(A/N: Aha. So finally we made to 60k reads on Broken Hearts and 1k followers on Wattpad. Milestone yeah? I agree it was a long journey but it couldn't have been possible without you all. My followers are one of the reasons I am alive. Finally we are a 1k family and I am feeling overwhelmed. Thank you all for your support. Special thanks to sasha041995 TaNu2709 partholic_isha TeeGee_TG thegirlinpinksocks flighhigh Iluvpani_xoxo and my new online friend MaNanForever0811 for your support. Means a lot to me. Thanks for everything. Love you all to infinity. And this goes to all my followers are regular commenters too. Sorry if I haven't mentioned your names but you all are near and dear to me. Stay blessed. Love you all loads.)
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We went back home. Manik was depressed and so was I. I tried my level best to seem happy but I couldn't.
I went to our room and lied on the bed. I rolled and twirled but I couldn't sleep. Something was disturbing me. Manik was not okay. I had promised Uncle but...
That was when Manik stepped into the room, with food in a plate. He sat on the bed and fed me with his hand.
"Manik, did you eat?" He sat, reaction-less.
"Manik?" I called out again but he seemed to be in deep thought.
"Manik..." I shook him and he came back to his senses.
"Haan?"
"Kya hua? See, agar kuch hai toh you can share it with me. You know that na?" I put my hand on his thigh and talked to him.
"Hmm..." He continued feeding me. I fed him too and he ate without any tantrums. After eating, he went to keep the plate downstairs while I washed my hands.
"Manik, tumhe kuch baat karni thi na?" I asked, as we sat on the bed.
"Haan... Voh Abhi..." He said and I had a vague idea about what he was talking about. At least, I thought so.
"Oh, Abhimanyu?" I asked and sighed. He must've got to know why we separated for a week.
"Abhimanyu ne kaha ki..." I stopped him mid-sentence.
"Haan voh... Thank God tumhe pata chala." I said. I really didn't know how he would react if he got to know my best friend tried to kill him.
"Matlab voh sacchh tha?" His eyes widened. I nodded.
"Haan. Kyun?" I said, casually. If only I knew what I was doing. If only I knew he meant something else. He got so angry, he chucked a lamp off the bedside table and it broke into pieces. I closed my ears and he stormed out.
"Ayyappa, ab isse kya hua? Itna gussa?" He was getting so angry for something that actually sounded funny to me. I followed him downstairs.
"Manik, kya hua?" I called from behind him and he turned. His eyes were bloodshot and I didn't know how deep this issue was getting into.
"Nandini, why didn't you tell me? I mean, I thought at least you would tell me stuff but you also..." He made a disgusted face and it hurt me.
"Manik, aisa nahi hai. I didn't know how to tell you. You already hated him na?" I tried justifying myself.
"Haan toh even now I hate him goddamnit! And now I hate him even more. But you? I never thought you would do this. You are nothing less than my so-called friends. I don't believe in love. I can never fall in love. I don't love you. I hate you." I knew he didn't mean any of what he said. He was just angry.
"Manik..." I tried to hold his arm and make him listen to me but he went on and on.
"Girlfriends are bitches. They all cheat. Alya and you, both of you are the same. Love is a lie. Ab bolo, yeh bacchha jiska hai, voh bhi zinda hai na? Kahan hai voh? What are your other plans to trap me? You want money na? How much do you need?" I slapped him right across his face. Did he even know what he was saying and how much it was hurting me? What made him say I was with him for money? How could he even think I was cheating him?
"Manik, do you know what you are even saying? You are not making sense. Are you in your senses?" I was in tears and I screamed. He held his jaw to ensure that it didn't dislocate. He pulled me by my arms. He dug his nails into my arms and it hurt.
"How dare you raise your voice on me? Everyone is right. It's disgusting how I fell in love with someone like you. You broke my heart. I trusted you but you..." I was crying. My vision was getting cloudy.
"Manik, don't... say it." My voice began to crack. He put his hands over his mouth and took a deep breath.
"Nandini, pack your bags and leave." He said sternly. I looked at him and didn't more an inch.
"I said, leave." He screamed louder and I got frightened. He never got this angry on me for anything.
"Manik, where will I go?" I asked him, hoping that he would understand.
"Abhimanyu is there na? Your 'best friend'. Go to him." He said, without looking at me. Abhimanyu was just my best friend. I didn't love him. How could Manik even think that?
"Manik..." I tried explaining myself but he was not going to listen. The issue was getting serious.
"I feel disgusted to look at your face." He closed his eyes in disgust, and pulled me by my arms, chucked me out of the house and slammed the door on my face.
•••••••••••
I walked on the streets. I was confused, worried, scared and above all, depressed. Why did Manik have to behave like that? I just hid the fact that Abhimanyu loved me and wanted to kill Manik. Is that such a big mistake? That big a mistake for him to jump to such conclusions?
"I can never fall in love. I don't love you. I hate you."
"Girlfriends are bitches. They all cheat."
