The response is again decreasing *pouts*

Next update won't be before 25K votes overall *huffed*

Ps- Long update, 4.5k+ words, leave good response:)

Pps- Thank you for 200K+ views!!

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"kisi or ka khayal aaya he nahin,

maine ek shakhs ko jab chaha toh phir hadd kardi."

"That's for all. We are done with the syllabus and now you should start preparing for your exams next month. All the best class." Nandini stood up as the professor went out of the class. Students started moving out and she too made her way out. Today was a hectic day for her as she had to attend back to back classes without a break. And now, when all classes were over she finally made her way to canteen to have her lunch as she was feeling hungry. Taking her usual seat on one seater in the corner she fished out her lunch box from bag and started eating.

Her eyes roamed around and settled on a table which was empty. Her brows ceased and she felt something stirring in her heart. It's been three days she saw him. The last she saw him, was, when he dropped her at home.

She frowned remembering that evening. His tensed and lost face worried her. That evening, he wasn't his usual self. He never spoke a word except for those three words when he dropped her at her doorstep.

Take Care Nandini. Those were the only words he spoke and after that, she neither saw him nor his friends. Nandini would be lying to herself if she say that she doesn't care. Because her mind would always remain busy with his thoughts.

Sighing in frustration, Nandini closed the tiffin box without completing her lunch and stood up taking her bag.

She should be happy that now Manik is away from her, her brain argued and she nodded but her heart didn't.

She looked at her hand where she could still feel the warmth of his hand enclosed together. Her heart reacted in it's own way and she rubbed it from above her chest.

Trying to neglect down the battle between her heart and her mind, she came to the bus stop near her college and soon took the bus and luckily got a seat. She looked out of the window lost in her thoughts.

Leaning back her head to the seat, Nandini closed her eyes feeling tired. She is tired fighting. She is tired of running away. She is tired of trying to handle it all. She is exhausted of trying to keep her life in her control which would always slip off her hand. She is exhausted of her life to be exact.

For once, for once she wants to let it all loose. For once she wants to hide herself from everything. For once she wants to smile, giggle, laugh freely. For once, she wants to hide herself in her safe heaven. For Once! Is it too much to wish, she wondered.

For once, she wished to let herself loose, to leave herself alone, to finally feel that she has punished herself enough -- for all the sins that maybe she never did.

Nandini jerked back out of her thoughts as she heard the conductor calling out for her stop. She sat straight and stood up to descend down the bus and walked to her cafe.

The bell chimed as she opened the door, but her face morphed the look of confusion as she saw chaos in the cafe. And what confused her more, was that it wasn't due to customers but some workers. She walked to the counter where Amba was sitting instructing something to the workers.

"Aunty. What's happening?" Amba looked at Nandini and smiled.

"Oh, you came Nandini. Well, this. Nothing much, just some renovation work." Nandini was confused and Amba saw the look on her face and smiled.

"Nandini, you know right from last few weeks the cafe wasn't working good and above that too much of earnings went for Danish's medications," Nandini nodded, and Amba continued, "God literally helped us. We found partners for the cafe and the best part is they just demanded for twenty percent equity while they will put money on cafe's renovation and all." Nandini was surprised hearing this. Why would someone go for such a loss deal, she thought. She looked at Amba when Amba forwarded her an envelope.

"Aunty, this?" Amba shrugged and frowned before speaking.

"I don't know. The partners told to triple the salaries of the employees. And they told it starts from today. I've given everyone their salaries, this is yours." Nandini confusingly took the envelope and opened it to find a cheque of fifty thousand in it and she gasped.

"Aunty. This is more than triple. What- what is this?"

"I don't know dear. They themselves made the cheques for every employee and sent them. And don't bother, keep them." Nandini was suspicious about all this. She was doubting about the truthfulness of these new partners.

"Aunty, who are they? Have you met them?"

"Yes, they came to our house on Sunday night. They don't want to reveal their identity and doesn't want anyone to know about them too. But don't worry Nandu, we have checked it throughly, they're very eminent personalities." Nandini looked at the cheque in her hand and then at Amba with a plain face.

"They?" Amba nodded and Nandini looked around the cafe before nodding and kept the cheque back on the counter making Amba frown.

"Nandini?"

"Aunty am sorry. I- I can't work here anymore." Amba gasped as she looked at Nandini.

"But why dear? What happen?" Nandini licked her dry lips but her face was still blank.

