Nandini stood at the top of the stairs, her heart still racing, her mind lost in a whirlwind of confusion and despair. Her tear-filled eyes found Manik in the hall below, talking to someone. For a moment, everything else faded, and all she could focus on was him. She needed to get to him, to feel his arms around her, to hear his voice telling her that everything would be okay, even though nothing felt okay anymore.

She stepped forward, but her legs felt weak, trembling with the weight of everything she had just learned. Her foot slipped on the edge of the step, and before she knew what was happening, her ankle twisted violently. A sharp, searing pain shot through her leg, and a scream tore from her throat.

“Manik!” she screamed instinctively, her voice echoing through the grand hall as her body lost balance. She fell, rolling down the stairs in a blur of agony, her world spinning as the ground came rushing up to meet her.

Manik’s heart stopped when he heard her scream. He turned toward the stairs, and his blood turned cold when he saw Nandini tumbling down. “NANDINI!” he yelled, his voice cracking with terror. The entire hall fell into chaos as everyone’s attention turned to her.

Everyone gasped in horror, and Vishakha, standing frozen for a split second, let out a heart-wrenching cry.

“Nandini!” Navya shouted. Manik was already sprinting toward her, his heart pounding like it was about to burst. The scene before him felt unreal, like a nightmare he couldn’t wake up from.

Nandini’s body came to a sudden stop as she landed hard on the ground, her head hitting the cold marble with a sickening thud. Blood pooled from a gash on her forehead, staining the pristine white floor beneath her. She was breathing heavily, each breath shallow and labored, her chest rising and falling with difficulty.

“No, no, no…” Manik murmured, panic gripping him as he dropped to his knees beside her, his hands shaking as he gently lifted her head onto his lap. “Nandini, please, open your eyes. Look at me!” His voice was breaking, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably.

Vishakha rushed forward, her face pale and streaked with tears, collapsing beside them. “Nandini! Nandini, my child, please keep your eyes open, baby,” she cried, her voice desperate, her hands trembling as she touched Nandini’s face. “Don’t close your eyes, please!”

Nandini’s eyes fluttered, barely able to stay open. Her breathing was ragged, and every breath seemed to come out as a painful gasp. “I have… no one…” she whispered in broken sentences, her voice barely audible. Her eyes were glazed with tears, and she looked up at Manik, her gaze distant and filled with unbearable sorrow. “No one loves me… I’m… alone…”

Manik’s heart shattered into pieces hearing those words. “No, Nandini! Don’t say that. I love you!” His voice was thick with emotion, his hands cupping her pale face gently. “I’m here, okay? I’m right here. You’re not alone, Nandini. I’m with you… always.”

Nandini’s lips trembled as she lifted a shaky hand to his face, cupping his cheek softly, her fingers weak against his skin. “I… love you… Manik,” she breathed, her words so faint they almost broke him completely. Then her eyes fluttered shut, and her hand fell limp from his cheek.

“NANDINI!” Manik screamed, his voice raw and filled with agony. He shook her lightly, his hands trembling violently. “Open your eyes, please! Nandini, don’t do this, please, wake up! Nandini!”

Vishakha was sobbing uncontrollably, holding Nandini’s other hand, and pressing kisses to her fingers. “No, no, no… Nandini, baby, please. I can’t lose you. Open your eyes, Nandini, please!” she cried, her voice breaking as she pleaded with her unconscious daughter.

The hall was in chaos, everyone standing frozen in shock and horror, watching the scene unfold with wide eyes. FAB 4 Neyonika, Raj, Bela, and Mahir were pale, their faces drained of color, and Soha stood by the side, her heart sinking with the weight of guilt and pain.

Cabir, seeing the severity of the situation, quickly composed himself, his voice strong despite the fear clawing at him. “Manik, we need to get her to the hospital. Now!” he shouted.

Manik, barely able to focus through his tears, nodded numbly. He scooped Nandini’s limp body into his arms, cradling her against his chest like she was the most fragile thing in the world. “Stay with me, Nandini. Please, stay with me,” he whispered over and over as he ran out of the hall.

Cabir led the way, driving as fast as he could, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel. In the backseat, Manik held Nandini tightly on his lap, his fingers tangled in her hair, his eyes never leaving her face. Vishakha sat in the passenger seat, tears streaming down her face as she turned around every few seconds, her voice hoarse from crying.

“Cabir, drive faster, please!” Manik shouted desperately, his voice breaking as he choked on his tears. His heart was pounding so hard it hurt, every second feeling like an eternity. He looked down at Nandini, who was still unconscious, her head resting on his lap, her face pale and bloodstained. “Nandini, please wake up… please,” he begged, his voice trembling.

