•~•

kisi ko ujad kar basse toh kya basse,
kisi ko rula kar hasse toh kya hasse.

•~•

Nandini's eyes fluttered open when she felt a feather touch on her cheeks and her eyes met the sight of her daughter who was sitting beside her with all the concern and affection for her. And seeing her mother opening her eyes a smile broke on the little girl's face.

"You okay Mimi?" For some moment Nandini felt guilty, for not paying attention to her daughter and not taking care of her but her daughter's one gentle touch and beautiful smile was enough for her to not drown in that guilt. She smiled a little smile and sat on the bed with the support of the headboard, and took Anahita in her lap.

"Mimi is absolutely fine bache. And Mimi is sorry too for ignoring you." Nandini's voice was hoarse due to crying so much last night. And as the last night flashed through her mind she looked around her room but didn't found the person she was looking for. For a moment she felt dejected but chucked off the bitter feeling and looked at her daughter.

"Iti was scared Mimi." Nandini gently caressed Anahita's head as she dipped her head in her mother's neck clearly showing how scared she was.

"No need to be scared baby. Mumma will always be there for you. Mumma would never leave you alone. Mumma would never let you become me. Never."

Kissing the top of Anahita's head all the while lost somewhere Nandini didn't noticed Ishita standing on the threshold with tears, which she wiped before entering in and stood close to the mother- daughter duo. She kept her hand on Nandini's head bringing her out of the trance she was in.

"How are you bache?" Nandini took Ishita's hand and kissed the inside of her palm before smiling.

"I'm fine Ishi Maa. Sorry for worrying you."

"Thappad khaogi? You are my daughter, you've all the right to make me worry." Nandini chuckled alongwith Ishita and Anahita pushed herself out of her mother's neck with a frown as she didn't understood the joke.

(You want to get a slap)

"Nandu, go get fresh and eat something, you haven't had anything since yesterday." Nandini gave a faint smile and nodded and Ishita caressing her hairs moved out.

"Mimi you will make me bath?" Anahita tilted her head with a sweet pout which melted Nandini and she nodded which made Anahita happy and she jumped from her mother lap and straight away went in the washroom.

"Careful bacha." Nandini sighed as she heard Anahita's giggle which must be due to her some mischievousness and she too got up from the bed with a little so energy in her body. It's then when Nandini's gaze fell on a green note that was kept on the side table with a paperweight above it. Intrigued, she picked up the note and read it.

New Morning Love ♡

Just wanted to let you know that I loved you earlier, but now, I love you a little more (if that's possible even) for the way you've survived. I know, you won't believe me but one day you will. One day you are going to look at someone and say, "I survived". There is great satisfaction in that. Even more if the person staring back comes from your mirror. Till then, I'll remind you that. And until you doesn't start loving yourself, I'll love you for the both of us.

Meet you soon.
With love,

~Nandini's Manik ♡

Ps- It's time for your battle love, but you will never be alone.

Nandini clutched the note to her heart with unshed tears in her eyes.

Manik!

She whispered his name like a prayer with the utmost love and exhaled a breath she never knew she was holding.

And in that moment, she knew what she feels and she finally decided not to run away from them anymore.

She was ready to take the blind leap of faith.

Not for her.

Not for anyone else.

Just for him.

.
.

"Anahita finish the last bite please." Nandini huffed when her daughter shook her head and rubbing her hand on her tummy as a way of telling that she is full. She herself ate that last bite and looked sideways when the doorbell rang. She stiffened on her seat fearing who would be there which was well noticed by Ishita who patted her head in assurance before moving towards the door to open it.

As Ishita opened the door she frowned seeing three men at her threshold. She looked at them thoroughly and was surprised seeing the disheaveled state they were in.

"Uh, who do you want to meet?"

"Nandini."

"Wh- who is it Ishi Maa?" Nandini came to the door slowly holding Anahita's hand but was shocked seeing her three brothers standing there in a mess. She inhaled a shaky breath as she looked at the three of them, who started back at her with different emotions dancing in their eyes.

Ishita was confused while Anahita looked at them and tilted her head in confusion.

"Arrey, app fil aa gaye?"

(You came again)

Hearing Anahita's voice Nandini came out of her trance and looked at her and so did Goenka Brothers who had a faint smile on their faces now. They found her just like her mother, adorable and innocent face with the same chubby cheeks.

"Nandu, you know them?" Nandini nodded at Ishita and looked in her brother's eyes.

