A/N: Woah, Chapter 50? Can you readers believe that? When I started this story, I kinda knew I cannot wrap it short, but did I have 50+ chapters in mind? Hell, no!

Although, I have to say, I enjoyed penning down every chapter for this book, and once I wrap with the writing, I am most excited to read the whole fiction as one go, as a reader!

Anyway, my heartfelt thank you, to all you readers for sticking with me & the book, when in many cases/times, you have disagreed to the narration; thank you for showing so much faith in my writing!

On that note, I hope you enjoy reading the chapter! See you on the other side..

***

Nandini woke up to the vibration of her phone that made a low thudding sound, as it lay on the bedside table next to her. She got up with a start as she quickly bunched the bedsheet close to her chest, to cover her naked body; then she picked up the phone to see Mukti calling her. She sighed. Mukti probably noticed she didn't come home all night, and was trying to reach her, to know her whereabouts. What would she tell her? Nandini looked at the phone for a few seconds more, before disconnecting the call, and texting her that she was fine, and was coming home, in some time. Then she turned around to see the place next to her on the bed, empty.

Manik was up already.

As Nandini glanced at the phone again, she raised her eyes wide! It was ten in the morning and she was still sleeping? Well, she was drunk and they didn't get any sleep until the wee hours of the morning, she reasoned, as she found her thoughts going back to the night before, when she and Manik were intimate and made love. A small blush crept into her cheeks, as she remembered how gentle and loving Manik was. She felt like his each touch was telling her a story of his endless, boundless love to the point of devotion for her. When did this happen? She found herself thinking from the time she married Manik up till now. A lot had happened, but it astounded her to think how amidst all that happened, so much love kept forming in his heart for her. Her thoughts were soon interrupted by Manik clearing his throat. She got startled as she looked towards his bedroom door, and saw Manik standing there, in a white tee and boxers. For a moment her eyes moved to his strong muscular thighs and calves; she remembered the strength they had from last night, and her cheeks turned red.

"Umm..Nandini?" Nandini quickly looked up to see a dazed look cross his face, as he muttered, "You might want to grab the bed sheet till I get you your clothes?" Nandini frowned as she looked down and gasped to realise, she had loosened her hold on the bedsheet and it was now lying bunched on the bed, around her waist, leaving her upper body bare & exposed before Manik's eyes!

She was red in embarrassment, as she quickly pulled up the sheets covering herself, and Manik hastily looked away, and walked into the room. He collected her folded clothes from a settee nearby and handed them to her, all the time looking down, giving her privacy.

"Why don't you freshen up and come out for breakfast." Manik said, avoiding eye contact. Nandini nodded quietly, as he walked out of his room, shutting the door behind him.

***

As Nandini walked to their dining area, he found Manik sitting on a chair, looking visibly relaxed as he sipped on his green tea and scrolled through his phone. Nandini couldn't help notice, his hair was a little messy, and as the rays of sunlight filtering through the balcony touched his hair, it looked golden brown on the edges. God had indeed taken his own sweet time in making this man, she mused.

"Hey, come sit, I know you want coffee, but I think you should have this lime water before, it will take care of any possible dehydration or headache." Manik's concerned voice broke through her reverie, as she smiled at him a little.

"Err..Manik, thanks, but I think I will leave now. It's quite late already. You will also have to be at work.." She began mumbling but stopped as Manik swiftly got up from his chair and walked to her; he held her wrist gently and guided her to the table.

"Please sit Nandini. I don't have to be anywhere right now. Also..um..we need to talk about last night." His voice was soft yet careful.

Nandini was dreading this, since she woke up. She knew they had to talk, but she wasn't sure what to say. What was the truth about her actions last night? Yet, realising a conversation was unavoidable right now, she sighed and sat down, as Manik passed her the glass of lime water. She took it from his hand, and his finger mildly grazed her as she did, and she felt a pulse of electricity run down her spine. Damn.

"Nandini, about last night.." Manik began after some time, watching her, as she slowly sipped her lime water, looking everywhere else but him.

"...I don't regret what happened last night, Manik. If that's what you want to know." she replied hastily. She remembered how vulnerable and broken Manik looked, when he had asked her if she would regret making love to him, last night.

Manik nodded. His heart felt appeased. "I just wanted to make sure, because you were very heavily intoxicated last night..and I didn't want you to think I was taking undue advantage of that." Manik clarified.

