Flashback

Now Sidharth is ten years old and Mukti is seven years old.

Mukti did a mistake and Rashi came with a stick. "Put your hand in front of me." She ordered Mukti in a stern tone.

"Bhaiya, help me." She asked for help, looking at Manik with hope in her innocent eyes but Manik is standing, helpless, looking down.

"I said forward your hand." As Rashi roared at her, she flinched and instantly held out her hand before Rashi, her little hand is trembling because of fear.

She started hitting the stick on her hand and Mukti started crying profusely. "Bhai, please help me." She's screaming for help from the brother constantly.

Manik clenched his hands in anger. With each passing second his anger is rising. He's killing Rashi with his eyes burning red in anger.

Then his eyes fell over the knife which is kept in the fruit basket. He hurriedly took the knife and directly stabbed it into her stomach in outrage going insane.

"Bhaiya." Mukti cried, hugging him tightly. Manik is staring straight in shock.

After listening to this, Nandini palmed her mouth and widened her eyes in utter shock.

Manik looked at her dejectedly and shuttered, "but unluckily she-she didn't die. When my father got time, he came back home to make my life worse than hell. He didn't listen to me, bl-blamed me, punished me."

Flashback

"Papa, that Aunty is very bad, she made me her slave, she tortured me." Manik is trying to explain his father but he's loosening his belt paying no heeds to what he's saying.

"Aaa..." Manik screamed in pain as his father started hitting him with the belt mercilessly without listening to him. Nobody can say that he's his real father.

"Aaa... papa, please. I didn't do anything wrong." The poor little boy is crying in immense pain, lying on the floor as his father is continuously beating him with his belt. At last, he left from there leaving the wounded Manik after hurling his belt. The poor kid is in so much pain, bleeding but no one is there with him.

Nandini cried badly, looking at him in disbelief after knowing this. She can't able to believe that his father did this with him. Today she came to know that a father can also be so cruel and she is in great shock.

"Then he arranged another caretaker for us. I was so frightened but thankfully she was a nice lady, utterly different from Rashi. She took care of me and I took care of Mukti properly. I rose her up like a father. Her wishes became my commands as I never wanted to see my sweetie in pain, my baby in pain. I tried to give her the love which I never got. I haven't slept peacefully for not even a single since childhood because nightmares haunt me, I craved for love and gave my all love to Mukti. But I wasn't realising that I was spoiling her with my unconditional love and when I realised, it got too late. I started stopping her when I realised that she is going on the wrong track. But now she has become stubborn. She thought I would never stop her but I started stopping her." He paused and palm his face.

He removed his hands from his face after taking a deep breath and said, holding Nandini's hands. "But it began to have a negative effect on her. She tried to commit suicide when I didn't listen to her." He cried profusely, burying his face in her hands.

"My life almost stopped, I thought I lost my baby. Then I decided that no matter what I would fulfil her every wish and never stop her as I can't afford to lose her. She's my life, Nandini and it's all my fault, I spoiled her." Now Nandini understood vividly that why he never stopped Mukti and why he never supported her in front of Mukti.

"Then one day Mukti came to me crying and told me about your brother Abhi. I didn't know she was lying or saying the truth, at that moment I just felt like killing him for cheating and hurting my sweetie. But she asked me to take revenge by marrying you." He clasped Nandini's face and continued, "I agreed for her but I didn't think that I would fall in love with you on the very first day." Both crying, gazing into each other eyes.

"I was forced to hurt you for the sake of Mukti's life as if I had stopped her, she would have again tried to commit suicide. I behaved extremely rude with you, humiliated you as I want you to leave our house as soon as possible because it was getting impossible for me to hurt you and to see my friends humiliating you every day in front of my eyes. My heart was crying seeing you in pain. I wanted to stop them but couldn't. I was feeling so helpless and ashamed for hurting my wife and not supporting her." He moved his eyes down in shame.

After a few seconds, he moved his eyes back to her and continued, "but the day you left the house, I realised that I need you badly in my life as you're the only person who can heal my childhood's deep wounds, who can take me out of my darkness, who can love me, who can give me the peace and who can help in bringing Mukti on right track. Please, Nandini, pardon me for every mistake and every tear which you have shed because of me. I'm sorry. I know I'm a monster and hurt you a lot but now I just want to become your loving husband."

"Manik Ji." She finally uttered breaking her silence, tears are trickling down her cheeks constantly.

