Chapter 12: Khushi

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He was here. He was here and he was with her and he was so, so close.

Khushi burst into tears, overwhelmed by his presence after being worried about him for days on end.

"I ... you left ..." she clutched at Arnav-ji, trying to hold him closer, "and I missed ... you left me."

"Ssshhhh, Khushi. It's alright."

"No," she sobbed into him, "you ... l-l-left me and I begged. I begged and you left. How ... how c-could you leave?"

"I'm right here, Khushi. Please stop crying. I'm right here."

"Your phone. Di left you messages. But you didn't ... and I was ..."

"I'm fine," he rubbed her back in soothing circles, "Nothing happened to me."

Khushi looked up, searching his eyes. He looked tired. The darkness smudged under his eyes and creases around his mouth told her that he hadn't been sleeping well. The sorrow that had been his constant companion since the night of their wedding was still there. He still looked haunted, plagued by the truth he thought he knew.

How did we get here? So little trust, but so much love?

The love was still there, shining as brightly now as it had on Holi, as it had on stage when he'd become Ranjha to her Heer.* But Khushi had seen her husband struggle, had seen him lose the war inside his heart, had seen that love disappear, to be replaced by hurt and anger and malice.

She'd seen him transform from Rajkumar to Shaitaan. From her fairytale prince to a demon.

Now, he held her tightly as she cried noisily against him, twisting her hands into his shirt and vowing to never let him go again.

Even if he pushed her away.

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* Romeo to her Juliet, kind of.

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