Maa ye aap ke liye nandini said as she placed shopping bags beside nyonika who was sitting on sofa......manik raised his gaze from laptop and looked at them but soon shifted his gaze back trying to focus on his work.....he was very shy expressing his love and that too his mother nyonika as they hadn't had normal conversation since years and jumping straight to caring part was a big thing for him......he just wished nandini wouldn't mention to her that he bought clothes for her

Nyonika on the other side opened bags and started looking at clothes......the saree brought back memories of raj as he was the one who brought such colours and designs for her

Ye kab laye she asked in pleasant tone cuz as far as she remember they hadn't gone out recently

When we went to shop some days ago tbhi sab cheeze le thi manik answered not even giving a slight hint that he himself bought all that meanwhile eyeing nandini to not spill the beans

Not WE , only manik bought all of this nandini corrected manik not caring about his glares as she wanted to bridge the gap between them knowing manik was finding it difficult

Nyonika with amazed eyes opened sarees and she couldn't help but admire his choice......she loved those sarees and admitted that those were better than the ones she used to buy for herself......it made her remind of her late husband

Mjhe bht achaw lga manik she said to manik who was now trying to look so busy but he raised his head hearing her vibrant voice......as their gaze he could see her shiny eyes as she had a soft expression on her face.......he smiled and nodded at her statement as he hmmed but then started looking down bcz all this was very strange to him...... hesitation came in between which was shortlived as nandini said

Itna dry response nandini mumbled as she made a face making manik look at her with sharp gaze while nyonika just smiled knowing her son was being shy and nandini was teasing him.....getting up to place shopping bags in her room she was passing by manik's sofa when she bent down and kissed his forehead taking him aback........he just stared at her with open mouth making her smile again as she caressed his face

Thnku she mumbled now caressing his hairs ur father used to get me these type of beautiful sarees she said as she got lost into the front wall reminiscing memories with her husband u brought back his memories she added making him smile but in addition he did brought u flowers too he also added making her blush and a beautiful smile appeared on her face making him look at her in daze......he got lost in that beautiful smile of hers and nandini from back just admired their sweet moment

***********

Good night manik nandini said as she moved closer to him and smooched his lips who was working on his laptop

Night jaan manik mumbled ending the kiss as he removed his specs and observed nandini lying down on her side and looking at him with warm eyes........he moved his hand over her hair and messaged her scalp a little making her eyes smile

When's ur next checkup he asked as he looked at the baby bump

Next Tuesday she said and then little frowns appeared on her face as she said with authority in her voice

U have to be there okay.....u weren't there even the last time she ordered and he placed hand on his chest bowing his head a little yes ma'am she chuckled as she muttered

These tricks she pointed her finger at his hand who was still on his chest bht tez ho tm u know every trick to not only calm the person but also turn the things into ur favour she said with frowns while he laughed out loud as he combed his hair proud of his actions

Survival ke liye karna parta hai he joked referring to her angry side and she pouted as she hit him on arm

Mene tmhe kuch kaha kbhi she asked and a lopsided smile appeared on manik's face as his eyes travelled to a spot where she just hit him making her go red in embarrassment

It wasn't serious she said on her defence aur band karo ise....kitni dfa kaha hai ghar mein no kaam she said angrily trying to remove her embarrassment

Arey yaar thora sa kaam hai manik said playing with her chin but nandini shook his hand away kbhi time na dena mjhe bs baate karwa le banda tmhare se she turned her back to him angrily

Shaam ko to sath the hm manik answered making her snap her head at his direction m talking about US

U are jealous of maa on the very first day he teased leaning closer to her making her stare at him angrily don't speak gibberish and manik laughed loudly at her statement.......he pinched her cheek b4 going back to his work

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

Ruffling his hair he looked at the laptop screen and gave a final look at his work he did.........he yawned and stretched his hands as he forced the lid down and placed it on side table........depositing himself on mattress he was about to sleep when he felt nandini moving on bed......he opened his eyes and looked at her who was awake now.......she lifted herself a little as she connected her back to bedpost

Manik she murmured in sleepy tone ajao he tilted his head and raised hands in air for her......sliding down she snuggled in his arms and manik let his eyes close as he dived into the valley of sleep

Manik nandini murmured but manik overheard it as he was too sleepy to respond

Utho mere baat suno na she shaked him trying to wake him up from sleep but manik turned his back to her so she couldn't disturb his sleep

Manik plzzz yaar mjhe bhook lge hai she said pulling his shirt voilently to wake him up

Haan to mera dimagh na khao.....kitchen mein hai sb he said in sleepy tone

Bht mean ho tm she mumbled not liking his sentence

Utho mjhe julebi khani hai J.J JULEBI centre ki

Order kar lo jo marzi khana hai tmne he said pointing his finger at her and now don't disturb me he dipped his head into mattress........nandini mouth opened at his way but soon she came out of thoughts and yanked blanket from him

