Celebrity Castaway | COMPLETE | MaNan Fiction

14| So Many Lies

A/N: Hello Readers! Firstly, Merry Christmas! It is a white Christmas in my half homeland, and my mom, my sister and their respective sides of the family couldn't be happier about it! I am so with them in spirit, but well, in Delhi in reality, for now. Although how can Christmas be seamless in a household of two kids? That's why I forgot to update by 11am today! (Apologies!)

So at 10.30 am, there was a bell and in walked my father-in-law in a Santa suit and full get up! My kids Ry & Roo (Ryan & Renee) were ecstatic and literal tore apart all their gifts in a matter of seconds. What followed was a hurricane of joy & delightful laughter & egg nogs and waffles and whiskey sour for the adults! What followed in an hour was two kids ravaging the home, because of sugar rush and all my husband could do was, gush over his new surround sound gears and my father in law was too high to do much other than Ho Ho Ho :D

So, us ladies (my mom in law, who was made to wear a reindeer head gear :D & me) of the house had to take charge, and arrange for the real work & food; and now finally, I got some time to breathe & I realized my chapter is due! Now I can't leave readers hanging on Christmas, can I? So here we go, a dote of love & affection from my house to yours!

Happy Reading! Ho Ho Ho.

***

Nandini was currently sitting in the 'den' of the mansion, she never thought she'd even take a glimpse of, until a month back. This was her old home, the place where all her hurtful memories lay cuddled in. She was returning from Jeff's party with Abhimanyu after Aryamann's disastrous announcement to the media, but midway, Abhimanyu had received a call. Nandini had seen him turn stiff and gruffly reply in 'hmms' mostly, before ending the call with a "Certainly, sir".

"Abhimanyu, all okay?" Nandini had asked, tentatively. Abhimanyu had just nodded to her in a very unconvincing way before ordering the chauffeur to turn the car and take them to 'Jannat' mansion! Nandini had looked at him stumped, as bile rose to her mouth. The Malhotra's ancestral property, where Nandini resided as Mrs. Manik Malhotra, had only harsh memories for her. It was as if that massive mansion had slowly sucked all her happiness out of her. It was between these walls, her dreams as a bride, as a wife, as a lover, as a daughter-in-law had crashed and what replaced all her hopes of a beautiful conjugal were carefully manifested & intricately built, beautiful lies. Lies that promised the world a fairytale love story, where in reality, the princess's place was worse than that of a rag doll's!

"Manik, next Wednesday, it's the golden jubilee anniversary for darji's first movie 'Mughal-e-Shaan'! I know the whole day the film fraternity will celebrate the success of the movie and of course, him, but don't you think we should do something special for him at midnight? It was after all his first film & that also means it's his golden jubilee anniversary as an artist!" Nandini suggested with a childlike enthusiasm, while Manik was brushing his hair facing the vanity. He was leaving for a party soon.

Manik smiled and looked at Nandini through her reflection in the mirror before him.

"That's actually a great idea, Nandini! Do you want to plan it? I will ask Cabir to help you with all the arrangements!" He encouraged her. Nandini smiled in surprise. In the last eight months of their wedding, the reality of it all had come crashing on her & now slowly she was adjusting to the new dynamics. She knew Manik wasn't a bad guy, he was nice to her, as long as she didn't expect anything husband-like from him when there are no cameras on! She had started bonding with his mother, Nyonica Malhotra too. Although she had noticed that her father & grandfather-in-law weren't very approachable. They smiled at her, if she passed them, or on some occasion served them tea or snacks, but that was about it. Nandini truly believed the route to Manik's heart was through her family. The naive girl was happy to have forged a good relationship with his mother. Maybe if dad & darji liked her too, she would impress Manik enough to give them a chance? Fate had silently laughed at her innocence.