The whole day Manik tried to get office work done but he just could not concentrate because he kept thinking about Nandini.

"No Manik...its not your fault. Tujhe kaise paata hoga ki woh itni nazuk hogi ki ek raat mein bimar ho jayegi?" Manik mumbled to himself. "Anyways....jo uski family ne kiya hai, uske baad she deserves this."

"Does she really?" 

"YES....she does!"

"Oye...tu kya pagal ho gaya hai? Khud se hi baatein karne laga hai." Cabir asked as he entered his office.

"Cabir...tu yahan?"

"Kyun...mujhe apne dost se milne ke liye appointment lena parega kya?" Cabir asked.

"Nahi...it's not that." Manik shook his head.

"Acha tu kya bol raha tha? Who does....and what?" 

"Kuch nahi....woh ladki hai na? Usse thoda....bukhar ho gayi." Manik shrugged casually.

"What?? Kaise?" Cabir asked in concern.

"Tujhe tention kyun ho raha hai? She is nobody." Manik said.

Cabir felt bad hearing this but didnt say anything.

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

That evening, Manik came back home but didnt see his mom in the kitchen like she usually was. He walked over to his Dad who was sitting and watching tv.

"Dad...Mom kaha hai?"

"Upar Nandini ke saath hai." Dhananjay replied.

"What the hell....sab uss ladki ka itna chinta kyun kar rahe hai? Its just a bloody fever!" Manik got annoyed. "Usne pakka attention ke liye natak kiya hoga."

Dhananjay looked at his son and realized Sumitra was right....what Manik was doing and how he was treating Nandini was wrong and as a father he couldnt let him do that.

"Enough Manik....Nandini se shaadi karne ke liye humne nahi bola tujhe. Yeh tera khud ka faisla tha....ab chahiye kisi bhi reason ke liye ho par Nandini biwi hai teri. Iss rishte ka lihaz rakhna sikh ! Aur agar nahi kar sakta toh kam se kam insaaniyat toh dikha! Bechari bimaar hai...aur ek raat mein kaise ho gayi yeh toh nahi paata par haan tera baap hoon main so itna paata hai ki tune kuch kiya hoga." Dhananjay spoke up. 

"Aap...aap uske side le rahe hai? Really Dad? You know what her family did right? Uski family ki vajah se Pakhi ki yeh dimaagi halat hai...uski family ki vajah se Di aur Jiju ki mauth hui thi!" Manik yelled. "That f*cking bastard Shaurya Raichand....usne Pakhi ko r*pe kiya aur usse marne ki halat main road pe chod diya....aur jab Di aur Jiju ne uske khilaf complaint ki police mein toh Manish Raichand ne apne paise aur power se sab ka muh band kar diya! Saare witnesses aur proof unke saath tha! Shaurya Raichand ko arrest bhi nahi kiya gaya....case toh bohot door ki baat hai! Pure ek saal tak Di aur Jiju unke khilaf larayi ki par kya hua? Manish Raichand ne unn dono ka accident karwa diya....HE KILLED THEM!"

"JHOOT!" 

Manik & Dhananjay looked towards the top of the stairs where they found Nandini who had come after hearing their voices. Behind her stood Sumitra who was trying to get Nandini to go back to the bedroom.

"Jhoot bol rahe ho tum! Mera Papa....mera papa aisa kabhi nahi kar sakta!" Nandini was in tears. Manik got angry and stormed up the steps.

"Manik..." Sumitra tried to stop him but he didnt listen. He grabbed Nandini's arm roughly and pulled her downstairs.

"Jhoot bol raha hoon main? Really? Come here..." Manik pulled her and dragged her to Dhananjay. "Dad....Malhotra Industries ki Chairman hai but have you ever seen him come to office? No...because after everything YOUR father & brother did, inko heart attack aaya tha. He was hospitalized & in the ICU for WEEKS! Uske doctors told him to stay away from office stress...because even if he looks fine from the outside, his heart isnt strong enough! Aur sunna hai? Come here...."

Manik then dragged Nandini to a wall where there was a happy family picture of the entire family including Manik's sister & jiju. "See this picture? Sab kitne khush hai....but have you seen this happiness since you came here? NO...because iss ghar ki khushiyon ko TUMHARE DAD ne barbaad kar diya! Mahi...woh choti si bachi, meri niece hai par mujhe Papa bulati hai because she wasnt old enough to know who her parents were! 6 mahine ki thi jab woh anaath ban gayi and she barely got time with her parents! ABHI BHI SAB JHOOT LAG RAHA HAI TUMHE??"

"Manik bas kar...iski tabiyat thik nahi hai." Sumitra spoke up.

