His Knife Her Chest

Chapter 12 |Destruction|

Three years had passed. They were long but short at the same time for the Raizada Family.

Anjali had delivered a cute baby boy Aditya, a few months after the unfortunate tragedy with Shyam. The baby was healthy and born without much complications except the really painful labor that Anjali went through. He was the apple of everybody's eyes in the house.

After becoming a mother, Anjali had gained the much needed sense and was stronger than ever. She wasn't very proud of her past deeds, in fact she was tremendously ashamed of her heinous behavior, but now after establishing, polishing and well grooming herself, giving herself the much needed composure, she was a proud mother and women. She'd started a NGO for children. The homeless, the ones with crisis, the ones that needed shelter, the ones that needed food, love, care, peace. Every kid was handled with the utmost care. She had realized that she had been utterly oblivious in the past years and hadn't done anything except staying at home. She got her strength and courage from Payal who was a successful businesswoman now, and had devoted herself to her work managing her in laws and husband at the the same time, that too very decently. The only thing that pained her was Khushi and her absence from their lives.

Khushi, the name that bought delight yet sadness at the same time on their faces. They all missed her immensely! Her cute childlike antics, her pranks, her sunny smile that lit up the darkest rooms, her attitude, her presence. THEY MISSED EVERYTHING ABOUT HER. They knew she was safe and had become quiet successful but they never got the chance to talk to her or see her in the last years, because whenever they would question Payal about her, she would always shrug it off her shoulders, making vague excuses. She would've made such a good mami to Aditya. If only she'd come here or see them.

They had seen how successful and rich her whole family had become, from Shashi's health to their well established business to Payal and her 7 star restaurant that kept her occupied most of the time. They had come a long way.

Shashi Gupta was required to have some operations performed for his betterment to which Arnav decided to volunteer and provide as much money as they needed, which the family respectfully refused, stating that they had more than enough money saved for his bills and hospital expenses which was earned by Khushi from her dabba service, and then they also had buaji's pension and their own savings.

The relation between the two families remained delicate after knowing about the unfortunate tragedy. They too were ashamed of hiding the truth but buaji had lashed out on everyone for making her niece go through so much which Payal later handled. They had to remain civil for the sake of their daughter Payal.

Payal was a proud, grateful and a very happy women. Proud of her sister and herself. She had an abundant amount of respect for her sister. She knew long before that the 'gharelu bahu' (typical daughter-in-law) wasn't getting her anywhere. She thanked Khushi for without even knowing, providing her with the sense that she didn't have before. She was very well aware of Khushi's success and her achievements. Payal had decided to grow a much needed spine and become the confident women that she was today.

She understood that if one got married, in laws weren't the only thing who you should commit to and please your whole life, they didn't become the sole priority. Yes, they were her responsibility from which she didn't back down but that didn't mean the daughter-in-law standing in the kitchen the whole day roasting her head, listening to her mother-in-laws taunts and her weird commands. She was definitely available at home for her responsibilities and duties as a daughter in law, she would also give her husband who had thankfully gained more common sense than anyone else, the much needed quality time he deserved but she also had other responsibilities which were running her successful restaurant that her sister gifted her a year ago, her maternal home, and keeping a check on Khushi regularly. Her restaurant was up and running and she would soon be opening a second branch in Dubai to expand her business. She was in a genuinely happy place, if only that was the case with Arnav Singh Raizada too.