TRUE LOVE NEVER GIVES UP

Chapter-81: Finally United

As the room settled down after the heavy revelations, one person was standing apart from the group, watching silently with a sad smile — it was Cabir. His usual lively spirit seemed dulled, and his eyes held a deep sadness that contrasted with the emotional reunions around him. Nandini’s gaze caught him, and at that moment, the weight of everything they hadn’t said, the connection they had yet to embrace, settled between them like a heavy fog.

Nandini, still sitting with her hand wrapped tightly around Manik’s, felt her heart rate quicken. She looked at Cabir, her mind racing with how to even begin, her throat suddenly dry. Her chest tightened with emotion, and fear gnawed at her insides. She didn’t know if she was ready for this — the conversation she had avoided ever since Cabir revealed their bond, their shared blood, their lost years.

Sensing her hesitation, Manik squeezed her hand gently, his eyes meeting hers with a soft, encouraging gaze. He could see the nervousness and fear in her expression, and he nodded at her with quiet reassurance, silently telling her, *You can do this.*

Nandini took a deep breath, steeling herself, and called out softly, her voice trembling, "Cabir..."

Cabir looked up, his eyes meeting hers. He had been standing there as if waiting for her to say something, yet when she finally did, it seemed to catch him off guard. He blinked a few times, then slowly, hesitantly, took a few small steps forward. His usual confident stride was missing, replaced by the careful, almost timid steps of someone walking through broken glass.

"You… you can come closer," Nandini said, her voice quivering but filled with warmth.

Cabir’s breath hitched, and he nodded slightly, though the weight of years of buried emotions seemed to drag him down with every step. As he reached the foot of Nandini’s hospital bed, he opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out at first. He tried again, his voice thick with emotion, struggling against the tide of memories he hadn’t confronted in years.

"I… I don’t remember everything clearly, Nandini," he began, his voice shaky, his hands trembling as he clenched them into fists at his sides. "But… Dadi told me… it was after our second birthday."

Nandini listened intently, her heart pounding in her chest as Cabir spoke. He was piecing together fragments of their shared past, and the gravity of what he was saying made the air in the room feel suffocating.

"Mom and Dad… they had this urgent business meeting in India. You, Mom, and Dad left for India while I stayed behind with Dadi in London because… because I had a fever." His voice cracked slightly as he spoke, his eyes distant as if he were reliving those memories. "I was so upset that I couldn’t go with you, but Dadi promised I’d see you soon."

Cabir paused, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. Nandini’s grip on Manik’s hand tightened as she held her breath, listening to every word.

"It was about a week later," Cabir continued, his voice barely above a whisper now, "that we got the news. There had been… an attack. Some business rivals. They didn’t want Mom and Dad alive… and… and there was an accident."

Nandini’s breath hitched, her chest tightening as tears welled in her eyes. She had never known this part of her story. Her past was always a black hole of questions, and now Cabir was filling in the blanks, each word landing like a hammer blow.

"Dadi was devastated," Cabir went on, his voice breaking now, trembling with the weight of emotions he had held back for so long. "She… she had to take over everything. The business, the responsibilities. And I… I was just a kid, Nandini. I didn’t understand. All I knew was that… you were gone. Mom and Dad were gone. And I… I couldn’t believe it."