Manik's POV

Nandini and that guy, is sitting there engaged in a very happy, energetic  chat. They were so into each other oblivious of the world surrounding them.

Anger boiled in me.

Disgusting.

My baby is sitting on his lap. How dare he, to touch my angel with his filthy hands.

Manik you should calm yourself for the sake of your kids. Relax. Relax. I can't put forth a scene before the whole budge of people assembled in this restaurant.

Calming myself, to an extent, I moved towards my children.

'Excuse me' I gritted my teeth in disgust.

'So, you are back. Where were you?' Nandini, demanded. An unreadable expression mirrored on her face.

'Angel, come here' ignoring her, i took my baby girl from his hands, and placed her on mine.

'Seems like an angry young man?' That bastard, sitting opposite to me chuckled. I lowered my eyes, and played with my baby's hair, ignoring him, suppressing anger, radiating from my every nerve.

Can he get lost?

'Nandu, so this is the boyfriend?' He averted his gaze to Nandini.  

'Boyfriend? Not boyfriend anymore' i heard her say.

'What? You broke up with such a handsome man. How can you Nandu?' He started his melodrama.

What a wish jerk? So that you can engage in a open relation with her. Sorry to disappoint you, bastard, she is mine, either to hate or to love? I clenched my wrists around the edge of the table, shooting daggers at him.

'Shut up, you idiot. He is my husband, now. We got married. You haven't changed a bit, Rohan' Nandini nudged his shoulder, answering him, with a playful grin.

Rohan! So this filth have a name.

'Nandu, i know the reason, why you hadn't introduced your bf/ husband to me, at that time, three years ago' Rohan blabbered. I can say, this guy is full of melodrama. How can, nandini like him? Disgusting.

She cheated on me with this lunatic! Is she that stupid. And she is still playing as the innocent victim, even when that guy is sitting alive , in front of us. I eyed her in disgust.

'Why?' I heard myself ask him, clenching my jaws.

'So, you can speak?' That bastard, mocked me with a wicked grin.

'What the....' I hissed.

'Oh, calm down man. I was joking. So where was i, yeah i was saying that Nandu hadn't introduced you to me before,because  she is feared of me, that I could have steal you from her, handsome. You are so hot' i widened my eyes unbelievingly. That guy moved his hands along my shoulders seductively.

'What the hell?' I pushed him away.

'Rohan, he is not interested in you' Nandini giggled, between her words. She teased him.

What the hell is going on?

His hands, approached me touching me again.

'What the hell are you doing? Take off your hands' i scoffed.

'Rohan, back off, he is already taken by me. You can experiment your moves on some other man' Nandini poked on his head, playfully.

She glanced at my direction.

'Manik, don't you get it? He stands for other party. I mean he likes boys, and for him all girls are his sisters' she said. I gasped, narrowing my eyes unbelievingly.

'What? He is gay?' I demanded in bewilderment.

He is gay? How can it be possible? What about the scene I had seen, three years ago, involving this two? How can he get attracted to a woman?

'Yeah' Nandini nodded at me.

'Oh handsome, you figured it out. I thought, you have only looks, and  lack brains' Rohan guy, winked at me.

'Rohan, can you stop it? He is my husband. Stop flirting with him' Nandini snapped at him.

'Some one is jealous. Leave it nandu, where are your manners? When are you going to introduce me to him, i mean properly?' Rohan asked.

I was not out of the shock yet.

Was she saying the truth?

Something is missing somewhere.

'Oh, i forgot. Manik, this is.......

Rohan, interrupted nandini in mid.

'I can do it myself' he said her.

'Myself, Rohan Murthy. Living in US for past eight years. Native place, India. Relationship status- single. You know, you can mingle, if you like' he winked at me.

'Rohan' Nandini glared at him.

'Oh sorry. Getting back to my speech. Relation to Nandini Murthy..  Oops i forget, what is your name after all? ' he pointed at me.

'Manik. Manik Malhotra' I said.

'Sweet name for a handsome man. So, back to my intro.. Relation to Nandini Manik Malhotra- unfortunately her cousin'

'What? Cousin?' It is the second time i am getting shocked on the same day, same hour.

