Hold On My Heart (Complete)

13: The Cost of Love

Nandini’s POV

“We can never be friends, Nandini, and you know that,” he said.

“You know, you’re good... but I can’t give you what you want. I’m sorry,” I said.

“Is he from the village... your boyfriend?” he asked.

“Yeah, he is. He’s out of the country for work.”

“Hmm.” He smiled. He’s good at hiding emotions.

“Okay then, bye,” I said, and he simply nodded. He saw me out of the house and closed the door, still with a smile. I don’t know why, but I was crying.

Manik’s POV

I know she was lying about the boyfriend thing, but I chose to stay quiet. She can’t have a boyfriend—because if she did, why wouldn’t she have a phone to stay in touch with him?
Anyway, I can’t just make up my own story. Maybe she isn’t lying.

But if she wants me to stay away, then I will. I know I made a bad move by kissing her, but I couldn’t stop myself. I wanted to, so I did—and I don’t regret it.
But I know that maybe, after today, she won’t come close to me again.

I lay on the couch thinking about today’s incident until I eventually drifted off.

The next morning, I got myself ready. It’s Sunday, so she must be home.
Yeah, that office is mine. I was the one who hired her because I couldn’t see her doing so much work for such little pay. There, she doesn’t work too much and earns a reasonable salary—but of course, I won’t tell her.

I’m going to apologize to her for yesterday, because I think it’s the right thing to do. I’m not expecting anything in return.
I came to her house but stopped at the window when I overheard her arguing with someone.

Nandini’s Voice Inside

“Yes, I do! I do love him, but you know I can’t give him a chance, Navya. I just can’t!”

“Nandini, enough! You’re overreacting. Why don’t you just forget everything and f*cking move on? Aren’t you tired of being alone? If you think you can live like this, then just remind yourself of your mom. She never wanted you to live the way she did. But look—you’re choosing the same path!”

“I’m like this because I know... after knowing the truth, he’ll leave me. And I don’t have the courage to tell him about my past. I can’t. No one would like to live with a girl like me.”
She was crying.

“You know what? I’m tired of explaining. Do whatever the f*ck you want, Nandini,” Navya snapped, and left the house.

I went back home. Picking up my gun, I followed Navya.
She was heading to a quiet place, where no humans were in sight. She stopped there and cried. I walked toward her, pointing the gun at her forehead. She was shocked.

“Manik?!”

“Shhh! Not a word.” She looked terrified.

“What are you doin—”

“I said, not a word. Not until I say so.”

“What do you want?” she asked, backing away.

“The truth.”

“What?”

“The truth Nandini is hiding. And no lies—otherwise, I’ll kill you right here,” I said coldly.

“What truth? What are you talking about?”

“The one you both were discussing a few minutes ago.” Her expression changed.

“I can’t tell you... it’s her secret. I can’t—”

“You want to die?” I was dead serious.

“Manik, I can’t. Ask her yourself, she’ll—”

“She won’t. She’ll just make up a story, and I don’t have the patience for her lies anymore. So just tell me.”

“Manik, please—”

“On the count of three, I’ll pull the trigger.”
Her eyes widened in fear.

“Man—”

“Three... two... o—”

“I’m telling!” she screamed, closing her eyes.

“Good.”

“First, put down the gun, please,” she pleaded, and I did. We sat on a stone, and she began speaking.

“It all happened five years ago. She used to be a playful and entertaining girl. Everyone loved her—she was a happy soul.
She was in love with one of our neighbors, a college guy named Arnav. He proposed, and they got into a relationship.”
She paused, taking a deep breath. I was already sure that bastard had cheated her.

“Everything was fine. They were happy together. But…”

“But?”

“One night, Nandini went missing. We started searching for her. She never had a phone to call or let us know if she was okay.
We kept looking, and the next day, we found her... her…”

“What?” My heart was racing.

“She was lying lifeless on a bed… Arnav raped her in a drunken state.”
My whole body started burning with anger.

“Where is that son of a b*tch now?” I asked, trying to control my emotions.

“He went to jail, but Nandini took back the complaint. He was sent out of the country and never came back.
Now he’s married and has kids. And Nandini... she lost everything. Her mother died—she couldn’t bear the pain.
After that, I never saw Nandini smile. Until you came.”
She looked at me.
“She loves you, but she’s denying it,” she added.

“I know,” I said. “Thank you.”
I got up, putting the gun back behind me.

“But on one hand, she’s right about you—you seriously can kill someone for your own good,” she said, and I chuckled.

“I wasn’t going to kill you. The gun’s not loaded,” I said, and she looked shocked.

“You’re such a jerk,” she said.

“Thank you,” I replied, and walked away.

I went to Nandini’s house and knocked on the door. She opened it.

“Nav—” she stopped when she saw me. I stepped inside, and she looked away.

I closed the door behind me and smashed my lips against hers. She tried to pull away, but I held her hands and pinned her to the wall.

“You were right,” I said as I pulled away.
In reply, she slapped me hard.

“How cheap are you?! What do you think you’re doing?” she shouted.
I smiled.

“I love you, damn it,” I said, hugging her.

Alina❤