Threads of Friendship, Bonds of Marriage

Chapter: 47

{Malhotra Mansion, Dining Room}

[Her breaths grew heavier, her hands clutching at her chest as panic took hold. Manik's heart raced, fear gripping him as he watched her spiral further. He shook her gently, his voice rising in urgency.]

Nandini: (panicking, her voice trembling) I... I didn't do it... I didn't kill anyone! Please, I don't want to go to jail... I didn't do anything wrong. I didn't kill him!

[Her lips quivered, but no words came. Tears streamed down her face as she gasped for air, her chest rising and falling rapidly, seeing ghosts of her past rather than the people standing before her. Abhimanyu rushed to her side, kneeling beside her.]

Abhi: Nandu, can you hear me? Look at me! Nandu!

[Nandini's wide eyes darted to Abhimanyu, but she didn't see her older brother. In her mind, he was still the innocent boy who had once been her lifeline. Her voice broke as she sobbed, her words laced with heartbreak.]

Nandini: (childlike, sobbing) Bhai... tell them I didn't do it! How could I? I loved him! After Maa... he was all I had. How could I survive without him? Bhai, tell them... tell them I didn't kill him! I have school tomorrow, and... and they promised to come to my annual day. I even prepared a dance for them!

[Her words hung in the air like a dark cloud, and the weight of her pain was unbearable. The family watched in stunned silence as the truth of her trauma unfolded before their eyes. Realization dawned as they understood—Nandini wasn't in the present anymore. She was reliving her childhood, and the trauma of losing someone she loved deeply and being blamed for it. Tears streamed down her face as she spiraled further into her memories, her pain palpable and raw.

Manik and Abhimanyu tried to console her, their voices overlapping as they called her name, but Nandini was lost in her own world. Her trembling hands reached out as if to hold onto someone who wasn't there, and her sobs grew louder. The rest of the family, watching helplessly, felt their hearts break at the sight.

Alya, now overwhelmed with guilt, looked down, tears pooling in her eyes. She had seen Mukti go through panic attacks before, but this was different—this was a girl breaking apart, piece by piece.

Tears filled Manik's eyes as he pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly, trying to anchor her to reality. His voice broke as he whispered to her.]