'Nandini' manik said

'Hmm' I retorted

'Can I cuddle with you?' He spoke up more like a whisper

'Yeah, for tonight' I answered

'What's wrong with other nights?' He complained using a kiddish tone

'Nothing' I shrugged

'Come closer to me, please' he whispered

'How am I supposed do that when I am already sleeping in your arms?' I reprimanded

'More closer' he said

'So that you can touch my private parts?' I snapped at him

'I didn't mean it. I am innocent here, why are you even doubting me?'

'Innocent and you? How pitiful? I know you, better than you thinks, so don't try to fool me' I mocked

'What if I want to? You are my wife. Mine' he stated in an authority

'Don't act like some dominant male chauvinist, I am not your property. Get the fact clear' I warned

'Yes, you are. You are mine. Your soul, body, everything belongs to me' he demanded

'You are impossible. You haven't changed a bit in these three years. The same old manik' I face palmed myself in annoyance.

'Why? You want me to change?'

'No' I stated 'Manik, did you missed me?' I asked him after a much long pause

'Missed you? You are my life Nandini, how can i not miss a part of me. Even though i acted hating you, i failed, i can't hate you. I felt anger towards you, you know due to that misunderstanding happened, between us but.. but I am not strong enough to hate you or forget you' he said, painfully and regretfully

'Then why... Why did you abandon me manik? You know, no one was there for me. Not you. Not my mom. Not my dad. Not my brothers. No one. I was all alone. My kids was the only hope for living for me. These three years was hell.. hell for me. You get that manik... ' I shouted, sitting up on the bed, facing him.. I shouted my voice out, indignantly.

'Nandin.....'

'No... You need to listen... Listen to my sufferings, the whole pain I have gotten through.... Manik, it was not that easy for me for taking care of our babies, without their father by my side, especially when they are twins. Did you know my babies used to spend their life in my office from their early months? Unlike every other babies of their ages. Did you know that? Did you know, how some of the retards addressed them as bastards when their father is very much alive.... Did you know, how do i tolerated during my first months of pregnancy amidst morning sickness, body weakness and extra amount of work... and moreover the mental pain caused by you and my family..  It was not easy manik... '

'Nandini... I am sorry...'

'No manik... A sorry can't change the past. I am trying to move on from the past... Trying to let it go... For my kids and us... I can understand manik, how did you have felt on seeing me in such a compromising position, but you could have talked with me, or may be trusted me... Then all these didn't have happened... ' I reasoned, trying to make my point clear.

'Punish me.. Punish me nandini... Please .... I am your culprit..... Because of me you have suffered a lot....' He said, remorsefully

'Punishing you? How am I supposed to do that? Do you think by punishing you we can change the past? No manik. We earn nothing on punishing each other or making other person suffer. Many unexpected events occurred in our lives, may be we can blame it on fate, or destiny. Promise me manik that you won't hurt me anymore. If such situations happen in our life in future, we will talk about it before going to any kind of conclusions, Promise me Manik. Give me your word' I demanded.

'I promise. I promise Nandini' he stated in confidence.

'I hope you would be faithful to your own promises' I said, deliberately

'Till my last breath' he clutched my hands in his.

'Don't' I kept my finger on his lips. Don't speak such things' he kissed me on my fingers. I moved them away from his reach.

'When did you get to know that you are pregnant?' He asked me out of nowhere.

'After a week, after I left this town' i said, memorizing my past.

'But we had used protection all the time we had sex... How did it even happen... ' he asked. ' i don't regret it though , because of that we got two angels, our babies. I love them so much. They are my life  ' he added with a pride.

'Yeah, they are. They are our happiness' ' Manik don't you remember that night, a rainy night .. When I stayed at your place... You were so ... You know... Not even cared for using condom... You were so uncontrollable, that night, like a wild animal' I muttered in a lower voice, awkwardly.

'I remember. That night was awesome  , your moans and cries are so fresh in my memory' he teased with a smirk.

'Manik..' I stuttered

'Am I making you nervous?' His smirk grew more.

'No' I shook my head.

'Liar' he taunted. 'I know you in and out. But I really like that red shade on your cheeks'

'I am not blushing, it's just that it's so hot here' I reasoned.

'Really? I think you should do some measures to tolerate this heat' he said.

'What ?' I gazed at him 

'Let me think.... hmmm. I think you need to remove your clothes...

