Words Unsaid

Chapter 29

"Relax" Sonali whispered to Aarav as she made him lie on the bed. "But who are they? I feel like I have met them before!" he whispered.

"Just relax. Go to sleep" she said in her soothing voice and caressed his hair. Slowly he fell asleep.

She walked out of the room to the living room. Everyone stood up seeing her and she asked, "How is Naina didi?"

"Resting in her room" Ritika said.

"You owe us an explanation Sonali" Manav said, "If the person lying down in our guest room is Aarav bhaiyya whom did we cremate? I'm sure it was him because we saw his face. It was me who lit the pyre!"

"He is my brother" she said looking at him.

"What?" Everyone asked.

She sat down and so did others.

"Remember I told you about my twin brothers? Aarav bhaiyya is one among them. His real name is Suraj. When my dad and he were returning from a wedding their car got into accident. Dad was dead and we never found him. I think Aarav bhaiyya had lost his memory or something happened to him during accident. The orphanage authority may have given him the name Aarav. He was adopted by you people. When my mother died my brother, that is twin of Aarav, his name is Raghav, and I was taken to orphanage. After years, Shyam found Raghav bhaiyya and kidnapped him. He blackmailed me to act for him to save both of my brothers. He dug into our history and threatened me. I didn't do it for Raghav bhai alone. It was for saving Aarav bhaiyya alone. But Raghav bhai understood that Shyam was going to kill Aarav bhaiyya. He somehow got himself out of the godown where he was trapped and rushed to the place where Aarav bhaiyya was taken. Even I was with him."

She breathed heavily as she continued, "When we got there, Shyam was going to stab Aarav bhaiyya. Raghav bhaiyya got in between and there was a fight. Aarav bhaiyya was shocked to find an exact copy of his when I dragged him out of the building. Raghav bhai was stabbed to death by Shyam's men and Aarav bhaiyya tried to save him. But there was nothing we could do. I grabbed Aarav bhai's hand and we ran away."

She said in tears, "We didn't know where we were going and kept on running. We were running when Aarav bhaiyya slipped. He had his hand gripped on me and both of us fell to a steep valley. I don't remember anything after that. When I opened my eyes I was at hospital. A family who were travelling through the area had found us and took us to hospital."

"Then why didn't you call us?" Arnav asked angrily.

"Because I woke up six months later Mr. Raizada" Sonali snapped.

Everyone gasped and Sonali said, "We both had hit our heads on rocks. We were in coma. I woke up after six months and Aarav bhaiyya....he woke up after 2 and half years, that is six months before! The worst part was he lost his memory because he had hit his head very hard and he had undergone major surgeries."

Everyone kept mum sinking into the news and Sonali said, "The family who had taken us admitted us in Shimla. They were kind people who run an NGO. They even sponsored Aarav bhaiyya's treatment. I'm with them for the past years. I came back to Delhi and met Guptas but they kicked me out learning that I'm the girl who acted as Anjali's daughter. They never let me meet them and plus, Shyam hunted me down!"

"What?" Arnav asked, "You met Shyam?"

She nodded, "He still believes that the person he killed is Aarav and the person with me is Raghav but it's the reverse. He threatened me that if I meet you people he'll kill my brother. He asked me to go away! I was so scared. I didn't have anyone with me and couldn't afford to lose Aarav bhaiyya. So I waited...waited for him to open his eyes! And when he did, he didn't remember anyone, not even his name!"

"How is he now? What did the doctor say?" Khushi asked slowly.

"He is improving. When he woke up he was really hysterical. He couldn't remember anything and he was very much frustrated about it. Doctor asked me not to give him any stress so I just told him that I'm his sister and our parents and twin brother are dead. I never told him the fact that he was lost during childhood and was adopted by another family, about you all; about Naina didi....I cannot tell him that. I thought that he could recall it by seeing you all. And plus, I saw Naina didi's book launch. I couldn't stop myself. I just wanted to set everything right, everything that I destroyed!"

"So what should we do Arnav?" Khushi asked as she sat near Arnav who was leaning on the headboard.

"First we need to take him to a doctor. Then let Sonali explain everything to him that we're his family. Don't worry, we will bring him back!" Arnav said slowly.

She sighed and Arnav asked, "Where is Naina?"

"In her room. Sonali and Ritika had gone to talk to her" Khushi said, "It must be a shock to her!"

"We need to go to India!" Arnav declared.

She looked at him and he said, "I want to make Shyam pay for his deeds. He walked away putting all blames on Anjali. I don't care whether Anjali die in jail but the fact that Shyam is walking around free is bothering me. And today when Sonali told the real story....."

Khushi nodded, "Our employees are also suffering! Ayan told me too. They want AR back!"

He nodded and said, "But before everything we need to bring Aarav back. Only he can help us and also the people who are suffering in Delhi because of Shyam!"

Next Morning

Khushi slowly walked to the room where Aarav was lying and opened it. She found him sleeping peacefully on the bed covered with the duvet. She smiled as she sat near him and caressed his hair. How much did she miss this! Waking him up every morning was his and her ritual!

A lone tear escaped her eye watching her first son lying down without knowing who he was and where he was. She kissed his forehead and slowly stood up to walk away when she heard him whisper, "Do I really belong here?"

She looked at him and saw him looking at her. She nodded and he slowly sat up. "Sonali said everything" he whispered, "That I'm her brother, but adopted by you people, I studied at Harvard, I was going to get married to that girl who fainted, I was put into death trap by my adopted mother...."

Khushi sat near him and cupped his cheek, "Don't worry! Just relax and take your own time!"

"But I can't remember anything! I feel like I have met you but I cannot recall anything about you!" he said frustrated, "And that girl, how would have she felt? Why can't I remember her? I don't even remember her name!"

Khushi thought for a while and said, "I'll be just back!" and she ran to her room.

She soon returned to him and handed him the thing she had carried.

He looked at it and frowned, "The Unmarried Widow by Naina Singh Raizada?" he looked at her.

She sat near him and said smiling sadly, "Naina, that's her name. After you left, she changed her name to Raizada. She considers herself to be her wife."

"She wrote this book?" he asked shocked.

Khushi nodded and said, "This is her autobiography. This book contains everything about the man she loved and who loved her knowing her faults – YOU!"

He looked down at the book and heard Khushi whispering, "Read it Aarav. May be this will take you back to her!"