"That's incredible, Nandini," Grishma exclaimed. "I'm seriously impressed."

"Yes, incredible...But also terrifying - for me," Anuj groaned. Looking genuinely worried, he told Nandini, "Look, even if I say something stupid, I don't mean anything by it. It's just a habit of sorts," he said with a sheepish air, scratching his head. "So please don't take me seriously at all," he requested nervously.

With a wry smile, Nandini said, "I'll try not to."

She disliked talking about those incidents. So, it had not been very easy to mention them, and especially to say all that as light-heartedly as she could. But she'd needed to do it so that Anuj would get the message. She'd found him to be funny and inoffensive so far, but he had to keep his distance and not get too friendly with her until she was comfortable around him. He was Prithvi's friend, and she wanted to be able to behave with him normally. Although she felt unusually certain that he wasn't anything like those men, her intolerance towards any kind of harassment, even if it was under the guise of "harmless" flirting, had skyrocketed over the years because of what she had endured. And there was no telling if her temper and words would remain in her control if he said anything that triggered her.

"You really did all that, Nandini?" Yamini said cautiously, trying not to reveal her scepticism. "Your family must be proud of you." She had nearly started to feel some kind of a liking towards the girl but now she was a bit irked again. There seemed to be very little chance that this walking-talking advertisement for rubbish Indian standards of the ideal feminine – sweet, naive and fragile looking - had done any of the things she'd listed just now, Yamini mulled. If this turned out to be all humbug, it would totally piss her off. But then again, Prithvi could see through anyone, and he would never like someone who made up stories to make themselves look great. So, she had to keep an open mind about the girl for now.

A shadow fell across Nandini's face at Yamini's statement. She offered a smile but said nothing.

Grishma grinned and said, "You were right, Nandini, your looks are very deceptive."

"You can say that again," Anuj mumbled with apparent glumness, but when Grishma and Yamini laughed, he joined in with a hearty chuckle.

Nandini smiled, then awkwardly said, "Listen...please don't tell Sumer uncle and Prithvi about all that I said now. They are close to my family, and we'd not told them about any of this, so they might feel bad about that."

Yamini looked at her doubtfully. The reason sounded genuine enough. But what if it was a way to stop them from finding out if she had actually done those impressive things...

"Done! Don't worry about that," Anuj spoke first. "I won't tell them, and I won't let these two tell him either. Now am I rising in your estimation?" he asked eagerly.

As Yamini and Grishma exchanged amused looks, Nandini chuckled, "A little." 

But she was genuinely worried, and was already regretting the impulse that had made her talk about those incidents. She hoped all of them would honour her request. It wouldn't really be a problem if Sumer Singh found out. But she couldn't let Prithvi hear anything about it...

Anuj grinned, and then declared, "Okay, okay, now let's keep aside all this talk. I'll show you girls the room that we're going to inhabit for most of the time we're going to be here."

As all four of them began to walk towards the interiors of the house, Nandini looked around surreptitiously. Prithvi was close but where...

They passed by corridors that branched out into more passageways, and the staff members whom they encountered on the way greeted them warmly. Just before they reached the door at the back of the house, Anuj opened a large door to the right with a flourish.

The girls entered the room first, and Nandini looked around the space admiringly.

It was a huge and beautiful room, with a mostly informal look. The wall on one side was made of glass and the adjacent wall had big glass windows. Thick cream curtains were partially drawn over the glass wall and the windows. There was a massive television in the room, a big, cosy couch, and many large and comfortable armchairs. The room also contained a sizeable dining table.

Grishma, Anuj and Yamini wandered around the room, but Nandini didn't follow their lead and continued to glance back at the door frequently. She could feel he was very close now. Trying to quell her impatience, she walked towards the middle portion of glass wall. It was very dark outside, but she could gauge that the view from here would be the same as that she had from the balcony in her room.

"May I come in?" a male voice asked.

Yamini gasped and turned, and then gave a joyful shout of "Garv!". Grishma and Anuj also yelled happily.

Nandini turned to the door, and for a second, she thought it was Rishabh who was walking into the room, with his gentle face, slim build and glasses.

Yamini threw herself into Garv's arms, and they kissed each other.

Startled, Nandini quickly looked away from them with a mortified redness on her cheeks, and found herself looking straight at Prithvi.

Leaning against the doorframe, he was grinning at her with a wicked glint in his eyes, blatantly enjoying her embarrassment.

She turned even more crimson and distractedly looked back. Thankfully, the couple was only hugging now.