"Bura inshaan nhi hota, issan ko bura ushke halat banate hai. Ek chor chori karta hai, uske andhar koe buri bawana nhi hoti, lekin uske halat ushe chori karwate hai. Manik ji, aap bure nhi hai, aap majbur hai. Manik ji, shaayad agar aapane aaj mujhe apane bachapan ke baare mein na bhi batate toh bhi mein iss bat ko smjhti thi, tabhi aaj tak kissi bhi issan ke liye mein bura nhi sochti kyuki," she sobbed and continued, "mujhe pta hai agar koe ishan kuch galat krta hai voh majbur hota hai halato ke karan. (There is no bad person, a man becomes bad because of his circumstances. A thief steals, he has no bad feelings inside him, but his circumstances compel him to steal. Manik, you aren't bad, you're just forced. Perhaps if you hadn't told me about your childhood today, still I would have understood this. That's why I never think bad for anyone because I know if a person does something wrong, he is compelled by his circumstances.)" She clasped his face and explained to him, caressing his stubble. He is just staring at her incredulously, wondering how can anybody so nice and kind-hearted.

"I love you, Nandini. I love you so much. I feel so lucky to have a person like you in my life." He confessed, touching his forehead with her, smiling contentedly and his eyes are closed. He wanted to say so many things to her but she made him speechless.

"Hum aapse bhut pyaar karte hai, Manik Ji aur hum apke pyaar ke liye pal pal tarse hai. Manik ji, hum apko bata bhi nhi sakte ki hum kitne kush hai. Finally aaj humhre vishwas ki jeet hue, aap humse pyaar karte hai, humhai toh yakeen hi nhi ho rha hai. (I love you a lot, Manik and I have yearned for your love every second. Manik, I can't even tell you how much happy I'm. Finally, my hope won. You love me, I just can't believe.)" She said, her eyes shimmering with happiness but still she can't believe that he loves her.

The next Moment Manik just captured her lips by cupping her face and kissed her lips softly and lovingly forgetting that they are in the hospital. First Nandini widened her eyes in amazement and then she responded to him, clutching his shirt collars. He is kissing her pouring all love in this kiss, he just wants to make her believe that he loves her a lot through this kiss. The kiss is so slow and so soft yet so passionate. They're getting immense peace through this kiss and this kiss is taking them into the heaven. This is their first kiss yet so perfect and intense but nobody can say that it's their first kiss as they kissing each other like the professional kisser. It seems like they are getting their breath back after ages through this kiss. They are feeling alive and contented, not ready pulled apart.

But they reluctantly broke the kiss indeed of oxygen, panting, gazing into each other intensely and smiling. Next moment he started kissing all over her face. After every kiss he is whispering, "I love you." She's just smiling and enjoying his tender kisses. She's on cloud nine. She can't believe it, he kissed her. This moment is so special for her. She's the happiest soul after getting love from her husband. She had been craving for his love. Finally, this is the end of their sufferings. She is feeling like screaming with euphoria.

They smiled at each other broadly with utter contentment, their eyes are shining and they are gazing at each other lovingly and intensely.

Then Nandini pointed her finger at her eyes cutely and Manik understood what she wants. He moved closer to her and she closed her eyes. He gently kissed her eyelids, saying sorry to her, "I am sorry for all the tears your eyes have shed because of me."

After that he engulfed her into his protective arms and kissed her hair, smiling blissfully. She also smiled with immense happiness, listening to his soothing heartbeat and being in his heavenly warm arms.

"Nandini, I want to sleep in your arms. Could I?" He asked her after breaking the hug as he has been craving to sleep peacefully for ages and today he wants that peaceful sleep. He's certain that only in her arms he will get that sleep.

She nodded and opened her arms in approval, beaming at him. He smiled broadly and hastily lay down beside her on the hospital bed. She instantly pulled him into his arms and hugged him firmly, burying his face in her chest like a mother.

"Nandini," he raised his head to say something but she didn't let him say. She shushed him by pecking his lips, making him smile in amazement.

"Kuch nhi, abhi so jae aap bash. (Don't say anything now, just sleep.)" She said sternly as she knows he needs a peaceful sleep right now.

"Okay." He nodded and again dug his face in her chest like a baby. She smiled, ruffling his hair and kissed his head. She's smiling after so many days and the reason for her beautiful smile is her husband.

Finally, he fulfilled his first promise by becoming the reason of her smile. Now he will never let this smile fade away from her face.