"I- Aunty I- I'll return the money soon. Am sorry. And Thank You for helping me throughout. I- I'll come to meet you soon." She gave a small grateful smile to her before coming out of the cafe without any further words, leaving a confused Amba behind.

Tears fell out of her eyes in helplessness and she didn't dared to wipe them off and started walking to her home.

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"Sir." Shivay looked above from his file to saw his secretary Gautam standing with frantic look which made him frown.

"What happen Gautam?"

"Sir, Mam left the job at cafe." Shivay's face went blank and he closed his eyes and palmed her face with his elbows supporting the table.

He knew this was a bad idea, but his brothers were admnant. How can they think that she won't know about it.

"Sir." Shivay looked at Gautam again and raised his brow.

"She also left the cheque." Shivay just nodded and asked Gautam to leave. He stood up from his chair and walked to the floor to ceiling length glass window in his cabin.

He knew that she knows who they are. And ofcourse, she would know. She always knew.

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"Bhaiyu you know the Rohan guy who pulled my hairs that day and I cried?" Nandini spoke with her head leaned into Omkara's shoulder, sitting on the bed while her other two brothers sat on the couch.

"Mhmm, what about him Pattotie?" Rudra asked while trying to hide his smirk.

"He got bald. Like literally. Everyone were laughing at him today. He was looking so eww!!" Shivay, Om and Rudra chuckled at the faces she made.

"So what Nanhi? He must've his own reasons for cutting them." Om spoke while caressing her temple.

"You know, he actually loved his hairs. And to be frank, his hair were soft and silky." Nandini shrugged and her brothers looked at her with a straight face.

"How do you know? Did you touched them? No, right? So stop talking about Jerks and his hair." Shivay spoke rolling his eyes and Nandini sighed before sitting straight.

"But Bhaiyu, I think you all should have left some hairs on his head. Now he is literally looking very bad but yes funny too." She giggled at last.

"Well, he was looking more funny, when we were cutting his hairs. You should have seen him at that time Pattotie. Literal Joker. Right Bhaiya?" Rudra asked laughing a little and raised his hand to hi-fi with Shivay who was sitting beside him. But dropped his hand when he saw his brother's serious face. He looked at Omkara who was also sitting with same face and then at Nandini who was now glaring at her brothers. And soon he realised what blunder he did.

"I knew it. You all did it. Aiyappa!!! Seriously Bhaiya? Why?" Nandini sprang out of bed and glared at her brothers who were sitting with unaffected face which made her sigh in frustration.

"Sweets, he hurted you so we hurted him. Simple." Nandini gave a blank look to Omkara who shrugged in response.

"Bhaiya, I thought you were the most sensible one."

"Hey, that's an insult for Shivay Bhaiya and me." Rudra protested but pouted when his sister glared at him.

"I even don't know why our sister is questioning us for that fool?" Shivay spoke looking straight into Nandini's eyes to which she rolled her eyes.

"I'm not speaking for him Bhaiya. He may go in hell for all I Care.I'm speaking for my brothers. You can't just go and punish everyone who troubles me?" She took an exasperated sigh and sat on the bed. Her three brothers sat on the floor in front of her on their knees, with Omkara in between and Shivay and Rudra at his each side.

"We can Nandu. We can. Nobody got the right to hurt our sister and live their life, just like that." Omkara spoke and other two nodded.

"We never gave the right to anyone to make you cry. Not even us." This time Shivay said and kissed her palm lovingly.

"And Nobody troubles you, because that's my patent right." Nandini chuckled at Rudra and flung herself into Omkara's arms taking both her brothers too who smiled and it was a group hug.

"But Pattotie, how did you know that it was us?" Nandini shrugged and smiled.

"I just know. I will always know." The smile on her face was reflected on the faces of her brothers who admired their sister.

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"She knew?"

"What did you expected?" Shivay asked leaning back on his chair and closed his eyes. Om and Rudra looked at him and sighed defeating-ly. Why did they even thought that their sister won't know about them.

"Bhai, what now? It was my mistake, I made that stupid plan. But- but Bhai, this is all I could think of since the time I saw, our sister asking for money from someone else. I- I couldn't." Rudra trailed off and sighed before keeping his head in the table. Shivay and Om looked at him and sighed too. Om ran his hand through Rudra's hair and looked at Shivay.

They both had the same feeling. Their heart also broke when they saw their little sister's vulnerable state, and for what? A small amount of money? The Goenka brothers never felt so poor in their lifetime as they felt in that one moment. For the world, they have everything but their hearts are empty. They are ready to trade anything and everything if they get their sister back in their lives.

