The soft breathing sound is coming from the left side of the room where the rocking chair is kept. Dhruv gropes for the switchboard and switches on the light. The room immediately shines with bright light. Simultaneously, a light sound of annoyance comes from the rocking chair's side. It seems somebody is forcefully awakened from his slumber. Dhruv looks in that direction and makes a sound of pity under his tongue.

"Tch...tch...tch..."

A person is curling up on the wooden rocking chair. Dhruv strides towards it and calls again,

"Get up, Abhimanyu Thakkar. It's time to have a one-to-one convo. We have had enough hide-and-seek games. I haven't got you here for relaxation. Long time, no see and long time no fight."

Dhruv mutters sardonically and pulls the sheet wrapped around Abhimanyu's torso, making him devoid of any cover. He stirs a bit and gradually opens his drowsy red eyes. The bright light and the effect of the sedative don't allow him to recognise the person standing in front of him at once. He coughs and strains his eyes to observe the hazy structure. All of a sudden, his brain alerts him of the danger and he recollects the trail of incidents that happened since the yesternight. He was trying to intrude into Manik's penthouse and meet him as he previously did at the party night. That night he cut the power supply, so, that nobody especially the other members of Notorious 5 could see him. He couldn't take the risk. However, his effort failed as the security found the fault and again started the electricity supply. However, his venture didn't crash totally as something shocking caught his attention when he was near the staircase. Someone was grabbing a lady and proposing to her in a very weird manner. It was more than lust and threat than love and surrender. He heard her name too. Nandini. Later he came to know that she is Manik's wife. But who was that man? That time it was the biggest question in his mind. Though, eventually he found out his identity. It was none other than Dhruv. Dhruv Dhawan. The monster in disguise. But now it seems that it would have been better if his identity wouldn't have been disclosed to him. At least, he would have led a free and hidden life as he has been doing since he was announced as dead by the police in Panchgani. For his survival, it was the demand of that situation. Abhimanyu sits up and looks at Dhruv who is now staring at him with a manipulative smile.

"Happy dreaming, Abhi. I think the dose was enough to send you to the land of dreams where you were with your lady love. Your Mukti. But now, it's time to return to reality."

Dhruv's voice is dangerously cool. Abhimanyu touches his nape where Dhruv pushed the injection. The mention of Mukti flickers hatred and anger into his eyes. He springs up seething and approaches Dhruv with staggering steps. He is still feeling dizzy but not enough to cool down his abhorrence. He grabs Dhruv by his collar and jerks him a couple of times. A bout of curse comes out of his mouth,

"Bastard! Don't dare to take her name from your dirty mouth. She killed herself because of you. First, you uploaded her video from my phone and then put all blame on me."

His voice reverberates in the closed room.

"Yes, I did but don't forget my friend that you only shot her when she was changing. You made her naked video, not me."

Dhruv hisses out though doesn't try to free himself from Abhi's hold.

"Yes, I made that video and till now, I repent for that mistake. It was an impulsive step taken by a teenager who was deeply in love with her. But...but..."

Bubbles form in the corner of Abhi's lips. He continues,

"It was never intended to tarnish her image. I really loved her but you came between us. You knew that she considers you as a friend. Only friend. But you misconceived it as unspoken love. You used to stalk her everywhere. Oh God...I don't know how many times Mukti told me that she senses someone's presence around her but I didn't trust her instinct. She kept on asking for help and I kept on ignoring her fear. And I repent for this too. But not this time. I will tell Manik what monster he is trusting. A monster who is prowling on his love. Again, he is up to snatching someone's dream."

Abhimanyu pulls Dhruv by his collar and hisses. Dhruv keeps silent for a nanosecond and then shoves him vehemently. Abhi plunges onto the floor and recoils. Dhruv corrects his shirt's crease and stands straight keeping both hands on his waist.

"But how? You are here...with me and I will never let you go to Manik. Then how will you tell him? How will you tell him that it is me who calls Nandini? It is me who always keeps an eye on his beloved wife and it was me who almost shot him in his lake house. Ahhhh... I know that night you also followed them to that place. Perhaps, you wanted to meet Manik and tell him that you are still alive. That day police found someone else's dead body instead of you. Although I left no stone unturned to bid you goodbye. Because, after Mukti's death, there was no reason for you to stay alive. It was you who came between you and me. She loves me not you. Do you get that? IT...WAS...ALWAYS...ME."