'Pervert... Stop it... You are a pervert.. Chee.. '

'Yeah... But only for you' he chuckled.

'How can i trust you? What if you are using these same lines on other ladies' i planned to play with him.

'No... Not a chance. You. You are my woman, only you' he demanded, with a sincerity

'Really. I doubt though. I had seen your pictures in social medias, some of which have some woman clinging to you' i snapped.

'Am i smelling smokes of jealousy here?' He chuckled. 'Seriously Nandini, no woman was clinging to me... You are exaggerating... it's just that they were standing beside me... Some of them were my business partners, and others daughter's of other business men, whom trying hard to impress me. You knew me nandini, that i hate such showing offs and moreover image of only one woman can be caught by my eye sight and that is you... ' he affirmed

'I know. And I get to know that you were like a roaming devdas in these three years' I teased him, with a smirk.

'Yeah i was. After all my love was not with me'

'Yeah... And now devdas took a three sixty degree turn and formed into a Romantic pervert' I taunted him, playfully.

He just smiled. A long pause of silence made a dramatic entry between us.

'Nandini why did you leave me?' Manik voiced out after some time, interrupting our eye lock.

'I left you? You were the one who leave me, manik' i retorted.

'I mean, why did you vanished all of a sudden, may be if you did have stayed we were able to sort our differences much earlier' he reasoned, calmly.

'Manik, I am a human being, who having feelings, not some robot. How am I supposed to stay back in presence of you people, when you all loathes me, for stupid reasons. So that was the only way before me' I snapped, bit angrily.

'I know. And I can understand. But, when you left I thought after all I was right about you, it indirectly or directly strengthened my doubt on you..... I am sorry, princess for not coming after you' he mumbled guiltily

'Manik, did you have, once, tried to find me? Answer me frankly, please' I looked at him hopefully.

'Yes' he said, which cause a relief on me.

'You had?' I tilted my gaze incredulously

'Yeah. Few months ago i took the help of a private investigator, for finding you and your whereabouts, after my own failed attempts, but nobody knows about it, not even cabir' he shrugged.

'Did you get to know about me, before i come back, before the time we met at my dad's house?'

'No' he shook his head animatedly. ' may be I did have tried earlier'

'Oh... '

'If i have done that, then I haven't had missed first two years of my babies' he blurted out, sadly.

'I am sorry manik, for hiding them from you. I was afraid, I was afraid that may be you will reject them' I mumbled in a low tone.

'No. I won't do such a crime even in my dreams, they are my babies' he countered protestingly.

'May be manik. But what if you did had a different mindset at that time, you know, you were angry with me at that time. Don't you remember the way you accused me of sleeping with other men, for making our kids, in that elevator?' I accused him.

'I didn't mean that. I was angry with you, I thought you had moved on from me'

'Are you that blind? How can you think of such a thing on having a look at your kids? Your son is exact copy of you. A closer look at him can say that he is yours' I spatted.

'Yeah, but my mind was not working rationally at that time. I felt a connection towards them, all the time when they were near me, like a special bond. Their presence around me was a big boon, making me back to myself, but still the dumb me didn't realised that they are my babies, before you confessed' he rubbed his neck, annoyingly.

'So finally you admitted that you are an all time fool and dumb' I chuckled.

'Teasing me? You little tease, how about me making you understand my intelligent ways? What say?'

'Not needed. I know what is in your mind, you one tracked minded
person' i taunted him.

'So you know it already. Tell me, what is in my mind? Spill it out' he challenged me.

'Not happening. Forget about it, husband. I need sleep' I poked him on his shoulders lightly.

I lay down on the bed avoiding his protests.

'So this is your way of punishing me?' He asked me, in an irritated voice.

'How?'

'By forbidding me from my own possessions' he scoffed.

'May be. May be not... ... What do you think, is it cool?' I retorted.

'Don't play games with me wife. You are challenging the wrong person lady. You are going to lose' he demanded.

'Let play this game, Mr Malhotra. And please don't underestimate the power of a woman' I snapped at him.

'Yeah, we will see'

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

Note

All my lovely supporters,

First of all conveying my apologies to all of you, due to some personal problems there would be a possible delay in writing of my story, so it will took some time for me to update the next chapter, may be one month of time or more.

I promise, to continue with my work. It's not some kind of abrupt ending. See you soon...