Betrayal and tears(Season 1) | ✔

Chapter Eleven

The slap awoke her from the unhinged state she was slipping into, due to the mental pressure being put on her at the moment. As she shook her head to regain her senses fully, a sensation of foreboding crept up in her mind, remembering the things she was uttering just a few seconds ago and she looked up, eyes wide to see Arnav breathing fire in front of her. The hand he used to slap her was now balled into a fist, as if he was fighting the hankering to knock her off again. 

"How dare you?" She teared her eyes from his fists to look up at his whisper, his low voice sounding like the silence before the storm. 

"I asked how dare you?!" He repeated, this time shouting at the top of lungs as he took a threatening step towards Payal, who recoiled back, flinching at his tone. "How dare you even think of doing something like that to Khushi? To your own sister?!" He added, incredulously as well as infuriated. 

Payal gulped, swallowing her fears as she tried to appear tough in front of his intimidating form.

 "I-I said, she's not my sister!" Her loud retort trembled. "She is just a-a eclipse on everyone's lives, who knows nothing more than to commit mistakes!"

There was a flash of something in Arnav's eyes, the flash of his patience finally giving away at her audacity and she slightly quailed, mentally preparing herself for the fourth blow but instead of slapping her again, he moved back, nodding his head in agreement to what she just said.

"Yes, you're right!" He bobbed his head again. "You're damn right! Khushi actually knows nothing more than to commit mistakes. In fact, her biggest flaw is this only, committing the same mistakes again and again! And you know what that mistake is?"

He asked, cocking his head, as if awaiting her answer, which was nothing more than an afraid and nervous questioning gaze. He gave a disdainful smile, eyes filling with moisture at the mistakes his wife did, "Her mistakes was to do everything, solely and only for you!" 

His words brought a swish of anger in her, as he tried to deny everything wrong Khushi did to her. 

Was he this far gone in her love that he can't see the actuality? The consequences of his wife's actions? Their impacts on other's life? 

"Wrong. She did everything for herself. First for her own interest then for you to stay with her! She never did anything for me!" Payal choked out, unwilling to lose this battle, unwilling to suppress her hurt and resentment for Khushi, again. 

The smile on Arnav's lips stretched and he crossed his arms to his chest, arching his eyebrows. "Really? She did everything for herself?"

His voice lowered as he took steps towards her, who stood firm on her grounds, resistant to her need of running away from his angry self. 

"Then tell me, what did she get by hiding Shyam's truth?" 

The eyes that she had unknowingly lowered to the grounds lifted up at his words and a frown marred on her forehead, as his question started sinking in. His smile was already gone when she looked back up. It was instead replaced by a pitiful look, which he was silently sending at his wife's way. 

He didn't awaited Payal's answer before shooting the next and most blight question. He knew it would bring revelation not meant to be known at this hour, but he's had enough with everyone blaming those who were never at fault, at least not for the crimes that were imposed on them.

"What did she get, huh? What did she get except terror? Except fear that Shyam might do anything, anytime, with her? What-what did she get, by entering a loveless contract marriage, with such a man who blackmailed her on the grounds of her sister's marriage? What did she get Payal? What did she gain for herself?"