Hello Fam :)

So, finally, I got some time away from my assignments and classes. Learning a new language would get to you at times. :(

There would be another update probably by the end of the day or tomorrow.

Happy Reading...

When Manik reached the hospital, Nandini was more restless than when they had started at home. The Nandini he knew didn't wait for the right time to face her demons. She jumped right into it. It happened after Harshad, it happened every time she had to face her parents or the professors and students who disliked her. It gave him an idea.

"Nandini, the parking might take some time. Why don't you go to the reception and ask for Dr. Sharma?", he told. Dr. Sharma was a family friend and doctor.

She nodded and got down the car, half lost in her thoughts. Manik waited for a minute as she mentally prepared herself to take her step before going to park his car. He found her again at the reception but the scene in front of him was entirely different.

You are Nandini Murthy, right? The girl who went against her parents, tortured them, and threw them on the roads. You are all over the news. Where is your husband?

Manik heard the receptionist ranting to Nandini. Before she could go into another panic attack, he took a step beside her and entwined their fingers. It snapped Nandini out of her gaze as she stared at Manik. He ignored it in favor of glaring at the receptionist. "I have an appointment with Dr. Sharma for my wife, Nandini Manik Malhotra. Is he available?", he asked.

"I am sorry, Sir. He is waiting for you", she told.

"Thank you. It would be wonderful if you could confirm the authenticity of the news before hounding people with questions", he told. Manik threw another glare at her and dragged Nandini out of her vicinity. "Nandini, ignore them. Maybe, they might have created a mess with the media after filing a complaint against me. Mom has taken care of it and they would be behind the bars in a day or two."

"I am sorry."

The hospital was quiet enough for Nandini's voice to be audible. "Are you mad? Don't apologize on their behalf. If anything, I should do that. In fact, the whole universe should apologize for hurting you." Nandini looked surprised as if she didn't believe a word he said. Manik chose to meet the doctor instead of dwelling on her reaction. It would only mess up his head more.

When they reached the doctor's room, Manik knocked and went in after getting permission. "Hello, Uncle."

"Hi, Manik. Come in", said Dr. Sharma before his eyes landed on Nandini. "And you must be the perfect heir of Mr. Goverdhan Murthy."

"You know my grandfather?", asked Nandini.

Dr. Sharma nodded. "He was a nice person. It's unfortunate that he got your father as his son. Anyways, I am surprised you are out in public with all the news."

"We just got to know about it when your receptionist tried to be overenthusiastic", said Manik.

"I will have a talk with her. Why don't we start with the tests?", he said.

It took them another few hours to get done with the tests. Since the reports were supposed to come the next evening, Manik took her for lunch. He knew the owner, Cabir's friend, and they were regular at the restaurant. Thankfully, they got a private cubicle easily without any drama.

"Nandini, we need to get you clothes", he said, to start a conversation. She hasn't spoken a word since the hospital. "Is it okay if Mukti's there to shop with you? I need to meet the lawyer to talk about the transfer to the trust."

Nandini nodded. "Better to get that done before they devise a new plan", she muttered. "Do you need to talk to my lawyer? There are so many clauses. I never bothered to read."

"We sorted that. He said, since it's on your name, it would be straightforward now. You can transfer it to anyone you want and their inputs won't matter anymore", explained Manik. It's one of the interesting points he found in the will of Mr. Govardhan Murthy. "But I was asking about the news. Are you comfortable with the news going around?"

"Where's Mukti?"

"I need to call. I asked her yesterday and she said she could take the afternoon off. She isn't busy today."

"Let's get this done then", muttered Nandini. "I can't forever hide inside, Manik. News is always news, today or tomorrow. Once it's out, it's out."

She wasn't happy about anything. She had a huge frown and Manik could see she was mentally having an argument with herself but what mattered was she was trying and that was all he wished for. If Nandini's trying, there's still hope. He was afraid, the Murthys had completely broken the fight inside her.

