• When I looked above to divine, he smiled.. I was surprised but as soon as you hold my hand, I realized.. •

****

Manik : "please kill me Mukti..I don't want to breath anymore".. she heard his shattered tone and when she turned around she found him on his knees, totally broken, shattered within himself..

Kajal and Dhruv held each other's heads tightly, they are always afraid of this side of his.. his words pricked in their heart and caused a deep deep wound..

Mukti seems to be hell shocked but still quiet.. he raised his face to look at her, his eyes filled with tears and only tears..

He looks utterly, utterly broken, a man in agonizing pain... None ever saw him in this much quilt, god knows how much pain he has buried in himself which is going to blast today..

Manik : "do the honor.. kill me.."..He pleaded badly after joining both his hands..Kajal hugged Dhruv after witnessing this manik..She cried inconsolably in his arms while he too took silent sobs..

Mukti : "Ma..".. her voice trails off when she heard his weeping sound.. she had never imagined that she'll ever witness this Manik.. she can't believe on her own eyes that he is really The Manik Malhotra ..

Manik : "Am tired of all this Mukti, why am still alive? Why?"..He asked her while crying badly , eventually tears came out of her eyes as well but she was so numb to react on it..

Manik : "from that day till this date ..I have died thousands of death.. every hour, every minute , every second, mukti! I died.. Not because I was being punished but because I was never been punished.. ".. he told her his-side-of-story ..

While mukti started listening him ..But Dhruv and Kajal were really broken today..

Manik : "Nandini! Usne kabhi kuch nhi kaha..Kabhi bhi nhi.. she left me.. bina Kuch kahe.. she never punished me for my crimes.. and this is the only thing which makes me feel like am worse than any shit..When she was here right in front of me, I never valued her but as soon as she left me I realized her worth, what place she held in my world. It won't be wrong to say that she is my whole world today! "..His voice is weakest than ever, his eyes are filled with several emotions and memories..

He stood with his shaking legs, and walked straight to Mukti, she is too numb to react on it. She is shocked, surprised and what not!

Manik : "you want me to be away from her Na? ..Okay! I promise ..I promise that you'll never see me around her.. main bahut door chala jaunga ..Itna door ki use mera naam tak yaad nhi hoga.. "...His words shocked mukti but still she is quietly listening to him..He held her hand in his shivering one..

Manik : "but tell me once.. just for once please tell me.. when will I be able to prove that I have been changed?.. kab tak mujhe Tum logo ki najro mei yeh nafrat bardash karni padegi?.. kab tak main apne ap se najre churata rahunga?.. kab tak mukti?.. main manta hoon, I committed the biggest sin which has no forgiveness and am even not asking to forgive me and believe me.. all I want is a chance ..One single chance to prove myself, to prove that I really want to rectify.. Please mukti tell me ..Till what time all this will go on?.. because now I have lost this battle totally, am surrendering myself to you..".. his voice stopped abruptly while his tears never stopping for a second even..

• Nothing is painful than being not able to prove yourself right, and nothing is painful than living in a dark night.. •

Mukti, Dhruv and Kajal they all were looking at Manik, his devasted state, his pain which wrapped in each and every word he spoke as if he took out his bleeding heart in his hand and served it in front of them.

Manik : "main haar Chuka hoon Mukti! ..Bas ab haar Chuka hoon main.." ..And that's it! It's his breaking point, he again crashed on the ground with a loud thud , with H head bowed while Mukti was totally speechless, she seriously need time to process all this. yes! She really do!..

Didn't she ever saw Manik in such vulnerable state?, Did she ever saw such shattered, devastated Manik Malhotra?, Had she ever tried to look beyond Nandini? , Is she is wrong in thinking only about her friend?

Well! The answer for all the questions is a big NO! .. she never saw Manik in such shattered, devastated and vulnerable state.. she never tried to look beyond Nandini as from always Nandini is her center of attention and somewhere she blame herself for not being there with her sweet little baby sister when she was in a bad need of someone.. and she is not even wrong in thinking only about her friend, any good or a loyal friend will do that..

Undoubtedly she is the best friend any person can ever have!.. but now it's the test of humanity ..She always topped in friendship exam but will she pass this?..

Dhruv is the first one who walked towards Manik, he bent down beside him and hugged Manik tightly with tears cascading down..

Dhruv : "shhhhh! It's okay!".. he tried his best to calm him but deep down even he was broken in zillion pieces..

Kajal looked at mukti and walked to her.. "Mukti! Please come with me.. please".. she held mukti's hand while mukti still looking at Manik without blinking for once..

Kajal : "Mukti please".. she pleaded and now mukti looked at her..

