Thanks for ur support .Ur love is overwhelming and I blessed with best readers .
Note - Have patience and don't judge any character too soon .

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One month later ,

It was late evening in India , around 7pm the group of people came out of a Mumbai airport who were just returned from the trip of Switzerland . Everyone is eager to meet their loved ones who are waiting for them and missing them since a month. But one person in them was lost , so lost in thought of her that he don't know what to feel , off course he should be happy that he is going to see her after a month , but then he is scared of her reaction , he don't know how would she react , will she hug him ?, punch him? , scold him ? he don't know , but he is sure that she is hell angry on him that she didn't received a single call from him . He kept calling her continuously for three days in starting and after then he just heard 'The number ur trying to reach is invalid' that means she discarded the sim card , it was simple indication that she don't want to talk to him but still he tried calling her parents for once or twice but again they never responded well , they too might be angry because their dear daughter is hurt may be because of him , he thought. Then it wasn't scaring him that much but the thought will she meet him ? Because Neyonika visited her house for 3 times in first week but she never showed up and her parents too supported her , so after getting awkward treatment Neyonika never visited that house again and Nandini didn't came out of house either.

"Manik " Shubhavi patted his shoulder and he looked at them .

"Where are you lost ?" Pooja asked.

"In his Nandini" Sahil teased him.

"Yeah ...... I don't know how she will react?" He accepted.

"May be she will throw some tantrums first " Pooja said suggestively.

"May be she will beat him " Sahil laughed .

"Possible ...... She is small like minion but she is very dangerous " everyone laughed at his cute scared face .

"But for that move ur ass fast ...... And go grab her ..... Let's go guys " Lakshmi pushed him excitedly but he felt weird . He found her behaving different today , she is continuously forcing him to meet Nandini and even motivating him to meet her . It's definitely weird of her because in this whole month he got know that she is not very fond of Nandini , she is jealous or rather dislike her.

"Okay okay" Then they left for their respective homes and he left for his home , her .

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He was standing outside the Murthy Mansion , he looked around , the mansion was decorated with the lights from outside then after entering inside he found it's decorated from the inside too with the flowers . There was a hustle bustle of few people at the entrance of the house, covering the view from his eyes.

Sudden fear gripped his heart while entering inside the house , his steps were heavy but still with the uncertainty of on going event he moved further only to get biggest shock of his life .

There on the glamorous stage in the middle of hall she was standing close to the man and with a smile plastered on her beautiful face she was greeting with the people who were probably giving her gifts and may be blessings too. Very few(7/8) people were present in the whole function. He saw the diamond stud shining on her ring finger , he stopped breathing because fear crowded his heart , his lungs were puffing anger when he recognised the owner of hand on her bare waist is none other than Vihaan , whom they met in France , months ago.

She is looking very enchanting in White Shimmery Lehanga , under the soft beauty lights falling on her gorgeous body . She is looking Manik's Beautiful Destruction that's what he thought.

(Nandini's look)

Reluctant to accept the truth which is crystal clear in front of his eyes , he moved nearer to her with the hope that he won't be heartbroken , she won't break him , she can't do that , he trust her.

"Nandini " he pulled her in warm hug , his eyes got teary but he felt his home in her arms almost after a month which was like a year for him but she didn't hugged him back instead harshly pulled herself away from his tight grip , that he feared more.

"What are you doing Manik ? ....... U shouldn't hug someone else fiance like this " for the first in his life she sounded like cunning bitch and her words directly stabbed his heart .

"What are you talking Nandini?" He grabbed her shoulders furiously but she didn't showed any single emotion on her face except that cunning smirk.

"Can't you see ...... I am engaged ...... I thought u r smart enough " she mocked him and jerked his hands off from her shoulders , slowly. He never thought she would welcome him with a fiance it was totally unexpected as if someone slapped him and bring back from the beautiful dream to reality.

"And I thought you loved me " Once again life proved him wrong when he believed on love , when he thought of loving someone so dearly. When he thought he too deserve love from someone .

"And I regret how stupid I was " she said disgustingly.

"Nandini see if it's any of ur prank na then please stop it , it's getting on my nerves ..... I am getting really angry , so stop it already " more than angry he was scared to get hurt from love of him.

"Anger ..... Anger .... Anger ...... This is the only emotion u can feel Manik ...... That day too u were angry na ...... And it was ur descion of taking break na ..... So see instead of month I have given you lifetime break from us " without any ounce of regret or shame she spoke venom .

"Nandiniii" he raised his hand to slap her but held back in air , controlling his anger he took a breathe to calm himself down.

"Why u stopped ? ...... Hit na hit me ..... " She instigated him . Finally tears made their way down to his cheeks from his eyes. 