Mjhe wahan jake khani hai....wo maza nhi ata delivery wale mein.......Utho leke jao mjhe she insisted

Abhi nhi leke jarha....its fucking 1 am and I m sleepy he said in distasteful tone

Kitne mean ho tm......koi khayal nhi tmhe mera she became emotional as she felt dejected tmhare jese hi mard hote hai jo pregnant kar ke chor jate hai she added

Chora nhi hai mere kamre mein mere paas bethi hue ho for a moment manik was shocked hearing her sentence but then manik replied with his eyes still closed

U know what mein apne baap ke ghar jarhi hn nandjni got angry as she frusiously got up from bed and went towards almirah

Jalebi Centre se aur dur parta hai unka ghar manik teased her this time as she wasn't letting him sleep and he had to do sth and what else was better than irritating nandini

Bilkul bhi ache shohar nhi tm she threw her crumpled shirt on floor and went to sit on sofa crying while manik groaned at her behaviour ....... u think I purposely do all this......even I m going thru so much she sniffed making manik sit straight on bed as he pulled pillow and placed it on his lap

Tmhe bahir jana hai ya jalebi khani hai he asked and she took her time sniffing dono karna hai she said and sniffed more knowing he wouldn't do what she wanted him to do at that moment.......sighing loudly manik got up and moved his fingers over his messed hair to set them a little

Ajaye princess he taunted as she really wanted to be treated like a princess making her go happy instantly

Sachii she asked happily jumping out of sofa

I guess mere paas 1 yhi option hai he said with his lips stretched into a fake smile making nandini chuckle as she excitedly took long strides to follow him who was very fast......igniting the engine manik waited for her to come who hurriedly climbed into car and manik glared looking at her only in shirt

Sweater bhi mjhe hi laani hai ab??? Manik asked while she just gave him a cheeky smile making him shake his head as he got out of car and went inside the house to grab hoodie for her.....he sat inside the car and turned to her to give her hoodie when he observed her not wearing seat belt.....rolling his eyes he bent forward and yanked belt from her side securing it in place

A kid would act more mature than you he said in grumpy tone but nandini just gingerly laid her hand over his which was resting on steering as she looked at him with love.........manik looked back to her to find her smiling and he relaxed at her touch as he switched his attention back to car making nandini smile wide

The car stopped infront of jalebi centre and manik got out and placed order while nandini sat on bonnet of car where manik joined her shortly

Starry night....kitna pyara lg rha nandini exclaimed as manik sat beside her

Yahan zara sardii nhi manik asked as he rubbed his palms together while nandini looked at him as if he had grown horns

Don't be a spoilsport manik she groaned in distaste as she inched closer to him and placed her head on his shoulder and manik pulled her into hug and angled his head to give her a tight kiss on her cheeks and she looked at him with sparkling eyes......she kept staring at his face with a shine on her face depicting how manik's act were conveying how special she was for him........she then looked at him to find him rubbing his sleepy eyes and her heart swelled with love and happiness

I love u nandini mumbled close to his ear making him smile as he looked ahead purposely avoiding to look into her eyes knowing the magic she would create on him and he really didn't want to get lost in her eyes in the middle of road.....meanwhile jalebis arrived and nandini excitedly opened the sweets box.....she made sounds excited to take first bite

Maza agya she said with her mouth stuffed with jalebi and manik smiled at her craziness for food

Have a bite nandini said taking jalebi near his mouth but manik denied not caring how tempted he was to take a bite , he knew she would tease him

It's too yummy...only 1 bite she insisted ad she took 1 more bite savouring the taste

Nah....M okay he said avoiding

Okay as u wish she shrugged as she got busy eating delicious jalebi and after a while manik looked at her to find her enjoying fully.......he then looked at box to find one ring of jalebi there...........not able to resist he picked that up and started eating making nandini chuckle loudly

I knew it she said knowing from start that he wouldn't be able to resist for long

What manik asked with plain face as he took a large bite of jalebi

Kuch nhi she said pinching his cheeks aggressively finding him cute and manik made a face at his act

We r in public he didnt want her to spoil his image of a cold hearted person

Shut-up she said still cuddling him making manik look around to observe if they were being watched by others or not

U r being more and more assertive by each passing day aur mjhe adat nhi is sab ki he said indicating to her behaviour as manik was the one agreeing and being more compromising while she wanted things to be done the way she wanted

But till now everything is going smooth....m sure u will get used to it in a couple of days she said in mischievous tone and manik looked at her with raised eyebrow to find her smiling making manik knock her forehead with his 2 fingers

No this was the last time....now u will obey me he said as he climbed down the car to order more jalebis while nandini called from behind Let's see then she was in no mood to let him pass this pregnancy period easily.....she wanted to be pampered more and more by him

Waiting for jalebis they decided to stroll a bit and they came a little far from their car on main road where nandini was mostly talking while manik was just listening listening her stories

Can we have some popcorns too nandini asked as she located popcorn stall....the man was probably going back to home as he had winded up everything

Nandini he is going now manik said rejecting the idea but soon gave in as she showed him puppy eyes

Plzz na she said and manik shook his head u r so stubborn he said as he went towards the man and that vendor agreed after manik paid him 1000 rupees for a popcorn worth only 150 ......waiting on roadside they were chatting and manik felt a sudden blow on the back of his head......he turned around to find rickshaw passing by them.....furiously he was just staring at rickshaw knowing it wasnt wise to chase that bustard considering the road wasn't busy and he had nandini with him......rickshaw took a u turn and they found it coming towards them again.......manik took a step back and also hid nandini behind her who had by now clutched his shirt in fear........

