Love or Game (Complete✅)

Chapter 28 -"Last piece of the puzzle..."

"Even I don't want to let me obstruct this relationship. I have no objection."

Navya stares up. Her eyes are beaming with glee and disbelief. I amble at her and rest my palm on her head. She looks at my eyes.

"Your happiness is more important than my obstinance. Start a new life, Navu. There is no looking back now."

I caress her head and smile. Cabir mumbles a thank you. I come out of the room. Let them spend more time with each other. Mukti looks at me with curious eyes. I give a pale smile and nod. Slowly I approach the exit gate. Suddenly I am feeling a void inside me. I have been waiting for this moment for the last two years. It was the motive of my life. But when that moment came, why am I not feeling happy? What is this emptiness that is wrecking me from inside? I head to the main gate with tried steps.

"Yes, at last, you got your sister's happiness...at the cost of your happiness."

My Inner God murmurs in my head. I let him talk because I know I don't have any contention to defy his blames.

"Nandini is your happiness and ironically you destroyed that happiness with your own hands. This void is created by you that might be ever filled."

He continues. I come to a park and sit under a tree. It is the worst feeling when you know you are wrong and still you keep on doing wrong despite knowing that you would never be able to rectify it. I close my eye to pacify the burning sensation.

"Nandini, I know you still love me. And I also know you can never forgive me which I completely deserve. I forgot that love is not a game. If we take it as a game then love plays its own game. And I am defeated by love."

My mind gathers the words. All of a sudden, another thought crosses my mind. Though I can't go back to my love I can rectify my other mistakes. I can mend all the mess which I have created in the office. I have to fix all the damage which I purposely did. And for that, I need to go to the office.

"Nandini, I can't return your love, nor your old Manik. But I can correct the situation which has taken a toll on your career."

I think aloud and get up. After Cabir and Navya's marriage and my pending works, I can leave this city. Because Nandini deserves a better future where she won't have to see or remember me. I increase my speed and hire a taxi to reach ELYSIAN.

..................................................

After a relentless thorough search, I start gasping. Till now I have checked all the drawers and the files kept in Ajja's open cupboard. There is nothing which I am looking for. Being a bit vexed I slutch on the chair. It squawks a bit. I put my hand behind my hip to adjust myself only then something pricks my finger. I immediately pull back my hand and turn back to see the thing which is pocking my backside. I can't see anything. So, I get up from the chair and minutely observe the recliner area. After close scrutiny, something catches my eyes. A sharp corner of white paper is peeking from the cavity between the seat and the recliner cushion of the revolving chair. I carefully try to pull out the entire page but it doesn't seem easy as both the cushions are pressing it firmly. I look for a pointed thing so that I can increase the gap to pull it out. I find a paper cutter in the pen-stand. I lift it and watchfully and patiently press it on the gap. After a couple of tries, I manage to take out the paper without harming it. As it was pressed under the cushion for a long time, the paper has turned yellowish. Still, the letters written on it are quite readable. I again sit on the chair and start reading. Surprisingly it is Ajja's letter written to me. I check the date. It is written just two days before his death. Perhaps this is the thing which he was trying to tell me. I start reading...

Dated: 3rd July 2007

Dear Nandu,

I am writing this letter to you because I don't have the courage to admit all these in person. And I know you have that strength to forgive your Ajja. Nandu "Life is a Boomerang. What you give, you get." I have realised this truth recently when I almost lost my only grandson. Whatever pain he is going through is the repercussion of my wrong deed. Nandu, that letter which Cabir got from that girl Navya is actually written by me. Two weeks back I went to her house to give her an ultimatum to leave Cabir as well as this city but she denied and accused me of being a bad grandfather. She also threatened me to tell everything to Cabir. I lost my temper and left from there. That time I got her diary too so that I come to know what is her real intention. I didn't have faith in her words. Neither I believed her when she told me that she is carrying Cabir's child. However, after I read her diary, I changed my mind. I thought maybe I am wrong this time to judge her. So, I decided to meet her again before she says anything to Cabir. You know that how adamant he was about her and I didn't want a further argument with him on this topic. However, when I went to Navya's house I found it empty. I contacted the landlord and he said that Navya and his brother have left the house two days back. He also told that Navya was hospitalised and the rumour is she had a miscarriage. He thanked God that both brother and sister voluntarily vacant his house. Otherwise, he only will have to ask them to leave as he doesn't want this kind of scandal in his house. I tried to get their current address from the landlord but he said he doesn't know. Neither he bothers. I even visited the hospital where Navya was admitted but nothing went fruitful. Here Cabir was behaving like crazy for not being able to contact Navya. One day he said that he is leaving to search for her. I knew that if I don't do anything right now, I might lose my grandson forever. Getting no other option, I made a plan. I wrote a fake letter and posted it for Cabir. I just wanted Cabir to hate her because there was no chance to get her back in his life. At that point, it was the only solution for me to pull back Cabir from her memory. But who knew that it can backfire like this? Despite hating her Cabir started blaming himself. He was blaming himself to love her, to trust her. And one day he took that drastic step to kill himself. The rest you know. In this situation, I can't even say the truth to him because I am scared to lose him emotionally. But I know you will understand my situation. I know I did a big mistake but I have no way to rectify it. Navya lost her child because of me. And karma has punished me by almost snatching my grandson. That's why I said life is a boomerang. Nandu I...

That's it. The letter is finished here. This is the day when Ajja got the cardiac arrest. He was found unconscious in this room, on this chair. Maybe he felt uneasy when he was writing this letter to me and because of this, he left it unfinished. His shaky handwriting is indicating that direction. I leave a sigh. That means Ajja was not fully aware of Navya's miscarriage. Maybe he was the reason behind it but he didn't do it intentionally. I have to analyse the situation impartially and maybe that's why Ajja wrote this letter to me. I fold the letter to keep it in my handbag. I have got every piece of information from Ajja's side. Now, I have to know Navya's side of the story to complete this puzzle.

"And then I will make my decision. Maybe the biggest decision of my life."

I mutter and come out of Murthy Creations office. 

Author's note: What decision Nandini is talking about? Will Manik leave the city forever? To know, stay tuned.