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"Mandini"
The soft smile that adorned Nandini's face vanished slowly as the name fell into her eardrums. Manik knew it could make her sad or upset, but he just wanted to have something good from her horrible past.
Manik looked at her holding her small hands into his large ones "In all this mess and chaos, there was only one person who never thought about herself but you. She wanted nothing more than you. Rose, in your life everyone has been selfish or thought about themselves at least once, even me but that woman lived and die for you. And she wasn't even in your life"
She heard his words but could not wrap her mind around naming her daughter after the woman who birthed her but never saw her, whose family left her to die when she wasn't even one day old.
How can she name her daughter after the woman whose son has been killed by the same daughter's father?
"Manik......" She trailed off.
"It's entirely upon you. I just gave a suggestion. and I understand how hard it is for you. The only reason I said this name, is because I don't think there is any other better way to honor her. The true mother, she loved you sincerely" He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
Mandini Khanna was a woman who always lived for others, she fought her family and husband just to have Nandini----A child who will result in her death----but after all, she was a mother. Hesitation to die for her child isn't something that could get her.
A mother died to protect her daughter.
"Mandini Manik Malhotra doesn't sound bad" She smiled looking at her strange husband, whom she will never understand completely.
"There is another good thing in her name" He sighed.
"What is that?"
"Mandini, it has both our names"
"Manik's MA and Nandini's NDINI. Correct?" She chuckled.
''Mandini Manik Malhotra, my lovely daughter" Manik grinned looking at her.
The feeling that hit her couldn't be described, the smile or grin she really couldn't differentiate, it had all the missing happiness, the missed smiles, and the lost time. This smile was seen by her the second time after he got the news of her pregnancy. He was ecstatic. She won't know how good of a mother she's going to be but she's sure he is going to be the best father anyone has seen.
"Can I take her?" Manik's question broke her trance.
She looked at the baby sleeping peacefully with her mouth open, reminding her of Manik, who also sleeps with his mouth open. Her eyes shifted to the man who is now looking at the baby wanting to hold her, by the way, his hands are wiggling on her waist she can say that he was impatient.
"She just slept, I don't think we should wake her up," Nandini said while caressing his cheek.
She saw the deepest frown on his face ever, maybe he didn't like what she said or maybe he is too eager to hold her again. Maybe both.
