Tales of the Heart

Chapter 14

"I love Manik." Hear me out carefully. "I love him and I'll marry him only. Also I'm not gonna marry chosen by a murderer. A person who can kill his own wife by torturing her for his own benefits, I'm sure the boy he will choose would be like this only. Like him, a murderer and I can't let that happen to myself."

Nandini's words seemed to cut through Sanjay's body. His eyes were spitting fire and there was something deadly going on in his mind. He marched towards Nandini. "How dare you talk to me like that?" He slapped her hard.

Nandini was not ready for this. She stumbled at her place and her head hit the corner of nearby couch. That side of her forehead was cut a little. "Ahh!" She shirked a little as her head hurt.

"Di!" Avneet ran to hold Nandini. She helped Nandini to get up. Avneet glared at Sanjay. "How dare you raise your hand on di? You have no right to do so. The truth is bitter to hear always and that's why it hurt your ego. Because you're a murderer. A murderer who has killed our mother. You don't deserve to be called a father. We hate you so much."

Sanjay was burning in rage, his face had turned red with anger, but he didn't say anything more to them and walked away from there.

"Di, are you okay? It's bleeding." She got worried seeing the blood on Nandini's forehead. 

"I'm okay. Don't worry." Nandini patted her cheeks lovingly. "Whatever he did yesterday was not right. I need to go to Manik's place."

"You'll go but first let me do your first aid and then you need to have something."

Nandini nodded in no and walked out from there. Avneet called her a few times from back but she was in no mood to hear. She had no other option than following her sister.

MANIK'S   PLACE
Nandini almost ran to his place and pressed the doorbell. Neelima opened the door and she was a little surprised seeing Nandini and Avneet there at this hour.

"Nandini? Avneet?" Then she noticed the cut on Nandini's forehead. "How did you get your forehead cut like this?" She asked worriedly.

"Mumma, I'll explain it to later. But first tell me where is Manik?" Nandini was getting impatient not being able to see him. If he was home, then he must have heard her voice till now still he didn't come out.

"Manik has gone to the park for jogging. Didn't you go today?" 

Nandini didn't say anything and ran towards the park to find Manik. 

Avneet was about to leave too but Neelima stopped her. "Avneet, you tell me what happened to Nandini? She is looking so restless and her forehead was also bleeding. Has something happened at your home again?"

Avneet didn't know what to say to her. She couldn't tell Neelima about Nandini's last night's act else she would be worried. "Last night dad had said a lot of things to Manik bhai and Siddharth. That time di was not there. In the morning, when she got to know of it, she lost her cool and she had an argument again with him. That's how all this happened."

"Did he raise his hand on Nandini?"

Avneet meekly nodded her head and ran behind Nandini.

Manik and Sid were standing at one side talking to each other. 

"Mani...." He heard a voice from his back. He turned back only to find Nandini was standing a little away huffing badly. 

Manik looked at her with a frown. But he didn't say anything to her, he turned his face other side away from her. 

Sid too noticed Nandini. He looked at Manik for once and then saw a panting Nandini. "Nandini, why are panting like this? What happened?" After that he saw Avneet too standing behind her. "Avneet is here too. Avneet, what happened? Why're you both running like this? What's wrong?"