Nandini looked uncomfortable, there was something ebbing in her heart and knowing how much Manik loved his phantom child, she thought he deserved to know. "Last night, you didn't take any advantage of my drunken state Manik, I took advantage of it to come here." she confessed, looking down, feeling shallow.

Manik looked at her surprised, but then nodded in understanding. "You wanted to come home to meet her..that's why you got drunk, so you could ask me to bring you here?" he asked, softly. There was no judgement in his voice. Nandini relaxed, and slowly nodded.

Manik looked at her vulnerable face and sighed, as he slowly reached for her palm and gently clutched it between his two. "Nandini, you don't ever need to think twice before asking me to bring you here. It may be my penthouse, but it becomes my home, only when you stay here sharing it with me." he whispered.

Nandini looked at him, and gulped seeing the raw vulnerability his visage held. Last night was a tough one for her emotionally. She was vulnerable remembering the daughter she couldn't ever have, then to be closer to the physical relic of that baby, she had to orchestrate a plan to get drunk, and come back to a place with Manik, where she lived when she was playing the pregnancy drama; she came here and all her small fleeting happy moments washed through her, until she reunited with her baby belt first and then she broke all boundaries and embraced Manik as hers. She did all this because she was hurting, emotional and vulnerable. Even her intimacy with Manik was out of vulnerability not love, but hearing Manik she realised, she had led him to believe otherwise, yet again. In that moment, she despised herself for being so attracted and comfortable with him, yet not feeling any sense of love for him. If she was wronging him the same way, he once did, how was she any better? No, she had to come clean.

"Manik, I am not here to share your home. I hope you know that." she whispered, holding her breath. Manik's hand stiffened on hers' momentarily, before he relaxed a little, in his attempt to comfort her.

"I can understand that, Nandini. This isn't easy for you either, but last night, it wasn't a regret either, right?" Manik tried to squeeze in some hope.

Nandini looked at him with assuring eyes. No she truly didn't regret last night, but that didn't mean it paved the way for a future for them. How was she to tell him this?

"Manik, last night we were vulnerable.." she began and Manik nodded encouragingly, but Nandini went on further, "..and the intimacy we shared felt right because we had decided on our arrangement of intimacy without attachment. We were mourning Manik, it wasn't anything more than that.." Nandini tried explaining.

Manik let out a breath he was holding for some time now. How was he to explain this to this headstrong woman, when she was so hell bent in denying all her feelings?

"Nandini..we were mourning, and we seeked physical intimacy to let all the hurt out, would you call that lust?" he asked her calmly; she froze at his question.

"Nandini, baby, mourning is a feeling. It is a deeply personal feeling and you cannot be vulnerable before someone if you're not emotionally attached to them. Do you think you're coming to my room and asking about her, and me getting it that very moment, who you meant by her was a logical coincidence? Did we forge that kind of a trauma bond out of lust? Love, whether in happiness or in pain, in love or hate, our connection is deeply emotional, we can never be neutral. So, this upheaval of intimacy between us, you think lust has caused this? Can lust cut through your soul the way love can?" Manik whispered, urging Nandini to peek a little beneath her mind and give her heart a chance.

Nandini shivered a little, weighing his words. True, if she let her mind pause for a moment, and give her feelings a little chance, she'd have to agree to what Manik was saying, but was she ready to stop listening to her mind? A smiling, goofy face of Abhimanyu flashed in her head, and just like that she remembered why she had given her mind a chance. No. She couldn't afford to think emotionally, even if she wanted to, because if she did and even toyed with the idea of having Manik in her life, she'd be safe, protected, loved and kept far away from punishing or admonishing his criminal family. Her brother, Abhimanyu deserved better.

It didn't matter that Nandini wanted to jump out of her seat and crash onto Manik's chest and hug him, till she felt okay. It didn't matter that, for the first time, a tiny ray or possibility nurtured its head out of the soil to say, maybe she could give Manik a chance, because she knew she couldn't afford to let her guards down anymore. For Abhimanyu's justice was bigger than her life now, and for that she was now engaged to Zain.

There was no point in contemplating ideas that would give her warmth momentarily and crash her soul, the moment she realises it is not in her destiny.

"Nandini, say something. Please?" Manik's voice sounded hurt, and desperate. Nandini looked at him squarely in the eye, she was going to set Manik free from their toxic bond today. Forever.

