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"Don't go there...You get that?!!" Akhilesh warned Seema over the phone.
"But...She hasn't returned yet..!" Seema was worried.

"You don't have to bother about it... Just be in the house and return home tomorrow morning..!" he said worriedly.  He was always worried when Seema went to her parents' place. 

"I haven't even met bhayya...!" she protested.
"Seema... we will go together... Just come home tomorrow, ok? I miss you...!" he took out his trump card...!

"Oh!.. Mohit ... I miss you too...!" she said kissing the mobile screen. 
"Humm...." she sighed lost in thoughts.  It was late in the evening and neither her amma nor her babuji had returned.  She was all alone with an old maid in the house.   She paced the hallway restlessly for a long time and then making up her mind, crossed the threshold of the house...!

******  *****

"Look... I can't do anything now.... I tried my best...!" CM reprimanded Krishna Kant. 
"The case will be transferred to CBI soon... There is a pressure from all the sides... I can't help it...!" CM said and malice flashed in Krishna Kant's eyes.  The full details of the conversation between Arnav and others in Thakur mansion never came out.  The abridged version was released but now the CM seemed helpless as the orders from Central Government were issed for the CBI probe on the Rattan singh Scams...!

Krishna Kant must act fast to avoid arrest....  !
"But that bugger... ASR has promised Rattan ...  !" He thought but then his face shadowed with apprehension...!
"I will not go down alone... Rattan.... I will pull you all with me...!" he clenched his fists...!
"But before that.... I must finish off this Arnav boy and his so called business empire...!" he smirked murderously...!

"Only three days.... just three days.... and you are gone.... your sister will cry over your dead body....!" he looked out of the car window remembering his son....!
His car pulled over in the proch and the driver opened the door for him.
"Seema..." he bellowed and the old maid came out.

"She has gone out...!" she said adjusting her ghungat and he asked with bated breath...!
"Where?"
"I don't know..." ghungat spoke politely...!

"Did she carry anything?" he asked suspiciously.
"Yes... She carried a bag and fruit basket...." ghungat said and Krishnkant moved out of the house again yelling his driver's name.
"Damn this girl... She must be in the hospital... " he ordered his driver to speed up...!

*******  ******  ******

"A.. What?!!" Arnav gaped speechless dropping the news paper....
"A huge fire, burnt down Commissioner's office : Kanpur Mishap...!" Every Hindi/English  news paper carried the headline.  His mind racing faster he thought of the consequences.  The cases against Rattan Singh and Sham were pending the courts...  The evidences...?" his mind froze..! He hurriedly read through the news and the expected worst fears came true.  All the records were burnt down...!

"Holud Kota..a..a" Khushi's voice faltered seeing Arnav's Ghostly face.

"Whats wrong?" she asked looking at his face.  He gathered himself and said dismissively...
"Nothing...! Its the business news...!" he hurriedly picked up the news paper and marched out.  She shrugged and went away.  Holud Kota... for Anjali was more important than this ASR's mood swings...! But then... "What was wrong with him?" she wondered...!

"Khushi..." Payal called and she turned with the silver plate with bowl of Haldi...! Anjali was looking like fairy with light yellow saree with no ornaments ready for her haldi.  Khushi's vision blurred with tears of happiness.

"Devi mayya... Raksha karana..." she looked up and closed her eyes letting the tears roll down her cheek. 
"Madam ji...!" the servant had brought in a bunch of flowers with an envelop.  She looked at it suspiciously.

"For Anjali Madam...We have done the security check.." he said confidently and she tore open the envelop... Printed photographs fell down.... She hurriedly sat down to collect the papers sending the flowers up in the air. 

"What the...!" Her rage hit the roof.  She waved her hand for the servant to go away and collected the photographs...!

"Yeh.. log bajh nahi aiange...! I will have to teach them a lesson...! The same good old trick... sending photographs... bloody hell..." she clenched her fists, swearing, stuffing the photos in the locker of her cupboard and asked the maid to clean the spread out flowers from the hall way.   She looked at Anjali's happy blushing face and felt a knot in the stomach.  Going out of the mansion, she approached the security officer to instruct him not to send any gifts or flowers without her consent and scrutiny. 

Turning back she saw Arnav at the entrance speaking over the phone.  She stopped thumping her hands on her hips.

"What?" he raised his eyebrows and ended the call...!
"Your sister is getting married and you have all the time to chat on the phone?" she blew her head off.
"What? What happened?" he asked exasperated.  She shook her head in disbelief.
"I can't believe... You just look so aloof... as if its someone else's wedding and you are blessing them with your presence...!" she spat and turned.  He caught up with her.

