"D...D....Dh..Dhoka...N...Na..Nandini..."

Nandini sat in the outdoor patio, thinking about Roshni's last word. "Kiski baat kar rahi thi Di? Kisne diya dhoka?"

"Bhabhi..." Nandini turned around to see Laksh & Cabir standing there.

"Laksh, Cabir bhai...aap dono soye nahi hai abhi tak?" Nandini asked.

"Yeh sawal hum aapse bhi kar sakte hai na bhabhi?" Laksh sat down beside her.

"Tujhe neend nahi aa rahi hai na?" Cabir asked. Nandini just shook her head slowly.

"Yeh kya ho gaya hai? Hum sab Shaadi ke liye aaye aur yahan....Di..."

Laksh lay his head down on Nandini's lap and sobbed. "Bhabhi, mujhe Di ki bohot yaad aa raha hai."

"Mujhe bhi..." Nandini hugged Laksh. Cabir bent down and hugged them both.

"Nandini....maine tumhari aur manik ki jagrah sunna. Manik is right, yeh bilkul mat samajhna ki yeh sab tumhari vajah se hua."

"Kya?" Laksh got up and looked at Nandini, "Bhabhi aapko aisa lagta hai? Nobody thinks that bhabhi...Di aaj agar hoti toh aapko bohot danti."

"Acha baba...main already Manik ko sorry bol chukki hoon ab aap dono ko bol rahi hoon." Nandini held her ears, "Im sorry, main aisa phir kabhi nahi bolungi."

 Ravi & Kavita watched from a distance and smiled knowing their daughter had so many people who loved her.

"Uncle...Aunty, aap dono yahan?" Manik, who had come out looking for Nandini saw Ravi & Kavita.

"Haan woh, Nanhi ko jaghi hui dekha toh...." Ravi trailed off as he looked at his daughter, "Par usse humari zaroorat hi nahi hai."

"Nandini Laksh aur Cabir ki kaafi close hai....infact woh Mom aur Dad ki close bhi hai. Par aap uske parents hai aur  bachon ko apne parents ki zaroorat humesha hota hai. No body can take your place in her life."

"Thank you beta." Kavita lovingly placed her hand on Manik's cheek. "Yahan tumhare parivaar mein itna sab ho gaya...tumne apni di ko kho di par phir bhi tum hume console kar rahe ho."

"Haan, maine di ko khoya..." Manik stood there lost in thought for a second.

"Manik beta?" Ravi called to him.

"Aap dono chaliye mere saath." He walked towards Nandini with Ravi & Kavita behind him. "Nandini."

"Manik...tum uth kyun gaye?" Nandini asked seeing him awake.

"Nandini, baath karni hai tumhare saath."

"Bolo...."

"Di ke saath jo hua na, usse mujhe ek baat samajh aa gaya....ki life ki koi bharosa nahi hai, its very unpredictable. Kabhi bhi kuch bhi ho sakta hai." Manik said, thinking of his sister's death.

"Kehna kya chahte ho Manik?"

"Tumhe apni family ko maaf kar dena chahiye." Nandini was about to protest but Manik stopped her. "Tum unse pyar karte ho, and kahi na kahi unko maaf already kardiya hai tumne....tum manna nahi chahti, par I know you. I grew up with Di, aur humare beech kabhi koi badi problem nahi thi and still the time we had was not enough....phir mujhe aisa lagta hai ki main kabhi Di ko bata nahi paay ki main unse kitna pyar karta hoon."

Ravi & Kavita looked at Nandini with hope in their eyes while Cabir and Laksh stood silently to the side, not wanting to interfere.

"Nandini...this whole trip, yeh destination wedding, tumhare family ke kamre humare kamre ke paas hona...yahan tak leaving you alone on that boat with your brothers....sab mera idea tha." manik said, hesitantly, "Plan tha mera kyunki maine tumhare family ko promise kiya hai ki Ill reunite you with them."

Nandini stared at Manik, with many emotions tumbling trough her. On one hand she understood what he was saying, there was a part of her that had already forgiven her family but on the other hand she was furious that her own husband tricked her, that he took her family's side.

