An Arranged Journey To Forever

Part 68

Manik stood outside the locked door, his hands clenched into fists as he tried to reason with Cabir. "Cabir, please, open the door. Let me in. We need to talk," he pleaded, his voice laced with desperation. But silence greeted him.

"Cabir, I know you're hurting. I know this is a lot to process, but shutting yourself away won't change anything!" he continued, pressing his forehead against the wooden door, hoping his words would reach his brother's heart.

Still, no response.

With frustration bubbling inside him, Manik took a deep breath. "Fine, you don't want to listen? Then I'll come to you myself!" Without another thought, he threw his full weight against the door. It creaked under pressure before bursting open, revealing a room in complete disarray.

Cabir stood amidst the wreckage, his eyes red and swollen, evidence of the silent war waging inside him. The sound of the door crashing open made him look up, but he made no effort to acknowledge Manik further.

"Please leave me alone for some time, Manik," Cabir said, his voice hollow, devoid of the usual warmth. The way he addressed him stung—no 'Bhai,' just Manik. But knowing the turmoil Cabir was going through, he chose to let it slide.

Manik exhaled and sat down on the bed, determined not to leave him alone. "Fine, do whatever you want, but I'm not going anywhere," he said firmly.

"I SAID GO!" Cabir roared, his anger taking control as he grabbed whatever was within reach—books, accessories, papers—and threw them across the room in a fit of rage.

Manik watched in silence, letting him vent. But when enough was enough, he rose to his feet. "Cabir, enough!" he bellowed, his voice cutting through the chaos.

"Yes, it is enough indeed!" Cabir shot back, his breathing heavy, his hands trembling.

"You want to break things? You think destruction will make this pain go away? Fine, then let's do it together!" Without hesitation, Manik turned toward the mirror and threw his fist into it. The glass shattered, shards scattering onto the floor as blood dripped from his knuckles.

Cabir's eyes widened in shock. "Manik, stop it! Please! What are you doing?" he rushed to him, attempting to grab his bleeding hand, but Manik yanked it away.

"Why should I stop? You think you're the only one who can be angry? You think you're the only one who feels pain? Have you forgotten my anger, Cabir?" Manik growled, stepping forward, making Cabir instinctively step back.

Cabir stared at him, speechless.

"What did you do today, huh? You found out you were adopted, and just like that, you decided that this isn't your family anymore? That this isn't your home?" Manik's voice trembled with emotion as he slapped Cabir, not too hard, but hard enough to make him listen.

Cabir looked away, his jaw tightening.

"Mom isn't your mother? I'm not your brother? Who gave you the right to decide that?" Another slap, softer this time, but it broke the last of Cabir's defenses.

Tears streamed down his face as Manik grabbed him by his collars. "You're angry? Fine. But you don't get to push us away. You don't get to decide that we don't belong to you. Do you hear me? You do this again, you spout this nonsense again, and I swear, I will beat some sense into you," Manik threatened, his voice shaking with emotion.

Cabir let out a choked sob before crumbling into Manik's arms. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Bhai," he whispered, gripping him tightly.

Manik sighed, his own emotions threatening to overwhelm him. He patted Cabir's back, comforting him. "Hmm. And you know what? Call me Manik. I like that better—makes me feel younger," he teased, trying to lighten the moment.

Cabir chuckled weakly, wiping his tears. "You wish."

Manik smirked. "Apologize to everyone downstairs. You scared the hell out of them."

Cabir nodded, but his gaze fell on Manik's bleeding hand. "Fix that first, or Bhabhi and Ma will murder me," he said with a small grin.

Manik chuckled. "Fair enough."

After Cabir bandaged his hand, the two made their way downstairs. As soon as they entered the living room, Nyonika rushed to Cabir, concern evident in her eyes.

"Cabir, are you okay?" she asked, checking him over.

Cabir lowered his gaze in guilt. "Mom, I'm so sorry," he murmured, hugging her tightly.

Raj stepped forward, patting his back. "You are our son, always."

Cabir nodded before turning to Nandini, who was sitting on the couch, her leg bandaged. He walked over and sat beside her, pulling her into a sideways hug.

"I was gone for a few hours, and you managed to hurt your leg? What's going to happen to this house without me?" he teased, trying to lift the mood.

"You're not going anywhere," Nandini said firmly, squeezing his arm.

Cabir smiled at her before looking at everyone. "I'm sorry, all of you. I acted impulsively. I just... didn't know how to deal with it. I'm really sorry, Mom, Dad, Manik, Bhabhi—"

Nandini pulled him down and whispered, "Now that you call him Manik, call me Nandini. I don't like 'Bhabhi.' Feels too... motherly."

Cabir chuckled and nodded. "Got it."

Midnight had arrived, and exhaustion was settling in. One by one, they all retired to their rooms.

As Manik and Nandini settled into bed, she smirked. "You know, if your leg had been injured too instead of just your hand, it would've been funnier."

Manik looked at her, unimpressed. "My injury is entertaining to you?"

She giggled. "Yeah! Then both of us would've been limping around like an old couple."

He rolled his eyes, giving her a fake smile. "Such a rare wife."

"I know, Manik," she said smugly before turning to her side.

Manik smirked, pulling her into a back hug. "Hmm, you're rare, and you're mine," he murmured, nuzzling into her neck, making her smile.

Soon, exhaustion overtook them, and they drifted off to sleep, tangled in each other's warmth.

Meanwhile, Cabir sat on his bed, trying to call Navya, but her phone was switched off. Sighing, he figured she had probably fallen asleep. With that thought, he placed his phone aside and finally allowed himself to rest, knowing he wasn't alone—his family was still his, no matter what.