Bigg Boss 19 - Daily Discussion Topic - 24 Aug 2025 - Season Premier
First glimpse of Dua Padukone! Pics and video inside
CID episode 71 - 23rd August
Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai - 24 Aug 2025 EDT
ARMAN KI JOGAN 24.8
Rathores are here- Gen 5
Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai - 25 Aug 2025 EDT
Restrain order
What’s next for Hrithik Roshan after a hat-trick of flops?
Abhira: Life main problems ho chalega lekin Armaan na ho..
Navri’s Love
ANSHUMAN GONE 25.8
Yeh Rishta kya Kehlata hai
Deepika vs Katrina wars…World War 3 👀
Agastya's Ikkis to clash with Junaid's Ek din(Nov 7,2025)
Danger Song Copied From Pak Show
No hype this year
18 years of Heyy Babyy
Who Brings a Song to Life: The Singer’s Voice or Actors’ Expressions?
KSBKBT FF: The broken ties Part1 : Gunjan threatens Bhoomi Pg1
Chapter 113
Halfway on his way to home, right in the middle of a busy street, Manik suddenly hit the brakes. Where was he going?
'Home?!'.."Yeah right!!!" he screamed to himself "Home...bloody home, where no f**king person waits for me." The cars behind him, started honking. Some even changed lanes and while crossing past Manik's car, lowered their windows to shout curses at him.
But as reckless as only Manik could be, he turned his car around and drove down the expressway, not knowing where he was headed.
He had lost track of time. His cell, lying on the seat next to his, was ringing for the 5th time. He gave a customary glance & saw his dad's name flashing. Manik turned away and continued driving.
Hours later, when he got to a point where just couldn't pull through anymore, tired of running, he stopped in front of one of those dubious pubs on the Mumbai - Pune highway. Getting out of the car, he walked in to the bar, leaving his mobile behind. It was uncannily dark inside, and coming from broad daylight, he was momentarily blinded.
He wore a straight face, with no traces of the bygone storm on it and as he made his way past the rows of drunken men and woman, a swarm of eyes turned towards his painfully handsome self.
He sat at the bar and ordered a pint of beer.
As soon as the overfriendly bartender placed a bottle in front of him, he gulped it down in one go. They were playing music, some peppy track may be. May be.. Because he could barely hear. The buzz inside his ears was too strong to let any external sound in. And the more they buzzed with blames and curses, the more fiercely he burnt from within. The tracks kept on changing, and by the time, Manik had finished his third straight bottle of beer, this song began playing.
song link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zlgm-Qp4SRc
By now, he was intoxicated and the song didn't help. His grip on himself was loosening, his guards were low, the buzz had quietened down and grief was making its way through his veins. He missed music...he missed his friends...he missed her. He missed those brief periods in his life when he lived like a carefree bird. What had become of him, where was he heading, who was he? Mrs Moorthy's words had struck him deeper than he had thought they would. For whatever reason, he couldn't bring himself to show a middle finger at them, like he had done all his life to the nasty adjectives thrown at him.
This bloody business of being good was looming heavy on him. Yes it was bloody, it sucked all his blood, and yet at the end of the day he stood accused of deception.
HE loved her, damn he loved her with every cell of his existence and he was ready to shout that down from the rooftop..but no one believed. No one believed that he could love too, that he was vulnerable and innocent and hurting.
Every time she had fallen weak, he had stood by her like her rock, but where was she now when he was falling, why wasn't she here hugging him and assuring him that none of what Amms had told him was true. Didn't she always tell him that he was her angel, then why wasn't she telling it today, when he wanted to hear it most.
She was his star, only she had the power to show him light in his darkest night, only her smiles could make him want to be a better person, only her words could erase all his doubts.
He pulled out a tiny box from his pocket and opened the lid to see the sparkling diamond inside it. Whether it was the rising level of alcohol in his bloodstream, or the drowning feeling of helplessness, he started feeling lightheaded and slumped on the bar top.
***********************
5 hours had passed since and Nandini was staggering back to consciousness. "Manik" his was the first name that came to her quivering lips.
As she opened her lids, heavy from the sedative, the world around her resembled a blurred whirlpool. She flinched her eyes to get a clearer look at her surroundings. Chachi, chacha, Rishab, Navya, Nishaant , Amms & Ranbir, everyone was there, except the one person, she was desperate to see. "Manik.. Kah..an.. hai?" her words came out slurred.
