"Kahan hai woh?" Manik reached his friends and didnt see Cabir. "Im gonna kill him!"

"Tera shakal dekh ke lag raha hai ki Cabir ka plan kaam kar gaya." Mukti smirked. "I love you bola?"

"Seriously? You guys too?" Manik whined.

"Nandini kahan hai?" Navya asked.

"Woh-" Manik turned back and noticed Nandini had still not come. "Thats weird...abhi toh piche hi thi. I thought crowd ke vajah se nahi aa paa rahi hai...par...wait, Ill just come okay?"

Manik made his way back through the crowd and started to panic as he didnt see Nandini anywhere. 

"Mili?" Abhi asked.

"Nahi...mere piche hi thi woh...aa rahi thi. I dont understand kahan chali gayi?"

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

Meanwhile Nandini was taken to this open cliff area. A man roughly grabbed her by her neck and pushed her to the ground.

"Dhruv!" Nandini glared at him. Dhruv smirked as Aliya also stepped out of the car and joined him. "Aliya....kar kya rahe ho tum dono?"

"Hum jo karne jaa rahe hai na Nandini....its all your fault." Aliya said. "Manik ki zinadgi mein aayi, your fault....zidd karke baiti ho ki nahi jaana hai uske zindagi se, your fault. Do baar Dhruv ne tumhe maarne ki koshish ki lekin tum bach gayi, tumhari galati....phir humne uss Raj Malhotra ko maarne ki koshish ki aur saara ilzaam tumpe dal diya. Aur hua kya? Woh buddha bach gaya, tum bhi bach gayi aur toh aur Manik ko bhi mujhe pe shaq ho gaya."

Aliya started acting like a crazy person and grabbed Nandini tightly by her shoulders. "Toh tum batao Nandini, mujhe gussa nahi aayega kya? Tum mujhe har baar hara deti ho!"

"Tum har baar haar jaati ho kyunki tum galati ho Aliya. Galat ke saath galat hi hota hai. Tumne Manik ko dhoka diya, tum usse nahi uske paison se pyar karti ho. Tum ne Papa ko maarne ki koshish ki sirf mujhe haarane ke liye...jis Papa ne humesha tumhara saath diya! Tum kabhi jete nahi paogi Aliya! Kabhi nahi!" Nandini jerked Aliya's arms off.

"That's where you are wrong...." Aliya gave an evil smile and held out her hand as Dhruv handed her a gun. "Aaj toh main tumhe maarke rahungi...aaj tum nahi bach paogi Nandini. Aur phir...Manik aur uska paisa sirf mera hoga, sirf mera!"

BANG! BANG!

Nandini foze as she looked at her chest and saw blood pouring out, she then fell to the ground gasping for air. Dhruv & Aliya watched as Nandini fought for her life and then slowly she closed her eyes and went still.

"Dhruv baby, go check if she is dead." Aliya told Dhruv who nodded and walked over to Nandini. He kneeled down and held two fingers near her nose for a bit.

"She's not breathing." Dhruv said with a smile and moved his fingers to feel for a pulse. "And no pulse either....she's gone."

"YASS!!!" Aliya screamed in delight, her voice echoing through the mountains. "Yes Yes Yes YEEESSSS!"

Dhruv watched Aliya as she jumped up & down happily. "She's dead! Hahaha Hahaha! Marr gayi woh baby! I won! Finally!"

"Of course baby.....I always knew tum hi jeetogi." Dhruv replied. Aliya looked at the lifeless Nandini and scoffed.

"Badi aayi...Galat ke saath galat hi hota hai...Ab kiske saath galat ho gaya Nandini?" Aliya mocked Nandini.

"Main isko thikane laga doon?"

"Nahi nahi, koi zaroorat nahi hai. yeh jagah sehar se itna door hai aur kaafi soon san hai. At least kuch dino tak kisiko iski body nahi milne wala. Ek kaam karo, tum gun ko gayab kardo....that way jab body milegi toh kisko yeh nahi paata chalega ki humne maara hai isko." Aliya tossed the gun to Dhruv. "God....I feel so free now. Mere raaste ka sabse bada kanta....ab nahi raha! Im so happy!"

"And Im happy that you're happy...baby." Dhruv walked over to Aliya and the two of them kissed.

"Chalo....ab tum safe house vapas jao aur main Malhotra Mansion vapas jaati hoon. After all, Manik ki biwi ki mauth hui hai.....I should be there for him na?"

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

A few hours later..

Manik returned to Malhotra Mansion with his friends after they looked everywhere for Nandini, he called her phone multiple time but nobody picked up. So they came to Malhotra Mansion thinking she came home for some reason.

"Manik...Im sorry ok!" Cabir said as he saw Manik enter. "Yeh sab main tere aur Nandu ke liye kiya...I swear main-"

"Shut up Cabir...tune Nandini ko dekha hai kya?" Manik asked.

"What? Kya matlab hai tera?" Cabir looked confused. Hearing Manik, the other family members also came down. "Nandu toh tere saath tha na?"

"Nahi hai!" Manik said helplessly tears in his eyes. "I looked everywhere, paata nahi kahan chali gayi, she was just with me...she...Im scared Cabir. How can she just vanish like this?"

"Manik...tu kya bol raha hai?" Nyonika looked alarmed. "Kahan hai Nandini? Woh tum sab ke saath bahar gayi thi na? Usse tere saath hona chahiye tha?"

