Cover credit goes to my buddy cum bg... That is Priyanka011. Love you loads buddy for the beautiful cover❤❤❤ Loved it so much😘😘😘

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Time decides who you meet in life, your heart decides who you want in your life and your behaviour decides who stays in your life.

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Author's Pov

"According to the statement of Mr. Kunal Roy, the close family friend of the victim, Mr. Cabir Dhawan, 'this case' is of 'SUICIDE'! We feel really sorry while saying that Mr. Dhawan jumped from the terrace of his apartment in Mulund, this morning around 10:30."

"According to our sources, he was upset due to breakup in his three years of love life that he chose to put an end to his life. This has been confirmed by the police themselves, so they won't be investigating this matter further. I Ms. Nandini Murthy, the reporter of Vision India with cameraman- Avinash Chohan, takes your leave. Be safe and take care. Thank you!", speaks Nandini while holding the mic and standing in front of Seven Square building.

"I feel so sad for this man yaar. Anyways, it's good that everything winded up soon or else the volcano named Pawale would have blasted on us," Avinash - the cameraman cum friend of Nandini, says while winding up the camera.

Nandini chuckles a little while tying her hairs in a bun and says," Hmm... So you do the editing and air this news while I will make a draft of it to publish it in the newspaper."

"Superb!!"

As soon as they get into their car, Nandini's cell rings.  "Hello sir...(break)... Yes sir your work is done and the news will air soon. (Break) Thank you so much sir... " Nandini replies to the caller with a smile before cutting the call.

"How much?" Avinash asks with excitement twinkling in his eyes with a teasing smile after shifting his focus to Nandini while driving.

"He. Said. He. Will. Give. Us. EIGHTY THOUSAND RUPEES!!!" she says jumping with excitement.

And with a screech, the car comes to a halt. "WHATTT??! Is he madddd???"

Nandini shrugs her shoulders without trying to control her happiness.

"Nandini, I know that Kunal Roy (close family friend of Cabir) is a big businessman but ₹80,000 is way too much for just airing this news. I am finding it weird. What if this matter is not what it seems??? I mean what if this case is not of suicide but MURDER?"

Listening this, all the glow of Nandini's face evaporates like water in a hot desert. Biting her nails and thinking of the worst possibility, Nandini manages to speak, " What are you saying Avinash? Why are you stressing me and yourself with the thing that never happened? We all know that Kunal Roy is known for his white name and good reputation... And not only that, he became the guardian of the ORPHAN CABIR, right?? So..? He just don't want us to mention the name of Cabir's ex-lover because she is his daughter as he don't want to drag her in this matter. Okay??" Avinash nodded a little with an unsure sigh.

"Good. Now let's drive. And don't worry much. It's the work of police and not ours to find out the truth. We just have to make our money," making Avinash understand, Nandini looks outside while her mind still ponders on the same question that is now swirling deep inside her.

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Next day

"    SUICIDE AT MULUND
At 10:30am, this thursday, Mr. Cabir Dhawan was found dea...dd!!!  "

Manik reads the newspaper but abruptly stops after reading the first line as he experiences an invisible force of cold winds stirring inside him. Shivers pass down his body while his throat gets dried and his hands tighten around the newspaper he held, and his eyes redden with anger and pain. The extreme pain clenching his heart freezes him to a spot where he seems to forget to breathe for a moment. His mind gets numb but tears start flowing out of his eyes like water. He tries saying something but the big lump in his throat do not let him make any noise for a moment.

"No no... Nooo... My Cabir can't die," he says but his voice declines to come out of his throat due to choking. "My brother can't die," he shouts palming his mouth to cease his cries.

"This is a joke!! I will go and check on him. Han... This is correct. I should go. My brother needs me. Cabir needs me..."

Coming out of shock, Manik stands and taking the car keys, he runs out making sure to not stumble due to moisture in his eyes.

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"Open this damn door Navya or I swear - I will break it," Manik shouts like a manic, banging the door of Navya's house for umpteenth times.

"Navya I know that you are inside. I am saying for the last time. Open th..." His shouting stops as he hears a click of the door knob and behind the door, appears a messy, paled face and torned Navya, who on seeing Manik breaks violently into tears, slipping down on her knees with her hands covering the face.

On seeing the devasted Navya, Manik's last few threshold hopes come down crashing but still showing a brave front and keeping his one percent hope, he tries to not lose his control. "Navya... I know that this a prank of you both. Pleaseeee stoppp this act! And tell me where is Cabir... I know that you know his location," he says passing by Navya and looking around the house while wiping the water off his eyes. On looking, he finds nothing but just things broken and fallen everywhere around.