"Manik, from where I see it, there were two things that I found closure from, last night. One, I have finally let my baby girl rest, like you wanted me to; and secondly, I have finally had you, and appeased my lust. Now, I think, I am truly done with you. Beyond today, we will engage, only as professionals and well wisher's of each other." she spoke in a confident voice, crumpling his soul into shards.

Manik didn't respond for a whole minute as she waited. He just blankly looked at her. Then, she finally got up from the dining table and turned to leave. As she reached his main door, his voice stopped her.

"Nandini, we made love last night, to have our baby girl back. That was lust?" his voice was breaking. Nandini stilled and shut her eyes, holding back from crying. She paused and breathed to settle her thoughts and get her act together.

"I was confused, Manik; and don't worry, I will go home and take an after pill, just to be on the safe side." With that, she marched out of the door, shutting it behind her.

"Why do I feel like I have lost you forever, this time?" Manik whispered, as a wretched drop of tear cascaded down his cheek.

***

As Nandini walked out of the penthouse, she realised she didn't have her car with her. She didn't want to call for her car as it would take time, and in the interim she couldn't wait in the lobby drawing people's attention, or go back to the penthouse, after how they ended things. She thought of getting one of Manik's cars to drop her, but instead of calling him, she called Cabir and made the request.

Though it sounded like Cabir had a lot of questions about what she was doing at Manik's without a car, he respected their privacy and curtly agreed to arrange a car. Soon after that, she was driven off to her place.

As Nandini entered her house, an ashened looking Mukti was sitting on the couch waiting for her. She cursed her stars. She needed a minute for herself right now, but it looked like she wasn't going to get it any time soon.

"Nandini, you were with Manik last night?" her question made Nandini exhale in tiredness.

"Yes." She kept it short. Mukti looked on for more explanation, she provided none, as she started walking towards her room.

"Yes? That's all I am going to get?" Mukti sounded hurt.

Nandini sighed. "I know I have disappointed you, Mukti, but trust me I.." she began explaining but stopped abruptly as Mukti came towards her and gave her a bone crushing hug.

"Disappointed me? Are you kidding?" she asked, still hugging her, as a perplexed Nandini held her back in surprise.

"Mukti?" she asked.

"Nandini, we both set out to find Abhimanyu's killer's right? If I can be honest to the cause and listen to my heart and give my life a chance at the same time, then why can't you for one damn night, forget everything and listen to your heart, to be with Manik? I know despite all the hate, you have always loved him. I get it.." Mukti whispered, and Nandini whimpered without realising. She wanted to tell her that she had not only gone there for Manik, but also her baby girl, but it felt too personal to share. Their baby girl & her memories were safest between her & Manik.

After a while, they pulled out, and Mukti suggested that she take some rest, as she had checked with Ranbir, Nandini had no engagements for the day. Nandini nodded and smiled at her briefly, before walking into her room and shutting the door behind her.

***

Again, the continuous ringing of her phone woke Nandini up. She was so emotionally exhausted after coming back from Manik's that she didn't realise she had fallen asleep again. As she distractedly looked at her phone, she frowned seeing Zubin calling her. As far as she remembered, she had no PR engagement lined up!

"Yes, Zubin?" She answered the call.

"Nandini, is this true? What were you doing at Manik sirs?" Zubin's voice was anxious. Nandini was confused. How did Zubin know? Did Mukti tell him? Then why was he so anxious?

"Relax Zubin. Only Mukti knows about it. It was all in hush hush, actually.." she tried, but Zubin cut her short in impatience.

"Hush-hush? Nandini, it is circulating all over social media! Everyone knows! There is clear footage of you leaving Manik sir's penthouse in the morning today, in his personal car! What were you thinking? Now there will be another scandal!" he sounded exasperated.

Nandini was stunned. Somebody filmed her? She was shocked thinking of the repercussions as the memories of her trial by the media during the Abhimanyu scandal flashed in her mind. Was she ready for this? Hell, no. Her hands shook in anxiety.

"Nandini are you there?" Zubin asked, slightly calmly this time, realising he must have triggered her.

"Zubin..I don't want a media trial.." that's all she could say, as her voice cracked and Zubin immediately tried to pacify her.