"They- they were my brothers." And if it was possible then Shiv Om Ru's heart broke when she said that they were her brothers. Ishita was shocked which was converted into anger as she glared at the three men.

"Nandini- we- we please talk to us." Nandini's heart broke when she heard the painful voice of Rudra. She clutched the side of her kurti tightly. Can't they just leave her as she was, she wondered and looked sideways.

"With what rights you want to talk to her now? See, it would be better if you stay away from her now, you and your family has caused enough damage to her already." Shivay Om and Rudra stared at Ishita before looking at Nandini, who was as if stopping herself from breaking down.

When for another minute there was no movement from anyone, Nandini looked above at her brothers who were standing with dejected looks. She remembered Manik's words from the morning note and took a deep breath.

"Let's talk." Shivay Om Ru's head snapped in her direction as she stared right back at them. Nandini saw a glint of hope in their eyes, the reason she looked away and her gaze fell on Ishita who was standing with questions swimming in her eyes. Nandini just blinked at her and nodded at Anahita and Ishita nodded back before taking Anahita inside. Nandini looked at her brothers and gave a nod to them before moving inside followed by her brothers. She directly went into her room and closed the door behind when Shivay, Omkara and Rudra entered too.

Shiv, Om, Ru looked around her room to see pictures of baby Anahita, pictures of Nandini with Anahita. And they realised that how much they have missed. Their gaze then fell on a frame of Nandini and Manik with Anahita in between holding both of their hands. They were amazed seeing that particular frame. Nandini saw them looking at the frame and looked away.

"Why are you here? Why now?" Nandini's words bought back the brothers from their guilt trip and they looked at their sister.

The sister who has grown up, and they weren't their to witness that.

They still remember that teenager Nandini who would run everywhere with her two ponies like a bunny. The way she would always crave for their attention.

Alas! Gone were those days.

Gone their sweet childish sister.

The girl who was standing infront of them just resembled their sister with face, nothing similar. But was she to be blamed here?

Absolutely not.

It was them and their family who killed that innocent girl.

"We- we don't deserve another chance, right?"

Hearing Omkara's words Nandini looked at him and chuckled bitterly.

"Ofcourse you deserve it. I am ready to forgive you. I- I will never hold a grudge against you."

They frowned upon hearing her and were confused too. Does she really forgive them, but her next words were enough for them to realise that they actually doesn't deserve any chance.

"I'll do anything you say, but just, give those four years back to me. Or do something so that those four years would never haunt me. I Promise, I'll forgive you. Can you do that? You are billionaire right? You can do that."

Shivay inhaled a sharp breath and looked away. Rudra fisted his hand and closed his eyes and a tear slipped from Omkara's eyes with the pleading voice of their sister. Wish, wish their could give her the thing she was asking. They would've sold themselves for that to happen.

Nandini sobbed and fell on her knees buring her face in her hands shattering her brothers' heart more if possible. They too sat on their knees in front of her with tears in their eyes.

"I- I called you. For days, I called you three, but- but you never came, you never picked any of my calls. I- I was alone. Alone in my own home. I nee- needed you bhaiya. I need-ed you. But you- you never came. No-one came." With every word she sobbed more, breaking her brothers inch by inch, just the way she had broke.

With trembling hands Shivay held her hands in his uncovering her face which was still down. Her tears fell on floor as she sobbed more and Shivay pulled her in his arms, making her sobs turn into cries of pain and sufferings. Rudra and Omkara joined the hug, engulfing her in between them. She didn't hugged them back, her hands still on floor but she cried, cried untill she couldn't cry more, until she couldn't feel more.

"I hate you." She kept whispering those words but never pulling herself out of their arms, because she felt safe, she felt secure. And although her mind was telling her to scoot away she couldn't. Her heart wasn't ready to scoot away from this feeling of safety. Just a few moments more, she argued.

After few minutes which were spent in peace, the siblings again felt cold when she pushed herself away. Her face again devoid of any feelings and she stood up not looking at them. She wiped her tears and that's when her gaze fell on the door. She frowned seeing three women standing there with their eyes too filled with tears. It took a few moments to Nandini to recognise Anika as she had seen her in the cafe. But she was confused with their presence here.

Anika, Gauri and Bhavya stepped in closing the door behind. They looked at their husbands who were facing their back kneeled on the floor. They looked at Nandini who was looking at them with confusion. They gave her a faint smile knowing that she doesn't know them.