Dhruv screams and leans forward to look into Abhi's intimidated eyes.

"I leaked the video from your mobile so that she starts hating you. But...but...as usual, Manik came forward to save you. He took all the blame on himself and my plan backfired. I...I...couldn't imagine Mukti could kill herself. I thought it would compel her to come to me...as a saviour. Because it was always me who loved her and protected her from Notorious 5's bullying."

Dhruv's voice becomes a bit soft as if he recalls some good memories. Meanwhile, Abhi chips in,

"It was not love but lust. You used to lust for her the same you feel for Nandini. Don't you feel disgusted to lay an eye on your friend's wife? A friend who always tried to keep our bond united. Or you are doing it to take revenge on Manik because he once unknowingly marred your plan to frame me?"

Dhruv doesn't reply. Instead, he walks to the other side of the room and switches on more lights which illuminate a wall. Now, we can recognise this as the same room where a big size of Nandini's picture hung from the wall. He traces his knuckles on her lips and hisses out,

"Exactly my friend. I lust for her not because she is an attractive woman but because she is too much in love with Manik who doesn't deserve this feeling. I am more into separating her from him rather than making her mine."

"And what about Aliya? Don't you love her?"

Abhi asks desperately. Dhruv turns and saunters to him.

"Yes, I do. She is a lovely girl. But you know too much love and dedication make me bored sometimes. And I am not leaving her for Nandini. She will be there because she sometimes soothes the monster in me. As long as she will love me, I will love her back. Simple."

His voice is laced with wavering. Abhi gets up from the floor and sits on the chair again. His face is distorted in disgust. He cries,

"You are insane. You need help. You are a backstabber. You are fooling all of us. But more of that, you are fooling yourself. A person who can't differentiate between love and lust, a person who can't value friendship and who can ruin someone's life whom he claims to love is the most dangerous creature. How long will you be able to hide this secret? Time will snatch your façade one day. Manik, Arya and Cabir will come to know about your true colour."

Dhruv chuckles at him and takes out a syringe and a vial of pethidine from his pocket. He fills some portion in the syringe and walks at Abhi. His eyes are beaming with a diabolic emotion.

"Until that time comes, Manik will lose Nandini forever. Now, go to sleep again. I can't entertain you anymore. Good night!"

Before Abhi can stop him, Dhruv stabs the needle into his nape. Abhi tries to grab his hand but Dhruv steps back and eventually leaves the room. Abhi heard the clicking sound of the lock. His eyes feel heavy. He plummets on the rocking chair again, blabbering incomprehensibly,

"Ma...nik...Maaa...ni...k...I...am...alive...bro...I...I...need...to...see...see...youuu..."

He drowns in deep sleep.

.............................................

Nandini lays down Mini on her baby cot and comes out of the room. She needs to talk with Manik. In the morning after Aryamaan had left, Manik went to the speech therapist with Rishav. However, she noticed that he was not completely into his concentrated mind. Maybe something was muddling him inwardly. And she can guess the reason. To be precise, the person. Aryamaan Khurana. This guy always creates turmoil in Manik. Whether mentally or physically. She came to know that the blast was for Aryamaan only. Manik was the wrong target. She is shaken from the inside. What if they repeat the mistake and this time Manik wouldn't be so lucky? Nandini enters their bedroom with a scowl on her face. She roams her eyes on the entire room. He is not there. But his body smell is still lingering in the dead air. She walks towards the balcony and locates him standing there, puffing on his cigarette. Suddenly an urge to claim him overpowers her agitation. She slides the glass door and steps outside. Manik was so engrossed in his thoughts that the sounds couldn't break his reverie. Without muttering a word, Nandini hugs him from the back which makes Manik startled. He grabs Nandini's hands and mumbles unmindfully,

"I won't let you go away from me."

Author's note: SomeManan moments will be there in the next. So finally, the mystery man came to the daylight. Many of you guessed it right. Kudos to their intuition. However, many secrets are yet to be disclosed. So, keep reading. If you want a double update of BP then increase the follower number by 20 more. The scoreboards should be running...Ha...Ha...Ha...😄😄