"Manikkk... Cabiii...rrr!!! Cabir dieddd..." Shouts Navya from the door before breaking into incoherent cries.

*Thuddd*

The glass table lies broken in uncountable pieces while the house resonates with the shout of Manik. "Nahi...!!!"

Reaching Navya and sliding down in front of her, Manik with trembling hands cups her face while his vision gets blur with tears. He asks slowly, "Navya you know what are you saying?! He... He is Cabir! He is like my brother. He is your lover...(chokes)."

Listening about Cabir, she instantly hugs him tightly trying to block her cries. Manik cries holding her and shouts, "Cabirrr..! Kyunnnn? Kyun kiya essa?"

After calming themselves in a warm embrace of support, providing eachother the needed strength for a long time, Manik leaves her and asks in a cold voice, " YOU BROKE UP WITH HIM?"

"No no... No bhai. We never broke up..." she says and again she was on the verge of crying. Instead of soothing Navya, Manik leaves her hands and gets up. Folding her hands around her knees and hiding her face in it as she didn't have any more courage to look into Manik's eye and find hatred and mistrust for her, she feels him moving out.

"He doesn't trust you anymore Navya..." cries her heart but then brain says, "It's good. Navya you are not capable of anyone's love or trust. You are nothing but just a burden!!" She muffles her cries with her hand.

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"Nandini??"

Nandini was packing her stuffs to leave the office when she halts her very steps listening her name as a mere whisper and that too from a known source of voice.

On turning, she gets astonished to find the expected at an unexpected time. Manik Malhotra, her college mate, monster, partner in crime, her bestfriend and then her lover was in front of her eyes after 4 freaking years, after she left for abroad studies and lost every contact with him and Navya.

She, Navya and Manik were the bestest friends ever in college who shared everything and completed eachother. During the first semester of college, Manik remained in his own world, due to his bad past, until Navya befriended him and made him her brother to which Manik happily obliged. Nandini being Navya's best friend, didn't realise when she came so close to Manik that her friendship with him changed into something deep, giving her different feelings which was new to her and surprisingly amazing too. When she realised that it's love, she was already in her flight to California for future studies. She started remaining aloof from them to control her feelings for Manik that it was too late when she realised that she lost all her contacts with them.

Standing at the door, breathing heavily with weary eyes that looked sleep deprived, Manik stood still, in shock, capturing Nandini's every feature. Her sleek petite body, hair tied in a messy bun but still some hair locks coming in front of her eyes. Eyes that were so black as a coal. Eyes that always mesmerized him. Eyes that played hide and seek to look at him whenever they got chance, either they be in classroom or hanging out with friends. Eyes that were now glittering with astonishment to find him there. He missed her and all those things about her that drove him crazy at just one look, until now. This time he had an ulterior different motive. Probably deep inside him, he knew he wanted something else but he just chooses to close the lid of the ignition before it turns to fire.

His face was filled with different emotions but surpassing all, were devastation, longing and disbelief. Nandini couldn't hold herself any longer and she sprinted towards Manik, throwing herself on him after wrapping her hands around his neck.

"Manik!! I missed you sooo much!" shouts Nandini nuzzling her face in his neck with tears of happiness flowing from her doe eyes.

The action was so fast and the impact of the hug was so strong that Manik stumbled back in reflex but he holds the handle of the door to balance himself. Making the fist of the other free hand, he looks straight, emotionless.

Still clutching him, Nandini speaks while choking, "Mann...  Manikkk... I am so... sooo happy to see you again..."

"I wish I could say the same Nandini!" comes his hollow voice.

Confused that whether she heard right, Nandini loosens her grip around him and takes her own time to look at his harden face before saying smilingly, "Manik abhi bhi mazak??"

Distancing himself from her, he looks directly into her eyes and says, "Every morning I wished that maybe just for once I could see you... But now I badly wish that today it wasn't you. IT SHOULDN'T BE YOU DAMN IT!!"

Nandini flinches back due to his sudden shout but more than fear, there was hurt in her eyes listening to Manik's word and finding the look of hatred in his face. "Ma.. Manik... What are you sayi.. saying??" She asks, trying to hold his upper arm but he backs off.

Hitting his temple to control his rage, he frustratingly speaks, "Nandini.... the question is not of what I am saying rather, it's of what am I seeing... Nandini do you know that there's a thin line between being passionate and ambitious. You were always passionate about your dreams. When did you become ambitious??"

Not understanding Manik's word and his hatredness for her, Nandini just stutters, "I... I Manik..."