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Nandini sat on the bed in her room, tapping her foot on the floor while staring at her keypad continuously. Her eyes were full of unshed tears, which were neither flowing out nor were drying.

Her thumb hovering over the green calling button of the phone as her screen had Manik's contact open.

Currently she was having a battle with her heart and mind. On one side her heart was asking her to press the button, her brain was chiding her to even think about it.

A part of her was confused that why even she was thinking to call him. While her other part was wishing for peace from the hurricane of her thoughts and memories which came back running with them.

Frustrating-ly she threw her mobile back on the bed and layed straight on the bed, with her legs hanging down.

Finally a tear of helplessness rolled out of her eyes followed by others. And she didn't raised her hand to wipe them. She was laying like a lifeless body, the only difference was that her chest was heaving up and down with every breath and her eyes were flowing. They weren't blinking even.

She felt homesick. Homesick for a place she is not sure even exists. One where her heart is full And her soul understood.

All these years, She has kept her sorrows to herself for she found no words to give them voice.

And her sorrow laid next to her, stared at her for a while, then it burst into tears, and she still remained silent.

Nandini curled herself into a ball as she laid on her side and bursted into tears. She was having a flashback of her golden time. Of the time when she was loved, when she was living a life of not less than a Princess. All the memories of her life, the time she spent with her family, was flashing through her mind like a movie, which made her cry more.

She was a Princess, who was brought to Rags by her own family.

The family who didn't trusted her. She muffled her sobs by pushing her face to the bed, remembering the day she was begging from her father to trust her. How her grandfather threw her out of the house just like trash. Like, all her life she wasn't a treasured jewel. How her mother never took a stand for her. How her brothers weren't even there for her, not even when she called them and begged them to come back.

Then why did they came back now? Now, when she had learned to live her life. Why? Why? Why?

After some time, she stopped crying wanting to feel numb.Her tears dried out but her inside were still screaming of the pain that she had buried deep inside. She kept staring at the wall.

The wall, where the photograph that Fab Four gifted to Anahita on her birthday was hanging. The same photograph that she had hid in a Cabinet but Anahita had cried so hard when she didn't found it on the wall, and she had to put it on the wall back not being to able to see her daughter sad.

She stared at the photograph with a blank face. She then looked at her palm which she had enclosed in his. When after many years she had felt home.

And then that home was also shattered.

She chuckled dryly. People aren't home's, they never will be. People are rivers, always changing, forever flowing. They will disappear with every thing you put inside them.

She has learnt it in a hard way, she won't let it go in vain.

Wiping the dried tears she sat straight and took her mobile. Opening the contact saved by his number she chose the delete option and again she felt herself getting weak to click on the yes. Sighing she kept the phone at side and went into washroom to get herself together, deciding to delete it later when she won't be weak.

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"For God sake can you three please shut up!!" Gauri and Bhavya flinched with Anika's voice.

Shivay, Omkara and Rudra also looked at her but didn't said anything. Anika released a deep breath and made the trio sit on the bed and sat infront of them on the bed. Gauri and Bhavya too took seats beside her.

"Now you three won't speak a word until I stop. Okay?" She sighed as the three didn't gave any response and looked at Gauri and Bhavya who gave her an encouraging nod.

"Shivay, Om, Ru, for the nth time, whatever happened, you three are not to be blamed entirely."

"Om, not a word. Let Bhabhi speak." Gauri stopped Om as she saw him trying to protest.

"Shivay, aap teeno ki sirf itni galti hai ki you didn't came to India when Nandini called you because she was missing you three. And you were right at your place, you just couldn't leave everything on an instant."

Shivay palmed his face with his hands and Om and Rudra were staring at her.

"Shivay, and you both," she looked at other two brothers, "It was not your mistake that Dadu and Papa misleaded you with the information. You didn't even knew that Our Nandini was raped for one whole year." The three brothers shut their eyes closed again hearing the harsh truth, that their sister was assaulted.

"Exactly Om, and you did whatever you could after finding the truth, but some things are never in our hand." Gauri said as she hold Omkara's hand and caressed his palm.

"And Rudra, Nandini doesn't know about this. Am sure she will forgive you when she will know the truth. And for that, you three need to face her." Rudra blinked his eyes and stared at Bhavya blankly.