Manik let's run she said and manik turned his head to look at her liked the idea.....let's go he said gripping her hand tightly they both turned around and took few haste steps when cabir from back shouted manik's name.....yes it was cabir in rickshaw

Ye mare ga mere hatho manik said in irritated tone while nandini was just busy processing everything.....she was finding it funny also but at the same time she didn't want manik to get more angry seeing her smiling......cabir joined them and manik who was already prepared to break his bones grabbed his neck and then elbowed him

Ohhhh saley araam se cabir groaned as he was still bent......raising himself he observed manik standing there with furious expressions while nandini was chuckling looking at them

Tmhara shohar to bara bahadur hai he teased manik as he approached nandini to hug her making manik grumble in anger.......

Why u have to disturb our moments manik said as he wasn't at all happy seeing them conversing while he was standing with a moody face

Bcz u aren't helping me to enjoy these type of privileges too he said to manik who rolled his eyes I dont want my sister to be stuck to a person like u forever he said making nandini elbow him

Manikkkk she said gesturing him to be nice to cabir meanwhile handing them pieces of jalebis

Cabir bhai we can drop u home......how u will find rickshaw or cab at this hour nandini said as they were all set to go home

Thnku nandini cabir said with a big smile knowing manik didn't like the idea at all

Nandini yaar we will be late....I wanna sleep manik cribbed but nandini just put hand on his making him go silent

It's okay I will drive she said and manik just made a face.....opening the door they were about to settle inside when manik stopped and took car keys from nandini thrusting it in cabir's hands he will drive the car he said as he took nandini's hand in his and made her sit with him on backseat

Drive us home manik said making cabir roll his eyes nandini just doing it for u he said making her smile wide showing her teeth han han chal manik cared less as he adjusted himself placing his head on nandini's shoulder to get some rest......closing his eyes he relaxed and nandini roamed her fingers in his hair as she talked to cabir also in low tone.....after sometime cabir stopped the car at malhotra mansion and manik got out of car and took steps towards door when stopped hearing nandini's voice who was talking to cabir to make him stay at their place as it was late night but cabir didn't want to disturb them as he had to leave early morning next day.....leaning with the wall manik looked at them bored as they both were trying to make other agree to what they were saying.......nandini in her hospitable nature was feeling bad letting him go at that late hour at night while cabir had his own reasons......rolling his eyes he stood straight and pulled nandini's hand pulling her back from car

Bye cabir he waved as he didn't wait for his answer and just pulled nandini with him inside the house making cabir chuckle as he knew manik was very tired and sleepy

**********

Manik breakfast nandini tapped her finger on table as she set eatables on dining table and looked at manik who was just resting his head on his arms with eyes closed.....he lazily opened his eyes and looked at her making a face

Ayenda tmhe jo chaiye ho phle se mangwa lena raat mein mein kahe nhi Jane wala he said in sleepy tone making nandini just blow a flying kiss at him

Babe she pinched his cheek as she bent down and kissed his lips making him lazily wrap his arms around her as he hugged her waist

Have breakfast she said as she maintained some distance seeing nyonika coming there

Good morning

Morning maa manik said getting up and hugged her resting his head on nyonika's shoulder who was just shocked at his sudden hug......she then smiled as she wrapped her arms gently around his broad torso......he didnt parted as he kept his head on her shoulder who now rubbed his back in a comforting way

Kia hua...subha subha mera beta itna lazy hai she asked like he was a little child and he raised his head and looked at her with red sleepy eyes ask ur daughter in law....she doesn't let me sleep he said as he sat on chair and started dishing out food for himself while nandini turned red at his statement as she could see nyonika smiling at manik's words

Tm log raat ko kahe gye the nyonika asked as she heard some voices from lounge when she got awake at the middle of night

Yeah she wanted some jalebis manik said and nandini just pinched his wrist skin glaring at him

U ate more than me she said in her defence as she didn't want to get exposed like that....she was never that much crazy about food and finding people wondering eyes about hearing her crazy food stories had her get shy

What was I supposed to do there....I had to pass my time somehow he already had every answer to her question

Then don't blame it on me only na nandini said to which manik tched as if m the one who has weird craving in the middle of night manik said to tease her who was just sitting there with puppy face

