Unwanted [COMPLETED]

Chapter 24

Nandini

Waking up, I open my eyes and immediately press on my forehead to lessen my headache.

Unable to sleep after having a talk with Manik last night, I had tossed and turned the whole night, only falling asleep in the wee hours of the morning.

Even Manik did not come to the room the whole night last night.

“I wonder why he didn’t come.”

I shake my head the moment that sentence escapes my lips.

I don’t care why he didn’t come. I don’t want to wonder anything about him.

Sighing, I climb down from the sofa, about to get the first aid box so I can take a pill for my headache.

But I gasp out loud when Manik suddenly appears before me.

“What the f—” I don’t complete the sentence, just hiss due to the sharp pain I feel in my head.

“Hmm, you are getting used to using that word.” He looks at me with an amused expression on his face.

I only shake my head, ignoring him to get to the bedside table, but he forwards a cup toward me.

“What is this, Manik?”

“A cup of coffee for my lovely wife,” he tells me, and my eyes widen to such extent that I feel them about to come out of my socket.

“What is the meaning of this?” I inquiringly peer at him.

“Well, I made a cup of coffee for you, and brought it for you. That’s the only meaning of this.” He says, a smile on his face, and I narrow my eyes at him.

“I don’t have time or energy for your games this early in the morning, Manik,” I tell him. “I have a headache, and I also need to get ready so I can get to the office in time.”

“Oh, that’s great that you have a headache,” he says and I raise my eyes at him.

“You think me having a headache is great?”

“Oh, no, no.” He shakes his head. “I didn’t mean it that way. I meant coffee is great in curing headache. Try it?”

He forwards the cup toward me but I ignore it and walk ahead to take the pill.

Once done, I walk to the bathroom to take a shower and get ready, completely ignoring Manik and the coffee he made for me.

Manik

Seeing Nandini entering the bathroom, I take a deep breath and take a sip of coffee I brought for her, knowing that she would not be drinking it.

“Well, I hadn’t expected her to drink too.”

I know this will take time.

After everything that has gone down between us, it will definitely take some time to make things normal between us.

When Nandini told me all those things last night, I thought hard about it.

Infact, I thought about it whole night and came to the conclusion that she was right about everything she said.

It was me who had decided to marry her to take my revenge against Myra and Raghav. On our wedding night, I even told her this marriage was unwanted for me.

Then, after I was done taking my revenge, it was again me who decided to give our marriage another chance.

It has always been me who has been deciding everything in our marriage, never giving her the chance to express her feelings about those decisions.

So, I have decided that this time I won’t force her to give me a second chance.

I will only show her that I have changed for the better and really want to try to make our marriage work.

It would be then her decision whether or not to stay married to me.

Well, I am going to be so charming that she will definitely choose to stay married to me.

I smirk at that thought, taking another sip of the coffee.

***********

Nandini

“Manik told us that you would be going to the ball with Samrat,” Mom says to me as I sit beside her in the living room after returning from the office.

Although the tone of her voice is normal, I still feel uneasy as she peers at me.

“Umm, yes, Mom,” I begin. “Since no one in the office knows about Manik and I being married, Samrat asked me if I would like to go to the party with him. I said yes because he has become my good friend since I joined the office.

“I hope it’s not a problem?” I reticently ask her.

Although Manik’s parents have been good to me, I wonder if they would be disappointed if their daughter-in-law went to the party with someone else rather than their son.

“Of course, Nandini. It’s not a problem.” Mom warmly smiles at me. “We have known Samrat for a few years now, and he is a good man. Since you cannot go to the party with Manik given that your relationship is not known to your colleagues, it’s good that you are going with Samrat, who we know and trust.”

“Thank you, Mom,” I smile back at her, sighing in relief.

“Since only sixteen days are left for the party, you should start shopping for the gown you will be wearing for the ball,” she tells me and my relief suddenly vanishes.

“Dress?”

“Yes, Nandini. Manik told me you would need to go shopping because you do not have a gown that you can wear to the ball,” she says, and that surprises me.

Why is Manik worrying about whether or not I have a gown to wear to the ball?

I do not get time to ponder on it more because Mom starts speaking again.

“I can’t believe I totally forgot about you needing a gown, but I am glad that Manik thought about it,” she says. “It is good that he is so thoughtful toward you.”

I resist my urge to scoff when I hear her.

Manik and thoughtful? So not true.

Since I cannot voice that thought to my mother-in-law, I only smile and nod my head.

“It is really nice that Manik thought about it, Mom,” I tell her. “But I was thinking of going to my own tailor to have the gown custom made.”

That way it will be cheaper, and won’t cause any dent to my savings.

“No. That won’t do, Nandini,” Mom says, making me frown. “This is the first big even you are going to after your marriage with Manik.

“Yes you won’t be going with him, and no one there will know that you are Sisodiya’s daughter in law. Still, I want you to look your best.

“That is why I have called my friend tomorrow at our house. He owns a boutique and will be designing a gown for you.”

“But, Mom—” I begin to deny when she interrupts me.

“No buts, Nandini. I have already decided it. And I have also told Manik to let you come home early tomorrow so you can give your measurements and talk with my friend about the type of design and color you would want in the gown. Ok?”

Looking at her firm demeanor, I understand there is no use trying to persuade her otherwise.

So, I only nod at her, hoping I will be able to pay for the gown from my savings when I will leave this house after divorcing Manik.