Breaking the embrace, Yamini looked at Prithvi with an elated laugh. "I couldn't have imagined this surprise. Prithvi, your mother is the best!"

"Yeah, she's a treasure," Prithvi replied solemnly.

Nandini's lips twitched but the others didn't seem to be aware of the sarcasm in his voice. As the group of friends began to settle down in the room, she watched Prithvi turn to someone who was apparently waiting outside.

"You can come in now...the adult scenes are over," he said seriously in a voice that was audible to her but not to the others who were huddled in the centre of the room.

Confused, Nandini waited to see who it was.

Sumer Singh walked into the room very cautiously, with a suspicious look on his face, and he relaxed visibly on confirming that no youngsters were tangled amorously with each other.

Her eyes met Prithvi's, and on seeing the mischievous amusement in his gaze, she had to press her hand against her mouth to stop laughing.

Then she realised Garv was looking at her with a friendly curiosity.

Prithvi started to speak but halted in surprise as Yamini made the introduction with enthusiasm, and Grishma filled up the remaining blanks, with both of them jointly covering almost everything he had said about her and her family. He could understand they were high on the excitement of having Garv back in their midst after a while. But there was still a bit more friendliness in their voices than he'd expected.

Garv smiled warmly at her and nodded, and she smiled back.

In the next few minutes, everyone had settled down in the room in the snug chairs and there were loud, overlapping conversations. The staff brought in hot drinks and enticing-looking eatables, and there was was a very jolly atmosphere in the room.

Seated in a chair that was close to the door, Nandini listened to everyone with interest, feeling more comfortable than she could have thought possible. Somehow, she wasn't feeling excluded even though she did not really know any of them properly. It was cute to see their dynamics. And she was happier because Prithvi was lounged in an armchair that was almost directly opposite to her, though he wasn't looking at her at all.

The conversation meandered quickly from Garv's experiences in the last few weeks and then the group's stay at Taravan, Prithvi's departure from Taravan yesterday, the group's botched plans for palace hopping and this new vacation spot, and just as Grishma left the room to answer a phone call, the talk eventually reached the topic of Shamli...

Garv looked at Prithvi and quizzically asked, "So you and Sumer uncle stayed in Shamli for some time? And Nandini was your neighbour?"

"Yes, yes, it was a long time ago," Sumer Singh answered quickly with a tinge of awkwardness as he glanced at Prithvi.

Anuj looked at Prithvi and appreciatively mouthed, "You lucky dog."

Prithvi glanced at him. The look chilled Anuj's blood, and he hurriedly shifted into a chair that was far away from Prithvi.

"Nandini, how was this guy as a college kid?" Garv genially asked Nandini, mainly to make her feel more included in the conversations.

Yamini fondly declared, "I bet he was the same as he is now. All calm and well-mannered and gentlemanly and – "

Nandini started laughing, startling everyone. She clapped her hands to her mouth but couldn't stop her giggles.

Sumer Singh tried to keep a straight face, but in no time, his shoulders were also shaking with silent laughter.

Prithvi regarded both of them with a slight scowl, irritated but amused.

Garv and Anuj had confused grins, while Yamini was chuckling

"What are you laughing about?" Prithvi asked her tetchily.

"I have no idea," Yamini admitted, sounding quite confused herself. "It's her laugh. It's making me laugh too." 

"So...he wasn't like that?" she asked Sumer Singh and Nandini in surprise.

"I was exactly like that," Prithvi answered testily, then regretfully said, "But I would sometimes get a little impatient with a girl in the neighbourhood who tended to keep talking until she made your ears bleed."

Not laughing anymore, Nandini indignantly said, "I was not that talkative."

"But I didn't say it was you," Prithvi said with innocent surprise while low rumbles of laughter erupted among the others in the room. "I'm talking about an interfering house owner who insisting on arranging the furniture in my rented house as per their wishes."

"You were trying to block an entire window," Nandini protested. "It would have shut out the view of – shut out the sunlight," she mumbled towards the end, reddening slightly.

"Yes...the sunlight, that was the problem," Prithvi said gravely. "But honestly, I don't know why you're getting so offended. It wasn't you," he insisted. "This person's eyes were as big as pumpkins and covered half her face."

"My eyes are not that big," Nandini refuted stoutly, her large, black eyes glowering at him, as everyone's laughter grew louder.

"Yeah, I can barely see them right now," Prithvi said dryly.

