Chapter: 26

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[Hospital Terrace, Under a Starry Night]

For a moment, neither of them speaks. The silence between them is heavy, charged with all the words left unsaid. The dim light from the stars and the city below casts a soft glow on her face, and Manik finds himself mesmerized by the sight. There's something about the way she looks in this light, so serene yet so troubled, that makes it impossible for him to hold back any longer.]

Manik: I need to confess something.

[His words pull her back to reality, out of the strange, dreamlike state she had been drifting in. She frowns, sensing the gravity of his tone. Whatever he's about to say, she knows it's going to be something she's not ready to hear.]

Nandini: (gently, trying to deflect) Not now, Manik. We've all had a long day.

Manik: If I don't say this now, I'm not sure when I'll have the courage again.

[There's a desperation in his voice, a plea that tugs at her heart. But tonight, after everything, she just can't handle another revelation. She shakes her head, her voice steady but her eyes betraying the turmoil within.]

Nandini: I know you'll find the right time. But after everything that happened today, I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to hear about any secrets tonight.

Manik: I know today was tough for you. And I know you have a lot of questions about me. If you want to ask anything, I'm here.

Nandini: (with a pleading look, her voice tinged with exhaustion) I told you, I don't want to know anything right now. Maybe later.

[She looks at him, her eyes searching his for any sign that he understands. She needs him to understand that she's at her limit. To her relief, he does. Manik nods, sensing her exhaustion, and leans back on the couch beside her. Together, they sit in silence, the tension slowly dissipating but still present, like a distant thunderstorm.


As the stars twinkle above, their light dances across Nandini's face, reflecting the struggle and exhaustion she's been hiding all day

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As the stars twinkle above, their light dances across Nandini's face, reflecting the struggle and exhaustion she's been hiding all day. Manik watches her, his heart aching at the sight, knowing that beneath her strong exterior lies a pain she's not ready to share. And so, they sit in the stillness of the night, the unspoken words hanging between them, heavy and unrelenting.]

*******

[Abandoned Factory]

[The night is thick with suffocating darkness, swallowing the world outside. The factory looms like a forgotten giant, its once-thriving machinery now frozen in time. The air is thick with the scent of rust and decay, and the walls are cloaked in a shroud of dust and cobwebs, like a crypt untouched by the living.

The eerie silence is punctuated only by the occasional drip of water from a leaky pipe, echoing through the cavernous space. A chill hangs in the air, creeping into the bones, as if the factory itself is a living, breathing entity—waiting.

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