He stroked her hair gently, his tears falling onto her cheeks. “You can’t leave me, Nandini. You promised me. We promised each other… you can’t leave me like this,” he whispered, his voice barely holding together. “I need you, Nandini. I need you more than anything.”

Vishakha was sobbing quietly in the front seat, clutching her hands together in her lap. “Please, Nandini, please wake up… I can’t lose you. Not after everything…” she whispered, her voice thick with grief. “I’m so sorry, baby.”

Manik, hearing Vishakha’s words, squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the overwhelming fear that was threatening to drown him. “She’s going to be okay,” he whispered to himself, rocking Nandini gently in his arms. “She has to be okay. She has to.”

As they sped toward the hospital, every second felt like a lifetime. The tension in the car was suffocating, the fear palpable. Manik’s heart was breaking with every breath, the thought of losing Nandini tearing him apart from the inside. He pressed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes as more tears fell.

“I love you, Nandini,” he whispered, his voice trembling. “I love you so much. Please don’t leave me. Please.”

The hospital doors burst open as Manik rushed inside, carrying Nandini in his arms, her body limp and unresponsive. His face was pale with fear, tears streaming down his cheeks as he gently laid her down on the stretcher that the nurses had brought out.

“Nandini, stay with me. Please, don’t go…” Manik’s voice cracked, his hands trembling as he caressed her cold face. He kept repeating her name like it was the only thing holding him together.

“Sir, we need to take her in now. Please step back,” a nurse instructed as they began wheeling Nandini away toward the room.

“No!” Manik shouted, his voice hoarse. He tried to follow them, his body aching with the fear that if he let her out of his sight, she might disappear. “I’m not leaving her! I need to be with her!”

Cabir, Dhruv, and Abhimanyu were at his side in an instant, grabbing his arms before he could rush into the emergency room. “Manik, stop. Let them do their job,” Cabir said, his own voice thick with emotion, though he was trying to stay strong.

“NO! She needs me! I can’t— I can’t just stand here while she’s inside like that!” Manik yelled, struggling against his friends, his entire body shaking with desperation.

“Bro, listen to me.” Dhruv’s voice was calm, but there was a pain in his eyes as he tightened his grip on Manik’s shoulder. “You need to trust them. They’re going to help her. But you need to stay here.”

Manik wasn’t hearing any of it. His mind was spinning with terror and guilt. “I should have protected her! She was right there in front of me, and I couldn’t do anything!” He tried to pull away, but Abhimanyu held onto him firmly.

“They’re going to save her, Manik. We have to believe that,” Abhimanyu said, his voice steady despite the dread gnawing at him.

Manik collapsed onto the hospital bench, his body trembling violently. “I can’t lose her, Cabir. I can’t. I love her so much… I need her,” he whispered, his head in his hands, his voice barely audible as the weight of the situation began to sink in.

Meanwhile, across the waiting room, Vishakha was a mess of tears and agony. She sat with her hands clasped together, shaking uncontrollably, her breath coming in gasps as she stared at the doors Nandini had been wheeled through.

Bela and Mahir were by her side, trying to console her, but they were barely holding themselves together.

“I failed her… I failed as her mother…” Vishakha sobbed, clutching Bela’s hand tightly. “I was so harsh, so cold to her.” Her voice broke completely, her tears choking her words.

Bela squeezed her hand, tears streaming down her face. “Vishakha, don’t say that. She’s going to be fine. Nandini is strong. She’ll come back to us. I promise.”

Mahir knelt beside her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Vishakha, don’t lose hope. She needs you to stay strong right now. For her. Nandini needs you to be here when she wakes up.”

But Vishakha shook her head, unable to hold back her sobs. “I should’ve protected her. This is all my fault…”

On the other side of the waiting room, Mukti and Alya sat with Navya, who had been crying silently, her head buried in her hands.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Alya whispered, her own voice shaky as she rubbed Navya’s back gently. “How did everything go so wrong so fast?”

Mukti was biting her lip, fighting back her own tears. “She’ll make it through this, Navya. She has to. Nandini is a fighter.” Her words were firm, but there was a tremble in her voice, betraying the fear she felt inside.

Navya lifted her tear-streaked face, her eyes swollen and red. “I should have stayed closer to her… I should have stopped her when she left the hall. I knew something was wrong.”

“You couldn’t have known, Navya,” Mukti said, trying to be strong for her friend. “None of us could have. This isn’t your fault.”

Across the room, Raj and Neyonika stood together, their hands tightly clasped as they prayed silently for Nandini’s recovery. Neyonika’s face was pale, her eyes wide with fear. Raj kept whispering prayers under his breath, his eyes fixed on the doors of the emergency room, hoping for any sign of good news.