Still chortling, Yamini said, "Look, I don't know Nandini all that well yet, but I'd like to believe she wasn't that obnoxious." Her earlier irritation about the girl's possibly fake claims was gone temporarily. She was ecstatic to have Garv back with her, and she was feeling extra affectionate towards everyone in the room.

Nandini looked impishly at Yamini. "I actually was," she confessed, and started laughing again.

As the others joined the laughter, Prithvi grinned at her, his eyes alight with softness.

There were two discreet knocks on the door, and Anuj yelled "Come in".

The door opened to reveal Disha. As she waited tentatively at the threshold, she glanced at Nandini with relief, and then looked diffidently at Prithvi.

Without thinking, Nandini rose from the chair swiftly. She saw Prithvi starting to stir, and quickly said, "I'll talk to her."

Prithvi looked at her with a furrow on his forehead but lounged back in his seat reluctantly. He picked up the phone that had been lying unattended next to him. Disha had messaged him some minutes ago, informing him that Rajeshwari wanted to speak to Nandini urgently...

************************

Disha moved back from the threshold as Nandini walked towards her and then closed the door. Inside, the murmurs of conversation started again.

"What is wrong?" Nandini asked Disha concernedly.

"The princess wasn't feeling well when reached here, so she was taking a nap, and she woke up now, and heard that the queen was going to arrive soon," Disha explained summarily. "She went into full-blown panic, and only calmed down when she heard that you're here too. She wants to talk to you immediately. Could you come with me to meet her?"

"Yes, yes, of course," Nandini nodded.

"Thank you!" Disha said gratefully.

Nandini cheerfully said, "It's no trouble at all."

As they began to walk, Disha said, "Your bag has arrived from your uncle's house. The staff has placed it in your room."

"Okay, thanks," Nandini smiled.

Disha sincerely said, "If you need help of any kind while you're here, you can call me immediately."

"I will, thank you," Nandini told her affectionately.

They walked up the stairs, and then Disha led her down the corridor that was opposite to the one that led to her room, and opened at the door at the very end of it.

Nandini entered a cute sitting room, which featured elegant furniture, including a small dining table. Disha entered the room behind her, and then walked to a large door in the corner. She knocked twice, and then opened the door.

She looked at Nandini, "Please go in."

Nandini nodded and walked into a massive bedroom that was furnished very artistically. Rajeshwari jumped up from the bed with tangible relief and rushed to her

"Nandini, thank goodness you're here," she said fervently. "I left Taravan in a hurry and I was feeling nauseated by the time we reached here because of those winding roads, so I went to sleep, and when I woke up, I heard that she's going to come here tonight! Then I heard you're here too, so I had to see you. I cannot meet that woman," she declared with a mix of anger and helplessness, clenching her hands. "I don't want to see her or talk to her. But she will make me face her and talk about – Shamli. I will leave from here tomorrow morning, but she will try to meet me before that. And I don't know what to do!"

Nandini held her shoulders and looked at her resolutely. "Calm down. Nothing is going to happen against your will. If you don't want to meet her, you will not meet her, it's as simple as that. And if she insists on talking to you, I will go in your place and deal with her. And I promise, I will not let her trouble you until I'm here."

Rajeshwari's eyes grew wide. "Really? You would do that for me?"

"Yes, I would," Nandini said firmly. "Don't be worried. It will be fine, you'll see."

Rajeshwari looked at the calm determination on the other girl's face, and her panic started to recede a little.

She smiled slightly and said, "Okay. I trust you. But I...I wish I hadn't come here. I couldn't stay at Taravan for another minute, but if I had known she would be here, I would gone elsewhere," she said unhappily.

"Why did you want to leave Taravan?" Nandini asked her confusedly.

Rajeshwari appeared disconcerted for a moment, then she mumbled, "No reason as such. I was just getting bored."

"Oh...okay," Nandini said lightly. It was an obvious lie, but she didn't want to pry since Rajeshwari was plainly very uncomfortable.

"Will you have dinner with me here in this room?" Rajeshwari asked her anxiously.

"I don't feel up to meeting Prithvi and the others today, but I don't want to eat alone either."

"I would love to do that," Nandini smiled, and then set out to do everything she could to make Rajeshwari feel better and lighter, sharing funny anecdotes related to herself, her family and friends until Rajeshwari started to smile and laugh.

More than an hour later, the dessert plates were being cleared from the sitting room, when Rajeshwari suddenly said, "There is something different about you today."

"Different? What do you mean?" Nandini asked her amusedly.