It's okay nandini....everyone goes thru this phase....u r not alone nyonika said to comfort her who looked relaxed hearing her words

And manik enjoy this time....after babies u won't be getting up to satisfy food cravings but to change baby's diapers nyonika joked and manik who had his hand near mouth to feed himself a morsel just looked at her with wide eyes.........nyonika patted his cheek as she chuckled seeing him like that......standing up she went to bring her honey and hot water which she used to take every morning

Nandini I won't, okay!! He said still lost in the thoughts of changing diapers really made him puke out

But manik, u really want me to get up everytime to meet babies needs when I myself would be dependent on someone else she said with serious face and manik's forehead creased at the thought of it

Fuck everything.....maids will handle all that shit he said shrugging his shoulders as he finally felt relieved as he found a way to handle

Manikkk she said in dramatic way u will really handover ur newborns to maids who would have no emotional attachment with the babies....what if they didn't handle them with care she said with sadness in her voice

Nandini don't make me feel bad he said as he swung fork in his ring and index finger

I will handle it but on 1 condition that u would be taking me to every place I wanna go during my pregnancy period.....m getting crazy for food and u should act in the same crazy way to help me satisfy the craving she said leaning on table and manik frowned at her demands

We already discussed about ur demands last night he said its give and take manik she said with smirk playing on her lips as she patted his cheek

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

Manik was at court for the hairing.........with his lawyer he was sitting outside court room discussing the case with him as only few minutes were left for the proceeding to start........meanwhile he heard shackling sound and raised his head to find harshad coming with his hands caught in handcuffs who had furious expressions on his face as he looked at manik.......manik was enjoying his expressions as he got up and soon harsh followed harshad......they were shooting daggers at him

So how's life there in jail manik asked with a smirk and it was enough to boil harshad's blood as he tried to pounce on manik but a policeman yanked chain attached to his handcuffs making it a failed attempt

Ye bhi guzar hi jaye ga.....no one can keep us here for long harsh answered in a calm tone but his expressions weren't very cool like his voice and manik laughed at his reply making them more angry......he was laughing when harsh threw a question at him

Nyonika sexena kahan hai.....bht dino se mile nhi hm harsh said with a strange shine in his eyes as he knew what impact would this question have on manik and exactly the same thing happened.....manik's smiling lips shrinked and pursed together as he looked at harsh who was now smiling........he intentionally used his last name with nyonika knowing how much manik hated their relation.......his eyes showed his inner state which was red burning in anger......he wasn't prepared to being exposed like that in front of whole world

Shut your mouth manik spitted in angry tone as his knuckles turned white in an effort to control himself from knocking harsh down

Are tm to mind kar gye...ab maa ka to betay se hi pochna hai.....wese use khna milne aye to beef chilli dry bna ke laye.....bht miss kar rha uske hath ka khana he said in evil voice with dirty smirk on his face........he enjoyed manik's face getting red and harshad who seemed bored suddenly started smiling observing manik rolling his hand into fist

Ghussa kyon kar rhe ho.....kahe maa dobara to nhi bhaag gye ghar se kisi aur se shaadi kar ke he crossed all the limits acting like a complete bastard and it was getting off manik's limits.......he pounced upon harsh digging his nails in his neck skin bakwaas band kar kameenay he roared punching harsh hard on his face making his nose bleed......how could he hear such words about his mother.......he had planned to kill harsh right there and then but police intervened pushing him away from harsh sir plzz one of the solider said as he held manik applying all force on his chest to stop him from murdering harsh.......they took harsh and harshad away from angry manik and the proceedings went smoothly without any disturbance.....their was nothing significant progression in the case and manik who had already given time to the old man went straight there in his house.....his mind was messed up already

Agyeee......Lgta hai maa se kuch pta nhi chala a smirk on person's face felt like a huge slap on manik's face......his face turned white at helplessness as the other man very well knew his helplessness about his mother not revealing murderer to him

Ye bkwaas ke liye mjhe bulaya tha slamming his hand on table he said angrily

Ab mjhe lg rha hai ke tm mere kisi kaam ke nhi the person continued and manik listened to him with great patience maa ki muhabbat mein majboor insaan he taunted and manik shook at his right guess.......he was hiding this reality from himself too for long but the man infront of him was quick enough to guess it

Who knows someday for the sake of love for your mother u take all the cases back against harsh after all he is your father the man taunted making manik scowl in anger

Stay in ur limits he said making the man chuckle loudly and manik regretted his decision of coming there......the hunger to know and punish his father's murderer overpowered everything and he ignored the fact that he was meeting with a dirty minded criminal......getting up from chair the man had his back towards manik as he went to grab some papers from table he said

Suna tha tmhare maa baap ki love marriage thi.....tmhare maa ko dekh ke Lgta to nhi he said with dark humorous tone and manik had enough of it......storming towards him he pushed the man making him strike with the wall and then turned him around to grab his collars looking at him furiously but that too couldn't shut old man's mouth as he laughed loudly shaking his head

Are serious kyon horhe ho....mein to tmhare liye keh rha tha kal ko dehaan rkhna tmhare bv bhi aise hi na bhaag jaye crossing all the limits the man spitted venom making manik loose his temper as his fist swung in air landing on old man's cheek making him stumble

Koi bkwaas nhi Mere ghar walo ke baare mein manik threatened as he bent to place one more punch on him but the man grabbed his fist and twisted his hand around making him stumble as manik was sitting on toes and instead landed a fist on manik's face and then two more came as the man had regained strength and being the gangster he was more stronger than manik......