“Please let her be okay,” Neyonika whispered, her voice breaking as she leaned her head on Raj’s shoulder. “I’ve never seen Manik like this before. I don’t know what he’ll do if… if something happens to her.”

Raj tightened his grip on her hand, his own fear evident in his eyes. “She’ll be fine, Neyonika. She’s a strong girl. We just have to have faith.”

As all this unfolded, Vikrant and Soha stood quietly in a corner, both watching the chaos around them. Vikrant’s face was stoic, but his eyes betrayed the turmoil inside him. Soha, on the other hand, was consumed with guilt, her hands trembling as she wiped at the tears that wouldn’t stop falling.

She hadn’t spoken a word since they arrived at the hospital, but inside, she was falling apart.

"This is my fault," Soha whispered under her breath, barely able to look at anyone. "If I hadn't… if I hadn’t said those things to her, she wouldn’t be here right now."

Vikrant placed a hand on her shoulder, his face softening slightly. “You didn’t mean for this to happen, Soha. Don’t blame yourself for things you couldn’t control.”

But Soha shook her head, the weight of her guilt pressing down on her chest like a boulder. “No, Dad, you don’t understand. I said horrible things to her. I lashed out. If I had just kept quiet, if I hadn’t… if I hadn’t confronted her like that, she wouldn’t have fallen, she wouldn’t be lying in that room, fighting for her life!” Her voice broke, and she covered her face with her hands, sobbing uncontrollably.

Vikrant pulled her into his arms, trying to soothe her, but even he knew that nothing he said could take away her guilt. “It’s not your fault, Soha. You’re not responsible for this.”

But Soha’s heart was heavy with regret, her mind replaying the confrontation over and over again. She couldn’t escape the thought that she had pushed Nandini too far, that her jealousy had caused all of this.

As the minutes stretched into what felt like hours, the tension in the waiting room grew heavier with each passing second. Manik was still pacing back and forth, his eyes red, his body trembling. Now and then, his friends had to pull him back from trying to storm into the room again.

“I need to see her,” he whispered, his voice hollow. “I need to see her.”

The doctor and nurse finally emerged from the emergency room, looking exhausted, and everyone rushed toward them, their faces full of fear and desperation. Manik was the first to reach them, his voice frantic as he asked, “Doctor, how is she? Please, tell me she’s okay!”

The doctor sighed deeply, his expression grim. “Her condition is extremely critical. She’s lost a lot of blood, and we need AB negative blood immediately. It’s a rare blood group, and our blood bank is currently out of it. We’re doing everything we can to find a donor, but we need you to search as well. Maybe someone in her family has the same blood type.”

The words hit everyone like a punch to the gut. Manik’s heart sank. AB negative. It was one of the rarest blood types, and without it, Nandini’s chances were slim. Before anyone could respond, Manik suddenly turned toward Vishakha, his voice trembling with urgency.

“Vishakha ma’am, you’re her mother! Please, you must have the same blood group. You can save her!” he begged, his hands shaking as he held onto her arms.

Vishakha, who had been sitting in a daze of shock, was jolted back to reality by his words. She blinked, her mind racing, and shook her head. “No… I don’t have the same blood group,” she whispered, her voice broken.

Manik felt like the ground was slipping away beneath his feet. His desperation was reaching new heights. “No, no, no… this can’t be happening!” he cried out, running his hands through his hair, tears falling freely. Then suddenly, something clicked in his mind. His eyes widened as a new thought struck him.

“Wait! Vikrant Uncle!” Manik turned sharply toward Vikrant, who stood in the corner, frozen in place. “You… you’re her father! You can give her blood!” Manik’s voice was desperate, pleading.

The entire room fell silent. Everyone’s eyes shifted toward Vikrant, the air thick with shock and confusion. Vikrant stood rooted to the spot, his face paling as Manik’s words sunk in. Soha’s eyes widened in disbelief, her mind struggling to process what she had just heard. Bela and Mahir exchanged nervous glances, while Vishakha looked like she had been struck by lightning.

“What are you talking about, Manik?” Vikrant finally managed to ask, his voice barely above a whisper. “Nandini is… my daughter?”

Manik was on the verge of losing it. His eyes were wide, wild with fear. “I don’t care about your past or what happened between you and Vishakha ma’am! Nandini needs your help right now! She’s dying, Vikrant Uncle. Please, she needs your blood!”

Vikrant was still in shock, unable to comprehend the weight of what Manik was saying. He looked over at Vishakha, his voice breaking as he asked, “Vishakha… is she really my daughter? How is this possible?”

The entire room seemed to hold its breath. Vishakha stared at the floor, unable to meet Vikrant’s gaze. Her lips quivered, but she said nothing.