"Exactly Shivay, you can't expect everything to turn normal while you sit here. You need to put efforts Shivay. And the first thing you three need to do is, go to her. This doing things secretly shit is not going to work." Anika said and saw the three lost in their thoughts. They just hoped that now these three won't drown themselves in guilt trip and take some much needed steps.

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Nandini walked out of her room and went o open the door hurriedly to stop the person from ringing the bell, as her daughter slept just now. She was trying to keep her and her thoughts numb by keeping her busy. And spending some time with her precious daughter, was the most perfect way, who slept just now.

She opened the door and frowned seeing no-one at the door. Sighing she was about to close the door when her gaze fell on something at the floor. Bending down she picked it up to see a book bouquet. She blinked in amazement and ran her hands through the books with a small smile. But her smile disappeared as soon as it came as she noticed the books. These were her books. Her old books, her safe haven, which she left back when she left that house.

Her breathing turned shallow and her hands trembled. Her eyes turned blurry and the bouquet was about to fall but three hands held it before it touched the ground.

Nandini looked down at the owners of the hand and her eyes met with another two pairs of black eyes and a pair of blue eyes. She remembered how she used to always crib that her eyes aren't blue like him.

She looked at the three men who stood infront of her. The men, whom once she called as Bhaiya, Bhaiyu or Bhai, but today they're strangers for her.

Shivay, Om and Ru looked at the petite figure in front of them with longing eyes. Their eyes were filled with tears looking at her after so many years. Their hands itched to hold her, to embrace her, to kiss her forehead and hide her securely.

The moment was still. Nobody spoke anything. Nobody moved an inch. The three brothers kept looking at their sister with all the love in their heart and the sister stared at them blankly but her heart was thumping loudly in her chest.

"Nanhi!!"

"Sweets!!"

"Pattotie!!"

The three whispered together, almost inaudibly but she heard. She inhaled a sharp breath and her eyes welled up for the nth time today. But she blinked them back not letting her tears out.

"It's - Nandini!" She whispered back with a firm yet cracky voice.

Nandini took two steps back still looking at them and they kept standing there.

"Nandini it is."

"Nandini Murthy!!" She kept whispering while taking steps back and their heart broke seeing her retreating her steps.

Rudra was about to say something when they heard a voice from behind and soon they found a small little girl peeping from behind their sister. Shiv, Om, Rudra instantly recognised her from the day of Janmashtami. They were confused with her presence here and looked at Nandini who was still looking at them.

Anahita frowned seeing three unknown men at her doorstep and then her mother who was still. She huffed and looked at the three men and kept her hand on her waist.

"Uncle, what you did with My Mumma?" Nandini came out of the trance hearing Anahita and she looked at her brothers who were still on their places now.

"Mumma?" The three whispered with shock and Anahita frowned but Nandini's face didn't gave any reaction.

Shivay, Om and Rudra looked at Anahita for few seconds and their eyes widened in realisation. They looked at their sister who stood with a blank face not looking at them.

Anahita tugged at her mother's kurti who looked at her and tried giving a smile.

"Mumma who are they?" Nandini's face again turned blank as she looked at them and then at her daughter. She kneeled down and cupped her cheeks and plastered a smile on her face.

"Someone I wish I could hate." Omkara gulped the lump in his throat, a tear slipped out of Rudra's eyes and Shivay fisted his hands.

"Huh?" Anahita stood confused and Nandini shook her head and licked her lips.

"I don't know beta. I don't know them."

Nandini looked sideways to wipe the formed tear in her eye and Anahita saw the three unknown men, who she feels she had seen before but couldn't remember, who were trying to wipe their tears without getting noticed.

"Let's go inside Shona." Nandini held Anahita's finger and turned around without glancing at her brothers.

She was not going to give into her hearts pleading who was telling her to just hide herself in the safe cocoon of their arms. Her brothers' arms, where she always felt safe and peaceful.

Goenka Brothers saw their sister walking in the house with her daughter and closing it behind without turning back.

She is their sister. They know that she must be hurting and breaking inside, just like them. They didn't even know that their sister has a- a daughter? They can't even imagine the level of sufferings their sister had to go through in all these years.

While the people responsible for all this are still living their life happily?

How could they not blame themselves now? How?

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"Mister Pruthviraj Goenka!!"

The Goenka mansion boomed with the loud voice. Suraj and Anita who were all ready to sleep came running to the living area hearing their son's loud voice and what shocked them more, that, he was calling his grandfather with his name? Suraj's blood boiled and he looked at his sons with anger.