Bkwaas to ki hi nhi mene facts the......haan ab aage ka kuch nhi keh skta the old man said in stern tone as he had his one knee resting on manik's chest to restrain any movement while his hand went to back to pull out gun aiming at manik's temple.......taking heavy breaths manik just stared at him not even blinking his eyes when the old man hit the butt end of pistol on his mouth as he got up distastefully

Zinda ho kyonke abhi tmse kaam hai mjhe...don't repeat today's mistake again......wese bhi m not like those stupid father and son who u thought could easily be tricked upon old man said in angry tone but then moved towards refrigerator and picked ice pack for manik throwing at his chest so he could apply on his bruised cheek

How do u know so much about us manik asked as he sat taking support of wall

I was harsh's right hand....I knew every little detail about his illegal businesses......I listened to every word of the plan he made to kill your father he took a pause and then a smile appeared on his face as he rotated on his chair to grab some papers for manik

And how I know u guys......well every detail is present in it he threw an envelope towards manik for him to catch and manik's eyebrows furrowed together as he hesitantly pulled out papers....going thru them he stopped finding nyonika's pictures with the same man sitting in front of manik........they were taken from some distance so nyonika might be unaware of them.......raising his head manik looked at him who shrugged his shoulders

U trust her so much.... I had to give proof cuz u need to act alert he said and manik's hand fell down on his lap as his heart shattered at the statement he heard........his mother knew everything still married her husband's murderer...........he thought that he had suffered too much and nothing worse was left for him but there he was sitting with bleeding heart as a completely unknown person revealed a bitter reality of his mother to him.....he stayed there like that but then shook disturbing thoughts as he said with pursed lips

Don't speak like that about my family again manik said in stern tone as he called his mother not by maa or some similar word but rather called her as a family cuz she was a part of him......she made him and no matter what others said he couldn't stopped himself from loving her....from taking care of her.....the old man just shrugged but manik didn't look at him as he got up to left with bruised face and visible limp as his leg twisted when he fell but what about all the emotional pain he was feeling

Dragging himself he sat inside the car and as soon as he closed the door he felt like crying out loudly.....with thumping heart he picked up the envelope that he threw in the passenger seat and took out papers and pictures from inside it......his hand shaked as he looked at the picture of raj right after his death......his vision blurred as he went thru his forensic report which stated the cuz of death as poisoning....it was different from the one present in police files.....someone had traded it with the fake ones......a number of recordings which he hadn't listened yet and numbers of pictures proving harsh the culprit were there.........his vision blurred as he went thru pictures of her mother of several meetings with that old man....his soul shook at the thought that his mother knew everything yet she married her husband's murderer just a month after his demise..........his grip tightened on steering as he went thru a great pain but not a single tear left his eyes as they stayed dry.......igniting the engine he drove towards his home.....entering the hallway he heard voices of nyonika and nandini indicating that they both were in lounge and having discussion on their favourite topic fashion and clothes.....he entered into lounge and his eyes fell straight on his mother who looked fresh and happy as hell.......a tired smile appeared on his face and by that time the ladies also spotted him standing at the entrance of lounge and nandini stood up and went towards him

Welcome home she said with smile and manik just stood there with tired face

Mera bacha bht thakka hua hai nyonika's voice appeared from Background and manik seemed stuck there.....he wanted to go straight to his room but he also didn't want them to find out what happened

Betho mein paani late hn tmhare liye nandini said meanwhile coming closer to him and manik sighed knowing a drama was about to happen when they would see his bruised cheek which was not visible to them yet

Manikk what happened to ur cheek nandini asked in tensed tone as she gently placed hand on his arm and manik shifted his gaze to look at her eyes who was looking concerned

What happened he stated acting surprised as he lifted his hand to palpate his cheek

Oh my God look at ur hand She panicked more as she pulled his hand which was lacerated from the medial side

U had a fight again she said as she took him to sit on sofa and examined his hand and this time manik was actually surprised that how come he had this big laceration as he didn't notice it earlier but then he realized that he must have got it at court when he got into fight with harsh

It's just a scratch manik said in casual tone making nandini stop cleaning his wound as she looked at him with complaining + disappointing eyes but said nothing as she pursed her lips angrily while nyonika sensed tension and came to sit beside manik and looked at him with scanning eyes

