Chapter 4: Khushi

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Khushi was torn between relief and sadness that her husband hadn't picked her up from the airport. She'd come into the Arrivals area to find a smartly dressed chauffeur holding a sign – "Mrs. Khushi Singh Raizada" – and had followed him to this beautiful white car. He would drop her to Arnav-ji's hotel, he'd said, just as Di had arranged.

Lights flashed by, from buildings and cars, but Khushi forgot to enjoy the sights of this new city. Her apprehension grew with every passing second, every moment that brought her closer to Arnav-ji.

In a span of time that simultaneously felt like seconds and years, she was standing in the lobby of a grand hotel. She'd never been inside a place like this and for a moment, thought it must be an elaborate dream her stressed mind had conjured up. Surely, places like this didn't exist in the world. Marble, bright lights, gold and crystal everywhere.

Her driver ushered her up to the front desk, and before long, she was holding a keycard to her husband's suite. A bellboy took her luggage on a trolley, told her he would deliver it soon, and showed her to a large bank of elevators.

"Floor 49," he said with a smile, swiping her keycard into a slot and pressing the button before handing it back.

She stepped inside the lift and watched the doors close, stumbling when it started moving. Her heart beat out a staccato rhythm as the numbers climbed toward 49. She clutched at her dupatta and tried to control her breathing.

The movement stopped with a loud ding. The doors opened to darkness.

She knew immediately that the room was empty and a piercing sadness filled her heart, as cold and dark as her surroundings.

Forgive Her Anything (IPKKND AU) #Wattys2016Where stories live. Discover now