A/N : Hello readers, I feel immensely fortunate to present before you, one more MaNan tale of love. This story is my attempt at showing the mirror on how all things glamourous aren't worthy; on how love is indeed priceless and the most worthy possession of ones' life.

This is a tale of love, a story of dreams, a story of faith and a story of betrayal too. A story of how love conquers all, in a slice of life. 

This first chapter is dedicated to my reader @Heirof_slytherin- for her birthday on October 5. Wishing you a very happy birthday in advance, and I hope you like this chapter :)

Now the wait is over!

Happy Reading! :)

***

The Present

"So, this is it, I suppose, Manik.." she whispered, looking down. Her eyes were teary, expression crestfallen, although she tried her best to stay strong & hold onto whatever little bit of grace she was left with.

"Trust me, this is for the better, Nandini" he whispered back, holding her hands, and caressing them lightly.

"How can this be for the better, Manik?" she whispered almost to herself, but he heard her.

"We have been through this so many times, Nandini. It is for the better because we both deserve to be happy.." this time he sounded impatient & Nandini caught on to that. She sighed, but nodded in understanding, like she had done on all the occasions when Manik & she discussed this.

"I shall get going then." Nandini whispered, trying very hard to not choke on her tears. "..and all the best, Manik. I hope you find all the happiness you're looking for, this time around. I will miss you."

"I wish you all the happiness too, Nandini. You are a good woman, you deserve it. Also, one last piece of advice, this time around, don't agree to marry just about anyone, just because your Aams finds him suitable for you; listen to your own heart. And I will miss you too." Manik smiled gently, looking at her, before hugging her briefly & departing from the premises of the family court at Bandra; leaving a distraught, disconnected, broken & now divorced Nandini behind.

Their marriage of two years was officially over today.

It had to be over, right? Nandini thought to herself. The circumstances that led to their marriage, screamed of only one outcome, a divorce; but they got married anyway. She was of course compelled by an ageing grandmother who feared leaving her orphaned grand-daughter alone & family-less, if she passed away before getting her married; and Manik?

The Past

Manik was a superstar, born to a family of acting royalty. His father was a superstar of his time, his mother was a veteran actress before she married his father; even his grandfather & great grandfather were acting legends of the country. His grandmother, Asha Devi was a singer of the highest calibre, who'd gone on to be known as the nightingale of India at her time! Basically, everyone in their family was either dedicated to the fine craft of acting or behind the cameras & were eminent by their own rights. Manik Malhotra - a star, an icon, a business billionaire by birth, but Manik had one problem, despite all this, he still belonged to a conservative patriarchal Punjabi family.

The Malhotra's were known for the charm, the good looks, the acting & the larger than life image, but what they were never known for in all these generations, was scandal. Ranvijay Malhotra of the 50s was a super star & won the heart of the whole nation, but his reputation was squeaky clean, so was his son Shamsher Malhotra's who ruled the early 70s up till the late 80s; then came Manik's father, the legendary Shrikant Malhotra, ruling the box office from the early 90s until a decade or so back, maintaining the same track & now the mantle was passed onto Manik Malhotra. He was the Malhotra scion by every right. He was a terrific actor & entertainer, a people's person, the heart throb of the whole nation, but the only place he stumbled upon was reputation, thanks to Innaya Forbes, the half-English half-Kashmiri supermodel who took the fashion world by frenzy in the last few years & reached the top like it was a cake walk.

Manik had seen Innaya and had fallen for her instantly, their dream like love story was the talk of the town, however amongst all the press attention, when she could grab the maximum amount of eyeballs, his supermodel girlfriend Innaya Forbes had dumped him during a press conference & announced her relationship with a son of a business billionaire who was dying to do anything to get into her pants; even produce a movie with her as lead.

The Malhotra clan could do with a slightly less successful torch bearer, but one who slaughtered their reputation? No one was going to let Manik destroy what they built for generations for a stupid fling!