They both went upstairs while Manik and Dhruv still sitting on the floor..He is sobbing, weeping in his arms like a two year kid..

• Why it's so difficult to kill myself?, Why can't for once I can be myself? •

Kajal took mukti straight in Manik's room, and opened the door as soon as the door unlocked and she opened it widely, Mukti entered inside but the scene made her freeze on her path..

She looked all around in the room, there was nothing other than Nandini's pictures, all the four walls covered with only her pics..

Mukti : "yeh sab?".. she tried to ask but Kajal smiled weakly..

Kajal : "that's how Manik is alive till yet!".. her words shocked mukti although her voice was soft and intense but there was so much in that one sentence, so much to feel, so much to understand..

Kajal : "Han mukti! Manik agar aaj zinda hai toh Sirf in yaadon mei, in tasveero mei, is chehre mei aur Nandini ke Dil mei.. "...She told her in her soft but powerful tone ..While mukti was looking at her in shock..

Kajal : "Tum Manik ko Nandini se door kar sakti hoon..magar Nandini ko Manik se kese door karogi?.. Kya tum nhi janti ki Nandini aur Manik Dono ek he saans sei judhe hai agar inhe alag karne ki koshish karogi toh koi nhi bachega.. sab kuch bhulne ke Baad bhi, aj bhi Nandini ke Dil mei sirf Manik hai..Kyu? ..Soch ke Dekho mukti.. ".. she shake the inner self of mukti and she was really perplexed ..

Kajal : "Jo Sacha pyaar karte hai na woh door ho kar bhi kabhi juda nhi hote, unke jism bhale he do ho lekin unki dhadkane ek dusre se Judi hoti hai.. "..Her words left a big impact on Mukti..

****

After some time Mukti and Kajal came down and they looked at Manik who is sitting on the couch all quiet, he raised his face and found Mukti and Kajal there, he without saying a word stood up and walked straight back to his room..

Mukti is quietly observing him while Kajal and Dhruv are totally helpless..

Kajal : "Dhruv can you please cancel all his meetings today! I don't think he will be able to work, give him some lone time..".. she requested in her soft yet so painful tone and Dhruv nodded,  he moved out of the scene to do the work assigned by her..

Kajal : "Mukti! I'll be right back..".. she left without waiting for her answer, while  Mukti is looking upwards in the direction of Manik's room..

***

Manik's room :

He is sitting on the floor with Nandini's pic and her anklet in his hand..He is looking at her with longing pain, crave, love, yearning and what not!

He looks so messed up, guilty, seems like all his wounds are again fresh now, his heart is bleeding like never ever, it seems like he is able to see his destruction..

• Blood is spread all over my feet, you're my only need, I want to die right now, it's so difficult to breathe... •

(Background music)

Tere sath he iss aag mein
Mere sapne wo sab jal gaye..

(He recalled their beautiful days, she in his arms, he chasing around ..their world was so soothing and blissful untill he himself obliterate it..)

Guzre jo pal tere saath mein
Mere apne wo sab jal gaye

(Her memories started haunting him, her smile started making him cry even more, there is a wry smile on his face filled with agonies..)

Udti yeh raakh ab armaano ki
Mujhse puchhe yehi

( "It's impossible to live now.. maa!" .. he said with a helpless tone, pain in his eyes can be visible to a blind as well, he is guilty, he really wants to rectify his mistakes but all he can do is a big nothing.. )

Main tere kaabil hoon ya
Tere kabil nahi

(He hugged her pic tightly to his chest, as if he wants to bury her inside him, as he wants her to be there, right there in this moment, cocooning him in her peaceful embrace, passing all the positivity to him, cajoling him.. but all he wonder is Do he really deserve a pure soul like her? )

Main tere kaabil hoon ya
Tere kabil nahi

(As soon as the question hit him, he is thrown back to the darkest corner from where he assume to never come back..He started screaming at the peak of his voice still holding her pic tight to his chest, crying and crying and crying..whole room is filled with his weeping, sobbing sounds.. )

Mukti saw all this while standing outside his room, the door was slightly opened so it was very easy to peek inside, she seems to be in fix after finding Manik in such deteriorating condition..

*****

Navniti house :

Nandini is standing on a stool, arranging some books on the upper shelf, she is really having tough time in cleaning the upper shelf because of her small height but still she is trying..

Nandini : "yeh mukti bhi Na..Kahi bhi books rakh deti hai..".. she scolded her..

She lost her balance and was about to meet the floor  but instead of falling down she land up in protective hard frame..

She opened her eyes in horror and find the person..And looking at the person she seems to be more than shocked..

*****