8:00 pm, Srivastav house, Karwar.

Within the next fifteen minutes, the food was ready. However, I couldn't relieve myself of the guilt that I felt. I had shouted at Manik, when he had been kind enough to care about my wound! Well, my anger was definitely justified! But, maybe I shouldn't have screamed at him in that manner.

I couldn't help but wonder why he cut the vegetables, when he had flatly refused to do so earlier! It had to have been him since the door to aunty's room had been closed ever since he and I had entered the kitchen. Did he do it just because he didn't want me to hurt myself further? And he probably hurt himself in the process! Aiyappa, what's wrong with him? Isn't one wound enough to deal with, that he's got another one now? He's so reckless! On top of that, he's disappeared from the kitchen! Ugh! This guy drives me insane!

I was setting the table as all this went through my mind. Finally, when everything looked presentable, I went and knocked on aunty's door. She opened the door in a few seconds.

"Aunty, khaana ready hain."I said in a cheerful voice.

She smiled in return and made her way to the dining table.

As both of us sat down, she asked. "Beta, Manik kahan hain?"

I wanted to know the answer to this question as well!

"Aunty, mujhe nahin..." I was about to answer when Manik entered the dining room. My eyes instinctively flitted to his hands to see whether he had indeed hurt himself, but Manik had cleverly folded his hands behind his back.

"Aunty, I'm here!" He said as he sat down on one of the chairs.

"Toh beta, what did you both make?" Aunty, asked smiling at me.

"Aunty, I made appam and vegetable stew. I hope you don't mind South Indian food. I didn't know how to make any North Indian dishes so..." I said, hesitantly.

"Beta, how can I not like it? You've made it with so much care..." She said, as she helped herself to the limited variety of food available on the table.

I looked at Manik's face, and he seemed disappointed. Of course! He didn't like South Indian food! How could I forget?

However, when he placed the first morsel in his mouth, his expression changed instantly. He seemed happy with the taste!

"It's very tasty, beta..." Aunty said, as she ate it eagerly.

"Seriously, I didn't know that South Indian food could taste so good!" Manik said, as he chomped on his food rapidly.

I was pleasantly surprised by his compliment and took a bite of the food myself.

Aiyappa, thank you! It tasted decent enough. I hadn't cooked in months. It was a miracle that the dishes had turned out well.

"Wow Manik! Looks like you've never eaten this dish made by Nandini before! I guess you still have to get to know many things about her!" Aunty said, in a cheeky voice.

Manik just smiled subtly and continued to eat.

"Waise...how did you both meet? Ek Tamilian aur ek Punjabi...it can't be an arranged marriage..." She asked, her eyebrows raised.

I nearly choked on my food as she spoke. Shit! What would we tell her now? I was terrible at making up stories.

"Aunty, actually it's a funny story! If it wasn't for Nandini's arranged marriage, we wouldn't have met in the first place!" He said, with a slight laugh.

What the hell was he saying? Aunty looked just as confused as me!

"Aunty, Nandini's marriage was originally fixed with someone else, whom she had never met before. When she finally decided to meet up with her fiancée, she mistook me for him!" He said.

"Oh my God! Aur phir?" Aunty asked, intrigued by this revelation.

"Phir kya aunty...I obviously didn't reveal my identity right away! Just look at her aunty! She's so cute! Only a moron would let go of this opportunity!" He said, with a smile, looking at me, making me flush.

"But beta, tumhe aise jhoot nahi bolna chahiye tha...I'm sure you faced many problems after that!" Aunty, said in a serious voice.

"Problems...toh the! But we overcame them! When I finally told Nandini the truth, she became very upset with me! However, with time she forgave me and I was successful in convincing her to give me another chance!" He said.

"But woh doosra rishta?" Aunty asked.

"Obviously, that was called off. Nandini's family members were very upset with both of us because of it! But eventually, I won them over when they realized how important she is to me." He said, in a soft voice.

"Wow! Kahaani kaafi filmy hain!" She said in amusement.

I wonder how she'd react if she knew the actual story. It was way more interesting than the one she was told!

However, I realized that although Manik had omitted important parts in the story of our first meet, his story still remained rooted in truth. Suddenly, his statement in the car came back to me. He lied about his name, not about who he was. I noticed how Manik had an uncanny knack of twisting the truth to fit the current situation. In that case, could he really be called a liar? How much was he really faking? I was thoroughly confused!

"Aunty, we didn't ask earlier, but can we spend the night here?" Manik's voice broke my train of thought.

"Of course you can! Yeh bhi koi poochne ki baat hai! Where will you both go at this time of the night?" She said.

"Thanks aunty!" Both Manik and I said in unison. We really needed a place to stay!

We ate silently for a few minutes before aunty said to me, "Beta tum dono ki shaadi recently hui hain na, toh tumhari mangalsutra aur angoothi kahan hai?"

Shit! How was I going to answer this question?!

