16

Nandini

"Are you sure you are fine, Nandini? We can call Dr. Mehta again if you are not feeling well," Mom said to me, and I saw Dad nod, agreeing with her.

"No, Mom. I am fine. And Dr. Mehta came just two hours back. She said I did not have a fever anymore. So, there is nothing to worry about," I replied to Mom, careful not to reveal what Dr. Mehta had said to me about visiting a psychiatrist.

According to the doctor, my fever yesterday was due to mental stress.

"Our body and mind are interconnected. When something bothers our mind, it manifests in our body, sometimes as a headache or fever. It is better if you have a psychiatric consultation, Mrs. Sisodiya. That might help you."

The doctor had advised me, and I had nodded absentmindedly. I would not actually go and see the psychiatrist.

It is not because I think the doctor is wrong. But because I am not ready for it. I know I need therapy, but having therapy means facing my inner demons, and I know for sure I do not want to do it yet.

Although it makes me a coward, keeping my nightmarish memories and experience at the back of my mind would be easier than facing them. Because if I opened that box once, there would be no turning back. I will have to go through that pain, that hurt again. And I would have no one by my side to take support from.

'Support—another luxury that many people are given so freely and the luxury they often overlook or take for granted. If only they knew how people who do not have it crave for it.' The thought made my heart clench painfully.

I jolted out of my thoughts when I heard Manik speak. "Are you sure Dr. Mehta did not say anything else?"

Hearing his question, I narrowed my eyes at him.

I had requested Dr. Mehta not to tell anyone in the family about my need for the psychiatric consultation, and she had agreed.

'Did she tell Manik about it?' I thought, looking at Manik's questioning face.

I would have told him to mind his own business and not to interfere in mine, but his parents were also in the room, and I could not possibly tell him that in front of them.

'Why does he care anyways? After all, he had told me not to bother him with my sob story anymore,' I wondered, still looking at him.

"Will you only look at me instead of answering my question, Nandini?" Manik said to me.

I was not surprised by his rude tone because I was used to it. But I heard Mom gasp.

"Is that the way to talk with your wife, Manik?" Mom gave him a stern look.

I tried hard to control my chuckle when I heard her. 'This is nothing, Mom. If only you knew how your son talks with me when we are alone.'

"I am just concerned about her, Mom. That is why I asked her. I did not mean to sound rude," Manik said to his mother, and I was surprised at how convincing he sounded.

If I did not know any better, I would have really thought he was concerned about me. 'But I do know better. I know he does not give two hoots about me, let alone be concerned for me.'

"No, Manik, Dr. Mehta did not say anything else. She only told me to take a rest for a few hours today, and I will be able to return to doing normal work and physical activities from tomorrow," I lied and frowned when I noticed a look on his face that said he was not at all convinced by what I said.

***********

Manik

"You have two weeks, Vikash. I want you to use all your means. I will pay you double amount than the usual. But I want to know everything about Nandini's brother—Vivek Iyer. Find out everything about him, including his death. Do you understand?" I said to my private investigator.

After hearing his positive response, I hung up the phone and kept it on my table.

Standing from my seat, I walked to the window, looking out at the clouded sky of the night as I recalled Nandini's screams of agony from last night.

I felt disgusted by how her parents treated her. I could not fathom how a mother could not love her own daughter. How could a father not care about his own daughter? Just how?

Maybe it is because I have been brought up by loving parents, I cannot even imagine the hurt she must have felt, but I could feel her pain last night. Her voice had been dipped in such sadness that each word from her mouth stabbed my heart.

I do not know why I am thinking about her pain. Maybe it is because I feel guilty for what I did to her.

"You snatched my one chance at the happiness of having a good husband and family."

She had said that to me once, and I had shrugged it off, not thinking much about it.

'How could I have known she had been unwanted by her parents all her life and had wanted a family and husband who would love and want her after the marriage?'

I sighed deeply as that thought pricked at my conscience, but I shook off that feeling.

What is done is done. I cannot do anything about Nandini being my wife now.

And I definitely cannot go back on taking revenge on Myra and Raghav. After all, they must know what they will get after betraying me. Also, the wheels of my revenge plan are already running. Soon, I will bring them both to their knees.