"Ab isme Manik ki kya galati hai Aunty?" Aliya entered. "Nandini is bloody bar dancer....bhag gayi hogi apne kisi aashiq ke-"

SLAP!

Aliya fell to the floor holding her red cheeks and she stared up at the person who slapped her. "M..Manik?"

"DONT YOU DARE ALIYA! EK AUR SHABD AGAR TUMNE NANDINI KE BAARE MEIN APNE MUH SE NIKALA TOH JAAN LE LUNGA TUMHARI MAIN!" Manik yelled. He looked so angry even Aliya was terrified.

Still, she quickly composed herself and got up to comfort Manik. "Manik...baby, main toh bas-"

"Do baar Dhruv ne tumhe maarne ki koshish ki lekin tum bach gayi, tumhari galati....phir humne uss Raj Malhotra ko maarne ki koshish ki aur saara ilzaam tumpe dal diya. Aur hua kya? Woh buddha bach gaya, tum bhi bach gayi aur toh aur Manik ko bhi mujhe pe shaq ho gaya"

Everyone looked very confused and Aliya's eyes widened as she heard her own voice come from the TV room. So they all went to that room and saw there was a video playing of Aliya basically confessing everything she ever did.

"Yeh..yeh sab kya hai? Yeh video kaha se aa gaya?" Aliya thought as she panicked.

"Yehi soch rahi ho na...ki yeh video kaha se aa gaya?" A voice said from behind. Everyone turned around and Nandini entered the room with a smirk. 

"Nandini?" Manik ran to Nandini and hugged her in relief. "Kaha thi tum? I was so worried, kitna dara diya tumne mujhe!"

"Manik...ill explain everything...bas do minute." Nandini assured him & turned back to Aliya who looked like she saw a ghost and had gone completly pale. "What did you think Aliya? Itne baar mujhe maarne koshish kiya tumne aur main bach gayi...uske baad tumne itni asani se mujhe kidnap ki, wahan cliff ke paas le gaye aur marr diya? Like....ek baar bhi nahi socha ki yeh sab ITNA asan kaise tha?"

"Not possible...tum....zinda kaise ho? I killed you, maine goli maari thi...how?" Aliya started mumbling.

"Yeh sab kya hai Nandini?" Aarti asked.

"Batati hoon Dadi. Actually aliya ke sachai toh mujhe bohot pehle se paata thi...lekin koi saboot nahi tha, aur Papa...Manik dono purra yakeen karte they usspe." Manik & Raj looked down ashamed. "Mujhe yeh bhi shaq tha ki Papa ke saath jo hua woh Aliya ne ki, lekin once again koi saboot nahi tha. Phir jis din hum sab ghar vapas aaye...maine isse Dhruv ko call karte hue sunna. I heard her plan everything. Bas phir kya tha, ek baar mujhe iske plan ke baare. mein paata chala toh puri baazi hi palat gayi. Everything was under my control. As for you shooting me Aliya.....maine bullet proof vest pehne hue they, aur ek dawai bhi liya tha jiski vajah se kuch der ke liye meri pulse aur saanse itni slow ho gayi thi ke tumhe laaga main marr gayi."

"Aur yeh video? Yeh kisne record ki? " Shruti asked.

"That would be me Shruti bhabhi." Cabir spoke up. Aliya looked even more shocked. "Manik, I didnt vanish from the club kyunki main tujhse chup raha tha. We knew Aliya was going to kidnap Nandini from there, toh I was ready. Jaise hi maine unn dono ko dekha, I hid in the trunk of their car. Phir bahar aake, door se maine sab record kar liya."

Everyone was super impressed as Cabir & Nandini high fived each other.

"NO!" Aliya screamed. "NOT AGAIN, TUM HAR BAAR NAHI JEET SAKTI...NAHI JEET SAKTI TUM! IM GONNA KILL YOU...TUMHARI JAAN MEIN LEKE HI RAHUNGI!" 

Aliya ran to Nandini and started choking her.

"Aliya!" 

"Leave her!" Everyone started pulling her away from Nandini as she went crazy. Manik held Nandini as she coughed.

SLAP!

This time Raj slapped Aliya in the face. "Maine itna bharosa kiya tumpe Aliya....beti mana tha main tumhe...tum toh aasteen ka saanp nikli! Har baar iss bachi ko chod ke maine tumhara saath diya...har baar maine isse bhala bura kahan...chii....Im feeling disgusted with myself. Kaise nahi pehchan paya tumhara asli chehra."

"Haan haan haan! Main bohot burri hoon, achi toh sirf aur sirf yeh Nandini hai. You ruined everything Nandini! Agar tum nahi hoti toh aaj main Manik ke paison pe aish kar rahi hoti!" Aliya said. "Manik ko maine humesha ek puppet ke tarrah control kiya...aur sirf Manik ko hi nahi...iss buddhe Raj ko bhi. Itne bewakoof hai yeh dono ki meri harr baat pe yakeen karte they...meri har ek jhoot ko sach mante they! They are such idio-"

SLAP!

Nandini slapped Aliya. "Yeh mere pati aur Papa ke baare mein yeh jatiya baat bolne ke liye."

Manik & Raj looked at her emotionally.

SLAP!

"Yeh Manik ki vishwas ka galat faida uthane ke liye!"

SLAP!

"Yeh tumhari harr ek galat kaam ke liye!"

Nandini slapped Aliya so many times she started bleeding.

------------------------

Note: Aaand....Aliya has been caught. What did you think of this chapter? Did you really think (even for a minute) that Nandini died?