"Shivay!!! What is the matter? And how dare you call your grandfather with his name?" Anita was scared looking at her sons who were looking so enraged and their eyes red. She heard them chuckling mirthlessly which scared her more.

"You still have to witness our limit of dare, Mister Suraj Goenka." Anita gasped and looked at her husband in horror as Omkara called him with his name too.

"Mind your tongue Omkara Goenka.. First of all what are you doing here? And secondly, konsa bhoot ghus Gaya hai haa??"

Everyone turned to see the Prithviraj Goenka walking out of his room and seeing him the brothers fisted their fists tightly. Their sister's face flashed infront of their eyes which made their blood boil with anger at the sight of their so called grandfather.

Anita hurriedly walked to her sons and tried to talk with them calmly.

"Shiv, Om, Ru. Bachon, calm down. What happen? Hmm? We can talk calmly right?"

"Since years, we have been talking Calmly Mumma. Did it took us anywhere? So today, we have lost our calmess." Anita saw the fire in their eyes and she felt scared. She looked at her husband and father-in-law who were looking equally angry.

"Will you tell us what the matter is? And I want a proper reason of the disrespect." Prithviraj's stern voice echoed in the hall which had no effect on the hard glares of Goenka Brothers.

"DisRespect?," Shivay chuckled humourlessly, "You and Respect, shouldn't be put in a single sentence Mister Pruthviraj Goenka. You see, that's the disrespect of the word Respect."

As soon as Shivay finsihed his sentence he felt a sting on his left cheek and a voice of loud slap was heard. Shivay looked at his mother with a blank face who stood there with anger in her eyes.

"Apologise. Now, Shivay Goenka."

It was the first time ever that Anita had raised her hand on any of her children. The mother in her was regretting but according to her, the wife and daughter -in- law took the right step.

Rudra and Omkara looked at their mother in disbelief and Shivay stood still with no emotion on his face.

"Didn't you heard what your mother said. Apologise to your grandfather now." Suraj's word had no effect on Shivay as he kept looking at his mother and gave a mirthless smile to her.

"Wish, you had slapped your so called father-in-law and your husband earlier, when they were dragging your daughter out of the house and throwing her like a trash Maa. Kaash!! Kaash aap aachi biwi, aachi Bahu ke saath saath, apni beti ke lie, ek aachi Maa bhi ban pati. Kaash!!"

(Wish, alongwith a good daughter and a good wife you could've become a good mother to your daughter)

Anita stumbled back and was about to fall but her husband held her on time. But none of her son reacted to her.

"Why the hell she is being mentioned in My House?" Prithviraj roared and he saw his grandsons advancing towards him.

"If you loved your reputation more, if you didn't believed her, then at least you should have told Us. We could have been there for our sister at least. Why Did You Chose To Lie Prithviraj Goenka? Why?" Omkara shouted and for a second even Prithviraj and Suraj flinched, while Anita was sitting with no movements.

"Why did you told us the lie, that You believed is the truth? Why did you never let us talk to her? Why the fuck you didn't beleived her? You broke her. You broke us. You broke a happy family. You. You. You did this." Rudra's voice cracked at last as he took deep breaths. Shivay took two predatory steps towards him and stood a foot away and looked into his eyes dangerously.

"Your Reputation is everything for you and your son right? You threw our sister out for this fucking reputation, no? Now wait and watch Us destroying your this so called Reputation from R to N. You disowned our sister from being a Goenka, now see, how everyone looks down at you for being a Goenka, Mister Prithviraj. "

Shivay retraced his steps and walked out of the mansion with his brother beside him leaving his parents and grandfather in a state of shock.

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Longest Chapter Ever!! My hands hurt 🤕

So??? How was it??

I thoroughly enjoyed writing it, be it the emotional part of Nandini or the Tashan of Shivay.

Who literally missed Manik? I absolutely did. Pata nahi kaha hai mera Manik 🥺 (real bhi and reel bhi)

How was the little flashback scene?

How was Nandini's emotional trauma part? Literally I felt my throat dry imagin her state. Hope I did justice though.

ShivOmRu ki kahani hi alag h 😂 I hope now no-one hates them.

And awe, they met their niece but still couldn't meet them.

Who enjoyed the last part? Well, why should hero do everything right? Brothers are also heroes.

Now next chapter most probably Manik will know about Nandini's identity.

I'll try posting spoilers on Instagram.

Next update- Sunday.

4700 words!!

~A  ⁠♡