"I don't know," Rajeshwari said thoughtfully. "I met you just yesterday, but you seem different now. You weren't like this when I was staying with you in Shamli either. I can't figure out what it is...but it's somehow reminding me of the girl I met at that college all those years ago," she smiled.

Those last words sent a small shockwave through Nandini.

The girl whom Rajeshwari had met...that person who had existed before her heart had broken into a million pieces...the one who had found joy in the smallest things in life... laughed at the silliest and dumbest things...possessed an irrepressible optimism, and a childlike relish for life...gliding smoothly and cheerfully from one day to another, with only one sorrow – that of losing her father- tucked away in her heart...

Nandini remembered that girl now like she was remembering a person she had lost to death. Then it struck her abruptly that, in the short time that she had been here, she had felt somewhat close to that ancient version of herself for the first time in years...

She was reeling inwardly from that unexpected realisation when the door opened, and Disha spoke warily to Rajeshwari, "Your highness, the queen wishes to meet you."

Rajeshwari looked fearfully at Nandini, who gave her a calming smile and rose to her feet.

**********************

Nandini silently followed Priyamvada's attendant along the middle corridor on the second floor, feeling much less composed than she was appearing on the outside. She was increasingly feeling a leaden weight in her legs and stomach as she walked behind the woman. She did not want to see Priyamvada today. It had been a beautiful evening so far, and she didn't want it to be ruined like this. And she didn't know what she was going to say to that woman or how it was going to be helpful. But she was going to do her best for Rajeshwari...

Even after the door was opened to reveal a beautifully decorated room, Nandini remained at the threshold, battling an extreme unwillingness...until she felt the attendant starting to look at her with confusion.

She walked into the luxurious room tentatively. The room had the usual seating arrangements but Priyamvada wasn't to be seen.

Nandini looked around tentatively and then her expression tightened. The right corner of the room had been partitioned into a small enclave that resembled an office. There was a large wooden desk in the room, and Priyamvada was sitting behind it, perusing a magazine.

Nandini waited for a moment to toughen her nerves and then walked towards her.

With her eyes on the magazine, Priyamvada jadedly said, "So, Rajeshwari has sent you to speak to me on her behalf."

Nandini stiffly said, "She does not want to meet you or interact with you in any way while she's here. So you need to leave her alone." 

Priyamvada did not look up while nonchalantly saying, "And you're going to be in charge of that while you're here, is it? But what if I gave her an ultimatum?" she asked quizzically, looking up at Nandini with frigid eyes. "She can either meet me and discuss the problem like a grown-up...or I can give Prithvi some very interesting details about the romantic tryst she had planned in Shamli. What do you think she would choose then?" 

Enraged by the disgusting threat, Nandini unthinkingly snapped, "There are many things about you too that he doesn't know yet." 

Priyamvada looked at her with amusement. "You think you can hold that over me? Use it to make me behave?" Within, she was feeling an odd combination of dread and triumph. She hadn't yet decided how to arrange this conversation but it had happened spontaneously, and she couldn't miss this chance. It was the most optimal time for it...

"I just want you to leave Rajeshwari alone," Nandini retorted impatiently. 

"It's too late now," Priyamvada said with a taut smile. "You've already shown that you're not above blackmail. But I'm going to erase the power you think you hold. I myself will tell Prithvi what happened five years ago. Tonight, he will finally know what led to your rather dramatic departure from Aadyabhoomi..."

Nandini stared at her in shock, hardly able to absorb what had happened out of the blue. Then she numbly said, "No! No...you cannot do that."

Priyamvada looked at her with a pretend curiosity. "You really don't want me to tell him...so that was an empty threat then. But I've always wondered why you've remained silent about it. And you're not willing to divulge it even after all this time despite the strong probability that he might forgive you for everything. What exactly are you hoping to achieve by keeping it a secret?" she enquired, tilting her head to a side.

She watched a bevy of emotions crowd the young girl's eyes and the diminished colour on her skin.

"You think it will hurt his feelings? And maybe worsen his relationship with me? A mix of both reasons, I see," Priyamvada noted sardonically. "Will it hurt him more than your betrayal? You've set the bar very high in that regard, you know. And because of you, my bond with my son is already as broken as it can be," she said with only a small hint of the virulent hate and anger inside her. "I have nothing to lose by telling him the truth, and this way I will stop you from ever holding the truth over my head again as blackmail."

"I don't intend to do anything of that sort," Nandini said angrily, trying not to reveal her desperation. "I only want you to leave Rajeshwari alone." Her mind was spiralling in panic and her heart was hammering in her chest. What was going on here...how had the situation come to this...

