Celebrity Castaway | COMPLETE | MaNan Fiction

21| The Farewell

A/N: Hello dear readers, firstly, apologies for not making time to give you a mid-week update last week, although I hadn't promised, but I was intending to! But, husband dearest tore an ankle ligament while playing tennis and that caused a lot of rush during the week :( Now he is fine. Also, he's taking it easy so he's home for a couple of days, and so I set him up on daddy duties, so I can get some work done! :P

Also, since most of you know, I newly joined Twitter and I'm still very excited about it, request you to add #MananCelebrityCastaway & tag me (Iv_Roo) to any content you find on this work! I am so excited to explore the works :)

Now coming to the story, so here is my new chapter, and while the mood is still somber here, but a lot happens & I know you guys will love it & have a lot to say about it too!

On that note, happy reading!

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"Nandini, you're sure about this, you really want to do this?" Manik asked once more, after he got into his car with Nandini. It was evening now; once he received confirmation from Cabir that Abhimanyu's body was released after all medico-legal formalities, and was being taken for cremation, he had informed the same to Nandini, and now they were on their way to perform his last rites. Manik felt unreal. Until now, Abhimanyu's death felt like a devastating piece of information, but now, when they were on their way to finally bid adieu to his mortal remains, he realised the depth of the word gone. Abhimanyu was really never going to be there around Nandini, watching her & having her back, no matter what!

"Manik, I am his only family. He has..erm..had no one else." replied Nandini, sniffing dryly. Manik watched her. She was doing much better now. So much more in control, as she sat by him, staring out of the window, blankly, lost in her thoughts, as her fingers rested on her belly and gently caressed the bump. He felt a pang of guilt. He knew the pregnancy game was going too far. Nandini was subconsciously seeking emotional support from this phantom child, who in reality didn't exist. Was she emotionally ready to accept reality anymore? No, he wouldn't risk this for longer, they were late already. He decided he was going to ask his PR to now think of ways to end this exercise.

"Manik, how did you manage to convince your father & grandfather to allow me to do Abhimanyu's last rites?" Nandini's soft voice pulled Manik out of his own thoughts. He stared at her in surprise.

"How'd you know I had to convince them?" Manik asked, looking at her. She smiled softly, it wasn't a happy one.

"I'm having a Malhotra baby, so whatever I do is directly related to the Malhotra reputation; so the mother of a Malhotra baby, performing last rites for her mere security in-charge? The press will lap this news. This could create a controversy, right? How'd they allow it? How did you convince them?" she asked, looking grim.

Manik stared at her. She was right in thinking on these lines. If there's anyone other than the Malhotra's and their handful of faithful servants, who knew their real face, it was Nandini. He knew convincing his father & grandfather would be next to impossible, when he left for their ancestral home, Jannat, after putting Nandini to bed in the afternoon. However, this time he was in for a surprise himself. His father and especially his grandfather, didn't need much convincing at all. He knew they'd argue that Nandini was supposed to play pregnant and women with child didn't perform funeral rites; they would argue that it would create some murmur in their circle & the press; but to Manik's surprise, they actually didn't. In fact when he voiced his doubts, they told him that letting Nandini perform the rites would send a message of their progressive outlook towards life and rituals, and it would further strengthen their perfect down to earth family image.

Manik could only thank his stars for keeping this easy, because he knew the rest of the evening wouldn't be. Who knew how Nandini would react seeing Abhimanyu's mortal remains? He knew he couldn't expect her to keep up with the pregnancy charade while mourning this loss, so he had already asked Zubin to take press restraint orders around the premises of the crematory ground and not allow any outsiders when they were performing the rites.