She stops as soon as Manik holds her from shoulders tightly, coming closer to her, he begins, "What I Nandini?? Tell me... Aren't you? Due to your this greedy and selfish nature, my brother like friend Cabir is not getting justice."

"Cabir?!?" Nandini gaped at him with wide eyes.

"Yes I am talking about Cabir Dhawan. And what didyou say? That Cabir broke up with his girlfriend? His love was not that weak to break and neither his girlfriend can betray him. You do know his girlfriend, don't you??"

Nandini slowly shakes her head in no while Manik chuckles sarcastically and speaks while clapping, "You don't know his girlfriend? Hahaha... Ms. Murthy in which world you live in? Oh how would you know?? You broke all the contacts with us just to fullfill your own dream right? Navya... Navya Roy is his girlfriend. Navya is Cabir's god damn girlfriend."

*Thuddd*

With this Nandini moves back and hits the wall, covering her mouth in shock, thinking of the broken state of her best friend, that too just because of her.

Flashback

Navya felt a hand caressing her forehead and when she looks up, she finds Manik standing with a glass of water in front of her. Manik was the last ray of hope. w
When she thought that no one trusts her enough but now seeing him standing by  her side made her smile through tears.

Giving her the glass, he slides down the wall, just beside her and speaks, " Navya, I am really very sorry for my behaviour and I do trust you, afterall you are my sister. But I just lost my mind when it came to Cabir. You know na that when Nandini left, it was Cabir who supported both of us. In our hard times, he made our hopes live again with his jovial and happy nature."

He pauses for a second as the memories with Cabir revives again, making him loss at words.

"Today morning when I heard his death news, I drove to his apartment only to find it locked and on asking I found that he jumped from the terrace as you betrayed him. I thought that it was a prank of you both but on realising that it's the reality I couldn't hold myself. So sorr...ry... Navya!" Manik chokes at the end.

Navya assures Manik that everything is alright when all of the sudden she pales listening to him. "Then how did he... he dieddd?? I know he is not a coward. And why the hell all the news channels are showing that you both broke up?"

"Manik, I don't know what happened and neither the police is doing anything saying that this is a suicide case and it all started with the fake news. Certainly someone had bribed the reporters to tell this" Navya says without meeting her gaze with him and listening this Manik becomes so enraged that he misses the look of guilt in Navya's face and the excess moisture that formed again in her eyes.

"How can someone do this? Navya, you wait here until I come back after taking a look at this matter. It needs to be sorted soon to find the real cause", says Manik while getting up and rushing out.

Flashback ends.

Gathering herself and her lost voice, Nandini whispers enough for Manik to hear, "Manik, where is Navya?"

Ignoring her question Manik says, "Just because of your stupid greed, no police is investigating the case, saying it was suicide but I know that it was a not suicide!!!"

Nandini's guilt multiplies to folds listening him and she joins her hands in front of him, begging him to let her meet Navya. "Please Manik... I promise that I will correct my all faults but please take me to Navya at once."

How could he decline the hopeful eyes that always had never-ending trust on him. He wished he could... But it just remained his wish and he nods a "Hmm".

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The door to Navya's apartment was open when Nandini and Manik reached there but they were shocked on finding the house empty. Their search came to halt when Manik finds a letter by Navya on the table. The way the words were written and the way the letter was still wet due to Navya's tears, made Nandini's heart sink with guilt and rage for herself.

The letter read:

Manik,

I couldn't muster up the courage to tell you this myself nor I can live with the guilt of hiding the truth from you. I am struck between a situation where from both the sides I will lose something. You may not be able to find me but I know that after reading this letter, you will get to know the truth and will be able to get justice to Cabir.

You are right Manik, our Cabir is not a coward and his death was not a suicide but an accident. Accident that happened due to my brother Deep. Deep got to know that we both were in secret relationship and he got so furious that he directly went to Cabir and a fight broke between them. According to Deep, Cabir was manipulative and wanted a share in everything he owned, whether it be the love of our father as our father became his guardian, then money and property and now seeing me too, getting close to him just infuriated him to the level of getting insecure.

While fighting, they never realised when they reached the egde of the terrace and Cabir slipped.

I couldn't do anything Manik. I could neither even shout nor scream my agitation, my hurt, my pain, because there was no one to hear me. Not even my soul. It died with Cabir, the very instant.