"I've almost made up my mind, but I'm feeling generous so I'll give you a choice," Priyamvada said smoothly. "I will either tell him about what happened five years ago, or I'll tell him the details of Rajeshwari's plans in Shamli. And you might think Prithvi will not be bothered by it because - well, that's how he is," she commented indifferently. "But I assure you...there are some elements in that story that even my highly open-minded son will not be able to tolerate."

Aghast, Nandini stared at the older woman, with her mind frozen. The sound of the door opening made her jump. She spun round to see Prithvi walking into the room, harsh anger on his features.

He regarded her ashen face and the shaken look in her eyes, and the fury on his face sharpened as he looked at his mother.

"Your pet dog took some time to inform you," Priyamvada told her son with a faint sneer. "But your ex-girlfriend is perfectly fine. She just looks like she has seen a ghost because I told her I intend to let you know what happened five years ago." 

There was an abrupt quietness in the room as an icy tension swept through the air.

"That sounds like a fraction of the truth at best," Prithvi said grimly without any reaction to what his mother had said.

Nandini looked at him in disbelief. The casualness in his voice and demeanour had startled her more than anything Priyamvada had said until then. There had been neither shock nor confusion in his tone. It almost seemed as if he had been expected to hear this from Priyamvada...

The harshness in Prithvi's eyes vanished when he looked at Nandini. "You're okay?" he asked her gently.

She lowered her eyes and nodded clumsily, her lips now sealed by the threat Priyamvada had dangled over her head.

"You can leave now," he told her calmly, and then he glanced at Priyamvada again with renewed ire. "I need to have a talk with the queen mother."

Nandini remained still in the throes of a hopeless inner conflict. There was something unreal about this. She was not prepared for it. But she couldn't leave...and she didn't dare ask Prithvi not to listen to the truth that he had always wanted to know. But the truth was going to hurt him...and it would be a needless hurt...because it wasn't going to change anything about the past or the fate of their relationship.

"Prithvi, you can speak after I've finished with what I have to say," Priyamvada stipulated coolly. "And the girl can leave, but then she won't know what I've told you," she said shrewdly, looking at Nandini.

"And what reason have you cooked up as explanation for this sudden need for honesty?" Prithvi asked her derisively.

"I don't wish to go into the details of that as of now," Priyamvada replied calmly, but the shrewdness in her gaze was now mingled with alertness. "But let me just say I don't want this girl to hold any information that she thinks she can use against me." 

"Really? That's the reason you're going with?" Prithvi asked with raised brows. "But what if I told you I'm not interested in listening to your version of the story."

"I know better than to manipulate the facts when I'm talking to you, Prithvi," Priyamvada said tersely. "When I'm finished talking, you will know that every word I've said is the truth." She had done many difficult things in her life, and she had prepared herself for this moment since years, and yet, she was shocked to find that her nerve was failing her. She was experiencing palpitations and her throat felt completely dry...

*********************

Nandini looked from Prithvi to Priyamvada with rising bewilderment. She couldn't understand what was going on. It was as if she had missed several pages in a story and was now at a critical juncture without any background information. Nothing they were saying was difficult to understand but there was something in the conversation that was...very unsettling.

But then this whole situation felt completely unreal. Yes...it was true that, over the last five years, despite her strongest efforts to avoid imagining this moment, her heart had often insisted on creating it for her. This moment when Prithvi would learn the truth. But now it was here without warning, like a bolt from the blue. And it going to happen in a way that she couldn't have imagined in a hundred years...with Priyamvada herself revealing the truth...How on earth was this happening...

*********************

"You realise I already can't tolerate you even without knowing the whole story," Prithvi asked his mother acerbically.

"Yes...so what difference will this story make?" Priyamvada asked with a bitter anger. "Now can you please sit down so I can get this over with."

"How about I save you some trouble," Prithvi asked her cynically. "I'll give you a gist of what I think happened, and you can fill in the other details later. Five years ago, when you found out she belonged to the Bharadwaj family, it upset you because you have some grouse against them. You got angry, threatened her family, said some unforgivable things about her father, and you hit her," he said with a scarcely controlled rage in his eyes. "And you were also probably responsible for the closure of her family's temple. How am I doing so far?"

Shell-shocked Nandini stared at him, and then at Priyamvada, who looked as staggered as her.

After some moments of an unbearable silence, Nandini shakily asked him, "Prithvi...how...how did you know about all that?"