Manik aaj to court mein hearing thi naa.....wahan kuch hua hai??? She asked in deep investigating tone and manik was amazed at her correct guess.....he turned his head to look at her but then put his head on headrest of sofa as he didn't want to talk about it and specially to nyonika......closing his eyes he tried to control his anger when he felt fingers roaming around his hair.....knowing nandini was so angry to be doing such act he knew it was nyonika but instead of feeling peace he felt like burning from her touch.......it was giving him anxiety instead of relaxing him down

Amma manik opened his eyes and whispered looking at her which made her smile......leaning closer she kissed his temple bone she whispered

Ayenda mat larna......tmhe pta haina nandini kitni tension lete hai and right now it's time for her to relax she said making him nod his head like an obedient boy we will get justice thru proper system.....u don't have to waste ur energies on them she said flicking his hair and manik just got lost in her smile

Maa harsh ne kbhi koi illegal kaam Kia jo mjhe pta hojana chaiye he asked in questioning tone looking straight into her eyes

He never shared his personal stuff with me she answered

Did u ever got to know that he murdered someone he asked and he felt sickening feeling arising deep down his gut but he didnt show

Manik I don't know she said and a deadly silence fell in the lounge wese bhi he tried to kill us once and he is in jail nyonika said and manik nodded......he didnt have the courage to confront her more by showing her pictures he had and exposing her like that........despite the pictures screaming some other story he wanted to believe in his mother's words

M going upstairs his voice had a hint of bitterness as he couldn't control himself.....he was feeling angry and frustrated but at the same time he didnt know how to express it in words as it was a very challenging situation

At night nandini was sitting on bed while manik was moving around in the whole room collecting his documents......he knew only 1 way to get away with the news was to work like a mad person and getting busy with it so he forget the news and that's what he was doing when nandini intervened as his traumatised cheek came in her view

Manik u promised to not fight and today u had one her voice appeared in room making manik stop working as he turned around and looked at her

I can't just sit back and get attacked......no sane person would do what u wants me to do he rolled his eyes as he answered in irritated tone

I get worried manik she sounded hurt but manik just didn't answer and bent down to gather papers one more time and I will go to my father's house she was more hurt because of manik not responding and not caring about her feelings

Nandini I have had a worst day and trust me I dont want an argument....m already controlling myself very difficulty he said in stern tone and nandini felt very bad as she looked into his eyes......while on the other side manik slammed all the papers on his working desk and went to other side of bed pulling duvet over him calling of a day.......this made nandini more guilty as she knew manik was a man who had full control over his nerves and doesn't get easily affected by minor challenges.....inching closer she gently pulled the duvet down making him stare at her but nandini felt like he was glaring at her.....

Share or cuddle she asked as she rested her hand over his shoulder........a smile appeared on his lips admist all the tension as he mumbled cuddle and smiling nandini bent to give him a short lip kiss.....slipping down she had her arm on manik's head as she caressed his hair giving head massage to make him relax

U know what happened today nandini started sharing her day routine instead of staying quiet which would have got awkward and she knew he would talk once he feel like sharing

What happened manik asked inclining his head to look at her face

My HOD said that I should become housewife instead of struggling at the hospital she said with a small smile on her lips and manik opened his lips astonished

Why ? What happened he asked chuckling plus he was a little concerned too as he knew nandini's HOD and he was a very fine and capable man who never liked carelessness on work

Yesterday I went late after lunch break manik raised his eyebrow at her statement to which she continued a little embarrassed I went to lunch with alya and navya she said and then I went to meet dad she bit her tongue as he gave her a glare

I would have terminated u if I were in his place....he is being nice to u he said making nandini shake him a little how mean manik she said as she didn't expect him to be so blunt

Okay whatever nandini said not really giving importance to his statement and continued to tell her remaining story

And he called me in his office.....I was like *shit man* but then I had to go she said and manik cut her in between

Then don't do such things na he said making nandini scrunch her nose

Haan haan I should just make plans and go straight from my work place without informing anyone while u wait for me at home clueless she taunted him rolling her eyes making him chuckle loudly

It's the first time in 7 years and u have already taunted me on this for like 1000 times

I will taunt even more.......u were enjoying with ur guy gang whereas my girls were angry bcz they felt like I was ignoring them.....little did they know I have a big baby at home to take care of she said making manik realise that it was a bad idea to tease her at that moment

OK sorry na....what happened there at HOD office he said and nandini gave her one sharp look and he smiled widely making her anger go away and she again continued telling him the story........like that they slept but the peace was short lived for manik as he couldn't get quality sleep and woke up after sometime......gazing at the ceiling blankly he then looked at nandini to find her in a deep sleep......he sighed as he gently removed her hand from his arm and sat hanging his legs down the bed....as his feet made contact with cold skin it heightened his ability to sense.......he went to his writing table and grabbed envelope as he sat on rocking chair and once again started going thru the details given there ....he also listened to voice recordings and one had his mother's conversation with that old man...at the end he had his one hand on head while with other he was holding picture of nyonika at some restaurant meeting the same old man.....she looked sad and gloomy and manik got sad looking at her face but then voice recordings echoed in his ear making him press his lips tight.......within a minute he was fisting his hair as he looked very disturbed

