CURSED....to be together! (COMPLETE)

Chapter 17

"Manik wait." Manik stormed into his house followed by Nandani. Before he could move towards his room and lock himself in, Nandani ran towards him and held his hand. "Why are you getting so angry?" Nandani asked as she panted.

"Listen Nandani, I am really angry right now and before I hurt you, leave-my-hand-right-now." Manik replied as he tried to free himself from her grip.

"Manik please you are hurting me." Nandani said as he was hurting her.

"If you can give me so much pain then can't you bear this much?" Manik said as he held her by her shoulders pulling her closer to him.

"What pain are you talking about? Do you even know what pain is?" Nandani said as she pushed him away.

"I know exactly what pain is. If you have to grow up knowing the fact that your parents left you in a dustbin as soon as you were born. When people mock you for it, that is what pain is." Manik said as he leaned closer to Nandani.

"You know I always though you loved your family and could go to any extent for them, but I was wrong." Manik looked at Nandani with anger. "Let me tell you what pain is. A couple adopts a child and give them so much love. Their day started with him and ended with him. But as he grew up, he started making himself distant from that same mother who would do anything for his son. And do you know why? Because he was a selfish person who only cared about his emotions. Just because he couldn't live with the fact that his biological parents left him in a dustbin, he started hurting the parents who loved him without any bond. Pain is what your mother, father and sister experience everyday. Your mother prays to god every morning  hoping to see you once during the day. All she thinks and wants is to bring his son back home. Because she loves him more than anything. She is craving so much for her son that she started making stupid plans so you would return." Manik was taken a back with everything that Nandani was saying as till today there was no one to show him what others felt because of his actions. "Your dad faked his heart attack, hoping that you would leave everything and go back to them. But because of his son's stubbornness he didn't return. He always gave more importance to what people said rather then the fact that his parents and sister loved him more than their own. Mr Malhotra your responsibility was not just to take away all the duties, but it was to be with them. A child has to be a support to his parents in their old age, but look at you. Have you ever thought that if you were in that house, you could have stopped Mukti from doing what she did. Do you even realise how serious the situation would have been if she slit all her veins. Talking care of family is not just fulfilling their wants but it is to be there in difficult times, stand by them. How could you be so selfish and only think about yourself. Do you even know how much mom misses you in that house. She does not let anyone enter your room, she herself made sure that everything was in place so that if you ever returned back, you wouldn't have any complaints."

Manik walked a little and put his hands on his face trying to cover up his tears. He understood what his family must have been through because of him. Soon within a few seconds he collapsed on his keens and broke down. Nandani had never seen him so vulnerable. Without wasting anymore time she rushed to him and held his palms away from his face.

"I left that house because I though I was taking up Mukti's rights. I feared that Mukti would also start hating me just like how my friends did when they found out that I was an orphan. I remember how in school everyone would make fun of me, just because I was an orphan. What if Mukti  felt that I was trying to take her place being an outsider." Manik now held Nandani's hand in his and began clarifying himself. "Nandani it's not that I was being selfish and did everything so that I could live happily ever after. In fact I was also in pain. Being alone in this ginormous house was suffocating me. But I just couldn't realise that I was causing pain to my parents. If at any point I had figured this out then I would have never done this. I am sorry Nandani, I didn't want to hurt anyone." Manik took Nandani for a hug as he started letting his emotions out.

Nandani realised his point to view, which was not wrong either. She patted his back while hugging him close so that he could calm down. "Mr Malhotra, I didn't mean that. I just wanted to tell you about how others feel because of your actions. The moment I got to know the reason behind our marriage, I knew what Mukti meant to you. But when your mother pleaded into front of me to bring back her son, I couldn't understand the reason. Maybe that's why I said those things. I am sorry Manik." Nandani said as tears were rolling down her eyes as well. Manik broke the hug and looked at her.

Manik's POV
How could she still care for me after all that I did. Every time I blamed her, accused her and even spoke shit about her character but still she was here, standing by me. Tears stopped flowing in my eyes as Nandani had taken them away from me. Her eyes were expressing the pain I was feeling. But something pricked me when I saw tears flowing from her beautiful eyes. I quickly cupped her face and wiped them before they could flow down her cheeks.
End of POV

"Don't be sorry Nandani, if you didn't confront me like this, then I don't know how I would have ever realised my mistakes. Thank you Nandani for giving me back my family." Manik said as he made her stand on her feet.

"You still have to amend your mistakes. Please think about what I am going to say now. Mom really loves you. She wants you back at YOUR own house but only if you wished to return. And not only mom but dad and Mukti as well. Do you really think that moving out of your house was the right thing to do? I don't want to know your answer. I just want you to think about this. If you get an answer then please speak to Mom once about it." Nandani said as she left for her room to leave to the office.

Manik decided to rethink about this calmly but now head to the office as it was already quite late.

Meanwhile at the office.....
Cabir had reached there already when Mukti went into his cabin.

"So Mr Partner, how was your trip?" Mukti asked as she sat opposite him.

"The trip was the bestest thing ever that happened. But I will let you know the details later. Now tell me what you wanted to say about Manik?" Cabir asked as he was dying to know the matter.

"Ok....so the thing is that.....but you won't believe me. I know that." Mukti annoyed Cabir.

"Areee.....Please just stop with this suspense and tell me already." Cabir got annoyed and impatience to know what the matter was.

" Ok so, Manik got married." Mukti said.

"Yeah, yeah so tell me what happened........WHAT!!! Manik is married?" Cabir stood up from his chair as he was shocked.

Mukti then told him what had happened and how they got married.

"So how can I help you with this?" Cabir asked as he was now relaxed.

"Mom believes that Nandani is the one who can bring back the old Manik in him. So she wants to get them close to each other." Mukti answered him worriedly as she herself was not aware if that would ever be possible.

Cabir got up and walked outside his cabin and stood but the railing to take a view of the office downstairs. "But Mukti don't you think it would be wrong to bring them close together forcefully." Cabir said.

Just then Nandani and Manik entered the office. Cabir and Mukti looked at them from upstairs as they walked inside. Cabir examined Manik from top to bottom. He saw how Manik was stealing glances of Nandani from the corner of his eyes and vice versa.

"Do you still think we will be forcing onto them or just help them figure out each others feelings." Mukti asked.

"Wow.....Is that Manik?" Cabir asked.

"You couldn't believe it could you? And do you think Manik will ever be able to figure out his feelings on his own?" Mukti asked.

Cabir looked at Mukti and spoke, "Never. That dumb ass only knows about business. Romance, emotions and feeling.....Naaa. We need to help him or I guess we need to help them both out." Cabir winked at Mukti and she understood that he was in for this.