"I DONT GIVE A DAMN!" Manik shouted. 

"Mera Papa...Shaurya....woh nahi kar sakta aisa. Manti hoon ki Shaurya kabhi kabhi sahi aur galat ke beech ka line cross kar deta hai par itna ghatiya kaam...no he cant! Aur Papa....woh yeh sab bilkul nahi kar sakte. Tumhe kuch...kuch galatfemi hui hogi!" Nandini sobbed.

"Of course....tum toh unka sath hi doge. Raichands ka ganda khoon aur jayega kaha?" Manik taunted. He grabbed onto her shoulders very tightly making Nandini flinch in pain.

"Aah...Y.. you're hurting me." Nandini whimpered.

"Good..." Manik pushed her against the wall, hurting the back of her head. "Nandini Raichand...I...HATE you. Yeh kabhi nahi badlega....kabhi nahi."

"Manik....leave her now." Dhananjay pulled Manik away from Nandini who slid to the floor sobbing. Sumitra bent down and consoled her. "Kya badtameezi hai yeh? I did not raise you to treat a woman like this."

Manik just left and Nandini hugged Sumitra crying. "Mera Papa aisa nahi hai...I know my Papa. I swear kuch galatfemi hui hogi....Hui hai na? Hai na Aunty?"

"Nahi kuch-"

"Haan...haan beta im sure galatfemi hi hui hai." Sumitra spoke up, giving her husband a look.

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

Sumitra put Nandini to bed & then came outside to see Dhananjay staring at her.

"Mujhe rokha kyun? Tumhari baat manti hoon ki Nandini innocent hai...par usse paata hona chahiye ki uska Baap kitna ghatiya insaan hai." Dhananjay said.

"Nahi...hum Nandini ko nahi bata sakte." Sumitra shook her head.

"Par kyun?"

"Kyunki...."

Flashback

"I dont know ki Manik ko exactly kya problem hai meri behen se aunty par...aap mujhe ache lage iss liye main aapse baat karne aaya hoon." Agastya said."Nandu....woh vaise toh bohot tough hai par jab baat Papa ki hoti hai toh weak ban jaati hai. Usse kabhi Ma ka pyar nahi mila iss liye uske liye Dad bhagwan hai...SAB KUCH hai. Dad ne jabse usse rishta toda hai...woh pehle se toot gayi hai pls usse aur mat tootne dijiye."

"Chinta mat karo beta...aur koi uske saath ho na ho par main uske saath hoon." Sumitra assured him.

"I know par...its just..." Agastya looked unsure.

"Kya hua?"

"Mujhe daar lag raha hai...ki agar Dad ki vajah se aur koi heartbreak mila toh....toh kahi meri behen phirse khud ko kuch kar na de." Agastya said in tears.

"Kya??" Sumitra asked in shock.

"Manish Raichand....bohot jurm kiye hai uss aadmi ne. Nandini 15 saal ki thi jab usse paata chala that humare factory ke employee ne apni jaan kho di ek accident mein aur Manish Raichand ne uss baat ko chupaya. Nandini was so heartbroken by what he did...she just couldnt stand the fact that her Papa did something like that....aur she.....she....tried to overdose on sleeping pills." Agastya cried.

Sumitra gasped, tears ran down her face.

"Doctors saved Nandini...and somehow, evidence aur witnesses ko manipulate karke, Manish Raichand made Nandini believe that he was just framed in all this aur actually galati kisi aur ki thi. Nandini ki halat dekh ke...I admit that even I supported him. I let that man manipulate Nandini kyunki mujhe apni behen ki zindagi bachani thi. Uske baad se....I always hid his true face from Nandini."

Flashback Ends

"Iss liye maine aapko rokha." Sumitra said. "Main ache se jaanti hoon ki Manish aur Shaurya Raichand ke baare mein jo bhi kaha Manik na....sab sach hai. Lekin yeh sach...Nandini bardasht nahi kar sakti. Manik ne usse zabardasti shaddi kar liya....aur woh roz Manik ki nafrat seh rahi hai. Aap usse pasand nahi karte...usse uske ghar se nikala gaya hai. Ab agar iss sach ke chakkar mein usne khud ko kuch kar diya toh? Uske baad aap khud ko aaine mein dekh payenge kya? Boliye??"

Dhananjay stood there silently.

"Uss parivaar mein gunegaar sirf Shaurya aur Manish Raichand hai. Nandini aur Agastya dono bekasoor hai...aur Manik jo isse dard de raha hai na....galat hai!"

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Thoughts on this chapter?

Thoughts on the crime committed by Manish & Shaurya Raichand?

Will Manik's hatred change??

Leave lots of comments & feedback.