"Ab bolo, yeh bacchha jiska hai, voh bhi zinda hai na? Kahan hai voh?"
"You want money na? How much do you need?"
Tears rolled down my cheeks and they just wouldn't stop. The person I loved thought so low about me. It hurt like shit but I tried to stay strong. I was not very pessimistic but it hurt when he said those words. Money? Like seriously?
It hurt. My heart shed blood, not tears. It ripped into a thousand pieces as I heard his words repeat in my head.
I headed towards the park. It was a dark night with tiny, bright stars in the sky. I sat there, on the bench, gazing at those stars while tears rolled down my cheeks.
"Kyun? Humesha mere saath aisa kyun hota hai, Ayyappa?" I cried while I spoke to the sky. Some couples there, looked at me sympathetically. I closed my eyes in pain, as images flooded my memory.
I felt 2 arms hold me and before I could even react, I fell unconscious.
•••••••••••••
"Put your hand on your heart..."
Manik, tu kar kya raha hai? She betrayed me. But where will she go? Do I care? You should. She's your wife. But wives don't do that. She didn't do anything. Really? What if she meant something else? What if she was dating Abhimanyu? You think she's like that? When my mother could cheat on her husband, why can't my baby's mother cheat her husband? Like seriously? How could you even jump to such conclusions? It's disgusting. Then what do I do? Go look for her, damn it. Find her and bring her back home.
He listened to his heart and went searching for me. He grabbed his car keys and roamed around the city of Mumbai. He thought of calling Cabir and Navya but thought against it.
He was driving for 2 hours and his fear increased every second, not being able to find me. He was feeling low and he needed a drink to relieve his pain but instead, he was searching for me in the middle of the night. He regretted what he did and could do anything to see me in front of his eyes.
•••••••••••••
"Nandu... Nandu... I want you to see what I'm doing to you." I heard vague sounds and I opened my eyes. The next thing I saw, shook me with fear. I was lying on a bed, half-naked, with my legs tied. One of my hands was also tied to the bedpost and Harshad was trying his chances on me.
"No please. Don't. My baby... Please." I said, as I held my tummy with my other hand. I wasn't sure if he would harm my baby but my baby's mother wanted a reason to escape danger. She couldn't trust anyone. He grabbed my other hand and tied it to the bedpost. I screamed and cried but all in vain.
"Aww... Manik's baby huh? Don't worry. I'll ensure he suffers seeing is child die. My happiness lies in Manik's pain." He said, as he threw himself on me.
"No please." I cried as he slammed his lips on mine and kissed me aggressively. I couldn't protest. My hands and legs were tied and I was helpless. I closed my eyes shut and prayed to Ayyappa.
"Don't you remember what I said at that party?" He murmured against my lips as he let go of them. Vague words flashed through my brain.
"I want you in bed with me." Yet, I had to escape. I tried, but I was helpless. All I could do was scream for Manik.
"Please leave me. Manik! MANIK!" I screamed terrified. Even if anything happened to me, my baby must be safe. My baby... He was my life. Harshad chucked a few pills into my mouth and physically forced me to swallow it.
•••••••••
It was 11:40 in the night and Manik was driving recklessly in the rain. He hadn't seen me for more than 2 hours and fear engulfed him. Somewhere, he thought he would lose me. Forever.
There wasn't a place left in the city where Manik hadn't gone. He was horrified. He always knew his anger would cost him something precious but he never thought it would be me.
"And you, beautiful?"
"Is she your girlfriend or what?"
"I want you in bed with me."
"Fuck! She must be with him. Goddamnit! Manik, why are you so dumb? Why didn't you think of this before? Nandini..." I spoke to himself, hitting the steering wheel hard enough for it to produce a loud honk.
He took his car and drove to Harshad's place. That was his last hope. He drove recklessly and reached just in time.
•••••••••••
"Nandini..." I heard a loud scream and the door broke open. I knew that voice. Harshad turned towards the door. I turned to look at Manik and let out a huge sigh. I could see, he was crying.
"Manik..." I cried, in pain. I was in tears. Perhaps if Manik wouldn't have come in time, I must have been raped. I must've lost my baby if he weren't there.
"Harshad! How dare you touch her? How dare you?" He screamed as he punched him across the face. He hit him incessantly until Harshad fell on the floor unconscious.
"Manik..." Cabir called out from the corridor. Manik put his jacket on me, to cover me and began to untie me. He was crying and I was reaction-less. I was in a state of shock.
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(Don't worry. Nothing will happen to MaNan. Stay calm and enjoy the drama. *wink* Do tell me whether you liked it in the comments below. And please vote haan? Love you all. And yeah, one more thing. This is for my Tanii baby. Those who want to read a different but interesting MaNan concept, do check out TeeGee_TG story: The Boy Who Learnt To Live; From The Girl Who Wanted To Die. I know, title lamba hai, but concept acchha hai. She is young but talented so please do support her and let her know what you think about her story. Thank you.)