Deep was guilty too. Though he was insecure due to him but he certainly thought of him as brother and was ready to accept his crime but dad didn't wanted him to come to spotlight. He didn't wanted to lose his other son and his reputation was at stake too, so he gave us his swear. I am very sorry to not tell you this before but I was helpless Manik. But neither I can betray Cabir's love or your trust. I know that you will give full justice to Cabir and I have no work here so I am going where my heart and my soul resides... To my Cabir.

Take care Bhai!!:)
---×---×---×---

Completing the letter, Manik closes his eyes, letting his pain to flow through his eyes.
"Navya, what you did??" comes his hoarse voice due to constant crying.

Feeling no movements in the surrounding, Manik looks around only to find Nandini in a disastrous state, curled in a ball and weeping silently but so badly that she could care less about her constant flowing nose or her messed up hairs and smudged kajal or about anyone's presence. The sight tore Manik's heart and he immediately holds Nandini, consoling her.

"Ju... Just because of me Mani... Manik, Navya... Navya took this step. She... She is... Ahhhahnnn..." she couldn't complete the sentence and breaks into incoherent cries. Manik too doesn't stop her and lets her cry till she sleeps, due to exhaustion.

Next morning, when Nandini wakes up, her head feels heavy and eyes sour but the pain clenching her heart was far more stronger than any physical pain. Her eyes roams around the room to look for Manik but she gets nothing but failure. Her hopes crashes into millions of pieces but she reminds herself that it is the fruit of her own sin.

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"There's always a new revelation to old theories. Same is the case of Mr. Cabir Dhawan. It's now founded that Mr. Cabir died not of suicide but this mishap happened due to a fight that broke between Cabir and Mr. Kunal Roy's son, Deep. Police have got some evidence and have started their investigation on this matter once again. Stay tuned to get further information. I am Ms. Nandini Murthy from Vision India with cameraman-Avinash Chohan, takes your leave."

As soon as Nandini completes her part, her eyes stop at a person standing not so far and looking at her intensely. "Manik?!" A low whisper leaves Nandini's mouth.

Running towards him, Nandini speaks, " Manik I am so sorry... I became so blind in my passion that I couldn't see what's right or wrong. Please for... forgive me... I am sor..." She stops when suddenly Manik hugs her as tightly as possible and says, " Shush... Don't say a word. I have one news..."

Nandini separates herself only to find Manik in tears and was about to say something when Manik continues, " Navya is alive... I got both Navya and Deep. It was actually Deep who stopped Navya from taking a stupid step and he is also ready to accept the truth!"

"What??? Where is Navya?" Tears betray her eyes when she sees a weary, weak and terrible Navya making her way towards them. Nandini runs and takes her in a bone crushing hug, leaving a squeal of both cry and happiness of seeing her friend alive and that too, after 4 years.

"I missed you Nandu!!" cries Navya.

"I missed you too Navyaaa!!! I am really sorry for... for everything yaar" weeps Nandini.

"Whatever done can't be reverted back Nandu and Manik told me everything and it's okay Nandu. And now I am happy that due to you, he will get justice. Everyone has faults but not everyone are strong enough to correct them but you did... So it's okay!! Besides I was too going to do a big stupid act" Navya gives an encouraging smile to Nandini.

"Navya, I wouldn't have forgiven myself ever if you would have took that step... And I am really very sorry after hearing about Cabir..."

"Nandu don't be sorry. Maybe he is not physically present but he will always be there beside us. And you know, there is a good news... Deep will be punished but as this was an accident, he will be freed from all the accusations soon..."

"That's awesome Navya... But I am really very sorry!" Says Nandini.

"Awesome toh hai... But something is bad" Manik interrupts them.

"What??" asks both of them together.

"That after finding eachother you both forgot me" Manik speaks kiddishly making faces.

Navya and Nandini laughs at that before taking Manik in their group hug.

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"Breaking news!!!
Your Vision India reporter, Ms. Nandini Murthy is marrying today and that too with a monster. A monster named Manik Malhotra. Shushhh don't tell them. It's our secret. "

"Oye Navya... When did you started giving news???" Asks Nandini, standing at her back with hands resting on her hips and with one raised eyebrow.

Smiling sheepishly Navya says, " From the time you started spending more time with Manik rather than reporting!!"

Listening this, Nandini's mouth becomes wide when suddenly she squeaks feeling Manik back hugging her.

"Manik leave me..."

"Navya, you should take over reporting forever because I won't let her free from now onwards" speaks Manik giving a wink and kissing Nandini on her cheeks.

Navya turns around embarrassed and says, "Guysss!! Stop this in public. And Mr. Manik Malhotra, you both will get married soon. Please have patience before that..."

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I hope you like it☺☺☺

Take care and stay blessed ❤