Arnav awoke to sunlight shining directly into his eyes – he'd forgotten to close the curtains last night. He felt warm and secure, at peace for the first time since he'd saved Khushi from killing herself, since the truth behind their marriage had come out.
Arnav came to consciousness slowly, and then all at once when he realized he was wrapped around someone else. He panicked, irrationally thinking he'd brought someone back with him last night, and froze when hazy memories of seeing his phone, the dirty dishes, and the empty bedroom came to mind.
Khushi?
His wife was in his bed, one hand clutching his shirt and a leg thrown over him in a possessive hold, as if she would never let go. Her head rested on his shoulder, and Arnav caressed her hair as he rejoiced in her presence. It'd been so long since they'd woken up in the same bed.
"What you're calling a deceit is actually my love for Khushi-ji, which now runs through my veins."
Arnav's hand froze as Shyam's words echoed in his ears. He shut his eyes, hoping to shut out the pain, but the wound was too deep. Nausea roiled through him as he realised what he was doing.
I'm a failure. A failure of a brother and a failure of a son. I can't even hate her, this woman who threatens my sister. Who betrayed me, and everyone I care about.
He held her wrist, intending to fling it away and untangle himself from her, but stopped at the soft noise of protest she let out.
"Arnav-ji," she mumbled, a smile gracing her lips.
He knew Khushi dreamt of him. He'd spent every night at Bua-ji's house listening as she took his name again and again. She'd never taken Shyam's. The small part of him that insisted she was innocent awoke, screaming at him to reconsider.
She dreams of you, Arnav. Surely that means something, that she dreams of you, that she whispers your name. Her heartbeats are one with yours. YOU told her that. Listen to them.
Arnav felt his resistance crumbling. She looked so vulnerable.
She looked at peace.
He'd missed her so much.
What is she doing here? Did she travel alone? Why didn't anyone tell me?
Every second without her had been agony. And now, with her safe in his arms, he started to acknowledge the truth he'd been running from. Everything paled in comparison to how he felt. If she returned his feelings, if she felt even a fraction of what he did, he was unwilling to let her go.
They could work through it together. They could overcome everything.
He could forgive her anything.
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Forgive Her Anything (IPKKND AU) #Wattys2016
Fanfiction(IPKKND AU) In love with his brother-in-law's mistress, Arnav Singh Raizada is torn between his duties as a brother and his feelings for a woman who could destroy everything he loves. After giving his wife a final chance to explain herself at the ai...