With all the mess going around and Nandini being hurt, Manik's absence had somehow gone unnoticed. "Are sach mein wo gaya kahan? yahi to tha...tujhe yaha leke aaya fir doctor se baat bhi ki... par...uske baad kahan chala gaya ye larka? " Chachi exclaimed. May be his friends had seen him, she thought. "Tum logon se kahin kuch bolke to nahi gaya, subah se kuch khaya bhi nhi nahi hoga bechare ne aur us Neeel ke chakkar mein...satyanash ho us kameena ka..keede parein uspar. Himmat to dekho uski, rassi jal gayi par akad nahi gaya.. agar Nandini ne nahi dekha hota to pata nahi aaj kya ho jana tha... Sukkar hai rab ki, kuch nai hua mere dono bacchon ko."
Strangely, no one seemed to have any idea about Manik's whereabouts, noone had seen him leave, except Ranbir "May be wo ghar gaya hai.. I saw him leave right after the accident." Infact, maine use bulaya bhi, but I guess he didn't see me, koi nahi, Nandini chill, main uski khabar leta hun."
"He left...? ..mujhe..ai..aise chorke?" still week and mumbling, Nandini tried to get up.
"Are are tum uth kyun rahi ho? Chot lag jayegi Nandini, abhi tum kamzor ho beta" Chachi came to her immediate support.
"Nandini please tum abhi rest karo na..abhi abhi to sar par patti lagi hai, Manik ko pata chalega to wo bhi naraaz ho ayega." Navya pleaded.
Everyone one was requesting/asking/ordering her to stay put, except that sinking feeling in her gut which wasn't letting her stay calm. Why did it feel like he was wincing in pain. Had she dreamt it? Was it just a nightmare? She picked up the phone lying next to her and dialed his number. It kept on ringing and with each full ring gone unanswered, her heart sank further. Ignoring all pleas, she sat up & scrambled down the bed. "Ranbir, please mujhe Manik ke ghar le chalo."
"Nandini..." Ranbir tried to reason, but Nandini was in no mood to listen.
"Please Ranbir.."
It was going to be futile to try and stop her, so instead, he assured chachi with a nod and a wink that he would take care of her. He held Nandini, as she took unsteady steps away from the bed, towards the door.
That's when Amms finally broke her silence "Ruk jao kanna, Manik kisi kam se gaya hai. Wo ghar pe nahi milega. Jab wapas ayega to khud hi tumse milne aa jayega."
Nandini stopped. It struck her as odd that out of all people, Manik would have chosen to inform her before leaving. She moved her eyes towards Amms to study her nervous face closely. "What are you hiding Amms? Kahan hai Manik?" Her voice rose.
"Bola na kam se gaya hai kanhi" Amms replied, frequently looking away, her forehead a little sweaty, her face stiff.
"You are lying..Amms. Bolo kahan hai wo." Nandini, weak and afraid, began to tremble. She made her fist into a tight ball, assimilating all her strength to confront the person infront of her, the person who only resembled the loving grandmother she had known all her life. "Amms , I know kuch hua hai, kya keh diya apne Manik se, aisa kya keh diya ki wo bina mile, bina kuch bataye hi chala gaya?" Nandini took a few steps towards Amms and started charging at her, while grabbing her by the shoulders. "Bolo kya kaha use...!?!?"
"Kya sunna chahti ho, chala gaya wo aur maine hi bola use chale jane ke liye" She retaliated "and agar usme thori si bhi self-respect baki hai to he will never return."
Nandini stood dead in her tracks, refusing to let the words sink in. 'Chala gaya...maine hi jane ko bola' the words started spinning in her head. What had her family done to him? Pushed him back into the old darkness, after HE had lit up HER life. Knowing how mean Amms could be, knowing how deep her her words could pierce, Nandini could no more think straight. Where would he be, how long had it been since, what if.. "Ye kya kar diya aapne? How could you? How could you Amms...how could you damn...and why...Agar use kuch bhi ho gaya na Amms..." Her terrified cries, everyone's heart , all but one.