"Whats wrong with you, Khushi?" he asked looking at her suspiciously.  She turned angrily but his rage also had caught up with hers...!
"What do you expect me to do? Sit by her side and watch her plastered with Haldi...?"" he spat back.  She gaped with open mouth.  Then turned muttering...!

"Yeh toh nahi sudharenge... Look at Aakash Jijaji.. the way he is helping his wife  every which way possible... and this laad governer... always riding on high horses with his temper breaking the roof...!" she went inside stomping and Arnav stood outside glaring at her back. 

******  ******  ******

"What? No! I want to be with her...!" Khushi protested clutching Anjali's arm.  Papaji looked at her sternly.

"No..! Go home and take rest...!" he pulled her up and Khushi glared at Arnav's smirk. 
"But I am comfortable here...!" she said looking around pleading Anjali with her eyes, to support her.
"No! Khushi... go and take rest...! You were running around the whole day..." Anjali also had changed the party.

"Yeah... Chalo..!" Arnav commanded...! Khushi stomped out sulking...! Her pregnency was a big hurdle...!

She felt pain in her feet as she saw the bed.  Sitting on the bed she pulled up her legs and immediately straightened.  Her protruding belly came in the way.

"Damn!" she muttered.  Arnav smirked placing a pillow under her feet.  She turned her face. 
"So? what surprise you had planned yesterday?" he asked.  Distraction was the best way to bring her mood back to normal.  Her expressions changed. 

"You know...? Yesterday night...? We had arranged "Romancing with Stars for Di and Shondeep Sir..!" she said excitedly.  He just raised his eyebrows gently massaging her feet with the ointment...! She was feeling better... She closed her eyes contentedly.  He smiled...!  She had gone to that romancing with star surprise.

"You know? We had arranged boating for Di and Shondeep sir at NalBan...! A romantically decorated roofed boat only for the two...! she smiled broadly...! He gaped...!

"We stood there watching them sail away... I... I felt like... her Bidai..." she said in a trembling voice.  He moved closer to her pulling her head on his shoulder...Feeling the same...! But then.. she wiped her cheeks and said brightly...!

"They both looked so adorable... like made for each other...Di was blushing and he was with reddening ears and hiding his blush inside his dimples...!" She said happily.  "Somewhere in the wee hours they returned home...!" she said dreamily and he remembered his trip to Robindro lake with Khushi crying her heart out on her birthday...! He looked up deciding to take on one such romantic sailing trip...!

"Pata hain? I remembered our trip to Robindro Lake...!" she said looking up and he swallowed hard not wanting those sad memories back.  She hugged him tightly and said I remembered that Gomati ghat in my dreams too... that silvery water flow... the boat sailing on the horizon... the whispering music.... the rustle in the woods..." she shuddered as he tightened his grip around her protectively, lost in his thoughts.  She weapt silently remembering the anguish....!

But sadness was not good for her... they both remembered.
"Khushi...!" he spoke and she looked up questioningly.
"What is your trust quotient?" he asked absurd question.  She gaped stupidly.
"What? which portion?" she asked loudly breaking away from him.  He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to make it simple.

"I mean... how much do you trust me?" he asked.
"What? is there some kind of yardstick for trust?" she asked scornfully.  He looked away.  She narrowed her eyes.

"Why is he asking me about trust? Is he doubting my trust?" she flared her nostrils. 
"Humm... let me see...!" she said stroking her chin cheekily..! He looked up apprehensively.
"Umm... About your business acumen... YES!" she said thinking deeply.
"Umm.. about your people skills... ummm...Zero..!" she said and he flared in rage.
"Humm... About your emotions... I trust only your rage...!" she crossed the line...!
"About you as husband....!" she stopped dramatically.  His grip on her wrist tightened...! He stared at her..... She kept her hand on her protruding belly and said pulling his head on her belly ...
"We sealed our trust with this...." he kissed her tummy.  She stroked his hair dreamily for a while and pushing him away a bit, straightened herself...!

"Now tell me, when are you meeting Lavanya ji?"  He gaped at her in horror! How does she know?  She glared at him...! And then raising her finger threateningly boomed hysterically...

"Not even a bit... I don't trust her and you...if you meet her... I will forget that you are my husband... You understand?!!!" he clasped his palm on her mouth...!

"Shuuu... Quiet...Khushi...!" pulling her in his embrace he switched off the lights. 
"But I will have to meet her,  Khushi... I am sorry...!" sadness filled his heart... It would be the test of Khushi's strength....!

"I know you will meet her.... !" she thought holding on to him tightly...Not letting him go away from her...!