Manan - Hold My Hand

Chapter 74

"Oh what a mess it was on the news the next day, I hated Manik for calling the media and throwing her in front of the media like that. When Father came home, they fought a lot, Father talked about leaving mom and getting a divorce. He left the house after that but Mom kept drinking. I tried to help her but she pushed me away. I remember walking inside her room to call her for dinner later. She had taken a few steps ahead before she fainted... falling in my arms. I didn't know what to do. Father was not home. With some help from the house staff, we took her to the hospital, All the time, Manik just stood at the side and kept watching as if it was some drama going on. When the doctor said she fell into a coma, I didn't know what to do. All I wanted was someone to tell me she would be fine but Father was busy trying to keep it all out of the news and Manik, I don't think he even felt anything.", Shravan said his tone bitter as he cleared his throat and looked away composing himself.

Nandini felt his emotions as she looked at Cabir who stared at him with pity too. They knew Manik's reasons for his actions and it was far different from what Shravan was assuming. As Shravan kept narrating to her, she was sure of one thing, The chairman was the only person who was responsible for all this mess. Not Manik, Not Shravan, Not Annie, and Not Mrs. Malhotra. Only the chairman Yash Malhotra.

"Mom was in a coma at the hospital with no hope or news of when she would wake up. Father was never home anymore, maybe once or twice a month for a day. Imagine your whole family falling apart in just two years just because of a single person. I would either lock myself in my room or stay at the hospital. I remember coming home one day and watching Manik enjoying his lunch happily while my mother was sick, my family was falling apart. It triggered something in me, I remember throwing his plate and asking the cook to not make any food for him. I wanted him to suffer too, to feel the pain I was feeling because of him. It was not a good time for me. Those 3 years were probably the hardest part of my life. I got involved with some wrong people. I regret that now but at that time that was what kept me going.", Shravan said explaining how he dealt with his mother falling into a coma.

"I met Sia and we became friends somehow and I think that was the best thing that could've happened to me then. I started to get my act together. Things were slowly falling into place. I remember preparing for studying music in college and auditioning for movies. Mom woke up a few days after my 18th birthday. I was the happiest but she hardly spoke a few words for the first week but then she started talking slowly and improving. I shared with her about my dreams and that was when she decided to tell me the truth. The complete truth.", Shravan smiled at Sia, and Nandini could see the admiration and love they had for each other. 

Shravan let out a small laugh before he wiped his face with a sigh.

"All my life was a complete lie. I had a half-brother who was living with me for the past 5 years and I didn't have a clue about it. Suddenly it made sense why he wanted to separate my parents, and took everything from me. I honestly didn't know how to react. I really wanted to get away from all of this drama. I asked Mom to come with me, we would leave the city and start a new life but she denied it. She said she can't. She didn't want Father to give her parents company to his mistress's son. She had asked me to study business and take over it but I was never interested in business. I denied her and asked her to come with me instead. Every day I would try to convince her. I could see she wasn't not improving. Her doctor advised she needed to be taken away from all the stress. She had finally agreed too to get away but it all went down the drain when Father gave her divorce papers and had manipulated the shares to make himself the largest shareholder and not mom as she was before when Grandfather gave the company to Father. Father said I can either study business and be a part of the company or I can leave empty-handed.", Shravan said his veins showing in his neck as he fisted his hand.