Hence when the headline breaking scandal of Manik Malhotra & Innaya Forbes' breakup, caused foolery on Manik's name & identity, it didn't go down well with the Malhotra patriarch, Shrikant Malhotra & his father; they had to salvage the situation by hook or crook. It didn't matter what Manik wanted, what mattered was to keep the Malhotra name intact. So it was decided, Manik had to get married. Married to a low profile girl, who wouldn't ever dare go out of line & embarrass Manik or the Malhotra family name. A girl whose mediocre background & high moral values would do all the PR damage control that was required. It would shut the haters for good, since it would show, Manik wasn't dumped before the media, he had broken up with Innaya much before that, he had in fact dumped Innaya for a homely Indian woman; someone with high traditional values, someone who the common Indian audience and women could relate to. The marriage of a simpleton to a movie royalty! It would look like a story from a movie in itself. The sanctity of the Malhotra name would be restored, and Manik's name would be on the clean!

That is when all the marketing agencies working for the Malhotra's dug their head together & churned out Kishori Amma, a much revered & senior local folk singer from Mangalore. She was Manik's late singing sensation grandmother, Asha Devi's childhood friend & fellow music practitioner. Kishori Amma's father was Asha Devi's guru and he had trained both the ladies in classical music. While Asha Devi came to the city to try her vocals in classical playback singing & the world discovered her; her friend Kishori Amma had stayed back in the village and lived a normal life & later married a professor and had her family. After Asha Devi had left the village, she and Kishori Amma had lost all contact eventually; so Kishori Amma was extremely surprised when in her old age, the Malhotra's seeked her out and asked her grand daughter Nandini's hand for marriage with Manik Malhotra! She had even wondered how her naive little kanna could be befitting of the superstar, but her friend's (Asha Devi) husband & son had come down themselves with the proposal, stating it was her friend's last wish, so the poor lady fell for it. After all, they were great friends, maybe Asha really did want this.

And that's how Nandini Murthy was planted into Manik Malhotra's life, without his will or her opinion. To clean his mess & keep the Malhotra mantle sacrosanct. Soon after, they got tied in holy matrimony. However, Manik Malhotra agreed to get married on rebound & familial pressure, so from the beginning of their life together, he never put any effort to work on his marriage, plus Nandini? When did she ever fit next to him, his stardom, his fine line of high profile ladies? She was a marketing prop at best for him, and that's how he saw her.

Nandini Murthy was emotionally compelled to marry Manik by her grandmother, and she knew she was no fit next to the star; but who knew why she felt something deep inside her when she met him for the first time? She felt a connection, a higher power, a force that made her believe, no matter how odd they were, they were meant to be. Strange, right? She couldn't explain it either. Was it love at first sight? Could be, he was the Manik Malhotra after all; but it felt more deeper than that & that's why when they got married, she had decided to put her heart, soul and mind into working this relationship.

Nandini eventually in their two years stint of marriage, fell in love with Manik, but he never felt anything remotely more than responsibility towards her. He was polite & kind to her, but he had made it very clear that those were the only reactions he could spare for this marriage, and Nandini decided to settle for it. She thought her love would one day win Manik for her, but little did Nandini realise back then, that marriage was a two-way street. So, after two years, when his stardom was re-solidified, Innaya's movie career had worked out well & no-one spoke of the famous Manik-Innaya scandal of the yesteryears, Manik's PR had given him the green signal of freedom. He could ask for a divorce now & move on if he wanted, it wouldn't affect his career.

The Malhotra's accepted the divorce because they were assured, it wouldn't malign their name if the split was mutual & Nandini kept silent. In fact, a graceful divorce was fashionable, wasn't it? It would make them look like a progressive family, if they all parted ways amicably, choosing happiness over tradition.

Who cared what Nandini wanted, anyway.