Prithvi looked at her with clouded eyes. "I know her...and I know you....it was easy to put the pieces together to figure out what had happened that day based on your behaviour and her mental state at that time. And I knew there had to be something more, something connected to your family, for you to be affected that badly.," he said quietly. "From what I know, there were two incidents that were completely devastating for your family. The worst was your father's death, and there was the closure of the temple. I spent a lot of time finding out everything possible about the years that this woman had spent away," he said roughly, glancing at his white-faced mother. "And given her mental and physical condition and her circumstances at that time of your father's death, it was impossible that she had anything to do with it. And that left the matter of the temple. So, I was fairly sure she had caused it somehow, and her reaction has confirmed it now."

Then he looked at his mother again. "Still feeling up to going ahead with your story-telling session?" he asked cuttingly.

Nandini looked warily at Priyamvada, who was staring down at the table's gleaming surface now. It was plain as day that the woman was deeply rattled and not in any state to speak.

But then, to her astonishment, Priyamvada glanced up at her son with a ruthless will glittering in her eyes and stoically said, "Yes, I do. Can I start speaking or do you have any more surprising revelations up your sleeve?" 

Prithvi looked grimly at this mother, then drew up a chair and sat down.

Nandini hesitated, then she pulled out the other chair and took her seat. She was feeling too unsteady to remain standing for an indefinite time. There was a horrible tension in her body. Despite the earlier conversation between Prithvi and Priyamvada, she fully expected deception from the older woman...lies or at least subtle manipulations of facts that would paint her in negative light and make it seem like it was her fault or her family's fault somehow...

"I'll need to tell you about the temple incident first," Priyamvada told her son unemotionally, not meeting his eyes. She was beginning with the part that she had dreaded talking about the most. The episode that still caused nightmares...the gravest mistake that her mind reminded her about every single day...so she would never forget that her husband's untimely demise had been caused by her sins.

She couldn't look at her son's face as she began to narrate that horrific tale from the start...but she could feel his fury and repulsion as she revealed the steps she had taken to teach Siddharth Bharadwaj a lesson, and the repercussions that had destroyed her life and almost driven her mad with grief, and the terror it had instilled in her, and the subsequent events that had followed that had added to her hate and fear towards that small shrine in Shamli and the family that ran it. And then finally getting her son and her old life back, only to find out that the girl in his life was an offspring of that very same lineage...

Nandini listened in shock as Priyamvada narrated the dreadful events that had transpired in Aadyabhoomi, and later, with complete bluntness without sparing any detail and without being kind to herself in the least. She was not displaying any strong signs of emotions too apart from a tremor in her voice every now and then, especially when she spoke about her husband...

When Priyamvada finished talking, she felt as if all life had drained out of her. She could only think of two things – she needed water, and she needed to leave the room before she accidently looked at her son's face. She looked at the crystal jug of water on her desk, and tried to raise it, but her hands were quaking slightly. 

On an automatic impulse, Nandini silently picked up the jug and poured out the water into one of the glasses.

Priyamvada picked up the glass without looking at her and emptied it quickly. Then she rose from the chair, and carefully avoiding a glance at her son, she walked out of the room slowly.

Prithvi continued to stare with repulsion at the chair she had vacated. Even the possibilities that his intellect had come up with had been intolerable for him...and now he was face-to-face with the unbearable ugliness of the whole story...

"Was that the whole truth? Did she leave anything out?" he asked in a low voice.

"No...she told you everything, and she said it exactly as it happened," Nandini replied in a daze. But a new feeling was overpowering her now. A feeling of pure, golden relief. The intense, exhilarating sense of lightness of being free from an intolerable burden. She had borne its oppression for years but she was free now...and there were no past-related secrets between them anymore...

He turned his chair towards her and swivelled her chair too, so she was facing him, and though she looked shaken and nearly disorientated, he was very relieved to see no signs of tears on her face.

He grasped both her hands and held them between his own. As he'd expected, her hands were cold.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," he said quietly, gently rubbing her hands to impart some warmth. "You wouldn't have had to face any of it if you and I were not - "

"Don't say that. None of it was your fault," she said softly, her gaze filled with a fierce tenderness. "I'm sorry for keeping it a secret for all these years. But you can see why I had to..." she mumbled with a faint pleading in her voice.

"I know your reasons...and that they make perfect sense to you," he said tentatively.

She looked at him with saddened eyes, grasping the answer he did not want to give. But there was one more question she needed to ask...

