It was almost time
Only few more hours for the sun to rise...
For the new day
Time was running out. Nandini could wake up anytime!
Did he hv answers? NO
He was clueless about the next step....
What next?

Walking into the shower,Manik let the cold drops of water to calm the volcano inside him!
The storm that was ahead seemed closer!
The strong aroma of the green apple shower gel was making him nauseous!
His stomach went on a rollercoaster ride.....
Rushing to the basin,he emptied his stomach!
Feeling weak ,he came out of the shower....

Sleep deprived and devoid of any food for the body,Manik felt his head go in rounds....
The previous day had been so cruel towards him.  "THEM"
Grabbing a coffee to help him think,Manik settled down near Nandini who was peacefully lost in her deep slumber.....

Her hands felt his touch
Her eyes sprang open to look at the white ceiling and the lights which adorned the room....
Near her was her husband,Manik who was sitting with a coffee mug staring at the oblivion....

Nandini wiped her eyes again to register her surroundings. What was actually happening? How did she end up here?

She called out

N: Manik....Manik.....hum yahan kya kar rahe hai? Hum toh mere ghar ruke the na? aur ab yahan? mujhe kuch yaad nahi hai

M: Nandini pls calm down....ab tum kaise feel kar rahi ho?

N:Kyun mujhe kya hua hai? Main teek thi na? Hum Switzerland se ghar pohanch gaye...phir raat ko tum alag room mein soye the ,phir subah?
Subah kya hua tha? Matlab hum yahan kab aaye? aaj taarik kya hai Manik?

Manik kept mum

Nandini picked up her phone to check the date of the day

N: Yeh kaise? Ek din mere memory se gayab? Kal kya hua tha Manik? Tum kuch bol kyun nahi rahe ho?

M:Kuch nahi Nandini ....kal tum behosh ho gaye the....light sa fever ho gaya tha...maybe travelling ke wajah se...Now u r perfectly alright....

Nandini didn't seem much convinced as she did not even have any memory of the events of the day...LIKE NOTHING!

N:Ohh..toh tumne ghar pe kya bole? unhe toh laga hai ki hum honeymoon pe gaye the....aur aise beech mein chodke aagaye !

M: Woh maine yeh bataya ki  mujhe kuch official kaam tha...isliye hum wapas aah gaye...

N:Navya? Navya kaisi hai?

M:She is fine...tum fresh hoke mil lo...

N:Acha teek hai...main abhi aati hoon....

Saying that Nandini moved to the washroom...but that was when Manik remembered something!!

"THE MARKS ON HER NECK"

What if she notices them? What will he say? Manik paced up and down the room thinking about it....As he dived into his thoughts,Manik didn't notice the time that flew fast

Nandini soon came out drying her hair..
Manik waited patiently for a confrontation...
But to his surprise,Nandini just smiled at him!

She moved to the dressing table...
Selecting silver hoops matching with her denim kurti and applying kohl in her eyes,Nandini finished by putting on a black bindhi...

N:Manik main Navya se milke aati hoon..

Manik did not respond

N:Manik!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Manik came out of his dreamworld

M: Ha----Haan teek hai

N:Ok

Just when Nandini left,there was a knock on the door

It was CABIR

C:Kya main andar aah sakta hoon?

M:Cabir...tum yahan kya kar rahe ho? Tumhe Navya ke paas rehna chahiye na?

C:Enough bhai!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cabir shouted...Manik stood rooted

C:Aap mujhse kya chupa rahe ho? Sach sach batayiye...

M:Main kya chupaunga Cabir...tu kuch bhi bol raha hai?

C:Acha...toh yeh batayiye ki Vinay kaun hai?

Manik did not know what to say

C:Come on bhai...Answer me!

M:Cabir tu pehle shaant ho jaa

C:Then what bhai...yahan pe aap kuch nahi bol rahe ho..aur wahan pe mom dad aise baithe hai jaise kuch khoye hai.... Sab Khamosh!
Kyun? Kya mujhe hak nahi hai ghar ki baat jaanne ki? 

M:Kya sunna chahta hai tu Cabir? Yahi ki humara baap ek khooni hai?
Woh bhi humare in laws ke?

The ground shifted for Cabir

C: K---kyaaa?

Manik told him everything from the beginning....

The story of Raju telling Nandini about the accident, the factory's lorry in the scene,Raju getting murdered after the confession,the fake name Kailash,Vinay the unknown brother of the malhotras, the letter, Switzerland trip,breaking into the house,bank transaction papers,Rekha into the scene,connection of Rekha with Mr.Murthy, the kidnap of Nandini,Hotel Dwaraka,Harshad,Vinay's blackmail and most importantly Karan's silence...

Cabir stood as if he had seen the death himself

He couldn't process anything that Manik had just told...he was feeling sad and angry at the same time!

How could his father be this heartless?
This was unacceptable...

C:Itna saare problems aap dono akele kaise handle kar rahe the...
Main soch bhi nahi sakta...aur kal jo Nandini ke saath hua!
That bastard....chodunga nahi main us Vinay ko..
Aur Harshad phir se aagaya.....
Ek baar us Harshad ke wajah se hume kitne problems face karna pada aur Alya ke saath kya kya kiya usne!
Uski himmat kaisi huyi phir se muh utaake humare saamne aane ki?

C:Bhai aap mujhse toh baat kar sakte the na?

M:Haalat aisa nahi tha Cabir...First of all main vishwaas hi nahi kar paa raha tha!! Phir jab aankhon ke saamne sab kuch ho raha tha tab mere paas koi aur option hi nahi tha....
Nandini was always right!!
Mujhe samajhne mein der ho gayi....

C:Lekin ab hum kya karenge

M: Nothing Cabir

C:Bhai aap Vinay ke baaton par mat aao....

M:No Cabir..tumne suna na ki Nandini ke saath kya kya hua...
Ab main aur chance nahi le saktha

C:Toh hum unhe aise hi chod denge?
We will just let them to live happily!
We r not going after them?

M:I don't know Cabir...
We r stopping everything here...we do not know anybody named Vinay..
Hum kuch nahi jaante....dats the end of it!

C:Bhai but!!!

M:No...clear?

Cabir just nodded

Manik had taken a firm decision to discontinue his journey to find the truth!!
But what he did not know was that.......

There was a person who was standing outside the door listening to them the whole time!

The one he wanted to protect....
Nandini!!!!!!!!

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