Days passed faster than I could imagine. Tomorrow is my wedding and a weird feeling crept up body. I did not find Harshad nor Manik all these days. Both weren't found in the mansion. Where are they?

From the breakfast till the dinner I have found no changes in my life! I have only this night as Nandini Murthy after that I don't know what will happen.

I heard sobbing sounds from Niyonika's room and got worried.

Who could it be?

I tried to knock on the door and walk into her room but stopped as the door was already open giving me a view of what's happening inside her room.

Niyonika was sobbing into her handkerchief as Harshad sat near her feet. "This day was my life's darkest day, Harshad. Your father left me in this cruel world alone. Don't ask me to stop crying."

Oh! It's been four years since Mr. Shrikant Malhotra died leaving his loved ones behind. I didn't know it was this day as I didn't even see anyone mentioning about it.

Why is everyone in Malhotra mansion so secretive about their emotions?

Harshad kept his head in her lap as she stroked his hair while sobbing. "Our lives were so perfect five years ago, then why must he leave us and go away, Harshad. Your father would be so happy seeing you but it's too late."

I had a strong urge to hug Niyonika and console her while I cry about my family. But I stopped as we are not that close.

Harshad looked up to his mother. "Ma, he did not leave us. He is with us looking after us." He stood up and moved the curtain away to reveal the starry sky from the bedroom window. "Look at the brightest star over there, that's my father. He is watching us over from there."

I looked at it at the same time as Niyonika. I felt emotional about this information. Does it mean my parents are also there? Can I find my parents in this sky?

"I am not a child to believe in it, Harshad." She smiled through her tears.

"No, Ma. It's the truth. I always speak with father from the stars and he replies to me. He always says how he is sad for leaving you alone but he is happy that I am with you." He said with an assuring smile. "Infact, you can find Vivek as well in these stars. Come on, you are his mother and you can easily find him. Try it."

Niyonika first hesitated but agreed and pointed to another brightest star.

Harshad immediately smiled. "See, you easily found him. You are the best mother."

Niyonika broke into huge sobs and tried to touch Vivek's star reflection from the window. I silently cried seeing this woman crying as it was too much for me.

As Niyonika cried Harshad bent to her level and asked, "I never had anything as a memory from Papa. Do you have any jewellery in his memory so that I can live with it after moving to America?"

Niyonika nodded her head. "I have your father's tiger nail pendant. It's in the locker, let me give it to you." She tried to stand up but Harshad prevented her to move.

"Don't stress, Ma. I will take it out myself." He stood up instead of her and opened the locker after asking her the key.

Harshad took more than the pendant. He stuffed his shirt with cash bundles and held the pendant in his hand. Before closing the door he found an old paper tied with a rope and a huge smile formed on his face. He stuffed it in his shirt as well. He sat beside Niyonika as if he took out only the pendant and chatted calmly about his father.

That's cheating! He is cheating his mother. He is taking her things without her permission and that's stealing! How can Harshad steal from his own house?

I decided to complain about Harshad to Niyonika and took a step inside the room. But her pitiful situation stopped me. Niyonika is already sad and Harshad is the only one who can console her, and if I tell against him she will get more sad.

I will let it slide for tonight and will complaint about Harshad tomorrow morning. That's a bad behaviour! He will get big punishment if I complaint to Manik.

Seeing Harshad and Niyonika made me think about Manik. Why aren't they including Manik with them? Mr. Shrikant Malhotra is Manik's father too. Didn't they think he will be sad tonight as well? Why does Niyonika only care about Harshad and not Manik?

My heart went out to Manik. I remember Manik's face when he confessed his feelings. The powerful Boss having tears in his eyes permanently etched in my memory. No matter how far I go away from him I don't want to see him in that situation.

Unknowingly my feet ran out to find Manik. My heart knows where to find him and I followed my heart. I went to his bedroom and opened the secret door leading to his garden. As expected, he was in the sofa in his private garden.

I wanted to run into him and pull his hair for disappearing all these days. I saw him after so many days making my thoughts go haywire. Should I hug him or slap him?

He closed his eyes as he had a wine glass in his hand, with the content in it untouched. He had a slight frown on his forehead and I remember it very well. He made this face before melting completely. I don't want him to be sad tonight. I will try my best to make him happy.

"Manik." I called out and he opened his eyes to see me.

For a few seconds he did not speak anything but looked at me trying to take my image in his memory. "Not tonight, Nandini."

No, I am not going away from him no matter what happens tonight. "I don't want to leave you alone, tonight."

