Threads of Friendship, Bonds of Marriage

Chapter: 33

{Malhotra Mansion - Late Night}
Living Room

Sonia: (her tone softening, but with a cutting edge) And now we come to Nyonika Aunty. She treated you like her own daughter. She tried to form a new bond with you, and what did she get in return? An accident.

[The words struck Nandini like a physical blow. Her breath hitched as her head snapped up, eyes wide in shock. The accusation hung in the air, sharp and cruel, cutting deeper than anything Sonia had said so far. The room around her seemed to shrink, the weight of the accusation pressing down, suffocating her.]

Nandini: (pleading, voice trembling) I swear, I didn't cause the accident. I wasn't even with her when it happened!

[Sonia's smirk only deepened, her triumph clear as she took another step forward, her presence overwhelming. Nandini felt the walls closing in on her, the air too thick to breathe. Her heart raced, her pulse hammering in her ears, drowning out the sound of the storm outside.]

Sonia: Oh, I know that. But let's talk about today, Nandini. You were with Nyonika Aunty all day, right? Who was driving?

[Nandini frowned, confusion mixing with the rising panic in her chest. Her mind struggled to keep up with the direction Sonia was steering the conversation.]

Nandini: (hesitant, voice shaking) I was driving, but what does that have to do with—

[Sonia cut her off sharply, her voice rising, filled with triumph.]

Sonia: Exactly! Everything was fine while you were driving. But the moment Aunty started feeling close to you when she finally began to accept you... look what happened! The brakes on her car failed. In the hospital parking lot, no less. A coincidence? Or is it just your cursed luck?

[The room fell into a stunned silence, the air charged with disbelief and horror. Each word Sonia spoke was a dagger, twisting deeper into Nandini's heart. Nandini stood frozen, the weight of the accusation threatening to crush her. The room spun, her vision blurred by tears that streamed freely down her face. The implication—that she had somehow brought harm to Nyonika—was too much to bear. She stumbled back a step, her body trembling violently, gasping for air like she was drowning.]

Manik, standing just behind her, was shaking with barely restrained rage. His fists clenched at his sides, his entire being screaming to defend her. But Nandini's silent, pleading glance held him in place. The pain in her eyes was enough to stop him from speaking, though his heart was breaking watching the girl he loved unravel before him.

Durga's smile grew wider as she watched, her satisfaction no longer hidden. Everything was unfolding exactly as she had planned. She could almost hear the cracks forming in Manik and Nandini's relationship, deepening with every word Sonia hurled. Soon, she believed, it would shatter completely.

Nandini's breath came in ragged gasps as she tried to form a coherent response, but her voice trembled, betraying her.]

Nandini: (stammering, her breath uneven) M-Maybe... maybe it was a maintenance issue... I don't know... I—when I drove the car before, everything was fine...

[Her words hung in the air, but they sounded hollow, even to her. No one seemed convinced. Raj, standing tall and imposing, stepped forward. His stern expression cut through the tension like a blade, the disbelief in his eyes unmistakable.]

Raj: No. That's not possible. Our cars undergo routine checks every month, without fail. There's no way the brakes could have just failed out of nowhere.