Kia kar dia aapne ye......kia kaho ga mein logo ko , kese justify karo ga apni maa ka mere baap ke qatil se shaadi karna he said on verge of breaking down and his lips shivered cuz of intensity of situation.......the night passed like that and manik didn't even blink his eyes for once......the disturbing thoughts couldn't let him sleep

At morning nandini woke up to find the other side of bed empty.....she yawned as she thought he must have gone for jog.......she stopped stretching as she saw manik on chair with his head hanging....worried to see him sleeping like that she walked towards him barefooted and placed hand on forehead

Manik she called in soft tone making him snap his eyes open

Haan he looked at her with tired eyes

Tm theek ho....aise kyon bethe hue ho...raat ko soye nhi she asked though manik showed nothing on his face

Nhi yaar he chuckled to lower down the tension

Woke up an hour ago.......had nothing to do so I was just waiting for u to get up he made a story and nandini smiled brightly and leaned down resting her head above his while her hands resting around his neck

Maa ke paas chale jate she mumbled in groggy tone

It didn't occur to me he said giving her a big smile

Manik I have to buy few things......can u take me to mall after office she asked as she didn't want to go alone and what company was better than that of manik's

Sure he said as he got up sighing inwardly as it was the time to get into daily grind

*************
After office ended manik was infront of hospital to pick nandini who came running and within a minute doors opened as nandini threw all stuff on backseat and hurriedly got into passenger seat

Look at u so excited to dump my money on useless things we don't even use he said as he knew she would again buy on the basis of finding it cute rather than on actual need basis

Stoppp.......why would u say that she had her hand on her heart acting all hurt and manik smiled at her reaction

It is what it is....normally u dose off on the way back home and look at u today he said glancing at her fresh look

Achaw na I love u she said just dismissing teasing session with a kiss on his cheek.....driving the car manik was listening to her rants about the day events when nandini said

Manik maa ko bhi pick kar lete haina.....she will love it she said making him nod his head as he turned the car towards his home

I think we should engage her more in different activities.....she seems to miss baba so much she said making manik turn his head to give a look to her

What do u think she threw a question at him making him mask his expressions immediately as he shrugged may be

What may be.....u didn't notice she asked in astonished tone

No i didn't he answered plainly trying to fight with inner turmoil....nandini's statement created a havoc inside him and intensified the thoughts that were running in his mind regarding his father's murder and his mother's role in it

Kuch hua hai manik she asked examining his expressions deeply

No he straight away denied making nandini nod her head as she diverted her attention on changing songs

Why did u ask manik enquired

U r very quiet today she said sharing What she felt and manik didn't say anything.......silence fell inside car as nandini waited for him to answer while he contemplated whether to disturb her by sharing it or not........it wasnt just a news.....it was like a bomb thrown on him and if it happened to come out to world, it would bring many questions along with it

M just feeling anxious he said tapping his finger on steering wheel and nandini gave him a warm look as she rubbed his arm affectionately

Everything will be okay she said not investigating further as her main goal was to share his worry sorrowness, not actually getting the truth out of him........moving her hand she held his and entwined their fingers giving him some strength

We can skip the plan if u want some rest she said and manik smiled as he shook no m completely fine he squeezed her hand as he said those words making her smile too.....soon they reached home and picked nyonika to drive to mall......even in mall manik didn't accompany them inside as he just preferred to wait inside car......nyonika insisted once or so but nandini knew he needed sometime so she left after just giving him a long and warm stare

After 1.5 hrs both ladies came making manik alert and he clicked open the trunk for helper to place there shopping bags in it

What did u guys buy manik asked as an effort to divert his mind

Maa bought her sarees and I bought my stuff nandini said only to get intervened by manik

Your stuff which comprises of buying the whole shop and yeah some unnecessary decoration piece which aren't going to be used he taunted purposely to get himself into relaxing mood

Maa see I told u na he always teases me she complained to nyonika who just smiled

He is becoming a version of his father nyonika chuckled as she remembered raj making manik's grip tight on steering wheel......he felt suffocated as it brought great uneasiness to him and to cope with that he increased speed of car as he just wanted to go home

How was he to u nandini asked from nyonika excitedly

He was the finest man I ever came across my life and manik's grip loosened as he heard those words and steering moved making him loose his control over car.......at this sudden change nandini and nyonika just sat quietly staring from the windshield waiting for what was about to come...........it was a matter of miniseconds as manik could see they were about to hit the car infront of them and his foot moved automatically to press hard on break paddle and at the same time his hand moved over and clamped over the handle of passenger seat door to stop nandini from getting hurt by thrashing into the dashboard cuz of sudden jerk........meanwhile his head also moved forward hitting on the steering but was protected by his hand which was spread over the steering as a precautionary measure.......the car came to halt and manik's hand which was infront of nandini hit hard on dashboard but it did serve the purpose of protecting nandini.....