When Mukti came to meet them, he only left the girls after Mukti assured him a hundred times that she would call if something happened.

XXX

The only person who could barge inside Manik's cabin was Cabir. Nyonika too but she was decent enough to knock once before doing that. And hence, Manik was surprised to find Mukti barging in, banging the door and all, at five on Tuesday evening without a prior message.

"Nandini is off", she stated, already entering inside the cabin, totally startling Manik with the sudden noise.

"Hello, Mukti", he said, waving at her, "did you finish your work early?"

She rolled her eyes. "I took permission to leave an hour early and you are doing the same. Take me somewhere private. I don't know any good coffee shops around your office."

Before Manik could reply to her, there was a knock on the door and Meera came in. "Hey, have you completed it already?", asked Manik.

"Yes, sir", she told and handed the file to him.

Mukti was quick enough to take it out of his hands. "I have seen you a million times reading something and losing your surroundings. Sorry, not a chance. Now, come to coffee with me."

That earned a chuckle from his assistant. "She is lying", protested Manik. He doesn't lose his surroundings and it wasn't a million times. Manik rolled his eyes when the girls didn't stop laughing. "By the way, Meera, that's Mukti, my friend."

"Best friend", corrected Mukti. "Just because you ghosted on me for years doesn't mean you get to change the titles now."

He shook her head but it made him smile. They were best friends still. Getting a best friend for life was a dream for him and he thought it would remain as a dream until they met and hugged him a few days back in his office. "Meera, as the lady said, I will look into the file at home and get back to you later. Thank you for finishing it."

Meera nodded, gave another smile to Mukti, and left the cabin while Manik shut his system down.

"Where's your clown?", asked Mukti.

"Went to attend some meeting in the afternoon. Mukti, I need sleep, not caffeine. I haven't slept for so many days properly", he complained.

"And I want to punch a few on their faces. We don't get everything we want, Manik. Coffee, now", she said, patting his arm in fake sympathy.

Manik glared at her but once someone has regularly practiced surviving Nandini's glare, they would be immune to the rest of the glares. Abhimanyu and Mukti have been doing that for years now.

Finally, after locking his cabin, Mukti looped her hand around Manik's arm and he let her drag him. "Who's that girl, by the way?", she asked him, on their way.

"Meera, my assistant, and friend."

"Glad you managed to make a friend all by yourself."

"I am capable of making friends", he protested.

Mukti laughed out loud, gaining the attention of his employees, and punched him lightly. "Did that count increase from one in all these years?"

Why was she hell-bent on ruining his reputation in front of his co-workers?

XXX

After roaming for ten-minutes, they found a cafe and a quiet corner for themselves even if there were hardly a few people. Manik was thankful for the lack of people. He was being paranoid about too many unknown faces at once. "So", he started, "where's Abhimanyu? I thought he would be the one barging with questions."

Mukti shrugged. "He might have his own questions but he doesn't know I am here. I am thinking of something else which I don't want him to know. It would worry him more and he's sulking by the way."

"Sulking?", he asked but then shook his head. It was Nandini and Abhimanyu would sulk if something happened to her and he wasn't the one to help her. "What's on your mind except for the news?" The news was the last thing he wanted to discuss at the end of his office hours. He was already exhausted with the lack of sleep and the absence of any recent fiction reading.

"Nandini", said Mukti, throwing her hands around in frustration, "I have spent almost two days with her and I could say she isn't the best friend I know. She's uncomfortable around us, Manik, and it didn't happen to me ever. I can't stop thinking about the Murthys. The story we know, the damage we are seeing, I feel as if it's just the surface and there's still more."

During all the time he knew Mukti, he had never seen her this animated. It wasn't like he was unaware of what she was talking about. It occurred to him too. "They have starved her, locked and isolated her", he told. "She was cut off from the whole world and harassed by their words, her only conversations except for the occasional official meetings. She has lost a lot of weight, might be malnourished and vitamin deficient. Of course, she isn't the same. I took her to my family doctor to have a full-body checkup."