If not for last night's encounter on the terrace, she would have dared to hope that the whole truth about his mother's actions would help him understand why she had been forced to break their relationship...and perhaps, just perhaps...he would forgive her. Now she knew for certain that he would never forgive her. And yet, she realised there was still a tiny spark of hope – no, not just hope...there was an implicit trust in her heart that, even if he wouldn't forgive her, he would understand her better now.

"Prithvi, now that you know what happened...do you..." she mumbled falteringly. "Can you...why I had to..."

"You want to know if I understand your decision now," he stated briefly, holding her gaze steadily.

With an escalating anxiety and uneasiness, Nandini haltingly said, "Not fully...I know that's not possible. And I'm not expecting forgiveness. I know you can't forgive me," she said miserably, glancing down. "I can't forgive myself either. But can you understand just...just a little," she whispered, looking up at him imploringly.

Prithvi didn't respond for a beat, then he looked down at her hands, and with a quiet deliberation in his tone, he said, "I know you did what you thought was best for your family at that point."

Nandini looked at him for a very long moment, and then uttered the words he was trying not to say. "But you still don't think I had any valid reasons for taking that decision," she said slowly.

Still not looking at her, Prithvi soberly said, "What I think doesn't matter. It's not going to change anything anyways. A few days from now you will be busy with your life and I'll be dealing with mine..."

Nandini silently withdrew her hands from his grasp, and moving her chair backwards, she rose to her feet and walked towards the door.

He stirred impulsively to hold her, then stopped himself with difficulty. He had already hurt her more than he should have. And if this conversation continued, it would only make the situation much worse...

******************

Nandini entered her room and switched off the light. She walked to the phone that she had left behind on the table and went through it mechanically to confirm that there were no calls from home.

Then without changing out of her clothes, she got into bed and covered herself fully with a thick blanket. Despite the warmth in the room, she was feeling very very cold...

********************

Nandini ran the comb through her hair disinterestedly a few times, then drew two thick locks of shiny hair from her temples and pinned them at the back of her head with a small clip. She put a small bindi on her forehead, applied lip balm, and walked back to the bed to pick up the thick shawl to drape over her sweater. It would be very cold outside, especially near the stream.

Nandini lifted the shawl and opened it, then turned sharply to look at the door. She waited motionless for quite a while and then she heard the knock. She continued to stand still for some more moments, then slowly walked to the door and opened it.

Prithvi looked up quickly when the door opened, and a terrible guilt shot through him as he noticed the slight redness in her eyes. And only after that did he notice the coldness in her gaze...

"Yes?" Nandini asked him impassively.

"Can I come in for a moment?" he muttered.

She hesitated briefly, then turned and walked to the room, pausing by the dressing table. Then she spun around to face him, arms folded.

He closed the door, then looked at her with a troubled gaze. "You didn't sleep well last night, did you..."

"I don't usually sleep well in unfamiliar places," she replied placidly, then tartly asked, "Is that what you came here to ask me?"

He gazed at her with a quiet frustration. "What were you expecting me to say last night? That I understand and forgive you for what you did? If I could have lied about it, I would have...believe me. I can lie about anything else but not about this...not about - us," he muttered roughly.

Nandini faced him squarely without any tangible emotions on her face. "I didn't want to hear any lies...but we don't need to talk about this. As you said last night, it doesn't matter," she shrugged. "It is in our past, and we will be going our separate ways after this. And you were also right when you said we have to follow some rules to avoid repeating old mistakes," she said casually. "So, from this moment on, I will not talk to you unless I need to, and I'll stay as far away from you as possible, just as you wanted."

As a strong temper flared up in his eyes, he tersely said, "And that is my punishment for being honest, I suppose."

"You can suppose whatever you want," she replied equably. "Now please leave this room."

He looked at her with anger, then strode out of the room, slamming the door shut loudly behind him.

About fifteen minutes later, someone knocked on her door again. Nandini hurriedly wiped her eyes and face with a tissue paper from the box in her room, and after taking a few deep breaths, she answered the door.

Both Grishma and Rajeshwari greeted her with broad smiles. Then Grishma's smile faltered and she concernedly asked, "Are you okay, Nandini? You don't look very well."

"Yes, you look ill," Rajeshwari said, observing Nandini closely.

"I couldn't sleep properly last night," Nandini said lightly. "I usually have that problem when I'm in a new place. But I'm fine otherwise. Please come in..."

"No, no, we came here to ask you if you wanted to join us on a short outing," Grishma said.

