They buy peace."

The lawyer crossed his arms.

"I'm going to make them fear a long legal battle."

He turned back.

"I'll contest every allegation. I deny everything. I'll request adjournments. I'll drag witnesses into court. I'll challenge every document. I'll make sure this divorce takes months... maybe years."

Mr. Malhotra understood where his client was heading.

"And then?"

"Then..."

Shyam's smile widened.

"I'll let someone 'suggest' that all this can end quickly."

"For a price."

The lawyer sighed.

"You expect them to negotiate."

"I expect Arnav Singh Raizada to become impatient. He worships his sister. If Anjali has to relive her marriage in court every month... If the media starts sniffing around... If the family keeps getting dragged into hearings... He'll eventually decide it's easier to write a cheque."

Mr. Malhotra remained unconvinced.

"You may be underestimating them."

Shyam's eyes hardened.

"No. I know them. I lived among them. They're emotional. They'll sacrifice money to protect family."

He walked back to the sofa and picked up the petition again.

"And Anjali..."

His voice carried a trace of bitterness.

"She has always hated conflict. If the case gets ugly enough....she'll beg Arnav to settle."

He tossed the papers back onto the table.

The lawyer spoke carefully.

"There is one problem."

Shyam looked at him.

"If the court believes you're intentionally delaying proceedings, it may not work in your favour."

"I won't be obvious."

"I'll make every application look perfectly legal."

He smiled smugly.

"Delay isn't illegal."

The lawyer closed his file.

"I'll prepare the written statement."

Shyam nodded.

"And make sure every allegation is denied."

"Even the obvious ones?"

"Especially the obvious ones."

Once the lawyer left, silence filled the apartment again.

Shyam picked up a framed photograph from a drawer—a picture taken years ago of him and Anjali during happier times.

He stared at it without emotion.

"You should have stayed quiet, Anjali."

His thumb brushed across the glass before he set the frame face down.

"If you want freedom. you'll have to pay for it Rani Sahiba.."

A slow smile spread across his face.

"And if the Raizadas want to buy that freedom for you..."

He lifted his glass in a mock toast.

"...I'll make sure they pay dearly. And also I will get opportunity to meet Khushiji also.."

Outside, thunder rumbled in the distance as rain began to fall, while inside the apartment, Shyam finalized the first moves in what he intended to be not just a divorce case, but a calculated campaign to pressure the Raizadas into a costly settlement.

Love,

ST