"Nandini....kuch bolo..."

Nandini just turned around and left.

"Nan-"

"Manik...usko akela chod de." Cabir stopped Manik from following. "Dekh, Nandini gussa ho sakti hai, we all knew this...usse thoda time de."

"Manik ne unka side liya....I cant believe he actually tricked me? Mai-aah!" Nandini angrily mumbled to herself as she walked down a corrider. Suddenly a hand holding a wooden rod came and hit against her head, knocking her out. Lavanya stepped out of the shadows and smiled at the hooded person who was holding the rod. 

"Aaj hi tumhare haathon ek murder hua hai. Abhi isko maarna safe nahi hai....warna hum dono pakre jayenge. Follow me, I know where we can keep her....koi isse nahi dundh payega."

The person grabbed Nandini's arms and started dragging her along. Lavanya, making sure nobody saw them, slowly lead the way outside of the guest house and into the nearby forest. After about a 30 min walk, there was a small hut. It was covered in moss and honestly just not in very good condition but it was hidden so not many people knew about it. The hooded person dragged Nandini's into the hut and tied her hands, legs and mouth up so she would make too much sound when she woke up.

"Bechari Nanhi..." Lavanya laughed, "Ab tujhe kaun bachayega?"

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

The Next Morning,

Manik woke up and saw that Nandini's side of the bed was still empty and looked like nobody had slept there. 

"Itna gussa hai Nandini? Raat ko kamre mein bhi nahi aayi." Manik wondered. "Bahar Mom ke saath hogi shayad."

Manik freshened up and then went out to look for Nandini.

"Mom." 

"Haan Manik." Nyonika replied. Everyone was sitting in the living room area.

"Aapne Nandini ko dekha hai kahi?"

"Nahi toh...tere saath nahi hai?"

"Mom woh...maine Nandini ko kal raath sab baata diya. About the plan to reunite her with her family."

"Kya?" Raj asked.

"Haan Dad aur phir woh gussa ho gayi and I havent seen her since."

"Yahi kahi hogi Manik.." Shravan said. 

"Haan, baby doll guest house chod ke toh nahi jaayegi na, Shayad dusre kamre mein soh gayi hogi." Abhi said.

"Dhunde hai usse." Dhruv said. Everyone split up and started looking for Nandini. 

Nandini, who was tied up in the hut started waking up.

"Mmn..mmn." 

"Main..kahan hoon?" Nandini woke up on the cold hard floor and looked around in confused. "Im tied...kisne kiya yeh?"

Nandini tried struggling to get free but the knots were too tight.

"Mmn!" Nandini screamed through the cloth in her mouth as the rope burned her wrists. 

"Tsk Tsk Tsk..Chot lag jayegi Nanhi." 

Nandini froze as she recognized the voice. "Lavanya Bua?"

"Meri pyari si Nanhi..." Lavanya knelt down beside Nandini, "Bohot sawal hai na mann mein? Lavanya bua kyun kar rahi hai yeh sab, kya vajah hai. Chinta mat kar, sab bataungi....tere maarne se pehle."

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

"Bhai....bhabhz toh kahi mil nahi rahi hai." Laksh said.

"Humne saare kamre check kar li...bahar bhi check ki par Nanhi nahi mili." Rishabh said.

"Kahan hogi meri bacchi?" Kavita asked concerned.

"Yahi kahi hogi Kavitaji, chinta mat kijiye." Nyonika assured her, even though she was also very worried.

"Bahar guards ne bhi nahi dekha Nandu ko....kahan jaa sakti hai?" Shravan asked.

"Nandini....Jaan, kahan ho tum?" Manik thought to himself. "Mera dil keh raha hai tum kisi musibat mein ho....I'll find you. Kuch nahi hone dunga main tumhe...kuch bhi nahi."

Meanwhile, Nandini sobbed silently....scared for her life. "Mujhe paata hai tum mujhe kuch nahi hone doge Manik, I trust you....par pls thoda jaldi karo. Maine Bua ki yeh roop kabhi nahi dekhi pehle. Aisa lagta woh kuch bhi kar sakti hai.....pls hurry."