Manik, on the verge of hysteria, shouted, “Why are you all wasting time? Nandini is inside fighting for her life! Please, Vikrant Uncle, do something!”

Before anyone else could react, Soha’s small, trembling voice broke through the tension. “Nandini… is my real sister?” She said it so softly that at first, no one believed she had spoken. But as the words sank in, everyone turned to look at her.

Vishakha snapped her head toward Soha, her eyes wide in disbelief. Soha stood there, frozen, her hands shaking as tears began to fall from her eyes.

But before anyone could process the revelation, a nurse rushed toward them, her face full of urgency. “Have you found a blood donor? We need the blood right now!” she said.

Manik was about to scream again when, all of a sudden, Alya and Cabir stepped forward at the same time.

“We’re AB negative,” they said in unison.

The nurse’s eyes lit up with hope. “Are you allergic to anything? Have you ever donated blood before?”

Alya shook her head. “We’ve never been tested for allergies, but we’ll do whatever it takes.”

“Come with me, both of you,” the nurse said, quickly ushering them away. Manik exhaled in relief, whispering a small prayer as he watched them leave. “Thank God… thank you…”

But the tension in the room was far from over. As soon as Alya and Cabir were taken away, Vikrant turned back to Vishakha, his voice rising in anger. “Is she my daughter, Vishakha? How could this be possible?”

Vishakha’s body tensed, her face hardening with anger. She stood up, trembling with fury, her voice sharp and cutting. “You don’t have any right to ask me that. You’re not her father! I’m both her mother and father, Vikrant.”

Vikrant’s face turned red with anger, his fists clenching at his sides. “How can you say that? How can you just… erase me like that? You care about Nandini, but what about our child? You left me, Vishakha. You left us both. How can you stoop so low?”

The pain in Vishakha’s eyes deepened, and she lashed out, her voice shaking with rage. “Don’t you dare talk to me about stooping low! You left me when I needed you the most. You blamed me for our child’s death. I was alone, Vikrant! I was alone in that hospital room, trying to reach you, but you were gone. You abandoned me with nothing but a letter!”

The room was silent as her words echoed off the walls. Bela and Mahir rushed to her side, trying to calm her, but Vishakha was trembling with emotion, her entire body shaking as years of suppressed pain and anger erupted.

Vikrant was frozen, his face drained of color. “You’re lying,” he whispered, his voice barely audible. “That’s not what happened. You left me. You sent me a letter saying you didn’t want us anymore, that you were leaving to pursue your career. I came to the hospital the next morning, and you were gone. My mother told me you left me and the baby behind.”

Vishakha’s breath hitched in her throat, her eyes wide with disbelief. “What are you talking about?” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Your mother told me that the baby was born dead. She said it was my fault, that you didn’t want to see me anymore. I never sent you a letter. I never left you, Vikrant.”

Vikrant staggered back, his mind spinning. “No… that can’t be true. When I came back, my mother… she said…” He trailed off, his face a mask of confusion and shock.

Vishakha stumbled, her knees giving way beneath her. Bela and Mahir caught her just in time, but her mind was reeling. “My baby… is alive? No… this can’t be true… How could this happen?”

Before Vikrant could respond, they heard a soft sobbing sound. The entire room fell silent again. Vishakha turned slowly, her eyes landing on Soha, who was standing in the corner, crying uncontrollably.

Vishakha’s heart stopped. She took a step toward Soha, her breath caught in her throat. “Soha?” she whispered, her voice breaking. “My… baby?”

Soha’s lip quivered, and she slowly nodded, tears streaming down her face. “Mom…”

The word hit Vishakha like a tidal wave. She stumbled forward, her hands reaching out to cup Soha’s face. “Oh my God… I thought you died. I thought I lost you. All these years, I thought you were gone…”

Soha collapsed into her mother’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”

Vishakha broke down completely, her body shaking as she held Soha tightly in her arms. “No, it wasn't your fault… it was all a lie… it was all a lie…”

Vikrant, too shocked to react, could only watch as the truth unraveled before him. His knees buckled, and he sat down, his mind racing. “It was all a misunderstanding… all these years… I thought you betrayed me… you left us…”

Vishakha pulled back slightly, still holding Soha’s face in her hands, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I never left you… I never wanted to leave you or our child.”

Vikrant whispered, broken and numb, “And I never wanted to leave you either.”

But the weight of the years of pain and misunderstanding hung heavy in the air, and no one knew how to make sense of the shattered pieces of their past.
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Hope u all like the chapter.....

Few words for Manik....

Few words for Nandini....

Finally the misunderstanding between Vishakha and Vikrant clears...

What were your favourite moments???

Will Nandini survive???

Thank u 🙂🙂

Love,
Kiara ❤️❤️