Rajeshwari nodded. "There are apparently many great spots nearby, and Grishma and I are going to one place that supposedly provides a good view of the whole area. Do you want to come along?"

"Yeah, it's not too far, we will be back in time for breakfast," Grishma encouraged. "And you might feel better after going there."

Nandini smiled at them. "Okay, let's go."

********************

Rajeshwari looked around the beautiful region. Thankfully, they had not had to walk too much to reach here. It was too chilly and windy for her comfort but she was glad she had come along for this outing.

It was a wide open space that ended at a cliff, and there was a tall iron railing around the edges. This spot gave a breathtaking view of the neighbouring verdant green hills, with thick white clouds hovering at their tips, and the lovely blue lake in the valley below.

Grishma was clicking pictures of the vista and of herself from different angles.

Nandini was standing at the railing, seemingly lost in the beauty of the valley. Her half-open hair was fluttering in the breeze.

Rajeshwari walked up to Nandini and stood next to her. Nandini looked at her and gave a smile.

Rajeshwari smiled at her and then ashamedly asked, "Was it too bad yesterday...your meeting with her?"

"Not at all, it was fine," Nandini said with a reassuring smile that said nothing of the ongoing upheaval within her.

"Thank God for that. I was feeling too afraid and guilty to ask you last night," Rajeshwari said ruefully. "I'd actually decided to leave today morning, but last night, I couldn't stop thinking about how brave you were. I know it must have been difficult for you also to face her but you did it anyway. And I felt I need to be brave too...I cannot keep running and hiding from her or use other people as shields. So, I've decided...once we go back to the chalet, I'm going to meet her."

Nandini kept a hand on Rajeshwari's head. "That is a really courageous decision. I'm proud of you," she said quietly.

Rajeshwari smiled, and then looked back on hearing some voices. Two men and a woman were strolling into the area.

She looked towards the car in some trepidation and was reassured to see that the chauffer, who was a fully trained and weapon-bearing bodyguard, was waiting in readiness to tackle any possible issues from the strangers. She looked at the newcomers again.

They looked like hikers. The taller of the two men was very attractive, with a lean, strong physique and a short beard. She stared at him with interest for a few moments, and then noticed that Grishma too was looking at the same man. She caught Grishma's eye and they both grinned at each other with pure feminine understanding.

Then Grishma began to walk towards her and Nandini, looking critically at the selfies she had clicked so far.

Rajeshwari looked at Nandini, who was looking down towards the lake, and laughingly said, "Nandini, be prepared. Grishma is going to ask you to take many photos of her for her social media handles. She won't ask me because I take terrible pictures," she chuckled.

Nandini gave her a sweet smile, "I don't believe that."

Grishma reached them before Rajeshwari could respond, and still swiping through the pictures on her phone, she said, "These are okay, but I need better ones. Nandini, could you please take some pictures," she requested.

"I'd be happy to," Nandini smiled, taking the phone from Grishma's hands.

Grishma posed enthusiastically, and when she checked the phone after the first few clicks, she was delighted. "These are good! You have a photographer's eye. Can you take some more at that spot?"

"Sure," Nandini agreed genially, and followed Grishma to the desired location, with Rajeshwari tagging along.

For the next few minutes, as Rajeshwari watched amusedly, Grishma happily accepted all of Nandini's suggestions to stand here and stand there, and look this way and that...

Later, Grishma and Rajeshwari became engrossed in deciding which pictures would be best for social media, and Nandini silently walked to the iron railing again to try to distract her mind with the gorgeousness of the views.

An unknown voice murmured, "Nandini..."

Surprised, she looked around and saw a tall, bearded young man who was dressed in a leather jacket and jeans. Standing at a distance, he was staring at her with utter shock.

Dragging her brain away from its emotional mess, Nandini tried to identify him. She had no idea who he was but he knew her name. Was it someone from her company? Someone from some other branch whom she might have met at corporate retreats? But no name was coming to her mind. And yet, as she continued to look at him in confusion, a feeling arose that there was something familiar about him.

The young man began to walk towards her, and then stopped as a sharp frown appeared on her face, warning him against coming closer.

The man muttered, "You don't recognise me," and looked so devastated that Nandini felt guilty.

"I'm sorry, I know we've met before but I'm a little confused," she said cautiously.

The man took a deep breath, and for a moment, there was an immense sadness on his face. Then he smiled warmly, revealing dimples on both cheeks.

"Nandini, it's me...Suvek."

*************************