"Nandini please stop this ..... I am begging u this is really hurting me " he begged, folding his hands in front of her , she didn't melted a bit . But Raman and Ishita did felt little bit bad for him .

"U r spoiling my day Manik ..... Just leave from here " turning her back to him  , she said. But he pulled her back. 

"Don't u love me ....... Is it this easy for you  ...... Aren't you feeling any pain there in ur heart by hurting me ...... How ur heart is not bleeding with the thought of staying away from me ......  Did my love was nothing for you ? ....... Didn't I love u enough that u chose him over me ....... U forgot me within days only ....... Why whatever between us meant nothing to you ?" Cupping her cheeks and directly looking into her blank eyes he kept his bleeding heart in front of us . Something changed expression on her face but only for few seconds.

"Why it's hurting you Manik ? ....... Waise bhi jo hona tha ho gaya , we can't do anything , let's forget it and move on ...... U always believed on being practical na .... So forget me and go to ur home ...... Live ur life and let me live mine " without any mercy she broke him and he collapsed in front of everyone . She left from there leaving him vulnerable between her parents and Vihaan. Because other few people left the mansion already when Raman requested them , after Manik's arrival.

Don't know what hurted him most , her behaviour or her betrayal . With the broken pieces of his hearts and Tsunami of emotions in his mind he stood up from his place and with the fumbling steps due to the blur image of his surroundings as tears were blocking his vision , he went out without saying anything , leaving his soul behind.

The sight was heart-wrenching even it brought tears in Raman's eyes , first time after him he saw a strong man all broken. Vihaan always wanted to see Manik in pain but when he actually collapsed his heart too shattered but he covered it with his hatred.

"Uncle Aunty ..... I think we should give her time ...... And mom called me she is asking me to come back ...... So I will go back to London tomorrow morning " Vihaan said after a while , giving them sympathy .

"Vihaan sorry for this ...... Today only u got engaged and all this happened " Ishita apologized in front of him .

"It's okay ....... I was already aware of it ...... And anyways this engagement meant nothing to both of us " he said bluntly increasing Raman's anger as he never liked him for his daughter but because of his wife he is tolerating everything .

"U both need to heal each other beta " giving him sympathy, Ishita patted his cheeks sadly and went away with her husband .

Vihaan smirked remembering all his deeds ,

"Mom please I want your help ...... Please " like a mamma's boy he pleaded as if he is asking for a candy .

"Are you out of your mind ? ........ U have any idea what u r asking from me ?" She said furiously.

"I know ...... I am just asking you to help me ...... I know Ishita Aunty is your friend ..... Only u can help me , just ask her daughter's hand for me " off course he got to know about their friendship when his mother recognised the woman in his phone when he was searching Nandini's family background.

Anita and Ishita became thick friends 26 years back , there was no one in Anita's life and that time Ishita met her , gave her place to live and they are friends from that time. But suddenly after few months Anita disappeared and since then never returned to her friend . Ishita used to miss her alot in the starting and now Anita is just one good memory of her.

"Who is Manik's girlfriend ....... I can't do this and What about Emma ? ....... U guys were in Love with each other since so many years" she asked sternly . She can't do this and even Shrikant won't like this if he will ever get to know about Nandini.

"Mom Emma ditched me long time back ..... I was heartbroken since months then I found Nandini she is very nice girl, mom ...... And she was Manik's girlfriend ....... Now they are over and she is heartbroken , she needs someone in her life ...... Mom think about this , we both need each other " with the tears in his eyes , he explained her everything. Seeing his tears her motherly heart felt bad , no mother can see her child in pain.

"Okay I will talk with her ...... But I won't force her or Nandini and u will accept their descion ...... Okay?" She asked and he nodded happily.

"Mom but please don't tell anything to dad , about this " .

"Why?"

"U know na he loves Manik too much , sadly more than me so after knowing she is his ex girlfriend ...... He will reject without caring about my feelings " he can't take risk , he knew his dad knows Nandini and he can easily recognise her.

"Okay ...... But I can't promise to hide it for so long " .

"Only for few days " he said softly and started leaving .

"Vihaan ...... I hope u r not planning something against Manik " he stopped hearing her doubtful tone . She knew his hatred for Manik.

"I thought at least u trust me..... By the way I am not planning anything " he said in hurt tone and she felt bad .

After that within few days she came back to her country , India . She remembered everything about this country and specially her best friend , Neyonika . But pushing away impossible wishes she went to Murthy Mansion along with Vihaan.