"Nandini, kyun nahi samajhti tu ki usne sirf tumhe dukh diye hain, dhokha diya hai...yaad hai ya fir se yaad dilaun. Who tera sath nahi dega, fir kisi din yun hi chorke chala jayega..jaise pehle gaya tha..fir kya karegi kanna? Tune to bohot roya tha, bohot aansu bahaye the, par kya usne ek baar bhi tujhe contact karne ki koshish ki? Uske liye bohot aasan hai, Nandini, he is a man, a rich man and tere jaisi hazzar larkiyan uske aage peeche ghumti hongi. Yeh jo bhi hai, yeh is umar mein hota hai aur fir waqt ke sath sath, insaan fir se wahi dhundne lagta hai, jo usne bachpan se dekha hai, janaa hai. Why are you knowingly pushing yourself into this tunnel, and with a person who is a mismatch to you in every possible way. Kyun khel rahi hai apni life ke saath?"
"He didn't betray me Amms, usne mujhe dhoka nahi diya." She screamed, covering her face with her palms "How many times do I have to explain that he didn't leave me intentionally...NAHI KAR SAKTA WO...MANIK MUJHE JAAN BUJHKE HURT NAHI KARSAKTA... He was trapped..uske mom ne ya shayad uske dad ne...ya I don't know kisne.."
"And how do you know all this Nandini, do you have any proof, ya har baar ki tarah usne is baar bhi koi patti parai hai tujhe?" navya, Ranbir, Chachi..none of them could believe they were actually witnessing this conversation.. if they being outsiders, could feel so violated, they couldn't even imagine how humiliated Manik must have felt before leaving.
" I know Amms" she said calmly, no more shouting "I know and mujhe Manik ne nahi bataya...that poor guy doesn't even know ki uske sath who's playing what game...but I know he is innocent because I trust him Amms. Khud Aiyappa bhi aake bol de ki he is guilty to I won't believe."
Nandini laughed a sad haunting smile, even as tears continued to stream down her face. "Meri kismat to dekho Amms, aap ne kitni aasani se use jaane ke liye keh diya and fir bhi main aapse kuch nahi keh sakti...kaise kahun?...aap to family ho, aap se to khoon ka rishta hai, aapne bara kiya hai mujhe...par you know what, rishte sirf khoon se nahi bante Amms...jis Manik ko aapne insult karke nikal diya na yahan se...uske poore body pe aapko sirf wounds milenge..aur pata hai wo wounds kisne diye use? Maine? Yep..maine diye...aur usne hasi hasi sab seh liye." she paused, gasping for breath "Mujhe Neel se bachane ke liye usne apni parvah nahi ki, jo kam aap ko karna tha Amms, jo responsibilities aap ko nibhane the, wo usne nibhaye, jabki use to abhi bed rest pe hona tha. Ek baar meri khaatir pooch hi leti Amms to shayad he would have even agreed to give up his life for me...but aapne nahi poocha. Apne wahi dekha jo aap dekhna chahti thi..uska arrogance..kyunki aapko uska heart to dekhna hi nahi tha.. I pray no one has to ever make this choice, but if you compel me to choose between my blood and my love, I would choose love..every single time. You can call me selfish..or hormonal or whatever other adjective you can fetch from you fat english dictionary..but I am not going to leave his side...come what may. If you wanna continue screwing it up for us...please go ahead..I ain't quitting..I bloody ain't quitting." And unwilling to waste a single more minute, Nandini rushed out without sparing a second glance.
Amms stood there, feeling too small in her own shoes. For the first time ever, a tinge of self-doubt crept in her mind. Had she gone too far in her hatred for Manik, to create an illusionary bubble around her.. Or was it Nandini who had shut her eyes. Only time could tell, between the two of them, who was right.
*********
Ranbir was driving like a maniac but the heavy Mumbai traffic was forcing him to slow down. Stuck in the in the car for 30 minutes, all Nandini could do was to keep calling Manik's number. If there was one thing that she hated about Manik, it were these sudden bouts of disappearances and each time, he either switched his phone off or let it ring, unattended. Why did he have to torture her like that? How many times would she have to shake him out of his trance and make him smell her love. How many times would she have to remind him that he had promised to be by her side all her life, and no matter what changed in or around them, he had to live it, every single day of his remaining life. Why could he not put on blinkers to what the others said, why did he have to be so sensitive and take every nonsense to heart?