About Nandini, the only thing I can do is find out about what happened with her brother, find out about that disgusting molester, and hope to provide justice to her and her brother.

That will be my payback to her for getting her bound to this unwanted marriage.

As her thought invaded my mind again, I recalled what she had said earlier. She had said Dr. Mehta told her only to rest.

But I know Dr. Mehta should also have told her about the psychiatric consultation. After all, she had told me about it last night.

'Then why would she lie and say Dr. Mehta did not say anything else other than her needing to rest for a few hours?' I frowned at the thought.

***********

Third Person's POV

Manik entered his bedroom, his demeanor hesitant as he did not know how to face Nandini.

It had been easier before he knew her truth. He could just assume she was a greedy girl after his money. He could face her and talk with her however he wanted.

But now, when he knows about her, it will be hard to face her.

"How are you feeling now?" He asked as he walked inside and saw Nandini sitting on the recliner beside the bed with a book in her hand.

"I am fine," Nandini replied to Manik, her demeanor stiff and rigid.

"Since you had already had dinner when I returned from the office, I hope you ate properly. I mean, Dr. Mehta had said you need to eat and drink adequately, so I think you should take care regarding it," he said to her, and although she frowned a bit, she nodded at him.

"Yes, I ate properly," she told him plainly.

"And how is your fever now? If you still have a high temperature, make sure to take a tablet of paracetamol," Manik said, and Nandini tightened her hold on the book she was reading.

Besides that reaction, she did not do or say anything else to Manik.

Getting the hint that Nandini did not want to talk with him, Manik was about to walk away when he suddenly remembered something he needed to say.

"Umm, you can take the bed. I will sleep on the couch tonight." Saying that, he was about to walk away when Nandini stopped him.

"What the hell are you playing at, Manik?" Nandini asked, now standing from the recliner and walking up to him.

"What do you mean?"

"You told me you did not want to hear my sob story in the morning. You showed you did not care. I accepted it because I know I am nothing to you.

"Then, you pretended to be concerned for me in front of your parents. I accepted that, too, because I know we need to keep up this façade of being a happy couple in front of them.

"But we are alone now. So, why are you pretending? Asking me if I ate, if I had a fever, even going out of your way and taking the couch to sleep so I could sleep on the bed. Why are you doing it?" Nandini glared at Manik.

"Look, Nandini, I—" Manik was saying but was interrupted by Nandini.

"Oh, I get it. You feel pity for me, don't you? That is why you are going out of the way to be nice to me.

"I mean, after what I told you yesterday and how you reacted in the morning, you must be feeling guilty. And now, you must be thinking, 'Oh poor little Nandini, unwanted by her parents, unwanted by me, I should at least throw some crumbs of concern toward her.' Isn't that right, Mr. Manik Sisodiya?" Nandini asked Manik, her eyes holding nothing other than anger for Manik.

"Nandini, you are misunderstanding—" Manik was again cut off by Nandini.

"I am not misunderstanding anything, Manik. In fact, finally, I have understood everything. You are trying to alleviate your guilt of binding me to this meaningless relationship with you by pretending to be concerned for me.

"But let me tell you one thing clearly, Mr. Manik Sisodiya. No matter what you do, you will always be someone who snatched my chance of getting a loving family. Someone who destroyed my happily ever after that I always dreamt of.

"Let's say I did not have a bad past. Let's say my parents loved me, no one molested me, and my brother was still alive. Would you have still been considerate toward me? Would you still have been nice to me as you are pretending to be now?" Nandini asked and shook her head when Manik did not reply.

"You would not have, Mr. Sisodiya. If that had not happened to me or if you would not have known my truth, you would have continued being rude to me, having no qualms about destroying a girl's life for your motives.

"So, please, keep your fake sympathy to yourself, and don't you dare throw those lame pieces of concern at me because I do not want it. You mind your business, and let me take charge of my life.

"I don't care about your life and your matters, and I do not want you to interfere in my matters. I hope that is clear." Saying that, Nandini took a pillow and a blanket from the bed. Then, walking to the corner of the room, she placed them on the couch there and laid on the couch.

Closing her eyes, she hoped she would get some sleep tonight as she would need to get up early tomorrow morning to go to the office.