ArShi FF: Homebound

Chapter 12: Heartbreak

It's been a week since the truth about Shyam had come out to the whole family including Anjali, who refuses to even acknowledge the mere possibility of it. She has stayed in her room and hasn't spoken a single word to Arnav after their conversation that day, resorting to spending her days sitting on her bed crying, calling her husband, and knitting for the baby growing inside of her. 

Of course, whenever she did talk to her husband on the phone, she never mentioned anything about what Arnav had said, because why would she, when she knows it's not true? 

Devyani and Manorama had been going upstairs to bring her meals and spend time with her, trying to convince her to come downstairs and sit with everyone, but she would yell and ask them why they are behaving as if nothing has happened. Other times, they would try to talk to their Anjali bitiya regarding Shyam and what Arnav had said, but she would ask them to leave her alone with bloodshot eyes.

A week ago, when Arnav had disclosed everything to the Raizada family, Devyani had called Madhumati to ask her about Shyam herself. She didn't want there to be any sort of walls of misunderstanding between the two families, especially at a juncture of the union between Payal and Akash.

Madhumati had been caught off guard by the phone call, but soon, when she realized that Arnav had been the one to tell them, she confirmed what they heard and told them the truth. Garima had spoken to Devyani as well, reinstating the incidents that had occurred since Shyam came into their lives. They had apologized to her for not telling the Raizada family sooner, admitting that they didn't want to see Anjali unhappy and that they believed Shyam would change.

"Madhumati ji, please don't apologize for his actions," she had said, tears flowing down her wrinkled eyes. "I don't know how we never saw it. How he cheated our bitiya this way, and we couldn't save her from it,"

They had unanimously agreed that Anjali's happiness and well being was their only priority now, and that removing Shyam from her life was a vital necessity, for her and the baby.

After the call ended, Devyani stared at the phone for some time, her lips quivering.

"Sasuma?" Manorama held her shoulders, offering support, her own eyes filled with tears. If she had an ounce of doubt in her mind prior to this phone conversation, all of it was cleared now. Normally she would be filled with doubt and arrogance but when it came to Anjali, her own pride was meaningless compared to her niece's happiness.

"Why did this happen to our sweet bitiya? And now, when she's pregnant..."

"We'll talk to her Sasuma, Anjali bitiya has to know the truth."

A week ago, they thought that Anjali would accept the truth, or at least face it. The reality was quite the opposite, she was more than adamant on the fact that her husband has done no such thing and that everyone around her is conspiring against him.

"When he comes back from his work trip from Lucknow you'll all realize how big of a mistake you're making."

She kept repeating this, any and every time someone would try to talk to her about Shyam, which everyone would, except for Arnav.

Arnav hasn't spoken to Anjali for the past week, mainly because she is rigid on not wanting to see him or speak to him. In a way he doesn't have a choice, but he also knows that even if he did, there was no way he'd be able to make his Di see the truth.

After talking to Khushi a week ago, he had realized that the only way to hold hope was to wait two more days...

Two more days, until Shyam returned from his work trip.