Unwanted [COMPLETED]

Chapter 12

Sensitive content ahead. Reader's discretion is advised.

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Manik

Putting down the phone, I waited for the private investigator to come to my office.

It has been three days since I gave the work to Vikash to find out everything about Nandini.

That reaction from her is still bugging me, and I wonder if I pressed a nerve related to something painful from her past.

"I won't tolerate it if you ever try to touch or even come close to me without my consent."

"I won't ever let anyone take advantage of me ever again."

These two sentences she had spoken at that time have been replaying in my mind.

And the way she spoke it, I feel there is a story behind it.

It is not that I have left everything for the investigator to find out.

I had tried speaking with her too.

Seeing Nandini crying in the garden had pulled on some strings in my heart, and I was surprised by it. The protectiveness I felt toward her at that moment was something uncalled for, and I have been trying to deny it ever since.

I do not even know this girl. I do not know anything about her except for the fact that she is the girl I married to get back on Myra and Raghav.

'So, why does her sad face get flashed behind my eyelids whenever I close my eyes? Why do I feel like wanting to go to her and reassure her that everything will be fine?' These questions have been nagging me ever since I took Nandini inside the house from the garden that night.

After I took her to my room that night, I tried asking her why she reacted the way she did. I tried talking with her as gently and calmly as possible, but she did not reply. In fact, her only response was she was too tired and wanted to rest.

The way she had spoken those lines, it felt to me like she was not just referring to the tiredness from the events of that day. It was like she was tired of everything she had gone through for the years, and that made me even more curious.

'Maybe that's the reason. I am curious to know about her and why she behaved that way. Maybe that's why I am thinking so much about her these days.'

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Nandini

Taking the blanket off me, I climbed down from the bed and headed toward the cupboard.

I wanted to take a shower and wash off the exhaustion from my mind and body.

It has been exactly three days since my breakdown in the garden, and I have been down with a fever since the morning following that night.

I cannot believe I am even thinking this, but I am grateful to Manik for understanding my turmoil at that time.

Yes, I am still angry at him for ruining my life, but I also agree that his being with me at that time had given me a small amount of peace.

Maybe it's because I had been so tired of being alone that night. Every time handling everything alone had exhausted me, and Manik's gesture reassured me that night.

But in the morning, I felt terrible for being so weak. I felt awful because I could not allow myself to depend on the person who had made it clear that I had no place in his life.

I have already gotten so much sadness by expecting affection from others in the past that I do not want to make the same mistake again.

That is why when he offered to be with me the following day, I refused him and requested if I could have that day off from the office.

I had fully expected Manik to berate me for requesting that because it had just been my second day working in his office, and the first day I ran out from there, and on the second day, I was asking for a leave.

But his reaction surprised me. He not only gave me that day off but also told me to take a week off and get some rest.

He also told the staff to take proper care of me and did not get offended when I told him I didn't need any help or understanding from him.

Instead, he had just smiled at me and asked me to take care of myself before leaving for the office.

Since that day, he has been nothing but nice and understanding toward me. I have tried to maintain my distance from him, but the little things he does for me, like bringing me my breakfast and coffee in the morning, asking if I took my medicines, and checking every now and then to see if my temperature has gone down-all these things have started to scare me.

Because all these things that he does for me make me smile. It makes me feel he cares for me, and the very next second, it terrifies me to the core.

It already pains me so much that I am unwanted by my husband. I would shatter into pieces if, one day, I began expecting him to want me, and he would kick me out of his life, telling me I took his sympathy toward me as his care and concern for me.

'That is why I need to ask him to stop whatever he thinks he is doing. I cannot hurt myself by expecting something from someone who has clearly stated I am nothing to him.'

Thinking that, I took out fresh clothes from the cupboard and was about to go to the bathroom to take a shower when my phone rang.

Keeping the clothes on the bed, I looked at my phone and was surprised to see my father calling me.

A tiny part of my heart rejoiced, thinking he might have called me because he missed me, but a major portion of my mind scoffed at that.

Still, keeping that tiny amount of hope fluttering, I received the call.

Nandini: "Hello, Papa. How have you been? I had been missing you and-"

Subhash: "Keep your pleasantries to yourself, Nandini. And tell me, why did you send a private investigator to our house?"

Nandini: "What are you saying, Papa? I did not send any private investigator."

Subhash: "Oh! Now you have also learned to lie. Why are you such an insensitive girl, Nandini? You know how devastated Vibha and I are after Vivek's death, yet you sent a private investigator here to ask about his accident. Vibha had been crying since that man left, and it got so bad that I had to call a doctor to calm her down. Why are you still bothering us even after going away from our life? Can't you let us live in peace now?"

Nandini: "Papa, please believe me. I did not send any-"

Subhash: "Stop with your lies, Nandini. After Vibha started crying, I called the police on the man who came to our house, prying about something that distressed us. And when the police inquired that man, he replied he had been sent by Manik Sisodiya. Tell me, why would your husband send someone here unless you told him? I am sure you wanted to hurt us, which is why you asked your husband to do this, didn't you?"

Nandini: "Do you really think I would do something like that to hurt you? Do you really think this low of me?"

Subhash: "Do not act as if you are innocent and pure-hearted, Nandini, because I know what you are capable of. You are the reason our son died, and apparently, that was not enough for you. That is why you are now scheming to hurt Vibha and me so you can finish us off too. I let it go this time, but I won't be so generous the next time. We have fulfilled our responsibility by getting you married. Please do us a favor now and get away from our lives. We do not want to keep any relations with our son's murderer. Get that straight into your head."

Saying that, my father cut the call, and the phone fell from my trembling hand.

I could not believe my father spewed such venomous words at me.

Ever since Vivek's death, I had known they held me responsible for it. I had seen it in their eyes. But this is the first time he directly called me Vivek's murderer.

I slumped on the floor, tears freely flowing from my eyes before I wiped them furiously.

"Manik," I whispered, my anger toward him rising as I recalled what he did, and I knew exactly why he did it.