The Present

Here she was standing outside the court, waiting for her car to pick her up, the same car that she was forcefully given by Manik along with the chauffeur, a massive bungalow in Cuffe Parade with staff & pay taken care of, and a hefty sum of money as alimony. She didn't want any of that. Being his wife wasn't a service that she had provided, at the termination of which, she would charge her husband with an invoice & tax; but Manik insisted anyway. He had said he cared enough to ensure she didn't suffer after their divorce, plus it was for his PR too. The world wouldn't like for Manik Malhotra to file a divorce without the media gaslighting his sky touching alimony settlement right?

Suddenly a sense of defiance hit Nandini. What was she, a toy? Up till this point, everyone got to decide her fate for her. Her Aams, decided to get her married, her in-laws decided to have her for their heartbroken son's bruised ego & family reputation, her husband decided she's only worthy of standing beside when she is made to show her face in charity & social events. You'd think at least now she could call the shots of her own life? No, Manik had planned the rest of her life without him too. The place she'd live in, the kind of lifestyle she would have, her commute, her paychecks everything. So much for being a celebrity castaway?

Nandini finally let go of the unshed tears that were pooling round her eyes, from the time she saw Manik walk away. No, she had had enough. No one was going to dictate her life hereon, she was going to be behind the wheels herself, and see what the future really had in store for her.

If Manik Malhotra couldn't love her, she didn't need his charity either.

3 Years Later

[Nandini, where are you? The driver can't find you, he's waiting for you outside the court for two hours now, please call him back - Manik]

[Nandini, are you fine? Please text/call back. We've been looking for you all day - Manik]

[Nandini, this is it. It has been more than twenty hours now, and I can see that you're reading the texts. Either you contact me yourself, or I will file a missing complaint with the police the moment it crosses twenty four hours. God, I never thought, you can be this childish! How long do you think I can keep from the press that you're missing? - Manik]

[Manik, I am fine. I am not missing. I choose to move on. Please don't come looking for me -Nandini]

After that, Nandini had discarded that sim card that was still connecting her to the world of celebrity & public figure, Manik Malhotra, but she didn't have the heart to delete his last text messages to her. She had saved them on her phone. She had gone to the bank and withdrawn her fixed deposit, the only means of money she had saved herself, while tutoring little children in music, back in the days before she got married. She didn't touch her Aams' money, because she knew Manik knew about it & would trace her through it, if she accessed that immediately. She still loved Manik of course, but she had had enough, she wanted peace now. Away from all the glitz, glamour, charity and loveless marriage that Manik brought to her life.

That is how Nandini Murthy had rehashed her life after pressing the reset button. It was a new beginning.

Mangalore

"Nandini, what is this I hear from the HR, you have requested for rescheduling your place in the next training program?" asked Smaran Hebbar, the owner of the KPO, Hebbar & Sons in Mangalore, where Nandini Murthy had been working for a little over two years, now.

"Yes, about that, Smaran. Look, I'm really not sure if..." she began, but her boss didn't let her down that road.

"I knew it. You refused it because the training is being held in Mumbai this year, isn't it?" he asked softly.

"Smaran it's just that..I mean..you know nah..what's the point of..you know. I can attend this training next year, right? Weren't you saying you're planning it in Bangalore next year?" Nandini asked, with a pleading voice.

"Nandini, you do realise that if you don't train this year, I will not be able to promote you to the role of Manager this year?" he asked, trying again. Nandini sighed. She was hoping with the promotion this year, she'd finally be able to rent a small apartment for herself & leave the girls hostel where she had been sharing a room with two other women. No, she didn't mind the girls, but sometimes after a really long day, she felt she could really do with a little bit of quietness, to hear her own thoughts.

"I..I understand that, Smaran" she mumbled looking down & feeling a bit dejected. One more year she had to push through for her small dream to materialise. However, she'd much rather wait one more year in her hostel than take the risk of visiting Mumbai.