'Yes, cousin. My dad is younger brother of her dad' he explained.

'Manik, i know, he is it bit crazy, but he is my favourite cousin' Nandini grinned at me.

Oh god, he is her cousin. That means that was all a misunderstanding. That scene, was a lie. It's clear that it was all framed.

'You look surprised man. I know, how can he not? Look at her and then look at me. I am hot, handsome ..... But she is the same plain Nandu' he teased her in a playful tone.

'Oh really' Nanfini spatted at him. 'Who cares for your opinion, after all'

'Nandu, i was joking' he said in a worried tone.

'I know idiot' she chuckled.

I need some fresh air to clarify my mind and head. If they are saying the truth, then that means, i mistrusted my nanndini, oh my god, i was wrong in understanding her, she will not forgive me, in the whole life. What have i done?

I averted my eyes to her. She looked so happy, meeting her cousin, cracking jokes with him. I have hurt her, hurt her to such an extent that she will not forgive me, never, if she get to know the real truth.

But, i can't understand one thing. How did, Rohan and Nandini ended up in that room, and that too in a compromising position.

'Rohan, so you had visited India, three years back?' I asked him, turning his attention to me.

'Yeah. I had. I came here the year before last year too, you know. Nandu you were not here. I had met up with Aryaman and Dhruv, and they  said me that you are not staying with them, and ignored my questions with some odd reasons. No calls, no video chats. What happened to you nandu' He asked nandini, in a concerning voice.

'It's a long story, Rohan' A hurt and pain filled on her face, saying the words. I felt, guilty. I hated myself at that moment, for causing her that pain.

'It's okay, Nandu. You can tell me later So, manik, coming back to my visit,
three years ago when I came here, actually I met with nandu. It was a surprise visit, didn't informed her or Dhruv about my arrival. You know, I am close to these two, Dhruv and nandu, and my relation with their elder brother is not so good' he stated.

'Yeah, both are idiots, unlike Dhruv and me' Nandini joked.

'Yeah, true. Nandu, don't you remember the last time we met, 3 years ago. It was kind of weird' Rohan added.

'Yeah, it was' Nandini, rolled her eyes at him.

'What happened?' I asked out of killing curiosity.

'Manik, when I reached here, I get checked in a hotel. So you may think why ain't me not staying with my parents, or at her place? Don't you?' He demanded, looking at me. The happy cheerful expression on him is long gone replaced by a dull face.

I nodded.

'Because my mom and dad, kicked me out of their house, eight years ago, as I have a different sexual orientation unlike others' he mumbled,in a pained voice.

'Rohan' Nandini, said in a concern.

'It's okay, Nandu' he assured her. I felt sorry for him, for the first time. No one deserves such kind of behavior from their own parents.

'Rohan, are you okay?' I asked.

'Yeah. Leave it. Manik, I think you are getting bored hearing my blabbering' he grinned at me

'Trust me, I am not. In fact I am eager to know more about you. So what happened, to you after, you checked in that hotel?' I dig in for more details, out of curiosity.

'After, getting a room in that hotel, I called up Nandu and Dhruv, about my arrival. Dhruv was busy with Aliya, in a trip, and he promised to meet with me next day. Nandu said that she wants to see me and spend the day with me. So as planned, she came and we were having having lunch at the cafe, in the lobby of the hotel. Guess what, manik, after drinking the juice, we both felt dizzy at the same time. Is it weird?' He cleared out.

What? Unbelievable?

Nandini, was the one to narrate the next part.

'Yes, it was. We both getting dizzy and I can clearly memorize that, some one I think the waitress approached us, It was not clear because of my dazzled state. I don't remember anything after that, I think it was the same case with him too. We have passed out completely. When we regained our consciousness, we are at a room, in the hotel. Rohan, was on the floor and me on the bed. Asking about it to a maid, she informed us that, some woman claimed to know us, helped us to get in the room, and that unknown lady have even paid for the room'   she breathed out.

'What? It's unbelievable! Did you find the lady, who helped you? ' I muttered, dumbfounded.