"Why?" He said putting his glass on the table.

Because I saw you after so many days. Because I missed your presence. Because I am afraid you might disappear if I leave you tonight. Because I want to be here.

I wanted to yell all these words at him but I didn't know how to say it. Tears formed in my eyes unable to speak what I want to say. "I don't want you to be sad on your father's death anniversary."

He pulled me to himself and I sat on the sofa next to him. "I am not sad."

"Liar Liar pants on fire!" I said wiping my face. "You are missing your father so badly that you are sitting here alone. If I am not here you would be crying, I know your face."

His frown disappeared and a tiniest smile formed on his lips. "The princess knows me well, I am seriously impressed."

"I know everyone not just you, Okay. Infact, I have a complaint about someone which I will tell you in the morning but for now let's concentrate on your disformed bad tears."

"Disformed bad tears?" He laughed and I felt a sense of relief washing over me.

I nodded my head and pointed at the sky. "Look at the brightest star in the sky, Manik. That's your father. He is looking at you from the sky."

His smile disappeared and a frown appeared on his face. "Are you making fun of me?"

"No. Why would I do that? I am try to comfort you and tell you that your father did not leave you and is still with you." I explained my intentions and he stood up in anger.

What did I do now? Niyonika was happy when Harshad said the same story but why is Manik angry?

"You are literally saying a dead man is alive and some stupid star is my father? What nonsense is this, Nandini." He questioned me.

"It is not nonsense, Manik. It's the truth. If you want you can find out your brother too. Try it. Tell me where is your brother." I encouraged him.

"My brother is dead and his dead body is lying 6 feet under the ground. Okay." He shouted.

Ah! But it's not how it's supposed to be. Why isn't he being happy that he could see his family in the sky.

"No. After dying people become stars, So, that is your father, that star is your brother and those two stars are my parents." I said still trying to bring a believe in him.

Did I just point out a random star in the sky? What did I do?

Manik pulled me close to his body by holding my arm behind my back. "Stop believing in this nonsense, Nandini. It's a bullshit story created to take advantage of weak people, and I hate weakness. Your parents are dead. They are not coming back in any form. Remember this, once a person dies, that's the end."

I gasped and punched his chest with my free hand. "How dare you speak about my parents? How can you say they are dead? How can you say they will not come back? How can you remove my belief of waiting for them?"

With every word I punched his chest and he took it all without a complaint.  The more I yelled at him the more it felt nice.

More than Harshad's story of dead person becoming a star and watching over us I felt comfort in Manik's truth. I didn't know how to react to this new information and kept hitting him until Manik pulled me into a bone crushing hug.

"Cry your heart out, Nandini. You did not mourn for your parents after their death. Don't hide everything in yourself, acknowledge the truth that they are gone and let it out." He murmured in my ears kissing the top of my head.

He was right. I never mourned for my parents. I only cried about my situation, and missing my life back at home. I don't know how to mourn, I never did.

"They left us, Nandini. We have to accept the truth as early as possible so that no body would take advantage of our weakness." He said against my hair as I cried into his chest clutching his shirt in my hand. "They will live only in our memory and that's the greatest respect we could give to someone who is dead."

How can I accept the fact that they are gone forever? That night's memory surfaced my thoughts. I saw my father while he took his last breath. He layed there lifeless as Manik pulled me out of the mansion. The mansion burnt completely infront of my eyes burning everything in a few minutes. There was nothing left.

Nothing left.

It would be stupid to think that the person who died infront of me and the one who turned into ashes is a star. I looked at the sky filled with stars and they all looked the same. There was nothing special in it and I felt the sky mocking at me for believing that stupid stuff.

There's no stopping of my tears and his shirt became wet near the place I kept my face. I pulled out from his chest and looked at him with my moist eyes still hugging him.

"I don't know how to mourn, How do I mourn, Manik?" I asked him being clueless as I never mourned for anyone nor saw anyone mourning.

Manik's face turned painful as his frown appeared on his face. He took a deep breath and released it twice.

Manik pulled my face by the back of my neck to increase a little height and captured my lips. He sucked the tears which rested on my upper lips and I closed my eyes tightly losing into the feel of Manik with me.

"You have to be protected at any cost." I heard him say while pulling me closer to him by my waist and kissing my lower lip.

...
Precap
Wedding day!!!

How is the update?

Nandu is finally accepting the truth. Will she complaint about Harshad?

Manan can only console themselves, nobody can replace them.

What will happen tomorrow?

Do you have any ideas for Manan scenes you wish to read?