"Aunty, actually we were travelling by road, right? Nandini thought it wouldn't be safe to wear ornaments on the drive. She wanted to be extra careful. After all, highway robberies are so common nowadays!" He said in a sincere voice.

How? How did he have an answer for every impromptu question thrown at him? I guess he'd actually make a fine CEO for Malhotra Industries someday.

"Safety is fine... but a newly-wed bride should keep all this with her..." Aunty said, holding my hand making me feel guilty about lying to her.

"So, Manik tum kahan naukri karte ho?" She asked, changing the subject.

I felt like having a good laugh! Manik and being employed! Those two things would never fit together!

"Aunty, main koi job nahin karta. In some time, I should be taking over my family business..." Manik said, in a grave voice.

Wait...why didn't he speak about his love for music? He had always been so vocal about it with me!

"Aunty, that's not all...Manik has his own band. His band is quite popular among youngsters!" I said, before I could control myself.

Aunty smiled in response.

"Aap meri baat chodiye...Nandini se poochiye, about her job..." He said.

"Aunty...I'm just doing an internship..." I started to say, when Manik cut me off.

"She's just being humble! She's doing an internship at ISRO! That's absolutely amazing! Aunty, do you know that only the smartest and the most capable candidates get this opportunity? In fact Dad kehte hai ki..." His voice trailed off as he spoke of his recently deceased father, using the wrong tense.

His eyes held a mixture of guilt and sadness for a few seconds, but it disappeared almost as soon as it had cropped up. Was he really guilty of his father's death? My heart and brain were definitely contradicting each other in this matter!

Also, it amazed me that he had paid so much attention to my words at the restaurant.

"In fact, when our car broke down, it was Nandini who knew what to do! She's very smart..." He said appreciating my intelligence and my capability.

Normally, all guys seemed to despise girls who were smarter than them! How was he so different?

"Wow! Each is singing the other's praises..." Aunty said with a smile.

Her words made both Manik and me conscious, and we kept silent for a while.

"Oh! I completely forgot! There's actually some chocolate mousse in the fridge. I had made it yesterday! Tum dono ko try karna chahiye! Actually, I love having sweets after dinner, so I always have something or the other in the refrigerator!" Aunty said excitedly.

"Aunty, that's amazing! Chocolate mousse is one of my favourite desserts!" Manik said happily.

"I'll just get it in a second!" Aunty said, and made her way to the kitchen, leaving Manik and me sitting at the dining table.

Manik seemed to be in a deep contemplation, from the look on his face. I suddenly remembered the probable cut on Manik's hand and tried to get a good look, but it was of no use. Manik had placed one hand over the other, and I couldn't get a clear view of his right hand.

Aunty returned with a big bowl of chocolate mousse, and gave us each individual helpings in separate plates.

"Aunty, this is heavenly! Too good!" Manik exclaimed as he took the first spoon.

I tasted it as well and had to admit-Aunty was definitely a skilled dessert chef!

As aunty watched Manik savouring his mousse with the utmost care, she suddenly said. "You know Manik beta, you remind me so much of my son... even he loved this dessert..." Her voice started to break as she spoke. "It's been so long since I last saw him..."

What was she hiding? If she had a son, where was he? Did they live separately?

I immediately caught hold of aunty's hand and asked, "Kya hua aunty? Kya aap dono saath nahi rehte?" I asked in the most concerned tone.

"Nahi bete, hum saath nahi rehte. Maine Sameer ko padne ke liya U.S bheja tha, aur ab woh wahi settled hain. One year ago, he came to visit me and told me that he had decided to get married. Bas aise hi inform karne aaya tha, aashirvaad lene nahi! I tried my best to convince him to settle here, but he wanted nothing to do with me and neither did his wife. I tried to contact them many times since then, but they never responded. I guess they think I'm some sort of a burden..." Aunty narrated, with tears in her eyes.

"Aunty aap aise kyun bol rahi hain? I'm sure one day your son will realize his mistake and shower you with affection..." I said in an attempt to cheer her up.

"You're very sweet!" Aunty said, wiping her tears and getting a grasp on her feelings.

"Don't ever think yourself to be alone...we'll come to visit you regularly from now on..." I said, with a smile, unsure of how I would fulfil my promise.

"Thank you so much beta!" Aunty said, happily. "I would love to see you both more often!"

"Waise, do any of you want another helping of chocolate mousse?" She asked, after a few seconds.

Manik, who had just been a silent spectator to our emotionally heavy conversation, immediately perked up in response to her frivolous question.

"Yes aunty, please!" Manik requested like a little child. I had to admit that his childish behaviour was very cute!

"On one condition...you have to call me 'Mom'! No aunty and all!" Aunty, said in a teasing voice, wiping the smile off Manik's face, instantly.

Aiyappa! This isn't good! I didn't know much about Manik, but I did know that the topic of his mother was definitely a touchy one!

I hoped that he didn't lose his temper on aunty. After all, she never had any intentions to offend him, right?