'No, we had even searched for the CCTV footages of the hotel, I don't know, is it a coincidence or not! that the CCTV was out of order, that day' Rohan was the one to answer me.

Oh my gosh! They were framed. The whole scene was framed. It was pretty obvious that some one fooled us, that some one who wanted me to doubt on Nandini, and to break up with her. I felled into her/ his trap. Wow! 

Pathetic.

'Manik, that day I came to your place to tell you the about this matter, but you know better..... what happened there?' Nandini eyed me with a teary eyes.

I lowered my eyes, guiltily. How can I even meet her eyes? I am such a pathetic man. I doubted on my nandu, mistrusted her love and loyalty.

Yes, that day she came to me, to talk with me. But, what I had done is unforgivable! I accused her with so many bad words, and accused her of cheating me, even without giving her a moment for explaining, her part. I was such a horrible man.

'Rohan, can you please, drop nandini and kids, at our home. I have some urgent work and please stay at our place, okay, until I come back. You know, you can stay at our place. No need to stay in some hotel' I said, ignoring Nandini's suspicious eyes at me.

I need some fresh air to think, to figure out, to clear my head and mind.

'But, manik... Finish your food first, you haven't touched it yet' Nandini looked at me in concern.

I don't deserve her concern. I am such an evil man, a monster, who hurt his own love.

'Nandini , I need to leave. It's urgent' Stepping on my legs, I handed Myra to her, and kissed both my babies on the cheeks.

'Babies, daddy will take you both to the zoo, some other day. I have some work, angels. Daddy loves you'

'Okey, daddy' they nodded with a gloomy face.

Straightening up, I kissed nandini on her cheeks, startling her.

'See you. Take care'

'Rohan, bye. I  will see you, later'

'Bye, manik' he grinned at me.

I marched towards the exit, carrying mixed emotions in my mind.

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

I was in my car, driving  madly, for the last couple of hours, oblivious of my destination. It's already dusk. Nandini, have phoned me many times but I opted to not take the calls. There is few missed calls from cabir and Mukti too.

What should I tell her? That  I doubted her for nothing, that my love for her was that weak, that some framed plot, urged me to mistrust her bond and our love. I accused her of nothing all this while.

I hurt her. I hurt her my babies.

She won't forgive me.

What if she would leave me again?

No. I can't  live without her and my babies.

That cursed day was still in memory, freshly.

Three years ago.

I was at my office in a serious meeting, that day. After, the meeting, when I came out of the meeting hall, on checking my phone, I had seen many missed calls, from nandini, my love. I know, unlike some girls, she is not clingy, so there could be some reason for her to call me this number of times. But , when called back, she is not receiving the calls.

One hour later, I received a call from, secretary of one of the famous business man, saying that he was interested in a meeting with me, about discussion of a project with our company. As dad was out of station, i myself made a decision to meet up with that man, you know, extreme enthusiasm of an young business man, who only  started the career.

The assistant asked me to come to the hotel. Speaking with the receptionist I was informed that the said man was in room, 311. I was bit, confused at first that, why he had asked me to meet him in a hotel. But, washing off the doubt I walked to the room. The room was kept ajar, I get to know after few futile knocks. Unlocking the door, I was faced with a couple embraced in each other's arms, it look liked they were resting, after love making. I made up mind to turn around, may be I was in a wrong room. But, one look at the girl's face... I felt like my whole body was crumbling down, blood drained off my face, watching the scene. It was my nandini. My love.

My first thought was to wake them up and interrogate her, assuring her that I have caught her red handed doing such a heinous act.

But, due to my reluctance in watching the moment any time more, I rushed out of the room and the hotel, furiously. 

End of flashback...
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Now, it is clear, the whole situation is clear to me, like a drop of pure water. Each scene was framed. Starting from the phone call, to asking to meet up in the hotel, to the whole thing involving Nandini and Rohan. May be the person who framed the whole plan, was unaware of the fact that Rohan was Gay and Nandini's cousin. She/ he expected him to be her friend or some thing like that.

But, who is that person, who wanted us to be separated, who wanted me to hate Nandini.

Oh my god it's confusing.

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