"Finally we met Nandini." Hearing Bhavya's voice the three brothers looked behind and saw their wives standing there. They stood up before moving towards them. And seeing their husbands in that state broke their hearts too.

"Gauri, what are you doing here?" Omkara asked and Gauri wiped his unshed tears.

"Won't you introduce her to us?" She asked from him and he inhaled deeply. While it didn't took Nandini more minutes to realise that who are they. Her eyes shined when she took into their appearances realising that these are her sisters-in-laws. Anika smiled at her and moved forward and took Nandini in a hug surprising her, although she didn't hugged back but she didn't pushed her too which was a kind of relief to her brothers.

"Hi Nandini. I am Anika. Shivay - that kanji aankhon Wale ki wife." Nandini looked at Shivay who was frowning at the type of introduction and she blinked. Similarly Gauri and Bhavya too came and hugged her and introduced themselves in their own unique way.

"What are you doing here Anika?" Shivay asked making Anika look at him and smile softly.

"To tell Nandini, that why you were not there when she needed you." The brothers took a sharp breath and shook their heads but saw their wives standing firmly.

"No need Bhabhi. We weren't there, it's entirely our fault. We failed our sister, that's our fault." Omkara looked into Nandini's eyes as she stood there with no expressions.

"For which you have been punished enough Omkara Ji." Omkara glared at Gauri which had no effect on her.

"And I bet, Nandini would want to know that why the brothers who would have destroyed the world for her, weren't there for her when she needed them the most. Right Nandini?" Nandini looked at Bhavya with confusion etched on her face. Her heart was beating rapidly for unknown reasons. She looked into her brothers' eyes and saw just pain in them.

"They couldn't come to you because, Shivay was in coma Nandini." Nandini's breath hitched as she heard Anika speaking out those words. She looked at Shivay who had his eyes closed.

"On that day when you called them to come home because you were missing them?", Nandini remembered that day which was a day before the night everything changed for her, "that night Shivay was coming back from somewhere when his car met with accident and he was severely injured. He was in coma for three months."

"But- but no-one to-ld me." Nandini's breath came heavy as tears slipped from her eyes. Shivay couldn't see her in that way rushed to her and cupped her face wiping away the tears.

"I-I didn't not, I- know." Shivay nodded as she kept wiping the fresh tears that would flow from her eyes.

"I know bacha, I know. You didn't knew. No-one knew. No-one except Prithviraj Goenka." Nandini blinked her eyes as she heard him, and she didn't miss the hatred in his voice as he took their grandfather's name.

"But- how. I- bha- bhaiyu. I- am sorry." And once again she broke into tears and hugged Shivay who hugged her back shooking his head in no, asking her not to apologise.

Rudra and Omkara too came to her and she hugged them too while crying. Anika, Gauri and Bhavya smiled with tears in their eyes as they saw the most awaited reunion of their lives. The siblings cried and cried more as they hugged together.

"But why didn't he told anyone?" Nandini couldn't control the anger in her voice. And she wasn't sure whether this anger was for her so called grandfather or for herself as she hated her brothers for not fault of theirs, because they were suffering somewhere alone too.

"It was us, who asked him to not tell you and to not worry too because we didn't wanted to worry you. But he never told us about you. We- we just never picked up your call because we thought- we thought that you were calling us to talk and when you will realise that Shivay is not okay, you would break down. But- but we never knew that what was going on here. That's entirely our fault, because we should have talked to you, maybe then you haven't had to suffer so much. And till the time we came to know everything, it was too late. You were gone, or say forced to leave."

Nandini sobbed in Omkara's arms and shook her head. All this time she thought that her brothers trusted her parents and grandfather and that's why they never talked to her, comes out that they never knew that she was suffering here. And she hated her brothers for nothing. And now she was hating herself for that. How could she be so lost in her griefs that she didn't realised that her brothers were suffering too.

"Am sorry bhaiyu. Am sorry." She hicupped and felt a soothing kiss on her head.

"It was never your fault bache. Never."

.
.
.

Just me trying to tell you that we are not the only one suffering, everyone, everywhere is fighting their own battles, no-one has it easy.

No MaNan, ik, but am important part.

Still hating Goenka brothers?

Hates for Senior Goenka has increased ik.

Writing is peaceful I swear >>

So basically technically, I have this another story plot in my mind very similar yet different from this one. So we can do this, that after completing this one I can continue this book with Anahita's story. What say?

Just a thought rn:)

Anyways, if you liked the part then drop your reviews!

Thank You.

2830 words!!

~A ♡