Getting his senses back he raised his head from steering he hissed cuz of strong hit in his arm but just didn't care and looked at backseat to see nyonika fine and then shifted his gaze to nandini who was sitting there all okay in her seat while covering her face with hands in fright

Nandini r u okay he asked tensed as he uncovered her face by removing her hand and as he removed her hand he saw her pale face

M sorry.....nothing happened to u....u r fine he assured pressing her hand warmly who was taking time to come back to her senses.....she was very frightened and more for her yet to born babies

M sorry he mumbled again feeling guilty of causing fright to them.........resting his head on steering defeatedly he sighed loudly as he felt more bad about all the things happening......nandini after sometime looked at him as her nerves calmed down a bit to see him more tensed than the two of them......he didnt say anything just opened the door to get out of car........he took deep breaths and closed his eyes rubbing his forehead in disturbed tone......after sometime he heard sound of door opening and felt a hand on his shoulder

It's okay manik.....kia hogya hai....it happens with everyone he heard nyonika's voice creating a havoc inside him.....instead of calming him down it irritated him more but he stayed quiet

Everyone is fine.....don't stress she said looking at his all red face but seeing him not budging she patted his shoulder okay come sit......m gonna drive back home she said as she turned to go sit on driving seat and manik just rubbed his forehead one more time aggressively and then slammed his fist lightly with car

It's okay.....I can drive manik said and nyonika just smiled at him......sitting back he gave a look to nandini who already looked concerned for him but then smiled as she spread hand over his to give him some courage I know u can get over this too whatever is bothering u she mumbled and then leaned closer to set his hairs alittle i hope its not that bad....m worried but I also know u will share when u feel like doing it.... she said close to his face and manik nodded with dry throat .......they were alone all thanks to nyonika who had gone to nearby tuckshop to grab some water for manik and they got a little time

M here if u think its getting too much for u to bear alone she mumbled patting his hand one final time and it got him smiling and she could see some hope in his eyes

This deserves a kiss but damn we got unlucky here he mumbled as he shifted a little making her raise her eyebrow in question but she didn't remain clueless for long as a minute later she heard sounds and nyonika got seated in backseated making her look at manik with a lopsided smile getting his meaning and he also smiled as he knew his little smile had a great influence and nandini wouldn't be worried that much and that was his plan......if he caused her tension he had to do sth to relieve it

Through out the remaining day manik stayed inside his room sleeping fighting with the depressing thoughts like that and no one intervened knowing he would be okay after getting some alone time.....at night nandini just woke him to feed some food which he took with a lot of crankinesss and she bore all his tantrums like a good partner understanding from what he was going through and then cooed him to sleep

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

It was morning and manik was very much oriented and opinionated that nyonika could never do such things as his heart wasn't ready to accept her as that of an evil woman.....she might be wrong at getting married to harsh but she could never go to such extent......their was something more to a story than he already heard from that old man.........how could she not only easily let the murderer go away without punishment but also spend her remaining years happily married to the same guy.......there were so many questions running in his mind and he wanted answers so he decided to have an open conversation about the matter

On the other side nyonika who had been in distress since night as manik's disturbed condition and questions about his father's death arose the fear in her heart that he must got hold of sth related to that and she didn't know what to do so she called marry inside her room to discuss it with her .....as she entered into room nyonika closed the door hastily and turned to look at marry

Marry m scared manik got to know everything about raj's death she said with pale face

He already knows it was a murder marry said thinking it might be a new information for nyonika

He got a clue of murderer too she said and manik who had planned to discuss everything with nyonika was outside room when he heard nyonika's panicked voice making him stop from making any progress

Why don't u tell him

What should I tell him....what ??? The name of that murderer so he goes straight to him and murder him......no I can't nyonika's hands frustatedly went into her hairs as she panicked

He is not a murderer.....he can't kill someone no matter how tough he acts he is ur same manik the soft hearted guy marry argued and it pinched manik badly that why his own mother wasn't saying sth like that about him....while on the other side of door nyonika's lips trembled as she sat on bed

Idk marry......I seriously don't know she said with helplessness m scared.....I dont want him to get into this.....I dont want him to know that harsh killed his father......he's gonna be crazy she panicked more as she said all that in crying tone and world came down crashing on manik as her words echoed in manik's ears.........he felt like he wouldn't be able to take his next breath, his face went red and with trembling hand he pushed the door causing more pain to himself and looked straight to find them frozen at their places as they saw manik standing there lifeless and motionless

Why would u do this to me he pronounced every word taking pauses in between , an effort to not breakdown infront of them

That's it.......a compensation of long absence

A long long update of around 10000 words with a lots and lots of twists,  some sweet moments . I hope u like it as it took me more than a month to write it

Babye....do share ur views about the update