Why did Manik have to leave, why could he not stay back and retaliate, when he had all the rights in the world to do so?
'I will punch him hard...I will punch him the hardest. Agar use dard hua, fir bhi I will hit him. What does he think of himself, koi kuch bhi bol dega and he will just walk away? He definitely deserves to be punished for leaving me' she kept on telling herself like a fool.
That's what we do, play silly games in our head , make stories, give fake assurances...everything, except accept the reality. Nandini was in denial, and she knew it. She knew it was not Manik's fault and yet she was angry only at him. Who else could she shout at? Who else could she punch? her granny? who couldn't read her eyes..who couldn't feel her pain.. No, she had no rights over her, BUT the whole of him was hers. She would shout at him, hit him and finally she would sink in his arms.
"Nandini!!" Ranbir's voice pulled her out of her reverie. She looked out of the window and saw they were in Manik's driveway. She opened the door, without waiting for Ranbir and ran up towards the door. But her weak legs couldn't carry her far, she stepped over her dupatta & tumbled over the cobbled driveway, bruising her arm.
"Araam se Nandini...aram se...don't panic man...you are on sedatives." The sight of Nandini, injured and petrified, anxious to reach Manik, was too heartbreaking for Ranbir to swallow. He lent her an arm and helped her get back on her feet, desperately hoping to find Manik soon.
***********
A/N: Damn exhausted. Next update will take time.
I dont mean to be unfair to my other readers by not replying to them but your comments compel me to respond. I am a fan of your writing :):) When can i read something substantial from you ? lots of love from my end dearOriginally posted by: Candlewick
Update was wonderful... amazing as always...!! We all wanted the next chapter to turn out a happy, euphoric one...but somewhere I knew...it would be too idealistic..., Even Amms's side of story needed to be written...!! you wrote it..and you wrote it well :)
That jerk Neel...A dog can't stop wagging its tails...Like wise Neel cant stop pulling cheap stunts. what's left in his life now, he is exposed, his brilliant deeds are no more under covers...His hermit's personality is now an open book for the world to take inspiration from...but still Neel wanted to add one more feather in his golden tiara.., unfortunately he missed his target..!! -.-
Nandini's attempt to save her lover..caused her love even more of pain...!! He can't see her in plight...and the words of gratitude from Amms...how could she be so good in uttering black petals...
I hated her...and I'm clear about my hatred...but somewhere deep down...I knew that Any grandmother would fume with anger after seeing her child swinging between life and death...turning her daughter into a corpse from a bright girl... BUT
What all she said isn't justified at all, her words portray Manik as the villain of the play...a man who knows nothing but to ditch his loved ones...but we as sensible readers know , how destiny has played its evil game. How nasty their stars were and how devilish things turned up.!!
Manik had everything yet nothing...A son of a billionaire who was a mendicant in matters of genuine affection...he had a woman in his life and was forced to find his mother in her...A father whom he truly loved but again he was deprived of his company.
The boy eventually found a bunch of friends...who gradually became his family..Manik lived by his promises ...and ultimately he even lost them.. His family scattered into bits and with that his heart broke into fragments..!!
It's said that when the times aren't favourable, even shadow deserts ..but Manik had someone who stood by him..who tried in every damn way to protect him ..His rose of life - his love- His Nandini...!! whenever Manik thought of getting consumed in darkness there was one hand to pull his off..whenever he thought life demands tears...there was a smile which sparkled his eyes..!! And Amms thinks that she is a toy to Manik...!!
Its okay...how much she is knowing him...she has always seen what she wanted to and always thought the way desired to..., BUT she is wrong for the third time in a row...she claims to love her grandchild but she still can't understand Manik's importance in Nandini's life.
4 din Rone ke baad agar bhulna hi hota to kabka Nandini Neel se shadi kar chuki hoti...
Manik is hurt beyond words...
Let's see what happens next...one thing I've realised - you always have something better in store...so I'll be patient and will trust the writer...
Sorry for commenting this late ..actually this week is tough and I had a jam-packed schedule. The thing is when I start writing a reply..I need to re-read the chapter :) All I want you to know is that I may take time...but I'm sure to comment...
That's the least I can do for a writer who is so consistent ..!!
Love from India :)
Itti Si Khushi Sab TV
Anupamaa