"Aunty, how about I call you 'Mom'..." I spoke first in order to take control of the situation, but aunty shushed me.

"Tum nahi beta...tu?" She said pointing at Manik.

I wasn't sure how to react. Manik's face had become absolutely pale and off colour.

"Please beta..." Aunty said, caressing Manik's cheek.

I was about to intervene when I heard Manik speak. "Maa..." He said in the most pained voice possible. It sent chills down my spine. He had never addressed Nyonika as his 'Mom' in front of me before...it sounded almost macabre coming from his mouth.

However, he seemed to have made Alka aunty very happy.

Aunty continued to rub his hair as she replied. "Achcha bachcha hain tu...your mother must be so proud of you..."

Manik's face contorted upon listening to her words, almost as if they brought him physical pain! He stood up abruptly from his place and said in a neutral tone,"Aunty, mujhe aur bhook nahi hain...thank you so much for letting us stay. I'll meet you in the morning...Good night. "

Before I could say anything, he started to walk away. As he left the room, I could see his right hand clearly and as expected there was a cut on his finger! Why did he have to do this to himself? Ugh! I failed to understand him!

Once Manik left, aunty held my hand and said. "Beta you're very lucky. Sirf naam Manik nahin hai, woh sach mein Manik hi hain. I can see how much he cares for you just by the way he looks at you..." She said in a pleasant voice. "Promise me, beta that you'll never leave him..." She continued.

I was taken aback by her words. I felt very bad about lying to her, but now there was no other option. The lie had gone too deep!

"I promise..." I heard myself say, not knowing whether I actually meant it or not.

She caressed my head in affection and then left for the kitchen giving me time to ponder over her words.

Aunty could see that he cared about me by reading his eyes? So, I wasn't imagining it then! Why didn't he just admit it?

I know I shouldn't be feeling what I am. After all, I'm engaged to be married to Madhyam! But I couldn't deny the connection I felt with Manik. When I was with him, everything seemed...right. It was completely illogical. After all, I should be fearful of him since he kidnapped me. Then why do I feel so secure with him around? At first I thought he was an absolute monster, but his actions had shown that all of that was just a façade! He had protected me when the time came...which spoke volumes of his character. Why did the police think that he had killed his father? What evidence did they actually have against him? If he didn't murder his father, then who did? What did he actually want from the Singhanias? And last but not least, what did he have against his own mother?

That was it! I had to get the answers to these questions plaguing me! Manik Malhotra, tonight you will reveal the truth! By hook or by crook! I thought to myself.

I immediately took a band-aid out of the first-aid box and started making my way back to the room when I saw Manik standing in the verandah, looking utterly lost.

I walked up to him, held his hand, and started applying the band-aid on his wounded finger.

"Manik why did you cut the vegetables when you didn't know how to?" I asked in an exasperated but gentle tone.

He didn't answer my question and only spoke once I had finished tending to his finger.

"Nandini, tumhe pata hain-Nyonika...she stands for everything that is wrong in my life! She's a manipulative, greedy and self-centred woman..."He said in a distant voice.

"But Manik woh tumhari Maa hai..." I replied in a low voice, taken aback by his words.

"Toh aaj tak maine unhe Maa kehkar kyun nahi pukaara? She's corrupted the purest relationship in this world-that of a mother and a son. Give and take- for her I was just an object that she could use to blackmail my father for more money!" He said in a voice filled with anguish.

"I had made my peace with this fact...the fact that she would never love me, but I never expected her to do this!" He exclaimed.

"Do what Manik?" I asked, caressing his cheek.

Manik swallowed and replied," You wanted to know if I'm responsible for my father's death, right? Then let me tell you, the answer is YES!"

Tears streamed down his cheeks as he spoke. "She took him away from me Nandini! And I could do nothing to help him! He's dead all because of me! I never even got to say goodbye to him...and now he's gone! It's all my fault!"

Saying this, he buried his face in his palms and crashed onto the floor. He continued to sob silently, in expression of his grief.

I felt tear drops streaming down my own cheeks looking at his vulnerable state. It broke my heart to see him like this. Seeing a man who was so strong-willed crumble before my very eyes, was something I'd never imagined.

I immediately bent down and engulfed him in the tightest hug I could manage, more to soothe myself rather than him.

When I finally withdrew, I wiped his tears and said, "Manik, please don't cry! It hurts me to see you like this!"

"I've lost everything, Nandini..." He said with a sad expression on his face.

"Nahin Manik...main tumhare saath hoon. I am with you!" I said in a choked voice.

I then placed a soft kiss on his forehead, in an attempt to comfort him.

I guess the time had come for the truth to be revealed, but at what cost? Aiyappa, please lessen his pain! I sent a silent prayer to the heavens.

"Manik, tell me what happened...please..." I asked him, clutching his face in my palms.

He couldn't keep it bottled up any longer! He wiped his tears and started to narrate the story- a tragic tale that sent shivers down my spine.