"Don't worry Nandini. I will figure something out. It has only been fifteen minutes since the news started circulating, we are still in the golden period; maybe if I can get Navya to make a statement on behalf of Manik sir, saying you had visited for a script reading & get some allying director to state he was present in the apartment too, then we can handle this..maybe Karan sir, can also come in support stating such harassments are uncalled for & then Alia maám & Aryamann sir, are always ready to help. I can also get Zain sir to vouch..." but Nandini's mind scattered at the mention of Zain. Shit! How could she forget she was engaged to Zain, and this would impact him too! He was risking so much to hit out at the Senior Malhotra's. What if his plans fell through? What if he decided to not help her with clues?!

"Zubin, you help me fix this, I have to talk to Zain..explain stuff.." she mumbled and Zubin understood how it was going to take a hit on her personal life too. He quickly agreed and hung up, as Nandini quickly tried calling Zain.

As ring after ring after ring went unanswered, Nandini started panicking. She couldn't let every bit of her effort fall apart for listening to her heart for a moment. She needed to fix it. She darted to her room to change into fresh clothes. Zain could ignore her calls, he couldn't deny her from entering his home! She was going to pay him a visit now.

Just as she was about to walk out of her door, grabbing her car keys, she got a call and she immediately stopped, hoping it was Zain, but it was Manik. Nandini huffed in irritation, she knew he was concerned, but right now, she didn't have the time to talk, as she decided to ignore the call; a part of her felt guilty too. She was too harsh to him in the morning, and now this, maybe she could receive the call and tell him she is okay?

"Hi Manik, don't worry I am fine. I will fig.." Nandini started, while shutting her door behind her, but Manik spoke, cutting her short.

"Nandini, stay at home, be careful, I am coming over right now. We will.." but this time Nandini cut him again, calling for the elevator impatiently.

"Manik, don't be silly, the scandal is about us, you can't come here. I am handling this, I will call you when.." Nandini tried speaking as Manik crossed her.

"Nandini, I don't care about the scandal! My dad & grandad knows you were with me! They will know, I broke the deal! You are in danger! I tried talking to them, but they are unreachable! I have to reach you befo..." but the connection got lost as Nandini had hopped into the elevator and pressed for the parking basement, while on the call. She hadn't heard much due to weak connection after the first statement.

As she jumped out of the elevator, she heard him again. "Nandini, can you hear me, damn it? I said, I'm coming to get you." Manik's voice was angry & distracted.

"Too late Manik, I am on my way to Zain's. We need to sort this first between us. The media nonsense is being handled by Zubin, you can talk to him. I got to go now, bye." with that she hung up.

Manik stared at the phone, standing near his main door, with keys in hand.

Too late? Did she not hear what he said? A part of his heart pinched to know, Zain mattered so much to her, but he tried telling himself why. Zain was apparently leading her to clues, right? Nandini was probably worried he might call off the deal? Well, right now Zain would keep her safe, wasn't that what he wanted? Then again, the idea of Nandini visiting Zain for something so personal reeked of intimacy and he, despite knowing she wanted nothing to do with him, still hated it.

He decided to talk to Zubin first now, and reach his dad & grandad, if he convinced them it was a false alarm, at least she was safe?

Although one word from their conversation seemed to stick to him. "Too late, Manik.." he shuddered, feeling weird. Then putting the thought aside he called Zubin & Navya home.

***

Word Count : 3,377

A/N: Well, a gear switch has happened again! What do you guys feel?

Now for my questions:

1. So, readers..rest assured, Nandini doesn't regret making love to Manik, but she isn't into him either! What are your views on this?

2. Nandini had manipulated Manik by getting drunk to be with him. Did you see that coming? Do you support her?

3. How was the MaNan encounter in the morning? What are your thoughts? Are you on Manik's side or Nandini's?

4. So, is this the end of MaNan? :P What do you think will happen now?

5. Another press screw up? Who do you think is behind this? Do you want to guess?

6. Manik is trying to get to Nandini & she to Zain. What do you think will happen from here? Who do you think will help Nandini now, Zain or Manik?

7. Do you feel bad for Zain? Poor guy, he is screwed from all sides! What are your thoughts on him & his journey so far into the story?

8. Any other thoughts, feedbacks, ideas about the chapter, plot storyline?

Lastly readers, I see a steady drop in votes as I update more chapters. I only wish for you to vote & show me some support because, it takes a hell amount of time & resource management to write this story down, and now that it is about to end in some chapters, it feels sad to see you guys are taking it for granted.. :(

I will only request, for some show of love in the way of votes & in-line & comments..but at the end, it is your call. :)

I will be back next Sunday (28th April'24) with another chapter,

Until then,

Stay well & keep reading,

Your writer,

A.