"Reports?", asked Mukti.

"I thought of picking them up after office."

"Can I come too?"

Manik smiled at her. From what Mukti had told him after meeting him, they had ended up on a bad note with Nandini. Both Mukti and Abhimanyu regretted not fighting back harder to make her best friend stay with them. He knew that wasn't possible. It was Nandini, a well-planned, and decided Nandini. She would do as she wanted to. "You can but I am warning you, it won't be pleasant", he told her.

"I don't care, Manik. I want to be there for her now as much as I can."

He nodded. They were interrupted by a waiter. Manik ordered a coffee and Mukti added a few muffins to the list. He glanced around the cafe. There was one in England near the house he used to live in. It was a coffeehouse but there was a rack of books kept for anyone to browse freely.

"What are you thinking?"

"Why don't they put up a few books for the customers? People would like to at least browse something along with their coffees. It's even helpful for solo-visitors", he told.

"And that solo-visitor would be you, nerd. Nowadays, people are busy with their smartphones. No one visits cafes in anticipation of free books. Is this one of your hobbies from England?", she asked.

Manik couldn't help but fluster at the way he got distracted by books. They were discussing something entirely different. But Mukti didn't stretch the topic any further.

She sighed instead and sipped her coffee. "What are you doing about the news?"

Manik shrugged. "Mom's handling. I can't do it anymore, Mukti. The Murthys, they are beyond my common sense. I don't understand how one human could do this to another."

"The world consists of all kinds of stupidity, Manik. I guess, your mom is an expert by now."

"She has been the biggest support till now", he told. He couldn't have done anything if not for her. Instead, he would have been stuck in the middle of his mother and the girl who needed him the most right now. It would have been a hell to choose among them.

Mukti reached for his hand from across the table. "How are you holding up? It's all so fast for you."

Manik smiled at her concern. "It's both fast and slow. Nandini is both the same and different. You know, she still trusts me. Broken or a bit messy, but it's still there. She's opening up, one step at a time. She is trying. We might not bring a part of her back to us but she's still our head girl."

"She said, you are taking care of everything. If there's anyone who could bring her back right now, it's you, Manik", told Mukti.

Before he could answer, there was a call from the hospital. The reports were ready and suddenly he lost his appetite. He told Mukti about leaving and she grabbed a muffin on her way out.

XXX

"Manik, I was waiting for you", greeted Dr. Sharma.

"Hello, Uncle. This is Mukti, my best friend", he told.

"Do you want her to stay?", he asked.

Manik chuckled. "She is Nandini's best friend too. Whatever you have to say wouldn't be a secret for her. It's fine."

The doctor nodded and forwarded the reports to him. "Manik, there's no right way to say this but there are drugs involved. Nandini is suffering from a substance-induced anxiety disorder. I don't know how she survived this long without breaking her mind or getting addicted."

[A/N - Okay, this chapter was written in 2019 and it has nothing to do with Rhea or the ongoing Bollywood drug nexus. I am sorry if you feel anything familiar. :(]

"Why would they do that?", he muttered to himself.

"Let's break down the symptoms and we might know why. The patient feels more anxious than usual. They would think everyone around them has only one motive of harming them. Panic attacks, restlessness, weight loss, excessive sweating. They become pessimistic, can't sleep at night. We have seen all this in Nandini, Manik."

Manik was furious. Whatever his doctor has said was making him see red. Suddenly, he shared Mukti's idea of punching a few people on their faces. He never thought they would resort to drugs to break Nandini. He was brought out of his thoughts by a sniff beside him. He saw Mukti and wrapped an arm around her. "Is it dangerous?", he asked the doctor, controlling his emotions.

"You brought her at the right time. From this point, we could concentrate on the path to recovery", said the doctor.

"Therapy?"