Ishita was very happy after meeting her best friend and even Raman was happy seeing her after so many years. Then she introduced them to Vihaan . Ishita admired him too. Then they met Nandini , she was blank and blunt . She didn't showed any excitement or sadness or any normal feelings after meeting Anita. She just acknowledged her presence and then went to her room.

Seeing her like this she believed on Vihaan's words and she asked Nandini's hand for him . She told them about his break up too , he showed his vulnerable side to them so they will believe him. Raman was against this idea but Ishita supported .

"Ishita it's wrong ...... She is not recovered from that trauma ..... And u r giving her new responsibility ....... How could you ?" He asked furiously when they both were alone in their room .

"I am her mother , Raman ...... I know she is in trauma and I am trying to help her ...... She have to forget Manik so she can move on in her life " she tried to explain him .

"Exactly she loved Manik ..... How she can love any other guy?  ...... That too in few days?" .

"And what Manik did ...... He broke her , he broke our trust Raman ....... I was wrong in trusting him for my daughter but not anymore " .

"Don't push her into this in the name of healing her ....... We don't know Vihaan , and it's not her age for marriage ...... Let her live her life , let her get independent ...... She don't need any man to heal her ..... She is my princess " he screamed.

"I trust Anita ...... It's her son Raman we know her ...... And about Nandini , she is almost living like a corpse from that day ..... Only love can bring her back and Vihaan will give her that ..... He is broken too ...... They can understand each other and they will heal each other " he lost his battle in front of his wife and agreed for his daughter's happiness , reluctantly.

After that day they decided for engagement in next 15 days. Ishita knew Anita is single mother because when they met her for first time she was pregnant and alone in the city , so they didn't asked for Vihaan's father.

Nandini accepted their decision when Vihaan told her , he won't force her for  responsibilities of wife . She believed him as he too were heartbroken and agreed for her parents because her state was breaking their hearts everyday , she didn't even asked why he broke up with Emma which was opposite of her true nature . She has became cold hearted woman , after that day she didn't shed a single tear neither she smiled or laughed wholeheartedly, but she does carry fake smiling face in front of world. She used to wake up daily and used to come downstairs for 3 meals in a day . She was living in a cage created by her own , so she don't care about herself anymore. It doesn't matter if she is living or dead or engaged or married , everything is same.

As per decided engagement happened with less number of people . They avoid media and keep it secret as per Vihaan's request . He also kept his mother own mother away from engagement by creating some mess in London, so that Manik won't recognise him .

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"Mom why everyone leaves us ?...... Why don't they care for our feelings ?...... And if they don't then why do they pretend to love us mom , why ?" He cried bitterly on his mother's lap and her heart clenched at the sight .

He came to mansion half hour back in devastated state , scaring his mother and from then he is crying like a kid on her lap , on couch in the living room , he told her everything happened there and she don't know how to console her child , she is helpless mother all because of Nandini.

"Because my Manik is so pure and so good for world " she kissed his forehead.

"No mom ...... I am very bad ...... Issliye sab chod ke jaate hai ..... Sab ...... Dad gaye ....Daddu , Dadi bhi gaye and  Nandini bhii" he gulped the lump in his throat while taking her name .

"Kya me itana bura hu , mom ?" his innocent question broke the mother inside her. She don't know how to protect her child from cruel world . Everyone hurts him and then leaves him all miserable , for their own selfish reasons.

"Na baby ....... Mera baccha sabse accha hai ..... U deserve all the happiness Manik...... U r my strong baby  " she coaxed him and he cried more hugging her stomach.

"No mom I am not strong ....... I can't handle this pain , it's really hurting me ...... I am feeling that this heart will stop beating due to the unbearable pain ...... Ur Manik is so weak ..... So weak" he pierced her heart with his words and she held him more tightly , trying to protect him . How she wished to keep him inside her womb again so no one could harm him .

"Manik sleep ..... Don't say a word " she said sternly and he stopped speaking . She kept caressing his hair to soothe him.

"I love her mom ........ I love her ..... I really love.." he slept in her embrace while ranting same thing again and again . He was very tired due journey and constant crying that he slept in pain .

No matter what , a mother is the only person in your life who don't judge you and accept you the way you are , she smiles in ur happiness and cries more than u in ur pain . Mother is a blessing in everyone's life .

She made him sleep properly on couch in the living room and covered his shivering body with a blanket . She was awake whole night , watching her baby sleeping in pain mother inside her couldn't sleep even for a minute during whole night , thinking what if anyone hurt him again after she doze off .

Sometimes you don't need outsider to hurt you when ur own self demon is killing ur other self  , Manik's inner pain was killing him, he felt void from inside him , as if his soul left his body.

.............END.............||

If u found any mistake let me know.

How was the chap?

............. Aish ❣️.............