Not that she thought her ex-husband Manik Malhotra was sitting there looking for her even after all these years; in fact, from what she knew, he was now dating the hotshot actress Alia Saxena. If the tabloids and her only best friend in town, who also happened to be a crazy Manik Malhotra fan, were to be believed, then Manik & Alia were to tie the knot very soon too. Her worry wasn't Manik, her worry was her own heart. It took Nandini years of effort and moulding to re-shape her life & lead a peaceful Manik-free life here in Mangalore, after her Aams' demise, two and half years back; she didn't know how her wretched heart would behave when in Mumbai, a city where they were married & she was deeply in love with him. Was going back to the city worth that risk? The answer was clear, no.

"Nandini, you say you've moved on, and at the same time you cannot bear being in the same city as Manik Malhotra? How is that healthy?" Smaran's soft whisper, broke through her train of thoughts. She looked at him and realised, it was no more her boss but her friend talking to her now. He was clearly worried for her.

"I have moved on, Smaran. I just don't want to test myself just yet. I'm not ready for it. Please allow me to skip this training?" she pleaded with him.

"Fine, I will have Navya go instead" responded Smaran, after peering at her expression carefully for some time.

"Thanks a lot, Smaran & I will inform Navya about the same" she smiled in relief.

"Nandini, I know how much that promotion means to you, and I'm sorry I won't be able to bend any rules here to let you have it this year without the training. The policies are pretty clear on those" Smaran reminded her gently. Nandini smiled and nodded, assuring him she understood.

"Copy that, boss!" she replied and carried on.

***

"Are you freaking serious, Navya!? You are telling this to me now? Like three days before you leave?" Nandini couldn't help screaming at her best friend and colleague Navya, after hearing what she had to say early in the morning.

"Please na Nandu. Manik ki kasam if I could go, I'd go in a heartbeat. After all it's Mumbai, my hottie superstar's hometown. You know na, that I can give up anything to go and take a selfie outside his mansion Jannat!" she pleaded with puppy eyes & Nandini rolled her eyes in vexation. What was she thinking trusting this drama queen?

"Navya, you know na, why did I opt out of this training? The headcount has already gone, the bookings are done. How can we ditch Smaran at the last minute, like this?" Nandini tried again.

"Nandu, if my mother understood even an iota of being professional, then she'd not have invited Harshad ji's family for lunch, right on the day of training nah? You know how she feels about unmarried girls travelling alone, right? I think that is why she invited them; to stop me from going. I really like Harshad ji, Nandu. I really want this rishta to work out. Please understand, why I can't go" Navya pleaded again, this time with sincerity & Nandini gave in.

"Fine, I will just have to look for another person, it is going to be very difficult at the last moment" she muttered to herself & Navya cleared her throat uncomfortably at that. Nandini looked at her.

"What?"

"Actually Nandu, I already tried talking to the rest of the eligible folks, before talking to you this morning. None of them are ready.." she whispered, not looking at Nandini.

Seriously, was there no way Nandini could avoid going to Mumbai? Well, it looked like she'd have to go now. What choice did Navya really leave her with? Looked like she had to talk with Smaran about this, now. Sighing she excused herself to go & inform Smaran about her change in plan.

Navya looked at the retreating figure of Nandini with guilty eyes. She knew about Nandini's past & she had no intention of sending her back there. As much as she loved Manik Mahotra the actor, she knew the real person had broken her friend's heart. If it wasn't for the crush of her life, Harshad ji's rishta, she'd go for sure. However, what were the chances that Nandini would go to Mumbai for a week & bump into superstar Manik Malhotra? None, right?

"Hey Maatarani, please take care of Nandini for me, while she is in Mumbai." she prayed softly.

***

Word Count: 3,108

A/N : Dear readers, the stage is set for this story now. 

Do share your first thoughts, povs, feelings about this. 

If there is a doubt in understanding the plethora of characters of relations here, please feel free to ask, I shall clear them for you. 

Please don't forget to vote and leave me a comment, they are truly my only source of inspiration for writing on the MaNan fandom!

Next Update: Sunday (Oct 9)

Until then,

Love always,

Your writer,

A.