Dr. Sharma shook his head. "No, Manik. We can't throw her in with another stranger in a confined space. She wouldn't take it well. I would suggest you to work with her, gain her trust, make her believe what a family is. It's better to start with someone she trusts and is comfortable with, which is you, I suppose."

So, they had an advantage here. Unlike the time when he met Nandini, there was one person whom she trusted.

"Once she is comfortable enough, we can think of therapy", said the doctor. "I am prescribing a few medicines. Give it to her only in case of an emergency. These might have adverse effects on her. So, be careful. It would be better if she would quit alcohol completely or any other drugs, including caffeine. Try herbal teas. I am writing a few here and the diet she needs to follow. Cheat days are allowed at times but make sure she eats a lot of healthy food."

"Medicines are drugs. What about any emergencies?", asked Manik.

"I have a friend who is into Ayurved. I will recommend Nandini to him. In any case, contact him. He is good in his field", told the doctor. "The rest all is love, Manik. She has been denied freedom, love, and a chance to have a family. Try to start by giving her those and it might do wonders."

XXX

After their meeting, Manik and Mukti didn't exchange a word until they reached her home.

"I will ask someone to drop your car here", said Manik, when they were in front of her house. They had left her car at his office when they went to get their coffee.

"Aren't you going to talk about it?", she asked.

"What's there to talk about, Mukti?", he told. "They have done something they were capable of. If it's beyond our expectations, we were foolish not to broaden our thoughts. We could have saved her earlier."

Mukti let out a laugh. It was hollow. "To be frank, I expected a bit more reaction from you."

Manik smiled before giving her a bear hug. If she broke down again, he didn't mention. He was patting her head when someone cleared their throat. Manik turned around to find Mr. Vardhan in front of them, a frown on his head. He half-shielded Mukti, buying her some time to compose herself.

"Mr. Malhotra?", he asked, the frown turning into a surprise. "I didn't expect you here and that you know my daughter?"

"Hello, Sir", greeted Manik. Unlike the Thakkars, he had never met Mukti's parents before. It would have been awkward for him to find his daughter, crying in someone else's arms after getting engaged recently to the love of her life. "We went to the same college."

"Mukti?", asked Mr. Vardhan, to confirm from his daughter. In a moment, she went beside her father.

"This idiot is my best friend", told Mukti. When her father cleared his throat again, looking pointedly at her, she rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me, I have to call him Mr. Malhotra now. He might be your hot-shot businessman but for me, for us, he would always be the nerd who cried for that extra one mark during exams."

"I didn't cry for marks", protested Manik. At least, if she was back to teasing, she would be fine.

Their banter was clearly confusing the elder Vardhan. "Can I assume this is the reason for the news going around? I thought the Murthys had roped you in to marry the poor girl before going against you. It was a surprise to see any deal between a Malhotra and Murthys."

"It's complicated but no, I don't make deals out of people's lives."

"Dad, Manik would never hurt a person, least Nandini", assured Mukti.

"This is fast for me. It's my fault, I agree", said Mukti's father. "Mr. Malhotra, why don't you come inside?"

"I apologize, I have to deny, Sir. I have a few things to settle down at the moment", he told and felt Mukti's eyes on him. He ignored her. "But you can call me Manik instead of Mr. Malhotra and we could be family friends."

It made the elder Vardhan burst out laughing. "Is this one of your mother's inherited traits?"

Beside him, Mukti rolled her eyes. "It's his own bookish ones, Dad. You can't find such twisted deals anywhere else. Do you know he once manipulated Nandini into a deal to help her with her head duties when she was working alone? Imagine, who could successfully manipulate Nandini? I say you both are a match made in heaven."

"Why have you decided to have fun at my expense today?", he asked, ignoring the blush, he knew would grace his cheeks. He hated his inability to control a blush. In an answer, Mukti just ruffled his hair.

Once he was inside the closed doors of his car, Manik sighed. He could at least bring Mukti out of her mood. Right now, all he wanted was his brother before he could work himself into a panic attack.